new, just got wet food,how much do i feed her?

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by katie80, Mar 6, 2010.

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  1. katie80

    katie80 New Member

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    Mar 5, 2010
    i just found out that my cat probably has diabetes after taking a glucotest. i found out here that feeding lowcarb wet food can help alot so i got some this morning (fancy feast). but how much should i feed her? i was thinking twice a day. is that ok? i wanted to see what the food does for her before she gets all her tests at the vet. is that a good idea?
     
  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Many people here feed twice daily. For Fancy Feast, a good starting point is about three cans daily. If your cat has lost weight, four cans daily might be better. One way to tell if feeding enough is to periodically weight your cat and adjust the amount accordingly.

    And welcome. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
     
  3. Hillary & Maui (GA)

    Hillary & Maui (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Are you on insulin yet?

    An unregulated cat, will require more than the normal amount of food, because he cannot utilize the food properly and is starving.

    So, what could be considered normal is not for a diabetic. That being said, when Maui was first diagnosed and I transitioned her to canned food - she could eat 1-2 cans of FF at one time. I gave her as much as she needed and left the food out for free feeding.

    Here is my welcome message:


    WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious cat, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

    There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

    1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

    Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
    Nutrition/food info

    The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


    2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

    Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

    Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

    Home testing Links

    3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

    Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

    Insulin Support Groups


    However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

    If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.


    I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat' overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

    Also, if you haven't done it yet, take the time and fill out your profile. It will help when others come on and read this. Also, let us know where you live - city/state as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.
     
  4. squeem3

    squeem3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Unregulated diabetics are always hungry because their bodies can't properly use the food the right way. Free feed your cat the canned food. Let her eat as much as she wants but without gaining too much weight. 2 tiny Fancy Feast cans aren't enough. What most people do is use a timed feeder or other method to allow their cats access to food all day/night. Small frequent meals seems to work for many diabetic cats.

    Give the low carb canned food diet no more than a week. You may see some improvement in blood glucose levels but most likely your cat will need insulin.

    Be sure to feed only the low carb Fancy Feast. Here's a short lif of the ones that are low carb and gluten free: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm The regular Fancy Feast is on the old canned food chart: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html Look for the ones that have a number 10 or less in the carb column.
     
  5. katie80

    katie80 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2010
    thank u all 4 the info! i will feed her all she wants :) shes not on insulin yet. i will take her to the vet and get her on it i just wanted the food to do its thing before starting. i heard its dangerous to do both at the same time. so food now, vet in about 4-5 days. is that ok? am i doing the right thing?
     
  6. Gia and Quirk

    Gia and Quirk Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    You are doing fine, Katie, but if you are switching over from an all dry food diet you will want to take it a bit slowly to avoid tummy problems. Dr. Lisa has transition tips on her site if you need them.
     
  7. paige

    paige Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
  8. katie80

    katie80 New Member

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    Mar 5, 2010
    shes doing great on the wet food! she loves it. as a matter of fact, she used to puke alot on the dry food (shes done that for years) and i thought she would have tummy problems with switching,but she hasnt puked yet! maybe all this time her tummy just had problems with dry food :( so u think its ok 4 me to wait 4-5 days and see what happens with the food before taking her to the vet for all her testing?
     
  9. Harley's Mom

    Harley's Mom Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2010
    Glad she switched over to wet so easily. When my boy was diagnosed he only ate dry food but I managed to get him switched over and after about 3 weeks on wet food only we found he was regulated by just the food change. He never had to go to insulin!
    Hopefully when you check the BG next time at the vet you may already see a change for the better. In fact if I were you I would go buy a BG test kit and start testing her yourself right now. That way you know what is happening and you are better armed to discuss it with the vet.
     
  10. Jay

    Jay Member

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2010
    Food and Dosing go hand in hand.

    We have a strict feeding and dosing regimen. The amount of food (low carb FF included) will effect your cats sugar level, as well as your cat's weight.

    A long time ago there was formula somewhere on the board that gavae a baseline of the number of calories a cat should have daily based on its weight. As this board has changed, I'm not sure where it is any longer. However someone here may know.

    My guys (I have two, one civie one diabetic) weigh 12 to 13 lbs and I feed them as follows (after testing in the AM and PM)
    1 Can FF in the AM...between 90-110 calories
    1 Can FF in the PM...between 90-110 calories.

    This allowed me to keep his old insulin dosage constant to a very large degree.

    They were both free feeders of dry food, prior to Frankies diagnosis. It took a while for them to eat at a specific meal time but they finally got the idea. That was 4/12 years ago and they are still both around to control my life.

    Cats rule :lol:
     
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