Weight and Muscle Loss

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Winnie's Mom

Winnie's Mom

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Hi All,

I haven't been on in a while, but Winnie and I are needing some help. The vet tells me our situation is hopeless, but I don't believe that. Maybe I'm wrong.

Winnie is 11 years old and takes 2 units of Basaglar twice daily. She went into DKA last August (2024). We got her through that, but she has been losing weight and muscle mass since. The vet tech told me today that Winnie will just continue to lose weight until she's gone.

She has food allergies, as well, so I have to avoid poultry and fish. She currently eats Royal Canin PR dry cat food. At 5.4 pounds, she's way too thin. Are there any supplements that are safe? I was looking at Miracle Vet weight gainer. Can anyone help this desperate Cat Mom?

Thanks,

Becky
 
Has full blood work been done recently? If not, I would have that done plus a quick check of the teeth for any issues.

Is Winnie eating less food these days? Or the same amount? You can try supplementing with a high calorie canned kitten food. I'd stay away from NutriCal and other gels/pastes since those are full of sugar.
 
Hi Becky,
Has she been tested for hyperthyroidism? Cats will lose weight if they have this.

Do you have a spreadsheet you can share with us?
Are you home testing?
If Winnie is not getting enough insulin, she will continue to lose weight because cats who are unregulated cannot absorb all the nutrients in the food.
So I think the first thing would be to start hometesting if you aren’t doing it and setting up spreadsheet.

How often are you feeding her? is she free fed or getting plenty of snacks during the day and nights.?
Will she eat a low carb canned food?
 
Winnie's Mom said:
Hi All,

I haven't been on in a while, but Winnie and I are needing some help. The vet tells me our situation is hopeless, but I don't believe that. Maybe I'm wrong.

Winnie is 11 years old and takes 2 units of Basaglar twice daily. She went into DKA last August (2024). We got her through that, but she has been losing weight and muscle mass since. The vet tech told me today that Winnie will just continue to lose weight until she's gone.

She has food allergies, as well, so I have to avoid poultry and fish. She currently eats Royal Canin PR dry cat food. At 5.4 pounds, she's way too thin. Are there any supplements that are safe? I was looking at Miracle Vet weight gainer. Can anyone help this desperate Cat Mom?

Thanks,

Becky
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry the vet isn't more optimistic or helpful. As a mama we're gonna keep trying everything until something sticks. Petey had lost a good amount of weight once diagnosed and he has gained 3.5lbs in less than 2 months. I switched him to RAWZ rabbit pate and he also drinks a pouch of pro plan Hydra care. The good/bad news is he's not regulated yet and still putting weight back on!

If your kitty doesn't eat much or picky, a probiotic is super important. I've also made a slurry of cooked beef liver in the food processor -it works ever time! Just mix a little in with the food. They need good quality protein, prebiotics, probiotics, and lots of hydration.

My last suggestion would be maybe a CBD supplement.

Don't lose hope, food is thy medicine, what ever it takes. :bighug:
 
squeem3 said:
A spoonful mixed in with canned food is probably plenty.
Click to expand...

My last cat lived to be 24 years old, and her "liver pate" was an absolute must, she never turned it down! I'd make a big batch and freeze it. She was tiny and got about a peanut size amount.
 
squeem3 said:
Has full blood work been done recently? If not, I would have that done plus a quick check of the teeth for any issues.

Is Winnie eating less food these days? Or the same amount? You can try supplementing with a high calorie canned kitten food. I'd stay away from NutriCal and other gels/pastes since those are full of sugar.
Click to expand...

My girl is currently being treated for a severe ear infection, as well as a UTI, so she is eating dramatically less than usual. Great when you're trying to work with weight gain, no? Full blood work is the next step. I was out of a job for almost a year, so money is a bit tight right now. We're just taking it one step at a time .
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi Becky,
Has she been tested for hyperthyroidism? Cats will lose weight if they have this.

Do you have a spreadsheet you can share with us?
Are you home testing?
If Winnie is not getting enough insulin, she will continue to lose weight because cats who are unregulated cannot absorb all the nutrients in the food.
So I think the first thing would be to start hometesting if you aren’t doing it and setting up spreadsheet.

How often are you feeding her? is she free fed or getting plenty of snacks during the day and nights.?
Will she eat a low carb canned food?
Click to expand...

She has not been tested for hyperthyroidism yet. That will be done on Monday. I don't have an updated spreadsheet, but I am home testing. We feed her twice at day at the vet's instruction, as her BG tends to skyrocket if she is given food without insulin. She has severe food allergies, but someone on this thread mentioned a rabbit pate that I intend to try.
 
Laurie&Petey said:
I'm so sorry the vet isn't more optimistic or helpful. As a mama we're gonna keep trying everything until something sticks. Petey had lost a good amount of weight once diagnosed and he has gained 3.5lbs in less than 2 months. I switched him to RAWZ rabbit pate and he also drinks a pouch of pro plan Hydra care. The good/bad news is he's not regulated yet and still putting weight back on!

If your kitty doesn't eat much or picky, a probiotic is super important. I've also made a slurry of cooked beef liver in the food processor -it works ever time! Just mix a little in with the food. They need good quality protein, prebiotics, probiotics, and lots of hydration.

My last suggestion would be maybe a CBD supplement.

Don't lose hope, food is thy medicine, what ever it takes. :bighug:
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your message of hope. I needed that.

I'm going to try the RAWZ rabbit pate, as rabbit is one of the few foods she can eat, and we have a probiotic on the way. Hopefully, these things will help her gain weight. The vet just said it was flat impossible for her to gain weight, and I almost passed out on the spot.
 
Winnie's Mom said:
She has not been tested for hyperthyroidism yet. That will be done on Monday. I don't have an updated spreadsheet, but I am home testing. We feed her twice at day at the vet's instruction, as her BG tends to skyrocket if she is given food without insulin. She has severe food allergies, but someone on this thread mentioned a rabbit pate that I intend to try.
Click to expand...
I’m going to ask @Bandit's Mom to help you set up a spreadsheet. Is that Ok?
We can help you so much more if we can see blood glucose data.

Please, please feed her more than twice a day. Only feeding twice a day is old thinking and with the newer insulins it is better to feed two main meals and r then at least 2 snacks during the first half of the cycles am and pm cycles.
It is unlikely the food is what is making the BGs skyrocket. If we can see your spreadsheet we will be able to see what is happening.
She needs to put on weight and muscle and that means more food. I’m sure she will feel much better if she is getting more nutrition.
 
@Winnie's Mom
Hi Becky
Until your spreadsheet is set up can you do your signature, it's information we need about Winnie
Tap on your name up top then tap on signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!

If you want to give it a try here is the link to set up our spreadsheet
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

How to use it
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-use-the-spreadsheet.241653/
 
Winnie's Mom said:
Thanks so much for your message of hope. I needed that.

I'm going to try the RAWZ rabbit pate, as rabbit is one of the few foods she can eat, and we have a probiotic on the way. Hopefully, these things will help her gain weight. The vet just said it was flat impossible for her to gain weight, and I almost passed out on the spot.
Click to expand...

:bighug: As someone else said, feed a lot and feed often! :bighug:
 
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