Neuroscience
please also read my May 2008 post More About Feline Diabetes & Diet
ScienceDaily reports on a new study from Robert Backus, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian which "...suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important when trying to prevent diabetes in cats."
When my cat Boomer was diagnosed with diabetes, my vet suggested putting him on a low-carb / low-kibble diet because kibbles are full of carbs which convert to sugar (insulin) more easily than the relatively higher protein content in canned food. Backus' research "... compared a colony of cats in California raised on dry food with a colony of cats in New Zealand raised on canned food. After comparing glucose-tolerance tests, which measures blood samples and indicates how fast glucose is being cleared from the blood after eating, researchers found no significant difference between a dry food diet and a wet food diet."
Instead, Backus' research "... suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important when trying to prevent diabetes in cats."
The findings were presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Conference in April. I'm curious to see the paper, too.
For More Information
- Cymbalta And Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced its approval of this medication as a treatment for a common neurological complication of diabetes. From the press release: FDA Approves Drug for Neuropathic Pain Associated With Diabetes Today...
- Pet "how To" Videos From Cornell
I found some wonderful cat videos @ Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine which provide details on how to care for your ailing cat. In this case, not even ailing -- but how to brush a cat's teeth. We have a cat struggling with gum health,...
- Science In The News Seminar @ Harvard Med School
I am listening to a great series of public lectures on various aspects of science in the news, sponsored by Harvard Medical School this past fall. Each session is approximately 90 minutes, broken into three segments (conveniently, each segment is its...
- Animal Planet Podcast
Heard a fun podcast from Discovery's Animal Planet called Ultimate Guide: House Cats (mp3 file; full list of Animal Planet podcasts ). Covered some scientific studies (did you know that cats can measure speed with their paw pads?) and some human-cat...
- Interspecies Communication?!
Boomer has adopted a new vocalization to tell me he wants to be picked up, placed on the bathroom counter, and have the water turned on for him. This has prompted me to search for cat vocalization articles for my e-friend Eliot. Found something different,...
Neuroscience
Feline Diabetes & Diet
please also read my May 2008 post More About Feline Diabetes & Diet
ScienceDaily reports on a new study from Robert Backus, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian which "...suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important when trying to prevent diabetes in cats."
When my cat Boomer was diagnosed with diabetes, my vet suggested putting him on a low-carb / low-kibble diet because kibbles are full of carbs which convert to sugar (insulin) more easily than the relatively higher protein content in canned food. Backus' research "... compared a colony of cats in California raised on dry food with a colony of cats in New Zealand raised on canned food. After comparing glucose-tolerance tests, which measures blood samples and indicates how fast glucose is being cleared from the blood after eating, researchers found no significant difference between a dry food diet and a wet food diet."
Instead, Backus' research "... suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important when trying to prevent diabetes in cats."
The findings were presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Conference in April. I'm curious to see the paper, too.
For More Information
- Choosing Dry Or Wet Food For Cats Makes Little Difference When It Comes To Feline Diabetes. ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2007).
- Boomer Brown, Rest in Peace, Dec. 19, 2006.
- Cymbalta And Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced its approval of this medication as a treatment for a common neurological complication of diabetes. From the press release: FDA Approves Drug for Neuropathic Pain Associated With Diabetes Today...
- Pet "how To" Videos From Cornell
I found some wonderful cat videos @ Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine which provide details on how to care for your ailing cat. In this case, not even ailing -- but how to brush a cat's teeth. We have a cat struggling with gum health,...
- Science In The News Seminar @ Harvard Med School
I am listening to a great series of public lectures on various aspects of science in the news, sponsored by Harvard Medical School this past fall. Each session is approximately 90 minutes, broken into three segments (conveniently, each segment is its...
- Animal Planet Podcast
Heard a fun podcast from Discovery's Animal Planet called Ultimate Guide: House Cats (mp3 file; full list of Animal Planet podcasts ). Covered some scientific studies (did you know that cats can measure speed with their paw pads?) and some human-cat...
- Interspecies Communication?!
Boomer has adopted a new vocalization to tell me he wants to be picked up, placed on the bathroom counter, and have the water turned on for him. This has prompted me to search for cat vocalization articles for my e-friend Eliot. Found something different,...