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Expert: - 3/24/2011


Question
I have an 11 year old overweight male cat (15 lbs.) Newly diagnosed with early cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, pancreatitis, and 800 triglyceride. No kidney disease, no hyperthyroid, no diabetes. All my vet did was prescribe enalapril, and a low fat diet. I am a biochemist. I immediately took him off the high carb (lo fat) dry food onto organic canned, and started him on Nordic Naturals-Pet omega 3. Am I going the right way? Some vets say low fat, others insist low carb. Also can I give him "extra" fish oil to get that triglyceride down faster. I am really afraid of clots too, and know the oil will help that. I would switch vets but there is only one in my (remote) area. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks Carolynn

Answer
It's not a question of dry vs. wet but fat content in the food Carol.
You need to shoot for a fat level of under 10% and in dry food this is misleading by looking at the labels, because water (moisture) in the wet dilutes the true amount of fat in the food.

I would be very, very careful of giving your cat any fish oil supplements due to the increase in vit. A in those. Excess levels of vitamin A are fatal to cats and people, and cats are more sensitive to it.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_hyperlipidemia

Don't give more than 500 mg a day of it and look for a brand made for cats, not humans.

But most of all, look at the food you are feeding and consider switching to a higher quality, low fat food such as Science Diet Light Adult. She will lose weight safely and slowly with this food if fed as directed and then you won't need to supplement her at all. This food provides optimal nutrition for your cat. It comes in wet as well, but count the overall fat content when feeding both.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

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I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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