Hill's Prescription DM (dietetic management) Food

My cat Bailey was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Before her diagnoses she was a chow hound...now it seems like she hardly eats (I have been told this is normal--that cat's really need one mouse equivalent in food)--she loves her EVO dry food, however the DM food...she could totally pass. The vet said it is best for her and is one that helps cats go into remission. I have tried mixing in sardines, chicken, tuna, etc. Nothing has worked...she eats a bit of it...but over the course of the day it isn't the 1 can (big can) that he said she should be eating. Advice? Also what other wet foods are there that have the health benefits of the Hill's DM...but that my cat would actually eat...

 

that's not uncommon actually. a lot of cats turn their nose up to it after a few days.

while it may be lower carb food, it doesn't have the best quality ingredients so some people, including my old vet who created the original formula for it, will tell you not to waste your money on it.

for proper nutrition info, check out http://www.catinfo.org and then check out the food charts to pick a proper food for Bailey
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=115

alot of people feed low carb varieties of Friskies, Wellness, even raw and many others.

 

Read http://www.catinfo.org for answers to your food questions :smile: There is s section there on how to transition a cat from dry food to canned food, too.

In a nutshell, prsecription junk doesn't do anything other than keep a cat's blood glucose levels high and empty your wallet. No dry food will help a diabetic cat, not even grain-free dry foods. Catinfo.org explains why a water depleted food (ie dry) can cause certain health issues.

Many brands of commerical canned foods are better for your diabetic cat and wallet: Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, Innova EVO, etc. Use the canned food charts to help you find a suitable brand of food: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Stick with foods that have a number 10 or less in the carb column. These are "low carb" and good for diabetics.

Feed your cat whatever brand(s) he likes to eat and you can afford. Fancy Feast is just fine if your cat likes that. Fancy Feast is on the "old" canned food chart (the Medley ones are on the "new" chart but most are too high in carbs to be fed) and here is a list of gluten-free Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm It may take trying several brands of food to see what your cat likes to eat.

Treats need to be low carb, too. Here is a list of good treats: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

Is your cat on insulin? If yes, what is the name of the insulin and what is the dose?

 

My cat is on one unit of lantus twice a day

 

When you find a food your cat WILL eat, return the unused Hills food to your vet for a refund. Tell him Bailey just won't eat it.

 

Welcome to our FDMB family and be patient with yourself. You sound like you really love your cats, so you have come to the perfect place. Get some chocolate, sit back and get ready to read. Also, remember Every Cat Is Different. (ECID) Also, remember opinions may vary sometimes on this board, so you may get different views. Unfortunately, that is human nature.
Sorry this is very long, but there is a lot to say! Also, remember we were ALL newbies once and are feeling just like you are right now! OK……..breathe………. :RAHCAT

You do not need any type of prescription food or “special” diabetic food. Use Janet & Binky’s chart for canned food at http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html. . Low carb is best for diabetics. I try to stay around 10% or under. I feed Whiskas, 9-Lives and mostly Friskies canned food. Diabetes is very treatable and does not cost as much as you would think. If you are giving a high dose of insulin and feeding dry, be careful with switching to canned food. You MUST reduce the insulin at the same time you switch to canned food.

Please create a profile if you have not already done so (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=531). It will help us to help you. We need to know what kind of insulin you are on, what needles you are using (U-40 or U-100), what are you feeding, how much insulin you are giving and when, BG test results, etc. There are many people on this board from all over the world, so it will be helpful to know what area and time zone you are in.

Remember that your cat is YOUR cat, and YOU are paying your VET to help you take care of him; diabetes was probably a day or two worth of notes when the vet was in college; it is probably NOT a day-to-day existence with his own cat trying to maintain a quality of life. Sorry to say, but I would have overdosed my guys on insulin if I followed my vet's advice. Vets, unfortunately are not as knowledgeable as they should be on diabetes.

Sometimes, as I did, you have to take a leap of faith and trust these people on this board who deal with diabetes day in and day out. Trust me. You will not be disappointed. OK………..breathe again……….get some chocolate…….. cat_pet_icon

Also, please realize that it takes insulin about a week to settle. START LOW AND GO SLOW!! The usual starting dose from our experiences is 1u twice a day for at least a week. Insulin in cats is NOT and I repeat NOT based on weight. This is a misconception that a lot of us have gotten from our vets here. pc_work

You have to be patient, as I also had to learn!! Do not adjust the dose upwards based on one test. Don’t freak out based on one test result. As long as the levels stay on the high side, keep the same dose twice a day for at least the initial week period and you should see improvements. When you have some time (hee hee), read my profile doc at http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfqss8sg_1cpgwhbd9 .

If you are not hometesting already, you really need to start!! Hometesting is VERY important. Most of us here use any human meter. Think of it as a human diabetic does. *If it were you or a child of yours, you'd be testing blood glucose levels at home prior to each shot; you'd be working with your doctor to determine a proper dose based on those shot results, correct?* Some vets do not agree with hometesting and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Most vets, sadly are not knowledgeable enough in feline diabetes. Insulin is a VERY powerful drug and you NEED to hometest before giving a shot. This is very important. The vet would rather have you bring the cat to them, stress it out more, which may spike the levels anyway and then they can charge you $$. Hometesting saved me a lot of money and it is VERY important for you personally to know the cat’s levels and how it is reacting to the insulin before you shoot so you do not pass up your ideal dosage.

Thanks to everyone's help here I learned to home test 2 cats and they both got off insulin within 3 weeks with diet change…but of course, they reacting both DIFFERENTLY with the process. If I can do it with 2 cats twice a day (and more on curve days), ANYONE can do it. It does NOT hurt them as much as you think it does. It just stings for a moment and then it is gone, you can try it on yourself. Also, put pressure on the ear after poking and it should minimize the nub. They won't mind it once they start feeling better. I use the True Track meter (CVS or Walgreens brand) which I love. And, the strips are also reasonable. Also, remember to give them a treat after the test. Here is a link to a member videos on hometesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ6iXetR398

I would not feed DRY food if at all possible. Of course, it is better than nothing – you MUST get them to eat if you are giving insulin, but if there is any chance, get them off the dry. I took my guys off dry and within a month they were off insulin. Again, remember that switching from dry to wet can cause a drop in blood sugars, so you MUST reduce insulin at the same time to make sure you are not giving too much insulin. I truly believe also that I saved some of my many others from developing diabetes. I also saved so, so much money changing them all to regular canned cat food.
When Blackie and Jackie got diagnosed, I was afraid to start shots. The people on this board made me realize it was no big deal. (They went on PZI insulin around 3-25-06 and went off on 4-18-06! Please also realize that diet plays a BIG, BIG part in insulin needs. I switched my cats off dry food to all wet and I was never so happy. It was a challenge to try to regulate 2 cats at once.


Welcome to the Sugar Dance. flip_cat
Welcome to the Vampire Club.

If I can do it, ANYONE can!!!
It does get easier. Trust us.

You need to test BEFORE you shoot. It usually goes: Test, Feed, Shoot



There's a saying something like "better the sugar level is too high for a day than too low for a minute".