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Amanda & Jake

Amanda & Jake

Member Since 2013
Hi all.

Jake was 2 years insulin free...until July of this year.

Jake has been diagnosed with IBD but the only thing he can keep down is kibble which, in turn, threw him back into high glucose numbers and I had to start insulin again.

This time around I went with the Lantus Solostar and I am finding that I do not like it at all. It's
not easy to fine tune the dosages so I think it's kept his numbers high. His vet thinks his numbers
are just fine but I do not. She wants to give him pred for his IBD but I know from the last time that
it will make his numbers go even higher.

I know he doesn't feel good but I'm not sure if it's the IBD, high numbers or both. I would guess the latter.

I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place :(
 
Really sorry to hear about Jake's setback. Budesonide is a very good steroid for IBD and targets the GI tract only so there may be less of a chance of it raising glucose numbers. Also good for IBD are B12 injections. Finally, diet is crucial. Tricky with a sugar cat but doable. Will Jake eat a raw food diet? Raw food is great for IBD cats. A limited ingredients/novel protein diet, one Jake has never had before is beneficial too. Some members cook for their cats. But if Jake is fussy, after trying all options, the key is to find what he will tolerate and work around that.
 
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Thank you Larry and Cat Ma! I have an unused script for pred in my fridge cause I just couldn't bring myself to start him up again. I will definitely ask my vet about the budesonide.

I did get great info from the Lantus page and now I know how to use my syringes instead of the pen needles. Hopefully that will help me manage him better.
 
Cat Ma said:
Really sorry to hear about Jake's setback. Budesonide is a very good steroid for IBD and targets the GI tract only so there may be less of a chance of it raising glucose numbers. Also good for IBD are B12 injections. Finally, diet is crucial. Tricky with a sugar cat but doable. Will Jake eat a raw food diet? Raw food is great for IBD cats. A limited ingredients/novel protein diet, one Jake has never had before is beneficial too. Some members cook for their cats. But if Jake is fussy, after trying all options, the key is to find what he will tolerate and work around that.
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Hi Amanda -So Sorry about Jake. My Murphy is sort of in the same boat - not formally diagnosed with IBD, but has never been able to tolerate any sort of canned food (he likes it, and will eat it, but after a few days, he starts vomiting and stops eating). I'm very slowly starting Evo. So far so good, but it is comprising only about 25% of his diet thus far. He will not eat raw food. Are there any limited ingredients/novel protein brands which are recommended? I was looking at Royal Canin's (prescription diets) and they all have Carb > 10%, although two varieties are only 11% carbs and the other 12% carbs. Also, does anyone know any high fiber treats that are suitable for diabetic cats?
 
@Carol C, if you can get Murphy on 11% or 12% carbs on the canned Royal Canin limited ingredients diet and eating well without vomiting, it is worthwhile to try. You may have to increase insulin but you have to balance what works for Murphy. A limited ingredients/novel protein would be one Murphy has never tried before like rabbit, duck or venison. Hills carries some limited ingredients diet but many of the canned versions have glucose.

I have a civie cat on a RC limited ingredients duck diet which she tolerates but diet alone doesn't control her IBD symptoms. I am weaning her to a raw food only diet and she's doing well on it. She also needs B12 shots and Budesonide. If I feed her CJ's food, she vomits big time. So the diet does help but often meds and B12 are needed as well.

Plain canned pumpkin is a good source of fiber if constipation is an issue.
 
Cat Ma said:
@Carol C, if you can get Murphy on 11% or 12% carbs on the canned Royal Canin limited ingredients diet and eating well without vomiting, it is worthwhile to try. You may have to increase insulin but you have to balance what works for Murphy. A limited ingredients/novel protein would be one Murphy has never tried before like rabbit, duck or venison. Hills carries some limited ingredients diet but many of the canned versions have glucose.

I have a civie cat on a RC limited ingredients duck diet which she tolerates but diet alone doesn't control her IBD symptoms. I am weaning her to a raw food only diet and she's doing well on it. She also needs B12 shots and Budesonide. If I feed her CJ's food, she vomits big time. So the diet does help but often meds and B12 are needed as well.

Plain canned pumpkin is a good source of fiber if constipation is an issue.
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I'll get some of the Royal Canin food - don't have high hopes though. sorry - what's CJ's food? I have been giving him ~ 1 tsp canned pumpkin along with some miralax every day (he wont' eat it - I have to put in his mouth) how long does a can of pumpkin keep in the refrigerator? I was looking for some dry little fiber/no carb treat for special treats when he is really begging for food between meals (he always free fed before and this twice a day feeding is tough on the little guy) I got some kitty caviar but he won't eat it)
 
Nature's Variety makes a limited ingredient canned food in duck and rabbit. One of my cats gets the LI turkey and does well on it. They also make a raw and I think, and a freeze dried raw.

Jake is getting b-12 shots but I'm very interested int the Budesonide. Does it affect the glucose numbers like the prednisolone does?

@Carol C , I might try the Evo, too. I know it has a high protein content. Have you tried the Bravo or Halo freeze dried chicken treats? Nothing but chicken breast. I actually prefer the Bravo treats. Less messy
and easier to break into smaller pieces.

@Cat Ma, what raw food are you feeding Civie?
 
@Amanda & Jake I am feeding my civie, Bonnie, Nature's Variety raw duck. I am going to see about getting NV LID canned duck and see if she'll eat it. She didn't in the past but will see if she'll eat it now if I add Forti Flora.

Budesonide targets only the gut so it is supposed to have less of a systematic effect than Prednilisone. ECID. I believe Larry and Kitties has had some cats become diabetic on Budesonide while others haven't.

@Carol C CJ is on Prednisiolone for non-IBD issues. I give her a low carb, low phosphorus canned diet like Wellness. Plus some of Bonnie's raw and Stella & Chewy's occasionally.

As Amanda pointed out, you can get Nature's Variety Limited Ingredients canned food and raw. If so, you won't need a prescription from your vet. With Royal Canin you would.

I am not familiar with how long canned pumpkin would last in the fridge. I am guessing a few days. Some members put pumpkin in freezer trays and freeze them to last longer.

Have you tried feeding several smaller portions a day? That has worked better for CJ than two meals a day. Many sugar cats here do better on several small meals a day. A timed feeder is handy if you work or are not at home during the day.
 
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Carol C said:
I was looking for some dry little fiber/no carb treat for special treats
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Dry food is not recommended for sugar cats. Young Again is one of two low/zero carb dry foods but if your cat has IBD issues, you are best to transition Murphy slowly to a novel protein limited ingredients diet. You'll need to keep a close eye on BG #'s because of the higher carbs.
 
I think Young Again is zero carb. I can't think of the other dry low carb one other than Evo offhand.
 
In the US, the only 2 low carb kibble with < 10% calories from carbohydrates are:
- Evo Kat and Kitten Chicken and Turkey at 8%
- Young Again 0 Carb at 5% (calories, not weight: some carbohydrate is present in liver and muscle tissues)

Stella and Cewey's freeze dried does not crunch, is dry (meant to be rehydrated), and pricey.
 
Someone probably said this but ditch the pen needle and stick a syringe into the pen and draw just like you would with the vial.
 
Stella & Chewy's can be crumbled easily into smaller pieces. Stella & Chewy's is pricey but sometimes a store will have a coupon that will help reduce the cost.
 
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