History of UTIs & newly diagnosed diabetes - what to feed (UK)???

Hi

My 12 y/o Tom cat was diagnosed with diabetes a few weeks ago. I have been administering caninsulin but so far not noticed much of a change. He has already had 1 glucose curve test and is due another this week and also a test for fructosamine.

He is currently on Royal Canin Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie Dry and after reading all the posts I am desperate to get him off of this and on to some decent wet food but the vet is worried about his UTIs returning (he had a blockage several years ago now after spending most of his early life on wet food).

Please help!!! Thanks in advance

 

I’ll tag @Elizabeth and Bertie for UK specific info.
Are you home testing his glucose? The SO is high carb and when you make the switch to low carb wet food it may drop his glucose significantly and home testing will be the best way to keep him safe. My cat had a history of cystitis and UTI’s. He did well on low carb wet food with added water. I also added a supplement called d mannose to help prevent UTI’s. I used THIS one, not sure if it’s available there, but I’m sure some brand is.

 

Hello Laura (and Whiskey!),
Regarding low carb foods in the UK, there are lots! And much depends on what the kitty likes (taste, and texture). ...As Sharon says above you can add extra water to the food to help counter UTI's also.
And I think some folks who have kitties diagnosed specifically with crystals aim to keep to lower phosphorous foods (which may also be lower in magnesium). Just a thought, but it may be worth your starting a separate thread specifically asking about suggestions for preventing UTI's ?

However, back to lower carb food info....
Because switching to lower carb foods can reduce blood glucose levels it is important to only switch to lower carb IF you can test your kitty's blood glucose at home and reduce the insulin dose as needed. Fortunately, this is not nearly as hard as it sounds! Most cats can be 'home-tested', and most humans can test their cats. ...But sometimes it just takes a little practice, and maybe a little persuasion with a few yummy treats as a reward. ...Most who hometest use ordinary glucose meters made for humans.

Here is a link to a list of lower carb foods in the UK. Do shout out if you have any questions or concerns.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J5JpMe6TDXrHq_aTl9hUtHy6Gs9oRBqlz4nPGKxtySA/pubhtml

And here's a link to some info for UK newcomers:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/

There's a lot of info in both of the above, Laura, so do just take your time, and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. 'Baby steps' is fine. And remember to breathe...

Eliz

 

Thank you @Sharon14 @Elizabeth and Bertie for your replies and all the info you've provided. We're not home testing yet as I was so overwhelmed with what food to potentially change him to. Luckily I have a very understand vet who has already said he'd be more than happy for me to test at home so will speak to him this week to come up with a plan!