Exercise
For most diabetic cats, strenuous exercise is not a reasonable option because of obesity or nerve damage.
One way to encourage your cat to move around is to feed it small meals placed in various spots around the house, so it needs to walk from one to the next.
Take 5 minutes a few times a day for some active play with your kitty. Have it walk after a string that you drag along the floor, play soccer with a small ball, or swat at a long feather that you wave in the air.
For most diabetic cats, strenuous exercise is not a reasonable option because of obesity or nerve damage.
One way to encourage your cat to move around is to feed it small meals placed in various spots around the house, so it needs to walk from one to the next. Take 5 minutes a few times a day for some active play with your kitty. Have it walk after a string that you drag along the floor, play soccer with a small ball, or swat at a long feather that you wave in the air.
Whatever exercise you do with your cat, it should be reasonably consistent. If the cat's activity varies too much from day to day, this will disrupt the effectiveness of its insulin regimen.
Talk to your veterinarian before starting an exercise routine with your cat. Start carefully, in short sessions, and don’t force your cat to move around if it clearly does not want to.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Diet For Diabetic Cats
Diet plays an essential role in helping to control your cat's diabetes and maintain its quality of life.
A number of cat foods have been created specifically for diabetic pets.
However, a food that works well for one cat may not be the right choice for another.
In suggesting a diet plan for your cat, the veterinarian will consider other medical conditions that the cat may have in addition to the diabetes.
For example,
* If a cat is overweight, those extra pounds make it harder to keep its blood glucose within a healthy range. The veterinarian may tell you to feed your pet less regular cat food, or put the cat on a special weight-loss diet.
* If a cat has pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas), it may need to eat a low-fat diet.
* If a cat has kidney disease or is very prone to ketoacidosis, a diet that is lower in protein may be beneficial.
Your veterinarian will assess which diet may be better in your cat's situation. You may have to try a few different foods in order to find one that meets the veterinarian's recommendations and is accepted by your cat.
Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet for Diabetes Management
Cats evolved as pure carnivores. Their systems are designed to digest foods that are high in animal protein. The body composition of a mouse provides a good guideline for a healthy cat’s diet: approximately 45-50% protein, 40-45% fat and just 3-5% carbohydrate.
Some preliminary clinical trials have investigated the use of low-carbohydrate, high protein diets in diabetic cats. The results have been encouraging, with many of the cats showing improved clinical signs, reduced insulin needs, and improved blood glucose levels.
In general, most supermarket canned cat food is low in carbohydrate. Canned diabetes food sold by veterinarians is especially high in protein and low in carbohydrate.
If you prefer to feed your cat dry food, you can obtain low-carbohydrate, dry diabetes cat food from the veterinarian. It has about twice the carbohydrate level of diabetes canned cat food. However, it contains 60% less carbohydrates than regular canned cat food, and much lower carbohydrate levels than conventional dry cat food. Therefore, it is a better choice for your diabetic cat than store-bought dry cat food.
It may take some time to find a diabetes diet that your cat is willing to eat but it is worth the effort. Remember: a diabetes diet is only useful if your cat agrees to eat it regularly. If the cat turns its nose up at the first diabetes diet you try, ask your veterinarian to suggest others. If your cat gets tired of eating the same food every day for several months, you may need to identify a second choice.
Weight loss diet
Extra weight makes it harder to control your diabetic cat's blood glucose, and predisposes the cat to other complications such as heart disease. Your veterinarian will probably want to start your pet on a weight-loss program to help with its diabetes management.
Slimming down your cat may be as easy as portion control. Cut back on the food amount gradually… do not put your pet on a crash diet! Your veterinarian can calculate how many calories the cat should eat each day, and then adjust your cat's portions accordingly.
Although no clinical studies have been done testing a low carbohydrate, high protein diet specifically for weight loss, your veterinarian may suggest that you switch your overweight cat to this type of food anyway, because it is a good match to a cat's nutritional needs.
As your pet slims down, it may need a different amount of insulin or oral medications. Your veterinarian will check the cat periodically to see if the doses need to be adjusted.
A number of cat foods have been created specifically for diabetic pets.
However, a food that works well for one cat may not be the right choice for another.
In suggesting a diet plan for your cat, the veterinarian will consider other medical conditions that the cat may have in addition to the diabetes.
For example,
* If a cat is overweight, those extra pounds make it harder to keep its blood glucose within a healthy range. The veterinarian may tell you to feed your pet less regular cat food, or put the cat on a special weight-loss diet.
* If a cat has pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas), it may need to eat a low-fat diet.
* If a cat has kidney disease or is very prone to ketoacidosis, a diet that is lower in protein may be beneficial.
Your veterinarian will assess which diet may be better in your cat's situation. You may have to try a few different foods in order to find one that meets the veterinarian's recommendations and is accepted by your cat.
Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet for Diabetes Management
Cats evolved as pure carnivores. Their systems are designed to digest foods that are high in animal protein. The body composition of a mouse provides a good guideline for a healthy cat’s diet: approximately 45-50% protein, 40-45% fat and just 3-5% carbohydrate.
Some preliminary clinical trials have investigated the use of low-carbohydrate, high protein diets in diabetic cats. The results have been encouraging, with many of the cats showing improved clinical signs, reduced insulin needs, and improved blood glucose levels.
In general, most supermarket canned cat food is low in carbohydrate. Canned diabetes food sold by veterinarians is especially high in protein and low in carbohydrate.
If you prefer to feed your cat dry food, you can obtain low-carbohydrate, dry diabetes cat food from the veterinarian. It has about twice the carbohydrate level of diabetes canned cat food. However, it contains 60% less carbohydrates than regular canned cat food, and much lower carbohydrate levels than conventional dry cat food. Therefore, it is a better choice for your diabetic cat than store-bought dry cat food.
It may take some time to find a diabetes diet that your cat is willing to eat but it is worth the effort. Remember: a diabetes diet is only useful if your cat agrees to eat it regularly. If the cat turns its nose up at the first diabetes diet you try, ask your veterinarian to suggest others. If your cat gets tired of eating the same food every day for several months, you may need to identify a second choice.
Weight loss diet
Extra weight makes it harder to control your diabetic cat's blood glucose, and predisposes the cat to other complications such as heart disease. Your veterinarian will probably want to start your pet on a weight-loss program to help with its diabetes management.
Slimming down your cat may be as easy as portion control. Cut back on the food amount gradually… do not put your pet on a crash diet! Your veterinarian can calculate how many calories the cat should eat each day, and then adjust your cat's portions accordingly.
Although no clinical studies have been done testing a low carbohydrate, high protein diet specifically for weight loss, your veterinarian may suggest that you switch your overweight cat to this type of food anyway, because it is a good match to a cat's nutritional needs.
As your pet slims down, it may need a different amount of insulin or oral medications. Your veterinarian will check the cat periodically to see if the doses need to be adjusted.
Caninsulin - Cure for Feline Diabetes Part 1
Presentation
Caninsulin is an aqueous suspension of insulin containing 40 IU per ml of highly purified porcine insulin, 30% is amorphous zinc insulin and 70% crystalline zinc insulin.
Uses
Caninsulin an intermediate-acting insulin contains porcine insulin, which is structurally identical to canine insulin. It is indicated in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (hyperglycaemia and its associated clinical signs) in dogs and cats.
Dosage and administration
Caninsulin should be administered once or twice daily, as appropriate, by subcutaneous injection. Alternate the injection site daily. Shake the product gently before use. A 40IU/ml insulin syringe should be used.
A once daily injection is sufficient to stabilise the blood glucose concentration in most diabetic dogs. However, the duration of action may vary, making it necessary to administer the insulin dose twice daily to some diabetic dogs.
In diabetic cats, it is necessary to administer Caninsulin twice daily.
The dose depends on the degree of deficit in the animal's own insulin production and is therefore different in each case.
Starting Treatment
In dogs, the initial daily dose is 1 IU per kg bodyweight plus a body weight dependent supplement dose.
In cats, the initial daily dose is 0.25-0.5 IU/kg twice daily, with a maximum dose of 2 units twice daily in the first week. Especially in obese cats, an unduly high starting dose may be dangerous
Subsequent adjustment to establish the maintenance dose should be made by increasing or decreasing the daily dose by approximately 10% per day according to the results of measurement of the glucose concentrations in the blood. Alterations in dose should not normally be made more frequently than every 3-4 days.
Caninsulin is an aqueous suspension of insulin containing 40 IU per ml of highly purified porcine insulin, 30% is amorphous zinc insulin and 70% crystalline zinc insulin.
Uses
Caninsulin an intermediate-acting insulin contains porcine insulin, which is structurally identical to canine insulin. It is indicated in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (hyperglycaemia and its associated clinical signs) in dogs and cats.
Dosage and administration
Caninsulin should be administered once or twice daily, as appropriate, by subcutaneous injection. Alternate the injection site daily. Shake the product gently before use. A 40IU/ml insulin syringe should be used.
A once daily injection is sufficient to stabilise the blood glucose concentration in most diabetic dogs. However, the duration of action may vary, making it necessary to administer the insulin dose twice daily to some diabetic dogs.
In diabetic cats, it is necessary to administer Caninsulin twice daily.
The dose depends on the degree of deficit in the animal's own insulin production and is therefore different in each case.
Starting Treatment
In dogs, the initial daily dose is 1 IU per kg bodyweight plus a body weight dependent supplement dose.
In cats, the initial daily dose is 0.25-0.5 IU/kg twice daily, with a maximum dose of 2 units twice daily in the first week. Especially in obese cats, an unduly high starting dose may be dangerous
Subsequent adjustment to establish the maintenance dose should be made by increasing or decreasing the daily dose by approximately 10% per day according to the results of measurement of the glucose concentrations in the blood. Alterations in dose should not normally be made more frequently than every 3-4 days.
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