High Protien, Low Carb Dry Food (over-the-counter)

[navdoc]

Abby was just diagnosed with Diabetes. Vet is saying wet food twice daily only. I want to add dry food to her menu with Vet's permission. Cannot afford prescription food prices. Is there any dry food out there that is high protein, low carb, that is over-the-counter? Thank you.

 

[Neo_23]

Just curious why you want to add dry food? I would say 99% of dry foods are high in carbs, including the prescription ones. The only low carb ones I can think of are Ziwi Peak and Dr. Elsey's. They are both expensive though.

If I were you I would stick to wet food because it typically has less carbs than dry food. You can use this chart created by Dr. Lisa Pierson to compare protein, fat, and carb levels in wet food brands. http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[navdoc]

Just curious why you want to add dry food? I would say 99% of dry foods are high in carbs, including the prescription ones. The only low carb ones I can think of are Ziwi Peak and Dr. Elsey's. They are both expensive though.

If I were you I would stick to wet food because it typically has less carbs than dry food. You can use this chart created by Dr. Lisa Pierson to compare protein, fat, and carb levels in wet food brands. http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I have another adult cat. Both her and Abby cannot last 12 hours between meals. Makes unhappy house. Looking for something to feed between 12 hour wet food and insulin shots. I assumed that dry would do the trick. Is the answer is to feed more wet food?

 

[lalagimp]

If dry is not the main meal, then Dr Elsey's cleanprotein would not be as damaging to a budget. I feed my girls a little kibble each day with a 5.5 oz can of food. The 6.6 lb bag of Dr Elsey's ends up lasting me 2 months. And because it's so high protein, and calorie dense, your cat might end up eating less than a competing food. My girls haven't gained anything since I switched them.

 

[Neo_23]

I would stick to the amount that the vet told you to feed. You can feed the amount of wet in more than 2 meals spread out throughout the day. You could also probably get away with feeding a bit more wet if it’s low in calories - check the label on the food and confirm with your vet the number of calories they should be getting per day.

I feed all wet and on the days that my kitten is really hungry I leave out frozen wet food for him when I go to bed or leave the house. I use a covered ice cube tray to freeze portions of wet food (mixed with a bit of water) and then put out a cube to defrost when I go to bed or leave the house. It takes about 2 hours, depending on the size of the cube, to fully defrost. I know a lot of people also used timed feeders with ice packs.

 

[Neo_23]

Also, have you checked out the feline diabetes forum? Feline Health - (The Main Forum) | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Lots of knowledgeable cat owners on there happy to give advice on nutrition.

 

[LTS3]

Also, have you checked out the feline diabetes forum? Feline Health - (The Main Forum) | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Lots of knowledgeable cat owners on there happy to give advice on nutrition.

I also recommed posting for advice on the FDMB.

Can you buy a programmable timed feeder and put canned food into that? That's what many FDMB members do. Blood glucose levels are more stable with small frequent meals daily.

Dry food keeps blood glucose levels too high, even low carb ones. All dry foods need some kind of starch to hold everything in that kibble shape. Dry food just makes it diffuclt to regulate blood glucose levels very well. The cat will need a higher insulin dose to counteract the dry food. A newly diagnosed diabetic cat who is put on a 100% canned food only diet and a good insulin has a very good chance of going into remission pretty quickly.

FYI, you do not need the vet's permission to feed your cat what you want. What canned food is your diabetic cat eating? There are many low carb commerical brands that are affordable. Your non-diabetic can also eat these.

 

[navdoc]

She recommended Fancy Feast (no gravy) which we were already using. Getting good results. No need to change anything. Abby is about 95% her normal self. Vet now stated that her treatment will mostly be based on how Abby feels. BTW, the avatar pic is Gracie.

 

[LTS3]

She recommended Fancy Feast (no gravy) which we were already using. Getting good results. No need to change anything. Abby is about 95% her normal self. Vet now stated that her treatment will mostly be based on how Abby feels. BTW, the avatar pic is Gracie.

FF Classic pate are good There are lots of other brands if you feel that the FF is getting a bit too expensive since a 3 oz can isnt a lot of food, especially if you have two cats. Make sure that you feed low carb treats, too. Freeze dried meat treats like PureBites are great.

I still recommend joining the FelineDiabetes.com board for more detailed advice and help. It's a great board for all things diabetes related

 

[navdoc]

Thanks for your help. NavDoc a.k.a Steve

 

[Lalka]

You can buy Pure Balance at Walmart...the turkey and pumpkin formula dont have meat by products (not the canned one, they are 100g plastic containers with foil on top).

 

[Tdizz11]

FF Classic pate are good There are lots of other brands if you feel that the FF is getting a bit too expensive since a 3 oz can isnt a lot of food, especially if you have two cats. Make sure that you feed low carb treats, too. Freeze dried meat treats like PureBites are great.

I still recommend joining the FelineDiabetes.com board for more detailed advice and help. It's a great board for all things diabetes related

Yes! Definitely join that message board. They are awesome people who have a ton of experience. My cat was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 7 and she lived to 15 with insulin shots and eating FF classic chicken.