How to gain weight with Diabetes

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Aly & Sparky

Aly & Sparky

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Hi all. Sparky has been OTJ for a few months now (on his second honeymoon) but during his relapse he lost a bit of weight I took him back to the vet and had them run lots of blood work and everything looks fine, but he's still a twig. Since he is diet controlled I'm scared to adjust his food, but he's eating regularly and just not gaining back the weight. Is there any foods you know of that would be safe for him (low carb) that would help him put on a few pounds?

Thanks for any advice!
 
Aly & Sparky said:
Hi all. Sparky has been OTJ for a few months now (on his second honeymoon) but during his relapse he lost a bit of weight I took him back to the vet and had them run lots of blood work and everything looks fine, but he's still a twig. Since he is diet controlled I'm scared to adjust his food, but he's eating regularly and just not gaining back the weight. Is there any foods you know of that would be safe for him (low carb) that would help him put on a few pounds?

Thanks for any advice!
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how much does he weigh and what do you want him to weigh?

If he is a slender cat but healthy, what would be the problem? Did the vet think there was a problem?
 
I don't remember his weight (bad owner!) but the vet wanted to re-weigh him after a month or so. He appears fine, eats, personality. What concerns me is when he is standing i can see his hip bones and his waist is sunken in on the sides dramatically, he looks like i'm starving him. He also feels thin, i can feel his spine differently now, and his chest bone, when I pet him. He also asks for food more often and finishes his plate and sometimes seconds. He is on low car friskies pates. I had the vet run a full blood workup and his bg and t4 both came back normal, though i just read that there are additional test (free t4?) that perhaps i should request.
 
Aly & Sparky said:
I don't remember his weight (bad owner!) but the vet wanted to re-weigh him after a month or so. He appears fine, eats, personality. What concerns me is when he is standing i can see his hip bones and his waist is sunken in on the sides dramatically, he looks like i'm starving him. He also feels thin, i can feel his spine differently now, and his chest bone, when I pet him. He also asks for food more often and finishes his plate and sometimes seconds. He is on low car friskies pates. I had the vet run a full blood workup and his bg and t4 both came back normal, though i just read that there are additional test (free t4?) that perhaps i should request.
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what about looking around on Binky's list for some foods that are still low carb but more calories?


Binky’s Food Lists
 
HI Aly, hyperthyroid disease can cause weight loss along with an increased appetite. Yes the free t4 test is a better indicator of hypert disease then just a t4 test. You can have a normal t4 with an abnormal free t4 test which would be conclusive of hypert. If you are in southern california you can find a clinic that does thyroid scans because that is currently THE only specific test for hypert. My cat had all the symptoms of hypert but her free t4 test was barely above normal. I wanted to do a thyroid scan but found that here in Oregon nobody has the equipment to do it (the machines are very expensive). Once I put her on medication her symptoms got a lot better and the weight loss stopped. I then had I131 - radioactive iodine treatment - done to cure her. If you think your cat might have hypert I would definitely request a free t4 test and also see if anyone in your area does thyroid scans. Jan
 
I second that, I had that problem with my Blackberry as he ate like a horse and was so thin. His hips reminded me of a starving cow in India. I felt around his neck as my vet instructed me and found one of the telltale signs of hyperthyroidism which was feeling an 'Adam's Apple' on his throat for lack of a better description. He had the free t4 done (no it'$ not free...) and sure enough, yep, it's methimazole pills for you buster! The generic form of tapazole, it is tasteless (I tasted it) and crushed the 1/2 pill between two spoons and then into his wet food. Really easy, just point the little area where the med is towards him . He never knew it was in the food.

Anyway, sound's like Sparky has the classic signs but it's best to get the test done. Blackberry got so thin, we were going to put rocks in his pockets for fear of him blowing away in a slight breeze. V
 
I agree that ruling out any further medical complications is important.

My cat Schroeder lost over 3 pounds with his diabetes and was just as you described. He was also a very picky wet food eater, with minimal appetite. So, I found EVO dry food. It's a very low carb, grain-free, HIGH calorie food, to supplement his wet food. Schroeder loves it. He put on all his weight. He also went into remission for just over a year. He is recently diabetic again, however, and I have been cautioned about some cats being sensitive to even the small amount of carbohydrate found in this food. And I'm considering backing him off it for now. But I felt a lot better seeing him get back to a healthy weight. Might work for your needs.

Another discovery I've made around the wet food is to put it in a magic bullet with extra water and blend it until it's the consistency of a thick soup. For whatever reason, my cats LOVE slurping back their food now. They eat it until it's gone, which hasn't happened in the 2 years I've been giving them the pates. They like it better than when I hand mixed the water in with just a fork. Still left it a little lumpy.... They apparently like it silky smoooooth. They have me wrapped around their little paws.
 
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