how do you get diabetic cat to gain weight?

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majandra

majandra

Member Since 2018
Rhubarb has lost a significant amount of weight. Her appetite is variable, she drinks lots of water, and is still diet controlled- no insulin. She saw the vet last week, and bloodwork was perfect. Only concern was gum inflammation, which vet gave abx for to tide her over through the holidays, and to hopefully gain weight.

How the heck do I get her to put on some weight when she can't have any of the things that normally make cats obese? To complicate matters, the food she normally eats is on back order, and I now have like 20 cans of the flavour she doesn't like of course lol.
 
How much food does Rhubarb eat daily?
What is her current weight and ideal weight?
Does it appear that she is in pain when she eats? And that is why sge does not want to eat more?'
What6 is color and consistency of feces? Maybe some other problem like IBS.
 
I normally give her 5.5 oz can of PC Extra Meaty per day, split up into smaller meals. She gets treats of grouse(wild chicken) on occasion, freeze dried turkey, and steals some of the other cats' Tiki cat mousse (0% carb). If her dish is empty, I give her more food. Some days she doesn't eat it all. I've watched her intently and zero signs of pain while eating. Vet also said she didnt react to pressure during exam, despite gum inflammation. She has regular bm, dark brown, segmented, and firm. She is currently 7.7 lbs, should be 9 lbs.

Today she wasn't interested in any normal food, so I brought out some grouse, which she thankfully is very interested in. I'm hoping her current issue for today is she maybe drank sink water or something that upset her.
 
I think you may be confusing carbs with calories. You want Rhubarb on a low carb diet. Not all low carb foods are low in calories. For example, Wellness pate style is fairly high in fat so it's more calorie dense. A 5.5 ounce can is roughly 200 calories.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I think you may be confusing carbs with calories. You want Rhubarb on a low carb diet. Not all low carb foods are low in calories. For example, Wellness pate style is fairly high in fat so it's more calorie dense. A 5.5 ounce can is roughly 200 calories.
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I can see if wellness has low carb here right now. Previously when I looked, we didn't have any in stores. It just seems typically low carb is also low calorie. and "high quality" is low calorie too!

Could I add some fats to her regular food if all else fails?
 
There are several varieties of Wellness that are in the 4 - 5% carb range.

You can certainly add a bit of oil or butter. However, it could upset your kitty's stomach or cause loose stool so don't go overboard. I'd also look at some brands of food that have lamb. It's typically higher in calories.

You may want to comb through Dr. Lisa's food chart. In just glancing through, some of the Tiki Cat varieties are low in carb and higher in calories.
 
A good rule of thumb is ideal weight times 20 for daily calorie intake. If she should be 9 pounds she needs to eat at least 180 calories a day. If she needs to gain, 20-30% more so she should be eating around 250 calories a day right now
 
Did the blood work include checking Rhubarb's thyroid numbers? You might at some point wish to get her B12 levels checked. Cats with some Gi conditions have poor absorption from her food.

For food, I found raw food quite helpful - if Rhubarb would eat it. It's denser than canned food, so less volume needs to go in for the same amount of nutrition as canned. As for proteins, duck is another one that is usually higher in fat/calories.
 
Yes it did include thyroid, and I believe b12.
Raw is an option- she likes raw meat for treats.

She got sick suddenly today- possibly delayed reaction from getting her vaccinations, but more likely from sneaking a bite from a dish/pan before washing. Still hasn't eaten much, so looks like another vet trip in order after work. :(
 
majandra said:
Yes it did include thyroid, and I believe b12.
Raw is an option- she likes raw meat for treats.

She got sick suddenly today- possibly delayed reaction from getting her vaccinations, but more likely from sneaking a bite from a dish/pan before washing. Still hasn't eaten much, so looks like another vet trip in order after work. :(
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How is Majandra? What did you do with the food? I have the same problem with my Socrates.
 
Rhubarb is still sick. It is now 7 days. Best guess vet has is possible thyroid, and a reaction to getting shots 4 days prior to that.
I currently am syringe feeding her, subq fluids, and hoping she hangs on long enough to get better. Her sugars dropped back to normal at least.
Vet tomorrow, again. I've had her there three times now in the last week ish
 
Even though Rhubarb isn't on insulin at the moment, because there's an inflammation present and she's not eating well I'd suggest checking her urine daily for ketones (or you can get a blood ketone meter - strips a bit pricey but makes checking a lot easier).

Also, is she showing any signs of nausea? Here's a checklist of symptoms to look out for. (Antibiotics can sometimes cause nausea and put a kitty off its food.)


Mogs
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I've been checking for ketones, and she has been getting cerenia. Her teeth are sore so that isn't helping. Been getting bupe for that. She was supposed to get a dental this week, but then got sick and dropped a lot of weight fast, so I am hoping she is healthy enough to do it.
Today they will likely check her thyroid again. Sorry if this is a little scrambled, not getting much sleep.

Oh, she ate 8cc food on her own, and had a large normal bm last night!
 
majandra said:
she has been getting cerenia
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I'd suggest asking the vet about ondansetron for the nausea. It has a different mode of action to Cerenia and might be another helpful med to add to your arsenal.

With the eating difficulties in play, it might also be an idea to ask the vet about the liver and whether a supplement might be appropriate (e.g. milk thistle, Denamarin).


Mogs
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