Low Carb Dry Food

Hi All! My diabetic cat mostly eats canned food (friskies turkey & giblets pate) but sometimes at night, i like to leave a tiny bit of kibble before i go to bed so he doesnt wake me! I was using the DM Purina dry...but that has gotten way to costly. Any suggestions?

 

take some of your Friskies and add a little water, put it into an ice cube tray and freeze it...most cats won't eat what they can't smell, but later on in the night when it melts, it'll be just like fresh

Lots of people here use auto-feeders like the PetSafe5 too....that way they can offer food during the day while they're at work and at night when they want to sleep!

 

Evo Chicken and Turkey dry is one of two low carb dry foods, the other is Young Again Zero Carb. Neither one is cheap, but both have much fewer carbs that the Hills DM. The Evo is considerably less costly than the YA, and is about 8.5 actual carbs. It's said that they'll eat a little less with the YA and its purchased strictly online. Evo is carried at specialty pet food stores or can be purchased from (and much cheaper) from chewy.com.

 

Instead of dry food, why don't you try freezing some canned food and leaving it out? Or an auto-feeder, if that doesn't work? You pop a frozen piece of canned food in the feeder and set it to go off in the middle of the night. My cats eat 4 times a day--7am/pm and 1pm/am, so we usually use the feeder for the lunch time feeding while we're at work and the late night feeding if we don't feel like staying up that late.

Even the low carb dry foods can have negative effects on diabetic cats--they are dehydrating (bad on the kidneys and urinary tract) and can cause some cats' BG to rise because they are not low glycemic foods. They should be a last resort if the cat refuses to eat wet food despite the continued effort to transition away from dry.

Also, the DM dry is still pretty high in carbs...if you take away all the dry food, make sure you're home testing and reducing the insulin dose as needed. You'd be surprised how much just a little bit of dry in their diet can raise their blood sugar.

EDIT: I saw from your post in another thread that he's off insulin, which is great! But diabetic cats in remission still have the same nutritional requirements as those on insulin, and the best way to keep him in remission is to keep up with the low carb, canned diet.

 

Thanks!! Of course i am keeping up with the same diet. A bag of dry cat food lasts me a few months! Thats how little i use of it

 

I can't believe how much your kitty looks like my Goof!

 

My 15 yr old neutered male short-hair grey tabby mixed breed, Zydeco, refuses to eat wet food, nor even semi-moist. He's getting so thin on even good quality kibble! He's always been a slender but athletic guy, but I now see his muscle mass vanishing and his coat not glossy as it was. He drinks and urinates well. His bowels seem fine. He does vomit more than h did before, and no hairballs are seen. He's less active than he was a younger cat, but still seems interested in the world and communicates well with his family. He is not as strong but still vital. He has all his life been on free-feed dry kibble, and has a conniption fit is his bowl is getting low. If he can see the bottom of the bowl, he won't let you alone.

He's never in his life (he was born in my closet) shown ANY interest in: wet dog or cat food, semi-moist dog or cat food , raw foods, people foods like tuna (canned or fresh raw or cooked), chicken, fish (freshwater, salt water, aquarium), ice cream, cow's milk/cream/cheeses, goat milk/cheeses, beef, lamb, goat, pork, turkey, bacon, rabbit, cuy (guinea pig meat), pigeon/squab, ostrich, wild boar, venison, emu, kangaroo, alligator, rattlesnake, nutria, crane, mink, turtle, shrimp, crab, clams, mussels, conch, octopus, squid, geoduck, uni, eel. He HAS eaten self-procured insects and lawn grass. He rubs and nibbles catnip and eats cat mint a bit. He shown no interest on cooked vegetable, and not in raw ones either, except a few tastes once of sprouts and micro-greens, never since. He sniffs anything presented, then moves on. He went from the teat to kibble and I have never found a treat from a bag or a plate that he found worth eating.

What can I feed this dear friend? I don't want to watch him waste away! He likes MeowMix, Friskies, even cheap/crappy kibble. Have had him balk at "good quality" kibble like Iams, etc. He has always eventually eaten it, but notably less desirable in his eyes. Suggestions? I can't get him regulated if I can't get him to eat.

 

What does your vet say? I would bring him asap! I would get the EVO brand or Young Again dry food...they are low carbs. You could also sprinkle some dry food onto the wet to transition him to wet food. Also go to catinfo.org. Dr Lisa talks a lot about transitioning cata from dry to wet food

 

I've tried to transition him many times. Hence the long long list of things I have tried. I am awaiting a shipment of the YA dry food. He does not seem to favore the EVO, and continues to be very thin on it. At this point, my vet says to feed him what he'll eat, since obviously we can't let him go days without eating. I was just hoping someone had had some success with something other than those two (very expensive) alternatives.

 

Hi , just wondering if you got the Young Again cat food yet ? I sure hope your cat likes it . I got a sample for my cats and they did not care for it . If your kitty does not like the Young Again you can try Wysong Epigen 90 , it is less than 5% carbs ..

 

I got the EVO today...gave him a few pellets and he ate it up!

 

@Barri , I am glad your cat likes the Evo ..

 

We have the same issue. I FINALLY got Oliver transitioned to a wet food he liked (Sheba pates...not the best but better than dry), but after his episode of pancreatitis, he won't eat anything but dry. I'm switching him to Evo for now, and will keep trying to find a wet option he'll eat more than a few bites of.

 

Have you tried sprinkling some dry on top of the wet? That may help!!

 

Also, I wonder what would happen if you gave him an appetite stimulant and presented him with wet food

 

Crumbling some Stella & Chewy's Tum Tickin Turkey on top of wet food has never failed for me to convert a diabetic to wet or entice a picky eater. It can also be fed y itself re-hydrated as a wet food. It isn't cheap, but most cats I've met love it.

One of my OTJ boys has been losing weight and wants dry food all the time. I have been putting a little EVO on top of his wet. That brings down the carbb content and increases the moisture content of the whole meal and it usually entices him to eat the wet once he gets going.

 

I have two super picky cats . I finally got both on mostly wet food . The only two brands they will eat are Fancy Feast Classic & 9 Lives Meaty Pate . I sprinkle a bit of Evo kibble on top and they eat almost all of it .. FF Liver & Chicken is their favorite . Have you tried that one for your kitty ?

 

Great suggestions! He looks at the YA, eats a few bites, then looks at me and says "Really?", before going off to curl up in his favorite sunny place. Will try crumbles of his favorite dry on top and see if that helps.

 

What about trying Forta Flora? I have never used it myself but my understanding is that most cats really love it (I believe they flavor it with the same flavors that are used on dry foods to make them tasty to cats). I know you can get it online at Amazon and some of the pet stores online, like Chewy's. It may be available in pet stores, too, I don't know.

 

I have not heard of that brand before. I'll check it out, Thanks!

 

FortiFlora is a probiotic supplement. You can try sprinkling it on canned food to get Wink to eat it.

 

@oliversmoms -I'm wondering if Oliver is still on Evo I am in same situation but my cat loves canned food - but every single brand/flavor gives him pancreatitis - He was eating Young Again but stopped eating it (he develops food aversions when he feels bad) so now I am having to switch to Evo and Epigen 90. Just got the Epigen 90 - kind of excited to try it

 

I can see that I am not the only one with a kitty that gives problems with food... It's good to read what others do to see if I am missing anything... But I've tried everything posted so far...I just don't know anymore... Some days Sushi seems to feel better and eats wet very well...other days he just wants the dry...other days, like today, he is not eating anything properly... It's good that I am home today to keep an eye on him. But frustrating... I am transitioning him to a low carb dry food and after that I think I'll just go with the flow...or It'll drive me mad, for sure! I am already half mad by now but anyway...

 

I'm not sure what your vet told you, but there's no evidence pancreatitis is caused by diet. If a cat has chronic pancreatitis, they will have a flare up regardless of what they are eating. For some cats (not all), lower fat foods may help reduce inflammation in future flare ups, but that is regardless of whether it is dry or canned.

The one exception to this is that some cats seem to have their pancreatitis caused/triggered by IBD, which can be mitigated by diet, but cats with IBD do best on low carb, canned or homemade diets.

 

Julia - My vet is guessing as am I - I have had my cat for 5 years and have tried finding a canned food he can tolerate (he loves canned food - definitely prefers it) but within several days of eating even half a can, he begins vomiting and is nauseated for a day - goes off all food for 24-36 hrs, then gradually will go back to eating dry and develops an aversion to wet food, until several weeks pass and I repeat with another brand or flavor of food. This has happened every single time I have tried canned - in the past 5 years, I have probably tried >40 different varieties/brands of pates. It is not a snarf and barf because he is actually ill for usually 2 days. No problems with bowels, and no vomiting except during these episodes. After his DM diagnosis, I very, very slowly introduced Royal Canin venison novel protein, and he was actually able to tolerate it for two months - first in small amounts but progressed to be his only food for about 2 weeks or so - then, over a few days, he started vomiting about 5-10 minutes after eating, then hardly ate anything for a few days (meat loafing) - fed Young Again only and did better - after 5 days, gave 1 Tsp venison ~3 times a day - and after a day he again vomited after eating it, and again barely ate for several days. He is feeling better now though. He develops food aversions very easily and now won't eat Young Again dry because he was eating it when he became ill Julia, if you have any suggestions for what to try next, I am very open to suggestions. I am wondering if it could be the fat in canned food - I believe in canned food, and desperately want to find something he can tolerate but am at wits end with what to try next.

 

Oliver loves the Evo. A small miracle, considering he dislikes just about everything else.

Ideally, Oliver would be on a wet diet. But he's on 75% Evo dry and 25% wet and has been fine - he's even off insulin.

I hope you find something your kitty can tolerate!

 

Wow that's great that he is on Evo and off insulin - seems like Evo raises Murphy's sugar (Young Again did not) - but you've given me hope!

 

I just got a bag of Wysong Epigen 90 - it's supposed to be about 5% carb - so far my cat loves it - I hope so because Evo really raises his blood sugar whereas Young Again does not (he currently won't eat Young Again) You might check out Wysong Epigen 90 (I was told it had to be the Epigen 90 as opposed to the regular epigen)

 

Carol, Have you tried raw? A friend's cat had good results with primal freeze dried raw (rehydrated). She didn't like frozen raw but she liked the primal freeze dried turkey. Independent pet stores often have samples so you can try it before investing in a whole bag. Maybe it's an additive in canned foods that are causing problems...

 

Thanks Billy'smom- I did buy him some frozen raw and he won't eat it - - so the brand name is Primal?

 

I'm not sure what his issue is, but it's doesn't sound like pancreatitis. Unless you had the FPLI test done and it came up positive?

I wonder if it's some sort of GI bacterial imbalance, since it seems to happen regardless of the food (assuming a few of other the foods you tried were a few different novel proteins, to rule out a food intolerance or allergy? I see you tried venison, but did you try any other Limited Ingredient diet? The YAZC has pork and chicken, so he's probably ok with pork and poultry.). Have you ever tried Fortiflora (a probiotic) with him? And/or mixed a bit of pumpkin in to add some fiber? I can't think of a another reason why he would have GI issues with canned and not dry.

 

Two vets thought it might be did pancreatitis, but could be IBD - no FPLI test done but will next time - although I understand it is not completely sensitive or specific
I have tried novel protein duck as well as the venison in past - he is also on fortiflora and pumpkin daily
Feline-only vet said fat definitely a factor in canine pancreatitis - studies in cats have been inconclusive (not ruled in or out) so next time I am going to try a low fat, low carb wet - I think you said Bandit eats those? Any recommendations? No one can think of what this could be - where I am at the moment I can't get a good ultrasound done, but as soon as I am back in Chicago I will In the meantime, I can't find a canned food that doesn't make him ill.

 

Bandit's pancreatitis was diagnosed with an ultrasound both times...he's never actually had ath FPLI test so I can't tell you much about that. There is no evidence that fat is a factor in causing feline pancreatitis, but there is evidence that pancreatitis can be triggered by IBD, and some IBD can be caused by high fat diets (so in a a roundabout way, if you have a cat with IBD that's triggered by high fat, then yes, it can be a factor). There is evidence that some cats with a pancreatitis flare up respond better to low fat foods because it seems to reduce inflammation (but only with some cats).

Bandit is on a moderate-low fat diet because he has IBD issues that seem to be caused by high fat foods (EVO canned was the worst for him! I shudder just remembering the aftermath of that food.) He has no trouble as long as I watch his fat intake and keep it overall around 50% or lower. Which means I may feed some foods that are 60% (that's my max for him) fat, as long as I am feeding a food that's 30% fat in equal or greater amounts. Anything around 70% fat triggers his IBD. After his last bout of severe pancreatitis back in March, I watch the fat content in his food like a hawk and make sure it's always under 50% of his total diet.

Right now he eats mostly Weruva (Paw Lickin Chicken, Steak Frites, Peking Ducken, Cats in the Kitchen Funk in the Trunk, Chicken Frick-a-zee), but does get a quarter of a can of Wellness Core (which is what my other cat eats) once a day (we rotate through Kitten, Chicken/Turkey/Chicken Liver, Beef/Venison/Lamb, Turkey & Duck). I realize that's a lot of different foods, but I like to keep a lot of variety so that they don't get obsessed or hooked on one particular food, and I found it helps keep both of their GI systems a bit less sensitive. We had some Nature's Variety Instinct in the mix before March, but I cut it out after the pancreatitis to help reduce his fat intake.

 

thanks Julia - this is helpful I may try some of your foods I am at my wits end - what would you do if you were me?

 

Http://www.primalpetfoods.com/product/detail/c/14/id/57

The turkey is lower phosphorus than the turkey/ salmon.

 

Chris, I like that little ice cube trick