Digestive Enzymes???

[Kadie (Juba's Mom)]

Hello everyone,

I'm just curious about everyone's thoughts are about adding a feline digestive enzyme to my kitty's diet??

She's been unregulated for about 2 years, I've switched from Lantus to Levemir, followed tight regulation protocol, and still can't get her even close to regulated.

I'm willing to try things like probiotics and digestive enzymes to see if these will make a difference.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

The only reason I know of to give digestive enzymes is if your cat is diagnosed with pancreatic insufficiency. If your kitty isn't losing weight despite eating like crazy (and isn't hyperthyroid), you don't need digestive enzymes.

I think the issue with Juba's numbers is that you're holding doses too long and not increasing in 0.25u increments. Juba was on a 0.25u dose for a very long time. I would sooner see you intervene with food as soon as you have an inkling that numbers may be dropping and try to prevent a dose reduction than holding the dose that long. Holding a dose that isn't putting your cat in normal numbers can cause glucose toxicity -- your cat's body regards the higher range as the new "normal" and makes it harder to get the numbers to come down to a normal range. The other issue is that you're not always reducing the dose if numbers fall into dose reduction range.

 

[Bronx's dad (GA)]

I give Bronx both probiotics & digestive enzymes for better health and trying to prevent constipation. I don't think it has helped or hurt his BG #s.

 

[MJW]

I believe @Marje and Gracie posted recently that all cats should take digestive enzymes. One of my civvies is often constipated. She seemed to improve on Fortiflora, but then some people here said bad things about Fortiflora. I stopped it. When I read Marje's post, I put all of them on Naturvet Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics. Yum's nadirs rose so I stopped it after 2 days (of course cause and effect for BG changes are great mysteries) . The Naturvet contains fructooligosaccharides. Naturvet had a scholarly article on their website saying those would not raise BG, but you can't believe everything you read on the internet. I also thought I saw a bad correlation in the past between Fortiflora and Yum's numbers. I imagine patterns in her numbers all the time though. I think Yum's litter box might have been less stinky than usual when she was on the Naturvet.

 

[MJW]

Maybe the Naturvet was flattening Yum's curve out. Maybe not. I might try it again. Might not. Our poor kitties.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

The only reason I know of to give digestive enzymes is if your cat is diagnosed with pancreatic insufficiency. If your kitty isn't losing weight despite eating like crazy (and isn't hyperthyroid), you don't need digestive enzymes.

You might be confusing digestive enzymes with pancreatic enzymes. Digestive enzymes are not given for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; pancreatic enzymes are and there's a huge difference.

Every cat would benefit from digestive enzymes....even those on a raw diet and Tobey and Livvie get them as well as a probiotic.

I believe @Marje and Gracie posted recently that all cats should take digestive enzymes. One of my civvies is often constipated. She seemed to improve on Fortiflora, but then some people here said bad things about Fortiflora. I stopped it. When I read Marje's post, I put all of them on Naturvet Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics. Yum's nadirs rose so I stopped it after 2 days (of course cause and effect for BG changes are great mysteries) . The Naturvet contains fructooligosaccharides. Naturvet had a scholarly article on their website saying those would not raise BG, but you can't believe everything you read on the internet. I also thought I saw a bad correlation in the past between Fortiflora and Yum's numbers. I imagine patterns in her numbers all the time though. I think Yum's litter box might have been less stinky than usual when she was on the Naturvet.

I used Animal Essentials and they did not raise Gracie's BG.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Thanks, Marje -- you're correct. I confused the two.