Hi there, I've posted on the health forum about Gem, my 13yo diabetic cat who was recently diagnosed with heart & kidney problems. Here's a quick food history. For most of her life, we fed Gem Science Diet dry food (feline maintenance, I think, was the one). We didn't know any better, thought this was a "premium" food, and it was easy for us to leave the food out all day. This past summer, when Gem was first diagnosed with diabetes, the vet prescribed the canned Science Diet D/M. After doing online research on diabetes, particularly catinfo.com I decided that it would be in Gem's best interest to switch to canned foods (in fact I switched my other healthy cat as well). I bought a few different varieties, based on the advice given on that site, and we settled on Fancy Feast beef & chicken original - maybe not the best, but seemed like a better choice than the dry, and she liked it. After thinking her diabetes had become transient, we continued with the FF. Last month, she was rediagnosed with diabetes, and once again, the vet (a new one) prescribed the D/M. Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to go with it. More and more though, I think it's not the right thing to be doing. Now, we factor in her other health issues (vet made no mention of any necessary dietary changes for heart & kidney issues).
So, after reading all that, can you guys suggest some specific brands/varieties that you think would be appropriate for Gem. I'm considering Merrick grain free, Wellness grain free and Nature's Variety. But even within those brands, there are so many choices it makes my head spin - fish or no fish, some have fruit & veggies, there's the carrageenan and guar gum. I want to do right by her, but don't want to make myself too crazy. Any advice would be most appreciated! I read through LDG's wonderful information but still feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Thanks so much!
So, after reading all that, can you guys suggest some specific brands/varieties that you think would be appropriate for Gem. I'm considering Merrick grain free, Wellness grain free and Nature's Variety. But even within those brands, there are so many choices it makes my head spin - fish or no fish, some have fruit & veggies, there's the carrageenan and guar gum. I want to do right by her, but don't want to make myself too crazy. Any advice would be most appreciated! I read through LDG's wonderful information but still feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Thanks so much!