? Food Recommendations in Canada

[Alex&Bronxi]

Hi everyone,

Returning member here with my cat Bronxi, 13 year old male currently in remission (woohoo!!). Been reading a lot of useful advice on here that has helped quite a lot.

Looking for some advice on low carb foods available in Canada. What are some of the options members are using outside of Purina DM?

Unfortunately, while we have stabilized the diabetes on Purina DM wet pate and the kibbles, my cat has started to develop some intolerance / stomach issues on this food.

Just a bit of background:

Bronxi went into remission in April and he was doing well on Purina DM pate mostly (breakfast and dinner) with some kibbles during the day/night for grazing because he is a very hungry big kitty. He was thriving and even lost half a pound (he is a big boy, currently 14 lb).

He's had some overgrooming, allergy / skin issues last couple of years which I suspect are food related, although now I am also testing out the litter situation, he's been on pine litter most of his life and I am wondering if the recent change to pine pellets in August amplified his allergies.

I also noticed in August packaging changes for Purina DM, that's fine, however there were batches of Purina DM cans (May 2026 expiry) that were mushier than normal, and a friend with her diabetic cat noticed too. I alerted Purina, they were quite interested to speak to me because the consistency should be a pate, as was stressed by a rep on the phone. However in the end, nobody got back to my case, and all I got was a couple of coupons for my inquiries. I did feed him some of these cans before I decided to reorder, and sure enough the next batch was back to pate consistency.

We had an emergency early September where he developed severe GI issues, vomiting and diarrhea and was clearly scared or in pain so we took him to emerg. His bloodwork came back quite boring with no indication as to a cause, and ultrasound didn't show much, standard fecal test showed nothing. Blood glucose was elevated during the time (10 mmol). With some medications (first Cerenia, then metronidazole, probiotics) and supportive care with regular vet (boiled chicken breast, Hills BIOME - this is a miracle food for stomach issues, the other Hills are terrible) he got better and we reintroduced his regular diet.

He was doing ok back on his old diet for about 1 month-1.5 months on the new batch of cans, BG went back down to 5-6mmol during the day or less (I keep an eye with Alphatrak 3). The only difference is that I cut out some of the kibbles, and he's been mostly on the pate, with very few snack kibbles, 1/4 cup per day or even less. I also make the boiled chicken breast every couple of days since he began to like it and as a snack.

The issue is, he's very hungry these days on the wet food. I feed him small meals 6 times a day, and yes I do have to wake up at night (that was not new before either with the nocturnal habits). He has lost more weight, so did not gain back the weight from the September issues, overall 1.5 lb from July, and 0.5 lb from the GI issues 2 months ago.

The other issue, for the last week or so he has vomited (hairballs 3 times, 2 times from hunger potentially), and his stool is iffy. I have thrown some rice water and Hills BIOME into the mix again and that seems to strengthen his stomach and get his stool back to normal. As soon as I return to the Purina pate or kibbles, again it's a bit off. His BG is still ok. Vet appointment tomorrow, will ask them to check his fructosamine, and maybe administer a parasite treatment, because I don't think that was explored well in September.

If it does turn out to be the food, we need help with the food! What are people feeding their sensitive diabetic kitties in Canada??
I need to feed him canned and also a few kibbles (to prevent dental issues and for grazing when I am at work).

I think Dr. Elsey is now discontinued from Petsmart here before we had a chance to try it. I emailed Boreal to ask about the carb contents of their foods weeks ago and had no reply so it's tough to trust such a company. I see Fancy Feast is floated around, but all pates here in Canada contain fish! And guar gum, artificial flavours and by-products.

Any other options out there, other than Purina? Even other vet foods that have been tried? Is there even such a thing out there that is wheat / grain free, a complete diet, for diabetes, stomach sensitivities, urinary crystal prevention?

 

[CORKY]

Hi everyone,

Returning member here with my cat Bronxi, 13 year old male currently in remission (woohoo!!). Been reading a lot of useful advice on here that has helped quite a lot.

Looking for some advice on low carb foods available in Canada. What are some of the options members are using outside of Purina DM?

Unfortunately, while we have stabilized the diabetes on Purina DM wet pate and the kibbles, my cat has started to develop some intolerance / stomach issues on this food.

Just a bit of background:

Bronxi went into remission in April and he was doing well on Purina DM pate mostly (breakfast and dinner) with some kibbles during the day/night for grazing because he is a very hungry big kitty. He was thriving and even lost half a pound (he is a big boy, currently 14 lb).

He's had some overgrooming, allergy / skin issues last couple of years which I suspect are food related, although now I am also testing out the litter situation, he's been on pine litter most of his life and I am wondering if the recent change to pine pellets in August amplified his allergies.

I also noticed in August packaging changes for Purina DM, that's fine, however there were batches of Purina DM cans (May 2026 expiry) that were mushier than normal, and a friend with her diabetic cat noticed too. I alerted Purina, they were quite interested to speak to me because the consistency should be a pate, as was stressed by a rep on the phone. However in the end, nobody got back to my case, and all I got was a couple of coupons for my inquiries. I did feed him some of these cans before I decided to reorder, and sure enough the next batch was back to pate consistency.

We had an emergency early September where he developed severe GI issues, vomiting and diarrhea and was clearly scared or in pain so we took him to emerg. His bloodwork came back quite boring with no indication as to a cause, and ultrasound didn't show much, standard fecal test showed nothing. Blood glucose was elevated during the time (10 mmol). With some medications (first Cerenia, then metronidazole, probiotics) and supportive care with regular vet (boiled chicken breast, Hills BIOME - this is a miracle food for stomach issues, the other Hills are terrible) he got better and we reintroduced his regular diet.

He was doing ok back on his old diet for about 1 month-1.5 months on the new batch of cans, BG went back down to 5-6mmol during the day or less (I keep an eye with Alphatrak 3). The only difference is that I cut out some of the kibbles, and he's been mostly on the pate, with very few snack kibbles, 1/4 cup per day or even less. I also make the boiled chicken breast every couple of days since he began to like it and as a snack.

The issue is, he's very hungry these days on the wet food. I feed him small meals 6 times a day, and yes I do have to wake up at night (that was not new before either with the nocturnal habits). He has lost more weight, so did not gain back the weight from the September issues, overall 1.5 lb from July, and 0.5 lb from the GI issues 2 months ago.

The other issue, for the last week or so he has vomited (hairballs 3 times, 2 times from hunger potentially), and his stool is iffy. I have thrown some rice water and Hills BIOME into the mix again and that seems to strengthen his stomach and get his stool back to normal. As soon as I return to the Purina pate or kibbles, again it's a bit off. His BG is still ok. Vet appointment tomorrow, will ask them to check his fructosamine, and maybe administer a parasite treatment, because I don't think that was explored well in September.

If it does turn out to be the food, we need help with the food! What are people feeding their sensitive diabetic kitties in Canada??
I need to feed him canned and also a few kibbles (to prevent dental issues and for grazing when I am at work).

I think Dr. Elsey is now discontinued from Petsmart here before we had a chance to try it. I emailed Boreal to ask about the carb contents of their foods weeks ago and had no reply so it's tough to trust such a company. I see Fancy Feast is floated around, but all pates here in Canada contain fish! And guar gum, artificial flavours and by-products.

Any other options out there, other than Purina? Even other vet foods that have been tried? Is there even such a thing out there that is wheat / grain free, a complete diet, for diabetes, stomach sensitivities, urinary crystal prevention?

I’ll tag a couple of members that can help you with a food list in Canada
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Have you also seen:

• CANADIAN Food Chart

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi everyone,

Returning member here with my cat Bronxi, 13 year old male currently in remission (woohoo!!). Been reading a lot of useful advice on here that has helped quite a lot.

Looking for some advice on low carb foods available in Canada. What are some of the options members are using outside of Purina DM?

Unfortunately, while we have stabilized the diabetes on Purina DM wet pate and the kibbles, my cat has started to develop some intolerance / stomach issues on this food.

Just a bit of background:

Bronxi went into remission in April and he was doing well on Purina DM pate mostly (breakfast and dinner) with some kibbles during the day/night for grazing because he is a very hungry big kitty. He was thriving and even lost half a pound (he is a big boy, currently 14 lb).

He's had some overgrooming, allergy / skin issues last couple of years which I suspect are food related, although now I am also testing out the litter situation, he's been on pine litter most of his life and I am wondering if the recent change to pine pellets in August amplified his allergies.

I also noticed in August packaging changes for Purina DM, that's fine, however there were batches of Purina DM cans (May 2026 expiry) that were mushier than normal, and a friend with her diabetic cat noticed too. I alerted Purina, they were quite interested to speak to me because the consistency should be a pate, as was stressed by a rep on the phone. However in the end, nobody got back to my case, and all I got was a couple of coupons for my inquiries. I did feed him some of these cans before I decided to reorder, and sure enough the next batch was back to pate consistency.

We had an emergency early September where he developed severe GI issues, vomiting and diarrhea and was clearly scared or in pain so we took him to emerg. His bloodwork came back quite boring with no indication as to a cause, and ultrasound didn't show much, standard fecal test showed nothing. Blood glucose was elevated during the time (10 mmol). With some medications (first Cerenia, then metronidazole, probiotics) and supportive care with regular vet (boiled chicken breast, Hills BIOME - this is a miracle food for stomach issues, the other Hills are terrible) he got better and we reintroduced his regular diet.

He was doing ok back on his old diet for about 1 month-1.5 months on the new batch of cans, BG went back down to 5-6mmol during the day or less (I keep an eye with Alphatrak 3). The only difference is that I cut out some of the kibbles, and he's been mostly on the pate, with very few snack kibbles, 1/4 cup per day or even less. I also make the boiled chicken breast every couple of days since he began to like it and as a snack.

The issue is, he's very hungry these days on the wet food. I feed him small meals 6 times a day, and yes I do have to wake up at night (that was not new before either with the nocturnal habits). He has lost more weight, so did not gain back the weight from the September issues, overall 1.5 lb from July, and 0.5 lb from the GI issues 2 months ago.

The other issue, for the last week or so he has vomited (hairballs 3 times, 2 times from hunger potentially), and his stool is iffy. I have thrown some rice water and Hills BIOME into the mix again and that seems to strengthen his stomach and get his stool back to normal. As soon as I return to the Purina pate or kibbles, again it's a bit off. His BG is still ok. Vet appointment tomorrow, will ask them to check his fructosamine, and maybe administer a parasite treatment, because I don't think that was explored well in September.

If it does turn out to be the food, we need help with the food! What are people feeding their sensitive diabetic kitties in Canada??
I need to feed him canned and also a few kibbles (to prevent dental issues and for grazing when I am at work).

I think Dr. Elsey is now discontinued from Petsmart here before we had a chance to try it. I emailed Boreal to ask about the carb contents of their foods weeks ago and had no reply so it's tough to trust such a company. I see Fancy Feast is floated around, but all pates here in Canada contain fish! And guar gum, artificial flavours and by-products.

Any other options out there, other than Purina? Even other vet foods that have been tried? Is there even such a thing out there that is wheat / grain free, a complete diet, for diabetes, stomach sensitivities, urinary crystal prevention?

@Wendy&Neko
Hi Wendy I have her the Canadian Food chart above

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Tons of options in Canada for cats with sensitivities to certain proteins. Fish, plus chicken, plus beef are all common allergens for cats, though sounds like you've identified fish as one. That still leaves rabbit, lamb, venison, pork, possibly duck, turkey, quail, kangaroo, goat, ... You get the picture, still lots of meat options. You may have to shop at independent stores or small chains, like Bosleys/Pet Valu. Depends where in Canada you live as to the smaller chains. I have seen Natures Variety Instinct in PetSmart too. Other brands available in Canada with unique proteins are Rawz, Ziwipeak, Identity (was Wild Calling), Hounds & Gatos, Koha, Merrick Limited Ingredient, Natures Logic. I've even seen Mouser on the shelves, and the first 5 letters gives you a hint about one of the meats in the can. As you've started to notice, you will get good at reading can labels.

The catinfo food chart lists some of those brands, but not the Rawz or Identity but I think people have investigated them and they are OK.

also a few kibbles (to prevent dental issues and for grazing when I am at work).

Even Petsmart gave up on recommending kibbles to help with teeth. That's a very old myth. For grazing while you are at work, you can get an automatic feeder that works for wet food. Petsafe 5 or Catmate are two popular brands, from Petsmart or Amazon.

What probiotics is he getting? Some are much better than others. The GI symptoms you are describing point more to a GI issue. Has he ever had a GI blood panel (meaning B12/cobalamin and folate) tested? If he's eating the calories he should but still losing weight and having GI issues, more investigation needs to be done. Do you have the results of the ultrasound report done earlier?

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

Have you also seen:

• CANADIAN Food Chart

Thank you, I have been following the food charts. I know these are followed quite consistently on here. However is it just me or are these food charts old?
They might be only a few years old, but I've had at least two foods change recipes on me and add gluten/wheat. I am finding recipes change frequently since the pandemic due to shortages and costs, and quality has really declined.
I have not seen President's Choice cat food in stores in quite a while as an example and I'm in Toronto.

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

Tons of options in Canada for cats with sensitivities to certain proteins. Fish, plus chicken, plus beef are all common allergens for cats, though sounds like you've identified fish as one. That still leaves rabbit, lamb, venison, pork, possibly duck, turkey, quail, kangaroo, goat, ... You get the picture, still lots of meat options. You may have to shop at independent stores or small chains, like Bosleys/Pet Valu. Depends where in Canada you live as to the smaller chains. I have seen Natures Variety Instinct in PetSmart too. Other brands available in Canada with unique proteins are Rawz, Ziwipeak, Identity (was Wild Calling), Hounds & Gatos, Koha, Merrick Limited Ingredient, Natures Logic. I've even seen Mouser on the shelves, and the first 5 letters gives you a hint about one of the meats in the can. As you've started to notice, you will get good at reading can labels.

The catinfo food chart lists some of those brands, but not the Rawz or Identity but I think people have investigated them and they are OK.


Even Petsmart gave up on recommending kibbles to help with teeth. That's a very old myth. For grazing while you are at work, you can get an automatic feeder that works for wet food. Petsafe 5 or Catmate are two popular brands, from Petsmart or Amazon.

What probiotics is he getting? Some are much better than others. The GI symptoms you are describing point more to a GI issue. Has he ever had a GI blood panel (meaning B12/cobalamin and folate) tested? If he's eating the calories he should but still losing weight and having GI issues, more investigation needs to be done. Do you have the results of the ultrasound report done earlier?

Thanks Wendy & Neko!! I am going to look up some of those brands and the ingredients online.
I'm in Toronto so should have access to all the pet stores and be able to find lots of small brands. Something to research tonight.

I am going to ask the vet about the ultrasound results and see what I can get my hands on tomorrow. I just know they didn't find much. Will also ask about the GI panel...pretty sure they did one but I will ask to see the numbers. That's very helpful!!

I have an automatic feeder with an ice pack...they don't work great, and with GI issues I wanted to avoid feeding him anything stale with meat. Sometimes the feeder opens and I check on the cam and he doesn't go eat until later. That would be trouble with meat. He also tends to save bits, and at least when I'm home I can take it away.

I just wanted to check in what everyone has tried in real life that they can recommend in case I missed something.

I also should say before all his health issues I was into all the best foods at pet stores and thought I had it all figured out. From Merrick's and Wellness Core (turkey) to Orijen...pretty sure Wellness and Orijen gave him urinary crystals. Then it was a good run on Royal Canin urinary SO and hydrolized protein until a vet suggested to me Rayne because i was looking for variety...well I didn't realize this limited ingredient food how fatty and high carb it was and pretty sure that led to the diabetes. That's why I am nervous about these unregulated Canadian mom and pop brands. I was hopeful about Boreal, but they don't even answer customer service inquiries at all.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

For made in Canada, Canada Fresh is one option, but I haven't seen a current list of the carbs. Some of the meats have peas fairly high up the list so will be higher carb.

For the auto feeder, you can get some with space for a gel pack underneath. I used a folded small gel pack from Canadian Tire that fit there. Add water to the meat to keep it fresher, less crusty. Or you can top with an ice cube which will both keep it cooler and provide water.

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

I found a Reddit thread with a few others who experienced the Purina DM quality issue a few months ago, so I was not crazy! On top of that, some of the kitties had stomach / allergy issues.
May not be everyone's case, it seems there is an issue with long term use of this food. It did bring my kitty into remission, but he never had hairball or itchiness problems before.

We are trying Rawz, they have a digestive line, the Rabbit & Cranberry. Mixed in is Hills Biome which I believe is 5-6% carbs and reasonable, and the fiber helps him a lot, but mostly will be for maintenance, these cans are tiny. Will also try to get Dr Elsey's somehow for his snacks, I don't think he is getting enough calories, I feel like he needs to eat non stop on wet food.
His BG is 5-6mmoL so I don't think diabetes is his main problem at the moment.

Thank you Wendy&Neko!! I have an auto feeder with ice pack, but it's a flip lid one, and this boy nibbles on old food, that's the main problem, that's I can't make it close as well. Back to the drawing board with that.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

With my IBD girl, the plain Rawz rabbit was a good one - while she liked it. I haven't tried her on any of the digestive line.

According to chewy.com, the wet Hills Biome is 33% carb on a dry matter basis. Lots of carby foods in the ingredient list.

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

With my IBD girl, the plain Rawz rabbit was a good one - while she liked it. I haven't tried her on any of the digestive line.

According to chewy.com, the wet Hills Biome is 33% carb on a dry matter basis. Lots of carby foods in the ingredient list.

I saw that too. But I am finding lists on other sites from other countries where they have the As Is carb %, since the food is 80% moisture. How do you guys calculate? The calculator I found on here is based on the initial % of ingredients, and the dry matter one is mostly close for dry food in accuracy? If considering the moisture, 30% of 20% is basically a 3rd of 20%, so around 6% of the total can?

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

Another issue we are having, is the calorie intake. He is a big cat, and needs 300kcal by my estimate, so since switching to wet only this fall, 2 big cans of Purina DM per day (He would need 2 Rawz, or 5 Biome cans per day btw which is crazy, he only gets 1 for maintenace). He used to be a kibbles and wet food mix kinda cat, so now he needs to eat more/frequently to get what he needs on these dietetic wet foods. He can only eat so much in one sitting i find, maybe a quarter can or a third. Basically now his stomach, liver, GI tract is working all the time! And I think it is contributing to his digestive problems actually.
So on the lookout right now for lob carb but higher calorie foods.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Had you given any thought to a homemade raw diet? There's a recipe on Dr. Lisa's feline nutrition site. Alternatively, several of us use a pre-mix that's added to raw food. The pre-mix contains all of the necessary supplements for ensuring that the food is nutritionally complete.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

TC Feline is a premix available in Canada, made in Canada on Saltspring Island. I used to feed that to Neko. She needed less raw food by volume to fill her up than canned.

 

[Alex&Bronxi]

Had you given any thought to a homemade raw diet? There's a recipe on Dr. Lisa's feline nutrition site. Alternatively, several of us use a pre-mix that's added to raw food. The pre-mix contains all of the necessary supplements for ensuring that the food is nutritionally complete.

Thank you for the suggestions! I have thought about it, but I think I'm completely out of my element with something like that, so probably raw or homemade 100% is not for us.

There is also Tiki Cat Vaterinary Solutions now, will look into it if it could be an option, and after the blood work next week I know the vet is looking into a nutritional consult for us as well. Will see what they say.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

It's actually pretty easy with a pre-mix. I buy ground meat at the grocery store. You add water to the pre-mix, add it to the meat, mix it thoroughly, and I freeze portions in ice cube trays and defrost as needed.