I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Travis Einertson, a Minnesota veterinarian who is becoming increasingly well-known in veterinary nutrition circles for using low-carbohydrate diets to treat diabetes in cats.
As anyone reading this article already knows, in dogs and cats (just like in people), digestible carbohydrates enter the bloodstream as glucose. And so, at first glance, Dr. Einertson’s low-carb approach to feline diabetes hardly seems revolutionary. It’s just common sense.
But in the modern-day veterinary nutrition community, where common sense often seems to be in shamefully short supply, Dr. Einertson’s approach is actually quite unique. And more and more practicing vets are starting to take notice.
As he explained to me during our conversation (full video below), two things seem to be driving his rising popularity.
The first is that his approach to diabetes is unconventional. While there is universal agreement in the veterinary community that dietary matters are crucial to treating diabetic pets, most vets ignore the approach of outright carbohydrate restriction. The leading veterinary nutrition texts instead recommend a focus on “complex” carbohydrates and an increase in fiber intake, both of which have been shown to be at least somewhat useful in improving glycemic control by slowing glucose absorption.
Dr. Einertson takes a more direct approach: just eliminate the carbs altogether. If slowing postprandial glucose uptake is helpful, shouldn’t eliminating it as much as possible be even better?
