UK Diabetic Cat

UK Information

This article provides information on Meters & Test strips, Syringes, Low Carb wet food choices, insulin and supplements for the UK.

To note: The RVC has a special Feline Diabetes Remission Clinic at the Queen Mother Hospital near Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.  The Centre, run by Dr. Stijn Niessen, is actively researching the use of different insulins – and the impact of food – on Feline Diabetes.  Their goal – like ours – is full remission, with insulin no longer necessary.  They are recruiting FD cats that have been diagnosed in 5 months or less.  They provide insulin (and vet diabetic food – much less interesting!).  If your cat is newly diagnosed, you may want to discuss the possibility of entering their programme with your vet.

For more information see their FB page and their site:

RCV Feline Diabetes Remission FB page

RCV site

DIABETIC SUPPLIES

Weldrick’s  is a good on-line source for many diabetic supplies including insulin (prescription needed), syringes, meters, test strips, lancets, etc

METERS & TEST STRIPS

There is a wide choice of meters available in the UK. Commonly used brands include (in alphabetical order):

• Accu-Check Aviva or Compact Plus
• Bayer Contour
• Glucomen LX (tests for both blood glucose and, with separate strips for blood ketones
• OneTouch Vita or Verio

To note: The Freestyle Lite, while are widely available, has shown to give falsely lower than real numbers in mid-high range BGs for some cats. For this reason, it is recommended that you choose another Brand.

Meters are available in any Boots or local chemist’s. They can also be found for a cheaper price on EBay. Many companies will offer free meters – some will have an offer on their site, for others it is worth phoning customer service and requesting one (note: do NOT mention you want it for use on your cat – you will be told that they are human, not vet meters!).

Purchasing at Boots or your local chemist will allow you to save time and start helping your cat more quickly.

Test strips can also be found much more inexpensively on EBay than at the chemist. Do make certain that you are purchasing UK test strips and not USA strips, as they are calibrated differently.

Ebay is also a good place to purchase lancets.

SYRINGES

The only brand of 0.3ml U100 syringes to come with half unit markings in Europe is BD Micro + Demi (the +Demi is the half unit markings). The half unit markings are necessary to allow you to dose small increments of insulin accurately.

There are two brands of U40 syringes currently available with half unit markings if you are using a U40 insulin:

Note:  we suggest that you do use the U100 syringes rather than the U40 syrines.  There is a conversion to do, but they will let you dose much more accurately.

 

FOOD

Important: If your cat is on high carb wet or dry food, please see the sticky Detoxing your Cat from High Carb Food  under Starting TR for information on how to transition your cat to 100% low carb wet food safely.

Below is a list of some appropriate low carb foods available in the UK. Pet Food companies do change food frequently, so it is good to double check ingredients and carbs before you purchase.

Please see the information in the stickies Calculating Carbs – Carb Calculator under Starting TR, and Choosing the right low carb canned food under Food & Felines in the Knowledge Centre for more information on selecting the best food for your cat.

AVAILABLE IN SUPERMARKETS:

The following food labels show no vegetable or tapioca or sugars on them:

Sheba
• Tender Terrine with Salmon ……………………3.9% carbs
• Tender Terrine with Beef………………………..3.9%
• Sheba Adult with Beef in succulent jelly……..4.1%
• Sheba Adult with Cod in succulent jelly………4.1%

Toplife Chicken Dinner-tetrapak ………………. 8.8% made in conjunction with Bozita, at Asda

While the following foods are below 10% carbs, they contain either “Derivatives of Vegetable Origin” or vegetable protein extracts and/or various sugars or glucose.

Felix
• Senior mixed selection in Jelly – Pouches – Lamb, Rabbit, Tuna, Trout, Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Salmon ……. 8.8 %

Highlife (ASDA)
• Essentials: Turkey & Giblets 85g can……………….…2.3 %
• Essentials: Salmon Pate 85g can………………………2.3 %
• Tempt Me: …………………………………………….…..4.5%
Salmon & Tuna, Chicken & Duck, Turkey & Lamb

Sheba
• Tender Terrine with Turkey and Chicken …………..…….3.9 %
• Desire – Fish Fillets in Jelly……………………………….3.1 %
• Alu Tray Cuts In Jelly Chicken 100G …………………….6.7 %
• Tender Terrine with Rabbit and Chicken………………….8.9 %
• Tender Terrine with Duck & Goose………………………..8.9 %
• Sheba with Chicken-Meaty Chunks………………………8.5 %

 Felix
• Foils – 100g …………………………………………………5.8%
– Fish Selection in Jelly – Turkey & Smoked Salmon, Tuna & Trout, Cod & Haddock
• As Good As It Looks – (pouches)…………………….….6.5%
– favourites selection in Jelly – Chicken, Beef, Tuna
• As Good As It Looks Senior Pouch ………………………7.5%
– Mixed Variety in Jelly Cat Food 100gm 12 Pack
• Senior Fish Selection in Jelly……………………………..7.5%
– (pouches) Tuna, Salmon, Trout, Sardine

Gourmet Gold 
• Senior Pate – Beef, Ocean Fish, Liver, Turkey ………….7.7 %
• Pate – Turkey, Ocean Fish, Liver, Chicken, Beef ………..8.2%

Waitrose
• Fish Selection in Jelly: Carbs………………………………2.8%
• Organic Tender & Tasty Terrine Rich in Lamb: …………..5.3%

The following foods contain tapioca, or tapioca starch:

Hi Life
• Perfection Tuna and Seafood Can ………..………….…….3.0 %

Pets at Home
• Seriously Good Chicken with Beef – 80 grams……………2.8 %
• Seriously Good Cat Pouch – Meat Selection………………3.0 %

AVAILABLE ONLINE:

Animonda available at Zooplus
• Pouches – Exotic: Buffalo, Kangaroo or Ostrich…………..3.7%
• Pouches – Classic: Poultry & Veal, Turkey & Lamb or Beef & Turkey Hearts…………………………………………………………….5,8%
• Senior Trays: Beef, Poultry or Lamb…………………….….7.1%
• Adult Trays: Poultry & Veal, With Turkey Hearts, Multi-Meat Cocktail, Turkey & Rabbit or With Chicken Liver………………….5,8%

Bozita  available at Zooplus
• 400g Tins: Chicken, Beef, Salmon or Prawn………………5.5%
• Tetrapaks: Chunks in Jelly…………………………………..7.1%
• Tetrapaks: Chunks in Gravy………………………….………7.1%

Ropcat Sensitive Gold Tins available at Happy Kitty Company
• Chicken………………………………………………………..1.4%
• Poultry………………………………………………………….2.3%
• Game…………………………………………….…………….4.5%
• Venison…………………………………………………………5.5%

TREATS:

• Thrive freeze dried treats are available in Sainsburys or online from Zooplus
• Cosma freeze dried treats (less expensive) can be found on Zooplus
• Pets at Home also have inexpensive treats

RAW MEAT SUPPLIERS:

http://www.naturalinstinct.com/categories/Cat-Food/ – balanced raw food for cats, high quality – contains Brewers yeast and bilberry powder and sea kelp – this recipe MAY effect bg’s
Nature’s Menu

Purrform raw Cat food

 

INSULIN

Please see Insulins, Starting Scales & Dosing Criteria under Starting TR in the Knowledge Centre for full information on the different insulins.

Currently, the only vet approved insulin for cats in the UK is Caninsulin. However that is changing in 2016, with ProZinc arriving in Europe.

However, other insulins are available and can be prescribed under the Cascade System. Most vets will though make you start with Caninsulin and will only let you switch if results are poor.

Aside from Caninsulin, Hypurin Bovine Protamine Zinc, Lantus and Levemir are available in the UK.

Caninsulin

Caninsulin is a U40 vet insulin, used on both dogs and cats.

Caninsulin is available in vials or increasingly in a pen form. The lowest dose on the pen is 0.50u. It is strongly recommended that you use 3/10cc-0.3ml syringes with half unit markings to dose, even if you have the pens in order to be able to dose small increments. The top of the cartridge is clearly visible when you remove the cap – you simply stick the needle of the syringe into the stopper.

Please note that a conversion is necessary to dose U40 insulin with U100 syringes. See Converting U40 insulin to U100 syringes under Useful Tools & Tips in the Knowledge Centre for more information on the conversion.

ProZinc (just becoming available in 2016)

ProZinc, like Caninsulin is a U40 vet insulin; however unlike Caninsulin it is specifically made for use on cats.  It was created in the US to replace the previously available manufactured PZI bovine insulines.  Those insulines became difficult to manufacture as sources of beef pancreas dried up over the Mad Cow disease.

ProZinc is available in vials only to date.  It is strongly recommended that you use 3/10cc-0.3ml syringes with half unit markings to allow you to dose accurately and consistently, given the difficulty in finding U40 syringes with half unit markings (they will appear on the market from time to time…. to then disappear).

Please note that a conversion is necessary to dose U40 insulin with U100 syringes. See Converting U40 insulin to U100 syringes under Useful Tools & Tips in the Knowledge Centre for more information on the conversion.

Lantus (Glargine) & Levemir (Detemir)

While both Lantus & Levemir have been prescribed for cats in other European countries for quite some time, their use is quite recent in the UK. Many vets will not be familiar with either.

     It is extremely difficult to find a vet willing to give a prescription for either in the UK.

     It will take a lot of persistence on your part to try and get one to agree for you to switch.

Both are long lasting human U100 insulins.

Cats have done well on both, if Levemir’s gentler curve and neutral pH means they may do better on Levemir.

SUPPLEMENTS

Below lists some sources for supplements to help with various health problems that many FD cats suffer from (pancreatitis, neuropathy….). Many supplements do contain fillers that are not appropriate for diabetic cats, such as rice powder or hidden sugars. Please check the ingredients carefully before purchasing, and post in Introductions & Questions if you would like some help in choosing the best supplement.

Appetite Stimulants:
• Periactin ( Cyproheptidine): Weldricks

Digestive Issues:
• Slippery Elm Bark:  G Baldwin & Company

Pancreatitis Supplments:
• L Carnitine (must be pure L Carnitine, not acytel or D variety ): Now Brand from iherb
• Milk Thistle Tincture: Nature’s Answer
• Milk Thistle Powder: Jarrows from iHerb

• SamE – Denemarin Tablets: Vet UK

Neuropathy: Methyl Cobalamin B12
• Zobaline (Methyl B12 for FD cats): Lifelink
–  Note: Shipping to Europe is very expensive

Salmon Oil:
• Salmon Oil Capsules, Holland & Barrett

Taurine:
• Taurine: My Protein Company

Vitamin B-Complex
• Now B50 Complex;  JD Supplements

Last updated Sep 2020

 

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