Help with switch from Royal Canin to low carb

My 9 year old diabetic rescue was put on 2.5 units of Lantus insulin by the shelter I adopted him from, and on l/4 cup of Royal Canin Glucobalance dry food and 1/2 can Royal Canin Glucobalance wet food every twelve hours with the insulin. I am interested in switching him to a low carb diet, but I'm not sure how to calculate how much insulin to give him on the lower carb diet. I am very math phobic, so I don't even know how to calculate how many carbs he is getting. Can someone point me to the values, or how to calculate them? I have just gotten a glucose meter, but didn't get lancets or the other stuff required yet, so I can't use it until I get it all.

 

Do not start a diet change until you can test. Switching to a low carb diet can drop a cat's numbers up to 100 points – hence the need to test.
A diet change should be introduced slowly so that you can test blood sugar and make insulin adjustments.
Foods below 10% are considered low carb (LC). Fancy Feast pates and Friskies pates are low carb.
Foods between 10% and 15% are considered medium carb (MC).
Foods over 15% are considered high carb (HC).
It is good to have a couple of cans of MC and HC at the back of the cupboard in case of a low number situation.
Here is a link to the food charts. For wet foods, the carb values have already been worked out for you.

• Cat Food - Nutritional Composition, data compiled by Dr. Lisa Pierson, DVM (2017)

Also:

• Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

The Royal Canin Glycobalance cans are 14% carbs – a hoity toity name is the only thing this cat food has going for it.

 

Yes, that's what I thought, I wasn't planning on trying to change anything until I could test. The chart doesn't list his food right now, so I don't have a starting point from which to begin.

 

Hi and welcome.... great advice from Red and Rover.

 

Which food are you considering?