Question:
I have two Siamese-mix littermates I adopted from the animal shelter. Harriett has had a terrible time with gum inflammation, and after a good teeth-cleaning her vet has been giving her cortisone shots about every 6 weeks to keep it under control. After months of watching her gain weight from those shots I read somewhere (possibly in your column) that some animals are sensitive to cornmeal and/or meal gluten, so I went to a pet store and read every label and found one that listed meat first and had no corn of any kind.She was due for another shot when I started her on the new food, and after a little over a week on it her gums were almost normal. Because she's borderline diabetic, the vet put her on Hills Feline m/d, which has corn and meal gluten in it. After less than a week her gums looked horrible again. The package info says nothing about diabetes, only about weight loss.I'm wondering how she's going to lose weight if she has to keep getting those cortisone shots. I've also read that cortisone can trigger diabetes.Would she be better off on the cornmeal- and gluten-free food and no cortisone? It would help if it were something both cats could eat. They prefer dry food.
N.G., Fort Worth, TX Apr 10, 2005
Answer:
You have a dilemma, but I congratulate you for connecting her gum problem with cornmeal/gluten in her diet. Obesity (often associated with feeding an all-dry-food diet high in carbohydrates) and diabetes are linked, and can be aggravated by cortisone medication.Your veterinarian should come up with a special diet for your two cats you can prepare at home that will help them lose weight and recover from the borderline diabetes. A useful resource for your veterinarian is the "Manual of Veterinary Dietetics" by Tony Buffington, Cheryl Holloway and Sarah Abood, published by W.B. Saunders Company.
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