Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal BG

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Bucasmom

Member Since 2012
Good morning!

I have been MIA from this site for a few months but boy does it feel good to be back. I still check in periodically for advice or to see what's been going on and I'm so glad to see new members and so many kitties and their parents getting such awesome advice :)

I haven't updated Buca's numbers, but he's been hovering around the low end of the desired BG since he went OTJ (I still test him once or twice every few weeks) . That's just how he was and he is completely healthy and was eating lots. We are feeding him Whiskas pates beef or chicken. We have an auto feeder and he gets about three to four trays of it per day.

Lately however, I've noticed that he is hungry more often and has been losing more body fat and I can start to feel some of his bones. I tested him and he's still at around 72 (or a low 4 for my fellow Canadians) like always.I went out and bought him some Friskies with gravy and half an hour later he had only gone up a couple of points... I'm wondering if he needs something a little more than the gluten free whiskas and might be more tolerant to a mid-range carb content wet food? Or, maybe 3-4 trays of whiskas isn't enough? He is healthy otherwise, still active, but it looks to me that for some reason his body isn't absorbing the nutrients properly and I wonder if getting his BG up slightly higher would help him out a bit?

Has anyone else ever dealt with this?

Thanks :)
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

It's time to go to the vet. It could be hyperthyroidism but unexplained weight loss can also be a sign of cancer. He needs a checkup with full lab work including a free T-4.
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

Vet check, now. Cancer, hyper-T, renal disease all come to mind.

Maybe upgrade to a kitten food for more calories, too.
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

Update: We haven't been able to get an appointment at the vet... they have been out of town, as we live in a remote area so they often travel to surrounding communities to provide veterinary services.

I had increased the amount of food and also supplemented in a little of the expensive stuff (wellness) and it seems to be helping him to maintain a bit less of a bony frame. He hasn't displayed any other symptoms of hyperthyroidism. I do have an appointment booked for him though and will be getting the full range of testing done.

When you mention kitten food, do you mean there are wet food options that are higher calorie but still diabetic friendly? I can't recall seeing anything like that out there. What brand would you suggest?
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

2 that come to mind:
Evo Cat & Kitten
Fancy Feast Kitten Turkey & Giblets
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

There's no list that I've found, but I created my own mini-list for my diabetic kitten. A lot of stores around where I live don't carry very many kitten varieties for some reason and the ones they do carry are the ones Michelangelo is allergic to, so I usually just end up feeding him twice as much of the adult stuff.

Brand Variety Size % Carb Calories
Authority Chicken and Lamb 6oz 10 233
Authority Chicken and Liver 6oz 6 211
Eukanuba Kitten - Chicken 3oz 1 113
Evo Kitten 5.5oz 3 200
Fancy Feast Kitten Turkey 3oz 4 92
Fancy Feast Kitten Ocean Whitefish 3oz 5 84
Felidae Cat & Kitten 5.5oz 9 188
Iams Kitten Chicken Pate 3oz 10 112
Innova Cat & Kitten 5.5oz 8 201
Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Growth Chicken & Liver 3oz 10 84
Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Growth Salmon & Ocean Fish 3oz 8 84
Max Cat Kitten Chicken & Liver 3oz 10 97
Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Liver 3oz 2 98
Pro Plan Kitten Whitefish & Tuna 3oz 6 99
Pro Plan Salmon & Ocean Fish 3oz 3 99
Pro Plan Selects Chicken & Brown Rice Kitten 3oz 5 98
Royal Canin Babycat 3oz 8 77
Royal Canin Kitten 3oz 10 77
Triumph Seafood - Kitten 5.5oz 9 185
Wellness Kitten 5.5oz 5 223
Core - grain-free Kitten 5.5oz 6 195

I'm not sure how to insert a table or an image into a post yet, but if you copy/paste that into notepad and save as a .csv, it should look much better when you open it in Excel.

ETA: I extrapolated the information above from the catinfo.org food list.
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

That's a great list thank you! :)

I forgot to update that Buca's appointment at the vet went well and he doesn't have any cancer/thyroid issues. The vet suspects that he may have looked bonier due to slight dehydration so I'm back to adding water to his wet food and increasing the amount of food he gets to make sure he's getting enough and staying hydrated :)
 
Re: Buca OTJ since June. Losing weight but still at normal B

Glad Buca's vetty visit went well. Extra treats for the holidays - yay! cat_pet_icon
 
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