I'm feeling this economic crisis - switching from Rx cat food to wet food?Please don't bash me for asking this question, b/c to some of u it may sound cold hearted. I just need a knowledgeable answer please -
I LOVE my cat. But he has diabetes, which is an expensive disease. On top of daily needles and insulin, the vet said a prescription food was needed, which is $ 1/day for wet food. I had to switch him to prescription wet food to prescription dry food b/c of the cheaper price.
His sugar is now controlled. He was eating fine, but recently has been showing signs of kidney failure (vomiting after eating, not cleaning hisself as well, drinking LOTS of water, etc.).
I can't afford to even have him checked out right now. I love him a HUGE deal but you gotta have priorities. Plus I have put so much money in him, the whole time knowing he's almost 15 years old.
MY QUESTION - Will it upset his sugar level (I still give him insulin everyday) to change from a Rx dry food to a slightly cheaper wet food? I read online the wet food will help prolong his life so he can get more moisture from it.
Please help.
Posted by Vanessa
wet food is really bad for their teeth.... but i understand how it is. i would say that in the long run wet food will cost about the same, because of the fact that it doesnt clean his teeth, therefore you will have to have a vet clean them for him, or there will be TONS of plaque buildup in his mouth, which will make it hard to eat for him.... if you have no choice, then invest in a toothbrush, and use it to clean his teeth every night. or give him the wet food, but also maybe cut his dry food in half, or a quarter, that way you are using much less dry, but he gets the teeth cleaning from the dry food that he normally gets.
Posted by grinninh
You should follow the vets recommendations to prolong his life.
The symptoms you describe could be a diabetic crisis on its way.
The best thing to do is stick with his therapeutic food to prevent that from happening.
I realize this is not the answer your looking for but it is whats best for the cat
Posted by Hatshepsut
First off, do what you have to do to find a vet to see him. There are places all over the country that will check out your pet free of charge on certain days each month. Search for one of those places in your area.
Secondly, there are vets that offer free advice and you need that more than anything. It is a mistake to put a cat on wet food full time. Your pet will end up with diarrhoea and with existing kidney and diabetes problems that is dangerous. I never give my animals wet food after they reach 3 months of age.
You can probably switch to a cheaper brand of dry cat food. They way to safely switch foods is to add a bit of the new food to the old food each day. You gradually increase amount of new food while decreasing the old food until it is purely new food in the bowl. Take a good two weeks to accomplish this.
I wish you luck and hope you take the advice to search hard for a vet who will see your pet for little or nothing in payment. (Also, consider bartering for the service. Maybe the vet needs his office painted or the sidewalk cleared of snow for the next 3 months. There are people willing to help, seek them out!)
Posted by johnctome
Sugar level will not be affected, if you give your cat proper canned or Wet food. This is because, If feeding a moist food, by contrast, your cat will eat more in one sitting rather than going back and forth, and will drink less.
Serve the food at room temperature to ensure your cat can taste and smell it properly. Warming up an opened can may take up to two hours from being taken out of the fridge - alternatively, you might consider microwaving canned foods for a short time, but be careful of hot spots.
In general avoid serving food that is either too hot or too cold. Don't keep wet food opened for longer than 24 hours.
Although you are giving your cat Insulin drinks to control Sugar level, I would suggest you to go for suitable & Hygienic Canned Foods like one over here , this controls your cat's sugar level effectively. >>>> http://www.agritura.com/index.php/cat/c381_Cat-Food.html
Posted by RuneAmok
I'm not a diabetes expert but I do know BETTER places where you can have this question answered properly.
I do think your cat will do ok on a non-rx canned food, but it does have to be a good quality one and preferably grainless. That *may* end up costing you nearly as much but I can't say for sure. Of course there are also grainless dry foods - still going to be pricy but will be better quality. But again, this is not an area which I know a lot about and I don't want to casually throw out an opinion and have you take it as gospel.
I highly suggest you check out the link I've provided and check into the diabetes groups. You'll get much better advice there from others with similar issues.
Orignal From: I'm feeling this economic crisis - switching from Rx cat food to wet food?
No comments:
Post a Comment