Just Young Again 0 Mature diet Question

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Carolyn Ross

Carolyn Ross

Member Since 2017
Since Sam's numbers are still in the 200's (since diagnosis 2weeks ago) with an occasional one in the mid 150's (moreso since being on a wet diet for the past 3 days) I'm seriously considering the Young Again Zero mature food. He's had some bits from the Young Again sample bags and really seems to like it and had no intestinal problems. I ordered a bag and was reading their literature which says to free-feed it, without any other wet foods, to bring the BG numbers down.

Has anyone fed it exclusively without any problems? Does your cat drink more while eating it? My vet wants me to track BG for a full week on the wet diet before I start any insulin and see if I can get lower numbers. Changing to a no-carb dry would be trying it on my own.

Young Again food gives a lot of assurance that it can lower numbers and keep a cat healthy, as well. I'm wondering if anyone has had as great luck with it.
 
I free fed Young Again Zero Mature at the very beginning as the first step in transitioning from dry to wet, but I got them on all wet as soon as I could. I still have some of the Young Again and use it as a treat and as a food topper when my girls are being finicky.

You may want to ready Dr. Pierson's thoughts on this topic (there is a section on the page about low-carb dry foods): http://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/
 
FurBabiesMama said:
I free fed Young Again Zero Mature at the very beginning as the first step in transitioning from dry to wet, but I got them on all wet as soon as I could. I still have some of the Young Again and use it as a treat and as a food topper when my girls are being finicky.

You may want to ready Dr. Pierson's thoughts on this topic (there is a section on the page about low-carb dry foods): http://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/
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The thing is, I'm reading so much about the carbs, dry food, wet food, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease, along with wet food diets and now the information from Young Again to feed their dry only. It's too much. Sam was on a dry and wet diet before being diagnosed, so a transition to wet was not difficult. Now I just want his numbers to go down so I won't have to put him on insulin. I'm afraid of him going hypo - although I have the instructions for dealing with it; I'm afraid of not administering a painless shot (really afraid if that); I'm afraid of missing some important clue to his condition or doing the wrong thing. I know I'm not alone, everyone chooses their own path, but it's still very stressful.

Did your cats numbers improve when they were only on the Young Again dry? Or are they just the same with the wet and Young Again as just a treat?
 
Carolyn Ross said:
Did your cats numbers improve when they were only on the Young Again dry? Or are they just the same with the wet and Young Again as just a treat?
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I cannot answer that since it was only very early on that I allowed them to free-feed on YA, and not for very long, only until I found a wet food they would eat enough of. My goal was always to go 100% low-carb wet.
 
Just a thought.. you can get very low or even 0% carb wet foods. I do not know what you are feeding him right now, but that is another option if you want the absolute lowest carb and do not want to have the concerns that come with a dry food diet.

If you want to try just feeding YA alone, do it and see how it goes, but I would not base that decision solely on the information from Young Again since they are trying to sell the stuff.
 
JanetNJ said:
Last year I credited Yaz with helping her into remission. If you look at CC'S Spreadsheet 1 you can see where I marked her diet change with a black bar.
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Thanks for having me look at your chart. Sorry the remission ended, but at least you are experienced about what to do. Without insulin, Sam is mostly in the yellows and blues, I've not had a green yet but would love to see it. So it seems that the YA didn't continue to keep the numbers forever low. I hate these uncertainties. I just figured if he's never been on insulin and I could get the numbers low enough that maybe he'd go back to a normal state, and I'm grasping at straws now.
 
Carolyn Ross said:
Thanks for having me look at your chart. Sorry the remission ended, but at least you are experienced about what to do. Without insulin, Sam is mostly in the yellows and blues, I've not had a green yet but would love to see it. So it seems that the YA didn't continue to keep the numbers forever low. I hate these uncertainties. I just figured if he's never been on insulin and I could get the numbers low enough that maybe he'd go back to a normal state, and I'm grasping at straws now.
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I think cc came out of remission from a combo of dental issues and painful arthritis
 
FurBabiesMama said:
Just a thought.. you can get very low or even 0% carb wet foods. I do not know what you are feeding him right now, but that is another option if you want the absolute lowest carb and do not want to have the concerns that come with a dry food diet.

If you want to try just feeding YA alone, do it and see how it goes, but I would not base that decision solely on the information from Young Again since they are trying to sell the stuff.
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He's getting fancy feast and I was using up a can of wellness Core which is 13 carbs, some YA as treats or EVO dry for treats. I'm going to have to just give him the FF and YA (treat-wise) and see what happens.
 
JanetNJ said:
Cosequin doesn't have carbs. If the Cosequin isn't enough ask about adequan shots
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Since the glucosamine part of Cosequin is close to a sugar, I thought it might have raised his BG after testing following some FF. I tried to find out on line if it would raise the numbers but it seemed like it wasn't for certain that it wouldn't. My vet was just erring on the side of caution but I'm glad there's something else he could get if it does, thanks!
 
Somebody here, I forget who, unfortunately, has a cat that went into remission eating only YAZC. Having said that, I'm still not sure it's a path I personally would follow as I have serious concerns about hydration issues with feeding only dry.
 
Squalliesmom said:
Somebody here, I forget who, unfortunately, has a cat that went into remission eating only YAZC. Having said that, I'm still not sure it's a path I personally would follow as I have serious concerns about hydration issues with feeding only dry.
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Yes, that's my concern too with feeding only dry food. Sam loves the taste and I want those numbers to drop but it worries me to give him just a bowl of kibble. Nothing is mentioned about cats drinking more when on YA.
 
Carolyn Ross said:
Nothing is mentioned about cats drinking more when on YA.
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It's not that they drink more or less water just because they're on YA....it's the fact that they're not getting the added water they'd get eating canned.

Cats have a low thirst drive anyway and won't drink enough water to stay as hydrated as we really want them to and water is the key to kidney health. In the wild, cats get most of their water from their prey, they don't drink it.

Dr. Lisa occasionally posts on the message board and wrote up this post on "Dry Food...Please consider more than just the carb content"
 
The only way to keep our cats truly, properly hydrated it to feed wet food, preferably with a bit of water added, as well. I add at least a tablespoon of water to all my cats' food; Squallie gets 2 tbsps because I want to make sure his kidneys keep working well, and one of my civvies gets 2 tbsps because he is on a maintenance dose of Miralax, which draws moisture from the system. It would be so much cheaper and easier for me to switch to feeding nothing but YAZC, sometimes I really miss the days when I just put down full bowls of dry food every day!
 
Chris & China said:
It's not that they drink more or less water just because they're on YA....it's the fact that they're not getting the added water they'd get eating canned.

Cats have a low thirst drive anyway and won't drink enough water to stay as hydrated as we really want them to and water is the key to kidney health. In the wild, cats get most of their water from their prey, they don't drink it.

Dr. Lisa occasionally posts on the message board and wrote up this post on "Dry Food...Please consider more than just the carb content"
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Yes, I've read that post which originally pointed me in the direction of the right wet food to feed. Reading the YA literature was compelling too. I'll probably be more cautious in feeding the YA and continue a low carb wet diet though.
 
Squalliesmom said:
The only way to keep our cats truly, properly hydrated it to feed wet food, preferably with a bit of water added, as well. I add at least a tablespoon of water to all my cats' food; Squallie gets 2 tbsps because I want to make sure his kidneys keep working well, and one of my civvies gets 2 tbsps because he is on a maintenance dose of Miralax, which draws moisture from the system. It would be so much cheaper and easier for me to switch to feeding nothing but YAZC, sometimes I really miss the days when I just put down full bowls of dry food every day!
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I've added a bit of water too when the canned food seemed dry - cats do seem to enjoy the "flavored" water anyway. I had been thinking ahead and thought it would be a good option if we were able to be away -not sure if that will happen though since if he needs to be on insulin, I don't have anyone who could take care of him.
 
Carolyn Ross said:
I've added a bit of water too when the canned food seemed dry - cats do seem to enjoy the "flavored" water anyway. I had been thinking ahead and thought it would be a good option if we were able to be away -not sure if that will happen though since if he needs to be on insulin, I don't have anyone who could take care of him.
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Adding water really helps in making sure kitty stays well-hydrated. It's also helpful if you need to leave food out while you're gone during the day, or overnight -it helps keep it from drying out and getting crusty.
 
I free fed my cat YA in between meals. I do not recommend to feed YA only because my cat sometimes does not want to eat it , i know every cat is different but i think it is not like other dry food so cats get bored after while that is why i do not feed only YA.
 
rawia said:
I free fed my cat YA in between meals. I do not recommend to feed YA only because my cat sometimes does not want to eat it , i know every cat is different but i think it is not like other dry food so cats get bored after while that is why i do not feed only YA.
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Thanks, I'll probably do the same.
 
We are new here and certainly not experts but will pass on our recent experience with Young Again Mature Zero.- Cleo had been eating 1/2 can FF and 1/4 cup Hills MD. We switched to YA on 11/18 - her BG numbers all went down about 50 points across the board - PS highs now 160 -200 and +4 lows 120 - 150. No digestive issues, she grazes all day and all night on the 3/8 cup of YA - usually gone a few hours before her next shot is due - eats her wet in 10- -15 minutes.

She is on one unit of Vetsulin twice a day - we sometimes adjust that +/- 1/4 to 1/2 unit depending on her PS reading. BG readings pretty sable to slightly declining now - hope the numbers will keep improving.

Hope this helps -

Best Regards, Bob & Nancy
 
nkuzmick said:
We are new here and certainly not experts but will pass on our recent experience with Young Again Mature Zero.- Cleo had been eating 1/2 can FF and 1/4 cup Hills MD. We switched to YA on 11/18 - her BG numbers all went down about 50 points across the board - PS highs now 160 -200 and +4 lows 120 - 150. No digestive issues, she grazes all day and all night on the 3/8 cup of YA - usually gone a few hours before her next shot is due - eats her wet in 10- -15 minutes.

She is on one unit of Vetsulin twice a day - we sometimes adjust that +/- 1/4 to 1/2 unit depending on her PS reading. BG readings pretty sable to slightly declining now - hope the numbers will keep improving.

Hope this helps -

Best Regards, Bob & Nancy
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It really does help! Thank you! I know everyones cat is different in their reactions, and I'm pretty sure I won't give YA exclusively but your routine is really helpful for me. Is your cat very light or heavy? Sam is 19#, I think he could lose a couple pounds but I'm almost sure 1/2 can of FF wouldn't be enough, but I don't know what the additional calories are in the YA (I won't get my first bag until Tuesday).
 
Cleo is overweight - 18# - too soon to tell if the YA will help with that - before her diabetes was diagnosed, she free fed dry Hills WD and gained 6 # over a period of 4 or 5 years. She is hungry when feeding time comes now but that is good both for testing and being sure that she eats her wet FF with her meds mixed in. She does not rapidly gobble the YA - grazes for many hours and usually leaves a few pieces in her bowl, so she does not seem famished.
 
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