Tracie, When I was told that Salem had diabetes January, 2007. I started to research & find out everything I could on feline diabetes. I found Cornell Veterinary School & they had a video on how to give insulin to a cat. I also read Dr. Lisa Pierson & Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, and that is when I took Salem off all dry food. Unfortunately, I used to leave a big bowl of dry food out so he could eat any time he wanted. He was addicted, & it took awhile, but he doesn't miss dry food at all. I used to buy only high quality expensive food for him, I would go to a specialty pet store. Then I read not to buy food with vegetables or fruit, or wheat gluten or anything that has grains or corn. So now I mostly buy Fancy Feast Gourmet the ones that Lisa Pierson recommended, but I am concerned about the quality of the food.

I also bought Avoderm which Dr. Hodgkins recommends, but he is not too fond of it. I give him Pro Plan kitten food & also Natural Choice kitten food, Max Cat. I read that kitten food has more protein & it was ok to give to an adult cat. Do you feel the same?

My Vet put him on Purina DM wet & dry. I e-mailed Dr Hodgkins then & she said she only helped formulate the canned food, not dry. So, I stopped giving him Hills Prescription food. My Vet was not happy about that. He also does not want me to use PZI insulin, he is still on Vetsulin. He said that Vetsulin is used in Europe & Canada for cats. He also scared me about PZI by saying I can cause him to go into hypoglycemia which is very dangerous for a cat.

So I really am a little confused, because I read about PZI for cats but my Vet will not support me or give me instructions on what to do. I have taken control of trying to stabilize his diabetes. I do know that since he has been off dry food, he hardly ever drinks water, he has gained some weight back, because he was wasting away before I knew he had diabetes & he just seems relaxed. The poor little cat had a very bad stone in his bladder & had to be operated on. The stone was very big & had ridges & was cutting him, very painful. A few months after the surgery is when he developed diabetes.

Do you think I should find a different Vet? Dina uses him for her 2 cats & she likes him very much. Her cats are on KD, & I told her that food is not good for cats, because it is mostly carbs. She says her cats are doing well on that diet.

I don't want to take up any more of your time. Could you let me know how you feel about Vetsulin.

Thank You,
Patty

Dear Patty-

There are a number of things in your letter which are warning signs that you need a new vet. The diabetic cat community is in agreement that PZI is the insulin of choice, so that is just plain ignorance on his part. The brand of cat food your vet insists upon is not a high quality food and in any case, you MUST “think outside the bag.” Any dry food is a poor dietary choice for a cat, but especially those who have had any bladder or kidney stones or urinary tract issues of any kind.

I hesitate to tell folks to change vets, but I feel strongly that you should get a new health provider based on your vet’s insistence on a detrimental diet for a cat who already has health issues. I would add that his really poor choice of food for your daughter’s cats are going to be problems-in-the-making (I hope that after reading “The Cat Bible” and Dr. Hodkins’ book “Your Cat” that she will see the folly of putting the wrong fuel in a cat and start feeding an feline-appropriate diet of wet food).  I would love to see you find a well-educated and cat-sensitive vet and I sent your email to Dr Hodgkins for confirmation. I think you will see below that she shares my advice that you and your cat deserve a much higher quality of care and caring. Let me know what you decide to do

This was Dr. H’s answer and advice:

You can tell Patty and any other people with FD cats to go to www.yourdiabeticcat.com and register there. Then she can post her cat's story and get lots of help and support from other owners. She may even get a referral in her area for a vet who is more familiar with feline diabetes than the one she has. Many vets do not realize that the information they get from their pet food reps is just marketing, not science and for the good of their patients, they need to have a mind of their own about feline nutrition and medicine. A well informed pet owner can be a teacher for veterinarians in this area of expertise.
BTW, of the insulins mentioned, PZI is far less likely to cause adverse events than vetsulin or humulin. Unfortunately, many vets don’t seem to know this since they don’t do independent research or read up on continuing developments and information. It’s a lot more work for doctors (of any kind) to keep on top of the information in their field, as a result, those who practice mainly on dogs may not know what’s best for their feline patients. Thank heaven people like her do question what they are told to accept and with the right facts can make better decisions for their feline companions.

Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM, Esq.