Chicken (fresh boneless Chicken 20%, dehydrated Chicken protein 20%), Barley, Corn gluten, vegetable fibres, poultry fat, lignocellulose, hydrolysed poultry Liver, refined Chicken oil, dehydrated Egg, FAEC Complete (Yucca schidigera extract, yeast products, (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a source of MOS and nucleotides), glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, methylsulfonylmethane, Chicory root, Salvia rosmarinus, Melissa officinalis, Taraxacum officinale, Salvia officinalis, Minthostachys verticillata, Cynara scolymus, Silybum marianum), Apple fibre, marine Zooplankton meal (Krill, source of Omega-3 fatty acids and astaxanthin), leaves of Moringa oleifera, FAEC Inmune (microalgae oil Schizochytrium sp. (source of Omega 3 DHA fatty acids), Panax ginseng, Punica granatum, Zingiber officinale, Urtica dioica, Camellia sinensis, Curcuma longa, Harpagophytum procumbens), FAEC ProbioDigestive (Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus). Sources of CH: Barley, Corn gluten, Apple fibre, vegetable fibres, Moringa leaves.

Regulation of glucose supply (Diabetes mellitus)

Type II Diabetes mellitus is the predominant endocrine disease in cats, in contrast to type I Diabetes mellitus in canids, where the immune system destroys the insulin-producing B cells. This disease is characterised by insufficient insulin production.

Obesity or overweight, pancreatic or renal disease, hyperthyroidism, infectious processes or even corticosteroid treatments are predisposing factors, with castrated males aged 7 years and older being the most susceptible to develop the disease.

The diagnosis and treatment of this disease requires a great deal of collaboration between veterinarian and owner, with a great deal of vigilance and involvement on the part of the latter. As usual symptoms, we will observe weight loss, apathy, polydipsia, polyuria and polyphagia, these three being common to other diseases such as CKD, although of a more rapid development and onset; we will also observe a “caramelised” urine, denser and more complicated to clean, changes in behavior will also be visible, such as changes in the habit of urination and water intake motivated by polyuria and polydipsia. A very relevant aspect that should alert us, both in diagnosis and treatment, will be the appearance of a plantigrade gait, similar to that of a rabbit, starting with the hind limbs and extending to the forelimbs. This symptom, related to diabetic neuropathy, is painful but reversible, and is due to deficient myelin production.

The vet will use urine and blood tests to determine the cause of the disease, a diagnosis that is far from simple as sugar release due to stress is common in cats, so the result obtained in a consultation will not be reliable and a sample will have to be taken at home after 4 or 5 days. Another feature that hinders the diagnosis is the possible hyperthyroidism of the patient, as this disease presents insulin resistance, this can be difficult to diagnose as the T4 will show normal values due to concomitance with diseases that would decrease this data. A similar situation will occur in animals with infections, either urinary or oral infections.

In addition, diabetes can be triggered as a secondary disease to pancreatitis and will require further investigation and diagnosis. The important thing is that this disease is reversible with early diagnosis.

In terms of nutritional treatment, the aim will be to obtain and maintain a stable body weight, regulate and stabilise blood glucose and reduce clinical signs, avoid hypo- and hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis and neuropathy, which we will discuss below. A low-carbohydrate diet will be recommended carbohydrates, increasing protein and avoiding increasing fat as this is counterproductive in obese cats. In this disease it is very important monitoring by the owner, controlling water intake and glycosuria, and even the insulin curve, is very important in this disease.

Returning to diabetic neuropathy: it can be a very effective indicator, both in diagnosis and treatment since, if it appears, we observe a plantigrade or rabbit gait, we can interpret it as a symptom of the disease or inadequate treatment of the same, and it is reassuring to know that it is painful, will require treatment, but is reversible.
Finally, and as a characteristic argument, there is a multitude of scientific documentation that suggests and/or demonstrates the benefits of probiotic supplementation, as these patients have a modified and diminished intestinal microbiota, so that supplementation would not only correct this dysbiosis, but would also favour the control of blood glucose, support the stability of the intestinal microbiota during the treatment and related secondary diseases, similar to what occurs in humans.