Dietary management of feline endocrine disease

Abstract

When treating cats with endocrine disease, most veterinarians concentrate on medical or surgical treatments that can be used to manage or cure the disease. Dietary issues are frequently ignored or not properly addressed. However, nutritional support can play an integral role in the successful management of feline endocrine diseases. Furthermore, because most cats with endocrine disease are senior or geriatric, they may also have concurrent health conditions that warrant dietary intervention. This article discusses recommendations for nutritional support of the 2 most common endocrine problems of cats seen in clinical practice: hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: Carbohydrate; Diabetes mellitus; Diet; Feline; Hyperthyroidism; Protein.