4/29 Basil VET Update; Advice, Please

Yesterday's Condo Rental
Hi Everyone,

I just talked to the vet, and he said Basil's bloodwork was great and his urinalysis was perfect.

(He said an interesting thing, BTW, yesterday that I did not know, which is that stress can raise not only blood sugar, but in extreme cases, white count! That was news to me and I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that today.) Oh, and the salve for the gums is a few times A WEEK, not A DAY. Whew!

SOOOO, we're scratching our heads, here.

Do Basil's numbers look like they need a little insulin?

Do we test again and then decide? We DO have a curve from day before yesterday. We can do another if that seems advisable.

Should we back off the 7 & 8% carb foods?
ETA this is what we are feeding:
I just want to clarify what we are feeding. We rotate among a dozen flavors of FF. Their carbs are:
1 flavor = 0%
1 flavor = 2%
4 flavors = 3%
3 flavors = 5%
1 flavor = 7%
1 flavor = 8%

Any help would be most appreciated.

We have all always been just a tad worried about the fact that Basil skates on the high side. And we know ECID. But, if he needs a little insulin for a while, we'll do that, too!

Thanks in advance.

Honestly Lydia, I would try to go back to lower carb foods before giving insulin, and give that a TRY for a few days!!
Couldnt hurt!! I always wondered if I would go back to old behaviors, if Moonie ever went OTj, because old habits die hard--
But you have been so conscientious, please try the food angle first, since there is no infection--
Also, ask Dose helpers as to what to do--WE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU & BASIL TO RETURN TO THE FALLS---GIANT HUGS ARE IN ORDER!!!!!!

Thanks, Roni. You're encouragement always helps!

I just want to clarify what we are feeding. We rotate among a dozen flavors of FF. Their carbs are:
1 flavor = 0%
1 flavor = 2%
4 flavors = 3%
3 flavors = 5%
1 flavor = 7%
1 flavor = 8%

Hi Lydia, I totally agree with Roni. Basil's numbers are predominantly in the "normal" zone. Go back to the under-3% foods and see what happens. Have you tried EVO 95% Chicken & Turkey? Stu loves it, and it's supposed to be 0% carbs. Trying the food route is certainly preferable to going back on the juice! Good luck.

Ella

Hi, Ella. Here's the thing--I'm terrified of the higher fat foods because I lost my velcroed-to-me dog to pancreatitis (we think that's what it was; it was all so sudden) and I had been feeding her EVO. So, I have been trying to stick with foods that average out to a generally balanced fat/protein ratio. This may be nuts, but I am really shy after losing Pepper.

Let me see if I can get some additional eyes on your questions.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of changing everything at once. If you do, you have no idea what's working. Basil's numbers are not bad. He's had a couple of outside of the normal range BG values but they come back down. The range may be a little higher than you like but it's not high. If it were me, I'd eliminate the highest carb food you're feeding (e.g., keep it 5% or under) and see how Basil does for a couple of days. Can you try raw food since you are concerned about the fat content of some of the other foods?

You might also see if there's a veterinary dentist who you could consult with about the redness in Basil's gums and to get a set of films.

Hi Sienne,

I agree about not changing everything at once. What happened though was that Basil had just been on the Clavamox and was vomiting and was turning his nose up at foods. I though--perhaps incorrectly--that the risk of raising the carbs and keeping him eating was lower than keeping to his old foods and having him not eat enough.

I will say that his appetite is wonderful now that he gets such a variety! I wish someone would feed me that way. LOL!

I'm no dosing advisor, but I am definitely curious to see what people will advise. I hope using a lower carb food will help. Most of them are pretty low. Hang in there. As you know this is the best place to be with this kind of question. We are all so lucky!

What flavors does he REALLY like? Some things have been mentioned to me in the past like too much change may be upsetting to cut down to maybe 3 flavors and see what happens.
What about cutting out certain kinds of foods, like all the fish ones.

I had an issue with Oliver being quite loose some days and others not so much. I decided to stick with just 2 kinds: Friskies turkey&giblets, and the chef's dinner. He seems better now.
I have cut out all the ff for now for both Shadoe AND Oliver and they seem quite fine after changing from 20 kinds to 2 kinds of foods.
I also get chicken breasts and steam cook them to dice for them. No fat and they seem to love their chunks. Sorry I can't comment on raw, but it may be something to try, only introduce slowly?

What's Basil think about all this?
Open up 6 diff cans and see which one he goes to first! :lol:

happy to hear all of basil's tests results were good.

i agree with the others... i wouldn't restart insulin at this point. basil's numbers aren't that high. eliminating the foods with higher carbs might just do the trick. however, i'd be wondering why "the margin of one gum was a little red but not infected and we have to apply a salve to it..." after a course of antibiotics and a completed dental.

i like cheryl's suggestion to consult with a veterinary dental specialist or at least another vet who has the equipment to take dental x-rays. it may be easier to find a vet with the ability to get some films of basil's mouth than it is to find a dental specialist.

here's a link to the AVDC Veterinary Dentist Directory.

Hi, Lydia & Basil too!! Yay for good reports!! Sooooo happy for you two, what a stress reliever!! Lots of luck & abundant blessings with trying lower carb food too!! Goooo Basil!!

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all your suggestions. I think at this point, with clean blood work and urinalysis, we feel pretty confident that Basil is not ill.

His gum margins were all red when he went in, and I guess this one tooth still is. It is an existing tooth and not one of the extractions. The salve is Biotene Maintenance Oral Gel. We use it on our dog, too. And have tried using it on our civvie but she was less than enthused

I am going to interview another vet or two in the area to see if I can find someone who is more attuned to the treatment of FD. I feel truly awful about doing this since we have been going to our vet for 14 years, and he is a very good vet. It really pains me to have to do this.

We will start giving Basil the old 3% and under foods. Or if we feed the 5%, we'll mix half and half with a 0%. He's going to be very disappointed since he thrives on the variety. Always has. We'll see if it has an effect and check back in after a week or so.

I'm really exhausted, mentally. We're dealing with a serious health diagnosis for one of my parents and I feel like I would like to hide under a rock some days. Today would be a good day to hide, maybe.

(((Lydia))) Sometimes it seems that "stuff" all comes at the same time....i am so sorry to hear of all your
concerns. Hopefully, Basil's numbers will come down the the lower carbs...hope everything starts to look better real soon for you.... :YMHUG:
Sometimes hiding under a rock is a good way to take a break....don't forget that you need your rest during times of stress. Please take care to get enough, k?

Hi Lydia I don't know how long you have been using the dental gel but it says that it contains a sweetener but not sure what kind or how much.
I don't know if there is enough to raise Basil's numbers at all.

I would say that I hope Basil feels better but it seems that he feels fine. :smile:

take care of yourself, Lydia. Basil's numbers aren't that bad, maybe he just runs that way. You could go buy a Freestyle Freedom meter, when I think Lucy's number is too high I test again with that meter, it cuts about 20 points off. :lol: