6/10, Susie, 225 AMPS

Summer, I'm sorry I disappeared yesterday. Messy or unpredictable life at the moment on my end!

To answer your question from yesterday: yes, I would increase to 2.25 if Tina had Susie's numbers. From there, I would try real hard not to let her go under 50 for at least a week. That might require rearranging snacks and adding a touch of MC at times. You don't want her hurrying back to 2 units, since that dose hasn't been good for very long.
I would not always give snacks at the same time. Tina got smaller or delayed snacks when her +3 was still too high, I'd wait until +4. She normally ate at AMPS, +3, +8, PMPS, and +3. Then added the night +8-9 when she got to a very low dose (in order to lower her AMPS) which proves the pancreas is working if the late +8-9 works.
I always delay eating if my BG is high; so I practiced some of that with TM!

Also, in the back of my mind - you had a hard time getting her back up, when she went to 42 (?) I think that has changed to where you can get her numbers up?

Very best of luck with your Foxhound!
 
Tina Marie and Jan said:
Summer, I'm sorry I disappeared yesterday. Messy or unpredictable life at the moment on my end!

To answer your question from yesterday: yes, I would increase to 2.25 if Tina had Susie's numbers. From there, I would try real hard not to let her go under 50 for at least a week. That might require rearranging snacks and adding a touch of MC at times. You don't want her hurrying back to 2 units, since that dose hasn't been good for very long.
I would not always give snacks at the same time. Tina got smaller or delayed snacks when her +3 was still too high, I'd wait until +4. She normally ate at AMPS, +3, +8, PMPS, and +3. Then added the night +8-9 when she got to a very low dose (in order to lower her AMPS) which proves the pancreas is working if the late +8-9 works.
I always delay eating if my BG is high; so I practiced some of that with TM!

Also, in the back of my mind - you had a hard time getting her back up, when she went to 42 (?) I think that has changed to where you can get her numbers up?

Very best of luck with your Foxhound!
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Thank you for the suggestions. I often think if I just didn't feed Susie she would probably be in remission by now (just kidding) :smuggrin: I need to look at some of the other commercial canned cat foods that really have low carbs and are still good for kitties. I guess I really can't get much lower than some of the Fancy Feast foods I am feeding. Because I have cut back on her food it is really important to me that she get her 6 ounces every day. She is doing better today with somewhat flatter numbers but she does need more juice. Right now I am planning to increase tomorrow morning unless Susie does something to surprise me. Thanks for getting back with me and for your well-wishes for my foxhound, Kali. The bark collar IS working and she has stopped barking entirely for me when I feed her and almost all the time outside. Now, if I could just get her to stop dragging me through the backyard at 5:30 in the morning :arghh:
 
Hi Summer , nice AM cycle for Susie so far , if you plan to increase tomorrow I wish you all the best. I'm so happy to hear that the bark collar is working for Kali.
I laughed when you said she drags you out at 5:30 AM
That's not nice Kali :p
I hope you all have a good day Summer :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I sometimes wonder if we are denying food to our kitties on this site. Susie is almost always hungry and I know that can be from high BG levels but it still concerns me. She used to get so much more food - whether it was dry that I left or wet that I put down. She is always looking at me like "Why don't you feed me more, Mom" and it breaks my heart. Oh well, I guess the folks on this site know what Susie needs and what she doesn't. I just thank the good Lord that my girl has a really good appetite.
 
I'm not sure I agree to the statement that we are denying food to our kitties here on the forum, and am a bit perplexed at the suggestion? All caregivers here are encouraged to find feeding routines and feed multiple times a day, to help manage their cat's diabetes, but in no way are people being told to withhold food. Caloric content and needs for each cat will vary, and it is up to each caregiver to determine what that is for their cat. It happens more often than not that people in general tend to overfeed their cats, which leads to obesity, and a whole host of medical issues.
 
Summer and Susie said:
I sometimes wonder if we are denying food to our kitties on this site. Susie is almost always hungry and I know that can be from high BG levels but it still concerns me. She used to get so much more food - whether it was dry that I left or wet that I put down. She is always looking at me like "Why don't you feed me more, Mom" and it breaks my heart. Oh well, I guess the folks on this site know what Susie needs and what she doesn't. I just thank the good Lord that my girl has a really good appetite.
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Ahhhh, this makes me sad.
I focus on a healthy weight and feed accordingly. Tina's best bud would weigh 20 lbs if I let him eat all he wanted. Just for thought . . . I've read that cats would eat 15 tiny meals a day if left to their desires. The problem is that many cats would get too big . . . and other kitties do well free feeding. In my house, I have to closely control food for 3, and give the other 3 all they want.
 
I'm just as perplexed as Christy. I don't know of anyone who's ever suggested withholding food. Most cats lose weight by the time they are diagnosed. We want them to get back to a healthy weight. That doesn't mean they should be fead to the point that they become overweight. True, there are some members that feed their cats on demand and their kitty may become rather demanding. but keeping your cat at a healthy weight is different than restricting food. If Susie used to eat more and she was at a good weight, why aren't you feeding her the same amount? Remember the physiology behind FD. Insulin transports the end product of metabolism (glucose) into the cells. If there's insufficient insulin, the glucose remains in the blood and your cat is literally starving to death. This is why a unregulated cat is always hungry. In other words, feed your cat.
 
I think the difference here is that Susie is over her ideal weight. Many of us (myself included) had the opposite problem, underweight cats.

At his worst, Mr Kitty was 9 lbs (13 lbs ideal) despite being free fed as much low carb food as he wanted. When he's got a lot of yellows or higher, his food intake is almost double. I'm just fortunate he only eats what he needs, and tends to feed his own curves. Makes things a little easier on me.

The Beagle on the other hand, I'm very sure would tear through a 40 lb bag of food in a day :rolleyes: Perpetual struggle to keep her from getting too overweight, everything is food to her.
 
I thought you mentioned awhile back that Susie had gained weight and you were trying to help her lose weight. Am I mixing you up with someone else? If true you most definitely don’t want to withhold food as quick weight loss can cause fatty liver. If she needs to gain snd that’s why she’s hungry then feed her more. Max had not lost weight when he became diabetic but perhaps that’s because it was caught early. He did gain too much after diagnosis and wasn’t very active so never lost the extra weight.
 
From May 20, 2021:
Summer and Susie said:
I hate all the extra food that I am having to feed her to keep her in safe greens. She needs to lose weight - not gain it.
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Many of us here have spent a good deal of time trying to help you figure out how much to feed Susie and when in order to help her lose weight and to help her surf in greens. Your statement, "we are depriving our cats of food on this site," is a gross misunderstanding of the advice given in a generous effort to help you.
 
I did remember correctly. We suggested you read on catinfo.org how to help Susie get to her ideal weight SAFELY. Slow weight loss and spreading out her meals. NOBODY suggested withholding food to you or anyone else. That would be quite dangerous for any cat but especially for a diabetic.
 
Jumping in here with some suggestions for low carb foods other than fancy feast - we can’t do FF because of the high phosphorus ... we have found tiki cat after dark chicken in broth and chicken/beef in broth; tiki cat velvet mousse chicken in broth and chicken and egg in broth; weruva chicken frick a zee, fowl play, press your lunch, checkmate, cherish, tiptoe, topsy turvy, and glam n punk. There are more but these are what we have fed. They’re all 5% of cals from carbs or less. The glam n punk is quite high on cals, the tiki offerings are low: the frick a zee, fowl play, and press your lunch are lower too: checkmate, cherish, tiptoe, and topsy turvy are mid range. They’re all low phos so suitable for CKD kitties too. I use the midrange cal ones as a base and mix in lower cal or higher cal offerings based on how often Snuggie wants To eat and how much and what his weight needs are. Right now we are gaining and maintaining; he doesn’t seem to want to eat as often as before so i mix in the glam n punk to be sure he keeps up on calories in his fewer meals
 
Jay Dee said:
Jumping in here with some suggestions for low carb foods other than fancy feast - we can’t do FF because of the high phosphorus ... we have found tiki cat after dark chicken in broth and chicken/beef in broth; tiki cat velvet mousse chicken in broth and chicken and egg in broth; weruva chicken frick a zee, fowl play, press your lunch, checkmate, cherish, tiptoe, topsy turvy, and glam n punk. There are more but these are what we have fed. They’re all 5% of cals from carbs or less. The glam n punk is quite high on cals, the tiki offerings are low: the frick a zee, fowl play, and press your lunch are lower too: checkmate, cherish, tiptoe, and topsy turvy are mid range. They’re all low phos so suitable for CKD kitties too. I use the midrange cal ones as a base and mix in lower cal or higher cal offerings based on how often Snuggie wants To eat and how much and what his weight needs are. Right now we are gaining and maintaining; he doesn’t seem to want to eat as often as before so i mix in the glam n punk to be sure he keeps up on calories in his fewer meals
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Thanks for all this information, Jill. I would love to find some really low cal, 1% carb food that Susie would like that I could add to what I am currently feeding her. She just came out of the bedroom and told me she wanted something more to eat. Makes me sad. I used to feed her a whole can of FF at breakfast and dinner. Then I cut it back to 1/2 a can and now I am down to 1/3. I have seen the Tiki Cat and the Weruva several times on this site so I will probably check them out. I did not know that FF has high phosphorus. That scares me because I did have a cat with CKD and I know how important it is to not feed the phosphorous to those cats. I've printed your list of all the foods you mix and match and will refer back to it. Just wanted to mention something about your spreadsheet. At the top it says Snuggie was diagnosed on October 27, 2021. Did you mean 2020? Thanks, again, for your support, Jill.
 
Summer and Susie said:
Thanks for all this information, Jill. I would love to find some really low cal, 1% carb food that Susie would like that I could add to what I am currently feeding her. She just came out of the bedroom and told me she wanted something more to eat. Makes me sad. I used to feed her a whole can of FF at breakfast and dinner. Then I cut it back to 1/2 a can and now I am down to 1/3. I have seen the Tiki Cat and the Weruva several times on this site so I will probably check them out. I did not know that FF has high phosphorus. That scares me because I did have a cat with CKD and I know how important it is to not feed the phosphorous to those cats. I've printed your list of all the foods you mix and match and will refer back to it. Just wanted to mention something about your spreadsheet. At the top it says Snuggie was diagnosed on October 27, 2021. Did you mean 2020? Thanks, again, for your support, Jill.
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You’re welcome! Hope you find something that works!! And thanks for the note about my spreadsheet - yep, 2020, no crystal ball here altho it’ll be nice if we can get him regulated by October 2021!
 
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