Chia Gel & Dry Kibble

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carlie1784

Member Since 2013
HI,
Carlie Charlene & Cutter, Newbies,
Cutter is a gray 10 yr old dry food cat from pretty much day one. Cutter's brother Mischief 18yrs old just recently passed over the bridge. Cutter has just recently been diagnosed w/ diabetes and we are experiencing all the problems that come along w/diagnosis. Primarily the switch from dry to wet cat food.we are home testing Cutter's b/g and it has been in the low 300's with no significant swings one way or the other.We are trying diet over insulin. but insulin is not out of the question. I have been using chia seed gel and adding FortiFlora to it to make the canned more appealing. Sometimes works better than other with a vast variety of different canned foods w/ high protein low carb. We bought a bag of Wellness Core grain-free gluten- free original formula dry food just in case he wouldn't eat any canned, but he turned his nose up to this also. Today I tried the gel w/the fortiflora in it mixed w/the wellness kibble. He ate it so quick I cound not believe it. So now I will be experimenting w/ different amount of chia kibble with canned and hopefully this will help to wean him over to just canned.
For any info you want on chia seeds just google chia seeds there is so much good info, recipes and health tips on the stuff you would swear it was a wonder seed. If you are looking for a place to purchase
Iv'e found " chia seed direct" for the best deals and variety and quantity.

DO NOT TAKE OR GIVE CHIA TO YOUR PETS OR YOURSELF OR IN THEIR FOOD DRY, ALWAYS WITH WATER OR IN THE GEL FORM.

Thanks to all who contribute to this sight. It is a wealth of information and your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.
Carlie Charl & Cutter
 
Unless you have good research to support the use of chia seeds - and I mean research done by someone other than the seller and published in a peer-reviewed research journal - I wouldn't expect the chia seeds to be helpful. I did a pubMed search on chia seeds and found only 34 citations, with only nominal mentions of effects on hyperglycemia or diabetes.

At glucose levels over 200, you need to be testing for ketones, either in urine or in blood. Ketones form as a by-product of fat breakdown. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of diabetes.

You need to be feeding a low carb diet, preferably wet. Go to Cat Info for a printable food list and select foods that are 10% or fewer calories from carbohydrates. Some of the inexpensive ones are Fancy Feast Classic pates and Friskies pates.
 
My first thought is that the chia seeds are not the problem, although I don't think I would give them to my cat
although I use them myself. The problem is you have a diabetic cat that you are not giving insulin ..... a cat
that is running in the 300s is more than twice the normal level and it tears at their insides. Plus giving dry
food to such a cat is?

Ketones need to be checked .... DKA can kill a diabetic cat quickly. You need to be concentrating on changing
to a low carb diet of canned food like Fancy Feast or Friskies classics. The only way to get BGs down in the normal range
for a diabetic cat is a canned food low carb diet and a good insulin monitored with each shot.

I feel for where you are, I do. I never had the luxury of such a debate. My Payne was Dx and almost
immediately went into DKA, so I had to learn on the run. It took 3 more DKAs but I did learn and it is the
strict adherence to the basics that are taught here that she is more than excellent now, three year later. Good luck.
Nancy and Payne .....
 
Cutter has been tested for ketones twice @ the vet. !st time b/g over 500 w/no ketones in urine 2nd time approx 10 days later low 400's still no ketones in urine all this time we were trying to convert to wet food and still are.Our home testings are running in the low300's and the dry food with chia mixed with wet he seems to be eating more. Cutter will be going back to the vet for b/g & ketone testing again Monday. Also Cutter is showing no signs of DKA, he is still very active and playful, peeing, pooping, purring & preening.I will update on Cutters status when he is back from vet. Once again thank you for your input and here's hoping the best for Payne & You.
 
You can test for ketones at home. Go to your local drugstore or the pharmacy section at Wal-mart and buy ketone urine test strips. A bottle of 50 will run you $10 -13.

Urine catching tips and tricks in this document. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1quta5WLEjdO0Y_t2dAYSwN84h-LNZWxOdtVsJDKZ16A/pub

Please, do not think that a once a week or every 10 day test for ketones at your vet is sufficient. Ketones can go from none to high and DKA in a day. I strongly urge you to ketone test daily.

What are Ketones?

Ketones or ketone bodies (acetone, acetoacetic acid, and beta-hydroxybutyric acid) are waste products of fatty acid breakdown in the body. This is the result of burning fat, rather than glucose, to fuel the body.

The body tries to dispose of excess ketones as quickly as possible when they are present in the blood. The kidneys filter out ketones and excrete them into the urine.

Should you care about ketones?

YES! If they build up, they can lead to very serious energy problems in the body, resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis, a true medical emergency. If the condition is not reversed and other systemic stresses are present, ketones may continue to rise and a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may occur. This condition can progress very quickly and cause severe illness. It is potentially fatal even when treated. Recognition of DKA and rapid treatment by your veterinarian can save your cat's life.

Signs of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
•Drinking excessive amounts of water OR no water
•Excessive urination
•Diminished activity
•Not eating for over 12 hours
•Vomiting
•Lethargy and depression
•Weakness
•Breathing very fast
•Dehydration
•Ketone odor on breath (smells like nail-polish remover or fruit)

Causes of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
•Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
•Inadequate insulin dosing or production
•Infection
•Concurrent disease that stresses the animal
•Estrus
•Medication noncompliance
•Lethargy and depression
•Stress
•Surgery
•Idiopathic (unknown causes)

Risk Factors for DKA
•Any condition that causes an insulin deficiency
•History of corticosteroid or beta-blocker administration

Diagnosis
Laboratory tests performed by your vet are necessary for diagnosis. Depending on how sick your cat is, the testing can be extensive (and expensive). Your veterinarian will determine what tests are necessary. At a minimum, testing is likely to include a number of blood tests and a urine test.
Treatment

If the cat is bright, alert, and well-hydrated, the cat will not require intensive care. Your cat will require insulin, food, constant access to water, and close monitoring for signs of illness such as vomiting, anorexia, and lethargy.

Treatment of cats who show signs illness require inpatient intensive care. The goal of treatment is to correct dehydration, electrolyte depletion, to reverse the high ketones in the blood and the metabolic acidosis that is present, and to increase the rate of glucose use by insulin-dependent tissues.

Veterinary care for DKA involves intravenous (IV) fluids, usually supplemented with potassium, monitoring by observation and urine and blood tests, and sometimes feeding by a tube. Treatment may involve a hospital stay of five days or more and often costs about US$2000. Without treatment, "sick" animals with DKA will die.

Testing for Ketones

Simple urine tests can detect ketones. This is done by collecting a urine sample and inserting a special dip stick into the urine. Some urine ketone strips detect only ketones while other types test for both glucose and ketone levels. Urine ketone strips will detect only some of the ketone bodies produced by the body, not all of them. Strip storage, handling, and testing procedures are similar to those used for glucose test strips. Strip test results are indicated by presence of color changes, indicating presence of ketones, either quantitatively (giving you a number for the ketone concentration) or by descriptive terms (for example, negative, trace, small, or large). False positives may occur if you are also using certain medications or vitamins, or if the strips have been handled or stored improperly. If you wish to test blood instead of urine for ketones, there is a meter that allows for home testing, the Abbott Precision Xtra meter. Outside of the US, the meter is known by the brand name Precision/Optimum/Xceed. The premise behind blood testing for ketones is the same as that for favoring glucose testing of blood over urine. The Precision Xtra meter is offered by Hock's online pharmacy for US$29.95 in October 2006. The ketone test strips are about US$30 for a box of 50. The Precision Xtra also does blood glucose testing with standard blood glucose test strips made for use with the meter.

When to call the vet

In a diabetic, any urinary ketones above trace or trace urinary ketones plus some of the signs listed above, are cause to call a veterinarian immediately. If your vet doesn't offer after-hour emergency care, be sure to have the number and location of a 24 hour emergency veterinarian.
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