Vet wants me to try Virbac dry food for weight loss & diabetes control?

Hi,
My big girl Nelly was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago after a UTI. I immediately switched to wet food (Meowing Heads & Natures Choice) before she even started on the insulin. She's on Prozinc & the vet is happy with her BG levels now we've reduced from 2 units twice a day to 1 unit twice a day, but she really needs to lose weight. She is just over 19lbs (8.7kg) & needs to be about 11lbs (5kg). I have tried all her life to get her to lose weight, feeding dry food as advised by the vet (surprise surprise!)

Now the UTI has gone the vet wants me to switch her to Virbac diabetes & weight loss dry food & has ordered a bag. She's lost a tiny bit of weight this last week (1.75 ounces or 50g) but he doesn't think that shows weight loss, in his words "that could just be a poo"!

I really do want her to lose weight & get healthy, my husband thinks wet is the way to go as she seems so much more satisfied & her coat looks better, but I find it hard to tell the vet that I know better than him, especially when she hasn't lost as much weight as she should in a week!

Any advice? Other than to just grow up & stop being a doormat

 

like humans calories in and calories out is how you lose and gain weight in the end (not including exercises). figure out her calories need based on ideal weight of 11-12lbs and feed her that many 'wet' food calories..13.76 x 12lbs + 70 = 235 calories needed per day, minus 10% from needed calories for weight loss, 20% after 1-2 weeks if still not losing. i would not go lower than the 20%, losing or not, cause 10lbs plus cats need at least 180 cals i do believe.

given she is a big girl probably use to munching away, i would stick to wet food for weight loss because if feeding dry she will more than likely get less food to eat since most dry, even weight loss ones, are calorie dense and not being able to munch may make her grumpy/etc., with wet food she will get more food to eat for the same calories and not feel like she is being deprived..

if you can afford it and don't want to argue with vet than get food first time and put it away and just keep feeding wet food but, don't go over her calories needed. after you see she is losing weight on wet food with limiting her calories alone, than you can fib and tell vet kitty didn't like the dry so we stayed with wet food and counted her calories....OR you can just put your foot down now and tell vet we appreciate your advice but, we have decided to stay with wet food and will be limiting her daily calories based on her ideal weight instead for now..

 

Thanks Sylvie! If I've worked it out correctly she's already only on 170 calories from her wet food sachets! Plus a a small spoonful of tinned tuna or one of those meat stick treat things as a treat after her jab so I guess that probably takes her over the 180 limit. I've bought a (hopefully) fairly accurate scale so I'm going to try weighing her myself weekly to see if she's loosing, gaining or staying the same. We're also trying to get her to exercise more by carrying her to the end of our garden so she has to walk back!

Good idea about dealing with the vet issue, I've already spent loads on food that I end up giving away when it doesn't work & the next wonder diet comes along so a bit more won't break the bank! She may not even like it anyway now she's used to her posh wet food so it's an easy lie to tell!

 

Here's a body condition chart to help you monitor her progress alongside the regular weigh-ins.


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