For months, Zack’s vet tried without success to regulate the six-year-old Manx cat’s blood sugar with insulin. Zack was urinating outside his litter box, losing weight, and looked bedraggled. On several occasions, his guardian Donna returned home to find him seizing and semi-conscious, and in need of emergency treatment. She felt Zack’s medical needs were more than she could deal with, and gave me a call. The following week, Zack came to live at Angel’s Gate.

For the past 12 years, I have been caring for critically and terminally ill animals. When the first diabetic cats arrived at Angel’s Gate, I followed veterinary orders regarding their insulin requirements. But within days, each cat had gone into hypoglycemic shock, a life-threatening emergency that occurs when blood sugar is too low and insulin levels too high. To find out why this was happening, I took a closer look at the trend and found that diet was the only significant change each animal underwent when they came to Angel’s Gate. We feed our animals a raw food natural diet made from local organic turkey.

Since then, I have carefully monitored and kept records on over 40 diabetic felines at Angel’s Gate. I found that by simply managing their diet, more than 95 percent of these cats could safely be taken off insulin within two weeks of arriving. This was true whether the cat had been on insulin for two weeks or two years.

Understanding diabetes
Diabetes is a complex endocrine disorder in which the animal’s body is not able to properly utilize blood sugar. The exact cause is not known, though it’s thought that pancreatic disease, hormonal disturbances and certain medications such as progesterone or steroids may play a part. Other causes may include a poor diet or possibly a migrating parasite that destroys the pancreas. Chronic small bowel inflammation and pregnancy may also induce diabetes mellitus, which is one of the most frequently diagnosed metabolic disorders in felines. Diabetes most often occurs in cats over six and is more common in males than females. It is estimated that one in 400 cats have the disease.

Diet therapy is essential to the treatment of diabetes. Cats are obligate carnivores and have an innate insulin resistance mechanism that makes them sensitive to high carbohydrate diets. In fact, cats do not require carbohydrates at all, yet many are given dry food that is available 24 hours a day. “It is not just what they are fed but how they are fed,” says Dr. Levitan. Cats are not meant to be grazers! We already know that consuming too many refined carbohydrates is a potential cause of diabetes in humans. Could we be contributing to the disease in our feline companions by feeding them a steady diet of high-carbohydrate dry kibble?

Fresh alternatives
In addition to feeding your diabetic cat a diet rich in bio-available protein, low in simple carbohydrates, and with moderate fiber, you can also supplement with various glandulars, herbs, spices, vitamins and minerals. This diet can have a profound effect on his insulin requirements, so changes should only be made under veterinary supervision. A diabetic feline should be fed twice a day.

GLANDULARS have become one of my favorite supplements for many diseases, especially diabetes. They use whole animal tissues or extracts, typically derived from beef and pork, to enhance the function of the same tissue in the cat’s body. Pancreas glandulars can, in theory, help the gland heal or function better, and may also provide the needed active substances secreted by that gland.

SEACURE™, a hydrolyzed bio-available protein, is something I use when one of our diabetic felines has an infection or wound.

COLOSTRUM is another product I always have on hand because it supports weakened immune systems.

CINNAMON contains a compound that lowers sugar and cholesterol levels in the blood. Called methylhydroxychalcone polymer (MHCP), it makes fat cells more responsive to insulin and is effective in both type I and type II diabetes. I mix a pinch in both AM and PM feedings.

GARLIC is added to all our animals’ food at Angel’s Gate. We increase the dose during the summer, when there is a greater risk of parasites. Daily intake of garlic can also lower fasting blood glucose levels and improve glucose tolerance.

VANADIUM is a mineral compound found in plants and animals. It has insulin-like effects and is most useful in treating type II diabetes. Promising studies suggest it may also control blood sugar. The recommended dose for felines is 50 mcg daily.

MAGNESIUM is given daily. A deficiency of this mineral is believed to slow down the secretion of insulin, and to contribute to some diabetic complications.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS are found in fish oils and some plant oils. There are three types: ALA, EPE and DHL. They reduce inflammation and support heart function.

CHROMIUM is an essential mineral found in many foods, such as calf liver. It improves the effectiveness of insulin by making glucose tolerance factor, and may enhance pancreatic beta cell function. Insulin works with chromium to allow glucose to enter the cell, and aids in the breakdown of fats. Chromium supplements often contains picolinate, which increases absorption. The typical dose for a cat is 200mcg daily.

The work I have done doesn’t offer a double-blind study, but the result is dozens of formerly insulin-dependent cats like Zack now live insulin free. When an animal responds this well to diet management, it improves not only his quality of life, but also his guardian’s. Once again, the animals at Angel’s Gate have taught us a most valuable lesson.

SUSAN MARINO IS THE FOUNDER OF ANGEL’S GATE HOSPICE AND
REHABILITATION CENTER FOR ANIMALS IN LONG ISLAND, NY.

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