Author Topic: Feeding cats dry food could increase feline diabetes risk--Sweden Study  (Read 1734 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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Feeding cats dry food could increase feline diabetes risk

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Feeding cats dry food could increase their risk of developing feline diabetes, according to new research.

A number of animals can develop diabetes, with cats much more prone to the condition than dogs. Feline diabetes can be tricky for owners to manage, but the diabetes management principles are the same as in humans: keep blood glucose levels at a normal range and make sure they receive their medication, most likely insulin.

The study, which was conducted in Sweden, was based on just over 6,700 cats. The owners of the cats were asked to participate in an online survey which featured 48 questions based on an animal's breed, age, sex, whether it had been neutered and its general health.

Finish reading at: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2017/jan/feeding-cats-dry-food-could-increase-feline-diabetes-risk-90802694.html
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Offline Pookie

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sarcasmalert  Well gee, no kidding!  Dr. Hodgkins only figured this out years ago and actually developed the protocol to treat feline diabetes, then patented the protocol.  Step 1:  remove the dry food! 

It boggles my mind that we need studies to confirm what should be obvious to people who understand cats are obligate carnivores:  Nature never intended for them to eat carbs!   bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead  And to paraphrase a former member of this forum:  do they not study physiology and biology in vet school to understand this?

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Lead researcher Malin Ohlund, DVM, said: "Through our research we found that while obesity is a very important and prominent risk factor for diabetes mellitus in cats, there is also an increased risk of diabetes among normal-weight cats consuming a dry food diet.

And why are they obese?  Maybe because they're eating carbs and don't have the enzymes to digest them, so the body converts it to fat?   >:D

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  "This correlation, compared to normal-weight cats on a wet food diet, is a new and interesting finding that warrants further research, as a dry food diet is commonly fed to cats around the world." 

No, it isn't new.  Dr. Hodgkins figured that out years ago.  What's "new" is commercial dry "food" being sold as "complete and balanced ... nutrition."

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Ohlund and colleagues suggested that this increased diabetes risk could be explained because dry food puts an "increased demand" on the cat's insulin secretion. 

BINGO!  Nailed it in 1!

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As dry food is such a common way to feed cats, the researchers have recommended "further attention" on the subject is needed.

"Further attention?"  No kidding.  Meanwhile, more and more cats will continue to get the kibble and have problems as a result . . .  :'(  How many more studies do they need to prove the obvious?

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The findings have been published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 

I wonder how many vets will actually read and pay attention to that study, and truly learn from it.  One can only hope that many will start to "get it."   fingerscrossed fingerscrossed

Sorry, I don't mean to get wound up and snarky.  It just baffles me that this issue is still being debated.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2017, 02:51:21 PM by Pookie »
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Offline Middle Child

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It boggles my mind that we need studies to confirm what should be obvious to people who understand cats are obligate carnivores:

The biggest problem is the lies the pet food companies boldly state. And the idiot vets who pretend to beleive them.

Purina Pro Plan stated the other day that cats need a significant amount of carbs in their diet, and corn is highly nutritious to them and provides all they need.  I kid you not.

I've taken some snips from the discussion

Offline DeeDee

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All that came to my mind is that at least there's a study to throw into the faces of traditional vets.  :-\
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

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The biggest problem is the lies the pet food companies boldly state. And the idiot vets who pretend to beleive them.

Purina Pro Plan stated the other day that cats need a significant amount of carbs in their diet, and corn is highly nutritious to them and provides all they need.  I kid you not.

I've taken some snips from the discussion

 :o  bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead

To quote Charlie Brown:  "I can't stand it."

sarcasmalert   I'm trying to remember the last time I saw any cat, domestic or wild (like a lion, for example) grazing on corn.  Still thinking . . . . . still thinking . . . . Nope, never seen it, not even on PBS.  Chowing down on a wildebeest?  Sure.  Gazelle?  Absolutely.  Corn, wheat, soy, other carbs?  Never.

All that came to my mind is that at least there's a study to throw into the faces of traditional vets.  :-\

Good point, though I'm sure they'll jump on the part about more research is needed.   >:D

P.S.  In all seriousness, let me explain something to the folks that read this forum to learn from those of us who, sadly, learned the hard way.  All protein is NOT created equal.  Telling consumers that the protein from plants, be it corn, wheat, tapioca, potatoes, etc. is the same as meat is a bald-faced lie.  Plants are not complete proteins, esp. for carnivores.  They do not include certain vitamins, such as B12, or amino acids like taurine.  These are things that can ONLY be obtained from meat.  And just because you see those things on the ingredient list (they were added for a reason:  processing destroyed a lot of the nutrients) doesn't mean your pet is getting enough to meet his/her needs over time.  And who knows what else is lost in commercial processing that isn't supplemented because they don't even know it's missing, like trace minerals?

Please, I beg of you, do not be fooled by what the pet food companies tell you.  They are businesses and they are trying to sell you their products so they can make money.  Profit is fine if it's honest and doesn't come at the expense of your pet's health, but too many of us here have watched our pets go through h-ll because we trusted the industry and didn't ask questions until we finally got desperate for answers and started looking into things on our own.  Do your research, read this forum and others, read Dr. Hodkins' book, Dr. Pierson's website, and learn as much as you can.  But please do not make the mistake of thinking the pet food industry has your pet's best interest at heart.  Species-appropriate nutrition for dogs and cats has not changed since they've been "domesticated."  They still need meat (do those look like the teeth of an herbivore like a horse or cow?  So why would they thrive on corn?)  Only what we've fed them has changed.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 12:05:42 AM by Pookie »
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Offline Pookie

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One more comment and then I'll hopefully run out of steam on this.

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All protein is NOT created equal.  Telling consumers that the protein from plants, be it corn, wheat, tapioca, potatoes, etc. is the same as meat is a bald-faced lie.

Let me give an analogy that may help.  Imagine your car.  It needs a certain type of oil for all the parts to work smoothly and for the car to function properly.  Now imagine taking your car in for service and, instead of using the oil the manufacturer recommends, the mechanic uses olive oil.  Then your car starts having problems.  You take it back to the mechanic and when you ask about the oil, the mechanic tells you that oil is oil and there's no difference, and your car can use olive oil just fine.  You're seeing/hearing/feeling the car problems, but "oil is oil."  I'm sure most people would immediately find a new mechanic.

A more accurate analogy is that your mechanic tells you it's ok to put water in your car's gas tank because they're both liquids.  Water (dry food) may be cheaper than gas (grain-free wet food), but you can bet you'll have car problems if you put it in the tank because your car (pet) was designed by the manufacturer (Nature) to run on gas (meat protein).

Cats and dogs were designed by Nature to be healthy on animal protein, not plant protein.  They evolved that way.  Having the "mechanic" (PFI/vet) tell you that you can replace one with the other, or worse, that plant protein is good/necessary for them is asking for the pet to "break down."  It's a (pardon the pun) recipe for disaster.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 07:04:04 AM by Pookie »
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Offline Lola

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I understand AND agree with Pookie, but...  my first thought when reading the first post by DeeDee was... "Cool!  The more that are finally convinced and the more info out there, the better."

MC,
Just the word "Purina" makes my skin crawl... and my blood pressure go up several points. 
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 04:34:10 PM by Lola »
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