# Low Residue Cat food



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

I feed my four cats Eukanuba Low Residue food (Dry). This food costs $15.00 (US) per 5.5 lb bag. I've learned to live with this as they need it. But I go through a little over 2 bags a month. Does anyone know of a different brand that might be slightly less expensive???


----------



## Ta3339 (Feb 8, 2004)

Well first let me ask a question. What is a low residue food? And why do they need it? Just with that, maybe i can help find something that will work.


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Well, they were all (yes, all) diagnosed with pancreatitis at one point or another. And apparently, this food is more easily digested which is a good thing when dealing with that??? Basically they puke all over the place when they eat other types of regular food. As far as what makes it low residue, i'm not sure. Any help would be very much appreicated. Between my mom and I, I think we are keeping Eukanuba in business with our purchasing of the L.R. food. (she's got 2 on it) I'd even be happy if they made a bigger bag, but they don't!


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Do you not find it a little suspicious that all your cats have been dianosed with the same ailment? From what I understand Pancreatitis is hard to definitively diagnose in cats and is often misdiagnosed. Do they have FIP or another infectious diseases? I've heard of this being highly connected with pancreatitis. Fatty liver disease is also considered a cause/symptom of pancreatitis which is usually a result of eating bad foods for extended periods of time. There are some forms of pancreatic parasites I believe, this may be something to look into since it seems that all of your cats have come down with the same condition. 

Also, not sure what low residue means, but I've heard that diets lower in fat and high in fiber are helful for cats with this disease. I've also heard that cats with pancreatitis are prone to diabetes. Maybe you should be weary of extra carbs as well? You may be better off with a canned food diet, dry food is probably only going to cause more problems for your cats in the long run. Cats on dry food diets tend to be less hydrated and it's important for your cats (all cats, but your cats especially) to maintain proper hydration. 

This Eukanuba food has by-products in it - by-products could be anything which tends to result in the foods "protein" sources fluctuating with each batch. Basically you could assume that each bag of food you buy will be somewhat different in content then the last. 

Do you have a pet fountain? If not, it comes highly recommended by folks here on the forum! The cats seem to love drinking from the fountain and it encourages them to consume more water.


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

I know, it is wierd..what i recall is that they had a high lipase count when they were diagnosed. In order to bring that down, I administered fluids, did anitbiotics, and had them on reglan (a digestive aid, I think) and switched to L.R. food. They are all fine now. And yes, tigger does have diabetes and he is my main problem kitty. lots of UTIs, lots of dehydration first one to be diagnosed with pancreatitis. They do drink a lot though, no problems there. I have considered a fountain though, just because they love drinking from the faucet. 

So, as far as the food goes, I sense that it is to keep the pancreatitis at bay by making the digestive process easier??? But, i'm no vet, so I'm just guessing.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

What a good kitty mom you are, taking care of these sick ones! 
I'll keep my eyes open and try to do some research on the food, my personal fear is the fact that they are on a dry diet, which can be so bad for cats especially with diagnosed health problems.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I wonder if there are any antioxidants you can give them. Something easier to handle than meds or steroids to help with their immune systesm and/or discomfort. 

From what I understand pancreatitis is very, very painful.


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Tell me about it...the vet bills!!!!!! I never thought i'd be paying these kind of vet bills when i adopted them at the young age of 19. 9 years later, reality has hit..ha ha. But they are my babies. 

The Eukanuba LR does come as wet food too. I could consider going that route. It was never really suggested.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

If you have the option of switching to a wet food I would definitely do so. It could end up saving you a lot of money in the long run by reducing vet costs and other problems for your kitties. It'll keep them better hydrated. Also, if it's the same food but only a wet version, you'll still have the piece of mind of taking your vets advice as well.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Hopefully, Dr. Jean will see this thread and offer her expert opinion! 
She's wonderful and we're so lucky to have her on this forum! 

BTW - As if this even needs to be said, but whatever she says, would definitely override my opinion, I am no doctor either...I just have a weird obession with doing research on animal nutrition and health. Ever since my own animals have gotten sick and I started doing the research on them, it became a bit of a passion of mine.


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Maybe i will try that. One question though...because of my diabetic baby, i try to have food available at all times so he can kind of regulate his own blood sugar. I have pulled it before and it went to low! Can I leave wet food out for them to graze on throughout the day?


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

No, you can't. Bummer. 
That may pose a problem for you, you don't necessarily want to feed them both foods at the same time because then you run the risk of them gaining weight, particularly the one who is diabetic. Hmm, unless you carefully measure the amount of dry food you put out so he can't "over-graze" in terms of consuming too much food. 
If weight wasn't or isn't a concern too much, I'd try to atleast get them all on a 50/50 wet/dry diet. It's better than no wet food at all.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I think Annissa's cat Sabby is diabetic, maybe she could help with ideas on that.


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

My Sabby is also diabetic. I switched him to an all-wet diet per Dr. Jean's advice and his blood sugar stabilized almost immediately. I was also able to lower the amount of insulin he gets every day. He gets timed meals along with his insulin injections. If you do home glucose monitoring you should be able to do a curve and see exactly what your cat's blood sugar is doing while on the all-wet diet.

When I first made the shift from dry food (I was also feeding Eukanuba as recommended by my vet) to wet food, I thought I'd need to leave some out all the time so Sabby could self-regulate. But since wet food grows bacteria so quickly, that wasn't a possibility. It seems to me that dry food causes a sort of roller coaster effect with the blood sugar. There's so many carbohydrates in it that Sabby needed more insulin to process it all. When the carbs do get processed, he'd have all this extra insulin in his system that would cause his blood sugar to get too low, so he'd eat more food and the cycle would start all over. Canned wellness has no grain in it and only complex carbohydrates. It keeps his blood sugar steady even when he doesn't have food available to eat at all times.

I highly recommend switching to canned food. Especially for your diabetic. Wellness seems to be almost custom-made for the diabetic cat. If you switch, though, keep a close eye on your kitties for any behavioral changes (like drunken behavior, difficulty walking, etc.). If you're administering insulin, you might need to adjust the amount. Keep Karo syrup on hand just in case he goes into hypoglycemic shock.

Switching to a canned Wellness isn't going to save you any money on cat food. It will, however, save you tons of money on vet bills. Sabby hasn't had a single UTI since the switchover, he's lost weight, and his diabetes is in such good shape that the vets at my clinic are asking me how I did it.


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

AddFran said:


> I think Annissa's cat Sabby is diabetic, maybe she could help with ideas on that.


Heheh...I was composing my post when you wrote this.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Wow, you are on top of things!!!!


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

I have always wanted to monitor his blood from home, but never knew how??? Can you elaborate on the process. Also, where do you get Wellness food? Gosh, it sounds like a miracle. Tigger literally has UTI's every month and sometimes it doesn't ever clear up! Clean up can be infuriating! As far as the food goes, is it easily digestable (that was an issue before, lots of vomiting from other food) and is it okay for my other cats? Thank you so much for your input everyone!!!! Good to have another diabetic kitty owner to talk with!


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Just so you know, Wellness is made by Old Mother Hubbard and is one of the best foods available. 

Here's a link to their site - specifically to the canned foods. 

http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/cats/we ... rkeySalmon

Also, there is a store locator to help you find a retailer near where you live.


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

I haven't done home monitoring because Sabby won't let me take his blood (the vet techs have to muzzle him when he gets his blood tested). The only things Sabby won't let me do to him are take his blood or touch his tummy.

Anyway, I know you can get glucose monitors from your local drug store. The ones made for humans are just fine. 

Here's a website on how to perform and read a curve: http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-curves.htm.

I usually just test for ketones in Sabby's urine. To do this, I bought a bottle of Ketostix from my local pharmacy. When Sabby digs in his litterbox, I pull out a strip and run it through his stream of urine. If you can't do this, try this litterbox: http://www.felinediabetes.com/pet-supplies/cat-litter-box.htm. Because the litter is reusable, this box is also good if your cats are peeing a lot.

Sabby's UTIs were frequent and bad, too. We had a carpenter ant problem in the last apartment we lived in. It gave me an idea of just how much sugar was in his urine when one day he missed the box and I had literally hundreds of carpenter ants swimming through the puddle trying to get the sugar.

As far as I can tell, Wellness is no more difficult to digest than any other food. Sabby's vomiting has greatly decreased since I put him on Wellness. When he was on dry food he vomiting nearly every day. Of course, make the change very gradually. Once your cats are used to wet food, you can change flavors (and even brands) daily. I stick with Wellness because of the lack of simple carbohydrates, but I like to change the flavor at every meal. Here's a store locator: http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/locator/locator_form.asp. I get Wellness from a pet store called Pet Junction which is a couple towns over. They have two Norwegian Pygmy Goats!!! (They're store pets and not for sale)

I don't know much about pancreatitis, so I have to let Dr. Jean or someone with more experience than me answer whether or not Wellness is a better food for your cats with pancreatitis. From what I've read, the only treatment for pancreatitis is to "turn off" the pancreas by withholding all oral liquids and food. Since this is not a good long-term solution, I think giving the pancreas a break by removing the simple carbohydrates from your cats' diet would be a good idea.


----------



## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

I'm not convinced of the diagnosis of pancreatitis based on a high lipase; this enzyme doesn't mean much in cats. There really isn't a good diagnostic test for pancreatitis in kitties, though sometimes an ultrasound will confirm it.

Thanks, Annissa, for handling the question on diabetes! No better expert than the one who's been there!

Low-residue diets are mainly low fiber. Canned foods are naturally lower in fiber and are probably a reasonable substitute. You might want to start with the Eukanuba LR canned and gradually add other foods to it, see how they do.

Is your diabetic cat on insulin? If so, he only needs to eat at the time of the shots. If not, he will still be fine with 2 or 3 meals a day of the canned food. 

Cheers,
Dr. Jean


----------



## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

*Similar situation*

One of my cats was diagnosed with pancreatitis 2 years ago. Because of the number of cats I have and he fact that she is very picky, I couldn't give her special food. She was put on Amoxi for a while and ate what the other cats ate. She did fine for the last 2 years with no problems and then recently was diagnosed with Anemia. She had complete blood work and all came back normal except for the anemia. No sign of pancreatitis or diabetes. Dr. Jean, my vet didn't really have any answers for the anemia. Since the cat doesn't have fleas, I treated her for intestinal parasites. She is eating OK, but is still hiding out and seems a bit weak. Any ideas? Thanks


----------



## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

Anemia is caused by one of three things: blood loss (e.g., fleas sucking it out, internal bleeding, etc.), blood destruction (feline infectious anemia, hemolytic anemia), or failure of the body to make red blood cells (nutritional deficiency, diseases such as FIV or feline leukemia, anemia of chronic disease, bone marrow failure). 

Is the anemia regenerative or non-regenerative? Was she tested for FIV/FeLK? Do the red blood cells look normal under the microscope? How old is the cat--if she is older, a variety of chronic diseases can cause anemia, including cancer. Was a separate smear used to test for Hemobartonella (feline infectious anemia)? It can't be diagnosed by a regular CBC because the anti-clotting agent (EDTA) in the vial causes the bug to fall off the red blood cells.

If she is so anemic as to be weak, and your vet can't figure out why, please seek a second opinion immediately!

Good luck!
Dr. Jean


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Thanks to everyone who is offering solutions here. I actually just heard from the vet yesterday and tigger has another UTI!!! yipee. But yes, he is on insulin twice a day. The only thing that scares me about pulling food is that once when I didd that, he actually started going into shock. Luckily he woke me up in time to give him some syrup. I don't know if this was just a coincidence that it happened at this point, but I was sick to death of what had happened. He had never dropped that low and I felt awful for being the cause. Anyway, i just picked up two more bags, but maybe i will take one back and get some cans. Again, thanks for all the help. Its so nice to have people with common issues.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Please do your best to get him off the dry food. The reason he probably had the problem before with you pulling his food is because he was only consuming dry food. He'll be much healthier on a wet diet.


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

notaprettygirl, how much insulin does your cat get? And do you remember the numbers from his last fructosamine test?


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

He gets 5 units 2x a day. I don't know if this is the same as fructosomine but his blood gluclose was 32 when it was tested on Friday at about 2:00 pm. He had his insulin at around 9:30 am I think. Vet said that was kind of low, but that it was just about the peak time for the insulin to be working. Let me know your thoughts on this!!!


----------



## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

That is way too low; dangerously low, in fact. It should never go below 65; my personal preference is to not go below 100.

As you remove the dry food, his insulin requirements will decrease, possibly very fast; you will have to be VERY careful and watch him closely. 5 units is a lot for a cat; ultimately he should not need near that amount. 

Fructosamine is different; it gives you an idea of glucose balance over time. 

If there is a feline specialist or internal medicine specialist in your area, please consider working with them on this. He needs someone who *really* understands all the ramifications of diet, insulin, etc.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Dr. Jean,
would you recommend lowering his dosage immediately? and by how much? Like I said, I go 5 and 5, about 12 hours apart usually. 

I don't know if there is a specialist. I am sad because I love my vet, he always seems like he is on top of things and very caring with my animals. My whole family adores him. My mom, dad, grandma, and myself use him. We actual fear his retirement because he knows our pets so well.  Now I wonder just how well he does know them.


----------



## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

Honestly, most vets are "dog" people. They see 70% dogs in practice, and they usually keep up better on canine medicine because of that. Most don't truly understand cats. 

Feline diabetes is very different from canine. Dogs mostly get Type I diabetes, but cats get almost exclusively Type II, and they get it because of dry food.

I can't give you medical advice, but I *would* suggest getting a second opinion.

Best wishes,
Dr. Jean


----------



## notaprettygirl (Aug 3, 2004)

Okay, yeah, i suppose that would be a bit unsettling...something goes wrong, I blame you, whatever...not that i would, but I didn't even think of the liability aspect here! Sorry about that!

Secondly, about how much wet food would I feed a cat? I just called my vet and they said the cans are 5.5 oz. 

Again, sorry to be a pest, but I am so grateful for the information.


----------



## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

*Thanks Dr. Jean*

Thanks Dr. Jean, I will question my vet further to make sure she has covered some of those things you mentioned. The cat tested negative for Feluk and FIV. That's the first things I test for when I have a peculiar illness. I'm not sure of her age as I rescued her from the street as an adult cat. If my vet doesn't show any interest in finding the specific cause for the anemia, I definitely will seek a second opinion. Thanks again.


----------



## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

Not to mention that giving veterinary advice over the internet is illegal in most states!

I prefer giving as much as the cat will eat in half an hour or so, twice a day, rather than portioning out a set amount.

It's also best to get the larger cans, since the smaller pop-top cans have a lining which is thought to contribute to hyperthyroidism. It's also a lot cheaper!

I can't stress enough to work closely with a vet as you make this switch; not doing so could prove fatal if his glucose drops to seizure levels.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean


----------



## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

notaprettygirl, I had Sabby on 5 units twice a day as well. When the insulin injections got that large, Sabby got into a habit of turning around and biting my wrist when I'd give it to him. When I mentioned it on a different forum, someone said to me, "That's a lot of insulin for a cat...don't you think he's trying to tell you something?" He gets 3 units twice a day now and he's very well regulated. Plus, he doesn't try to bite my wrist anymore.

During the first month and a half after Sabby's diagnosis, he went in every Thursday for a fructosamine test. After the first six weeks, we started meeting once a month. After six months, we changed to twice a year. You might consider this schedule for yourself after you find a vet who specializes in cats.

Off topic side note: My vet was fabulous. She only charged me for the test and never for the office visit. Sabby is also a nightmare patient. She never once got angry or frustrated with him when he would try to attack her or her technicians. That meant a lot to me. I often brought in treats like bagels to make it up to them.


----------

