Introducing Casey-new foster-needs ideas for weight loss

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MommaOfMuse

MommaOfMuse

Member Since 2010
Well after ultra skinny Maxwell and Autumn when they arrived...Casey is something completely different. This orinch boy needs Jenny Craig for Kitties.

Little back ground...He's an owner surrender here in Nebraska..Pick him up today at 4:00p.m. Mom went into a nursing home. Son and DIL have been caring for him but son is deathly allergic. DIL called a local Lincoln shelter and somehow got my name and number..mystery to me since Lincoln is 200 miles away from me ..

Vet had him on M/D dry food, 11 yes 11 u B.I.D of Levemir. Just weighed him, he weighs 27.6 lbs. He's HUGE! And he's only 8 years old.

Really need ideas on how to slim this guy down. He will eat pate canned as long as I don't add water.

Spreadsheet is up to date as of the last test I got in so far tonight..we were at 49 @+ 14 so far but he did eat dinner of LC Mariners Catch and licked up about a tablespoon of gravy off HC

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn, Casey and The Fur Gang
 
So up until tonight he ate dry carbage, right?
Step 1 - he just earned a reduction ;-)

Step 2 - Test him like a crazy cat lady. I'm guessing he'll need a bit less than 11u bid going forward with the dry going bye-bye. And just that diet change should result in the shedding of some flubber.

Step 3 - I'm guessing it's going to take a few cycles to drain an 11 unit depot. But I might be inclined, providing the numbers allow for it, to skip more than one shot, and to underdose as much as possible if you have to shoot.

No other problems outside of the sugars and the large diameter? Any history of ketones?
 
so have you removed all the dry food and he's only getting the low carb canned now?

do you have any idea how long he's been diabetic?

increasing his activity level would be good - the only thing i know about the weight loss is that it's gotta be slow. you don't want fatty liver. Karrie/Maverick has experience with that.

good of you to rescue him!! thank you!
 
Mel, bless you for taking in the supersize supersweet kitty! Has he seen a vet? Just wondering if you know what an ideal weight for him should be.

Do you know how much M/D he was getting? Trying to figure out how many calories he was getting so you know how much wet food to feed him. You do want to do a gradual weight loss program, 1-2% per week. Dr. Lisa has a pretty good description of a Kitty Craig program. Going to wet food is the best thing you can do for his weight loss. He probably won't feel like a lot of activity until he's slimmed down a bit. But just getting him walking and chasing after treats should help.

My Neko was a big sipper last year. Typically when they are over 10 units, deductions can be done in 1 unit or .5 unit amounts. As Carl said, I'd go conservative at this point as you don't have enough history on him. The larger depots do take a while to drain. A trick we use is to either skip a dose or do a half dose before going back to the new reduced dose. The effect of missing a shot is not nearly as bad and sometimes you barely notice it.
 
I'll be getting his vet records by snail mail at some point next week so I'll know more about him then.

What I do know is he was a canned food baby before he was dxed but the vet insisted on kitty kraccrack and has been raising his dose by full units every two weeks based off one blood test done at the clinic at around his +6 not even a Fructosamine.

He's been free fed the M/D and despite his size he is the least food motivated kitty I've ever met. I couldn't tempt him with any human food including honey baked ham, sardines or tuna.

Poor guy even has fat rolls around his eyes so you have to turn the dish for him because those rolls act like blinders. If it isn't directly in front of him he can't see it.

I'm guessing ideal weight for him is around 10-13lbs based off my civies of a similar build. He's a big cat build wise to start with but right now he basically has no legs just feet on a bowling ball.

He will be to die for once he isn't smuggling two other cats under his fur coat. He's a true Red Tabby shorthair, deep bittersweet orange with red stripes and swirls.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn, Casey and the Fur Gang
 
Do you know how he's used to eating? In other words, if he grazed all day long it might explain his size especially if dry food was always available. Do you think he'll be interested in the other kitties' bowls?

I'd also make sure he's thoroughly vetted. There could be some underlying medical issue that's contributing to his size.
 
Sienne

He has a civie twin littermate brother that is even bigger. The brother went to a separate foster home who weren't equipped to handle a diabetic. Casey and O.C. were both healthy normal weight cats a year ago until the only mom they've ever known had a heart attack and her son and DIL took over their care. Son is so allergic he can't even walk into a room where a cat has been. So dry food has just been left out and the pair have been living in a room in the basement waiting for mom to get better. Well mom's never coming home again and now poor Casey is diabetic. More than likely diet and stress induced. He is neither Acro or IAA he's been tested and was fully vetted yesterday before I would agree to take him. Other than super sized he's as healthy as a horse.

With my bunch even if he was interested in the others dishes there's nothing left in them 30 seconds after they hit the floor. Leftovers is an unknown word here.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn, Casey and The Fur Gang
 
Hi Mel,
Wow, is Casey ever a lucky kitty to land with you! The wet food in moderation should provide a nice, slow, weight loss for him. He and his brother probably gained so much weight because they had nothing to do but eat unlimited quantities of dry food during their year in the basement. How sad! And now he probably misses his brother and may be depressed about that. I'm sure you will be able to get him on a healthy diet and that he will slim down. As Julie mentioned, you don't want him to lose weight too fast because of the danger of fatty liver disease (Hepatic lipidosis: this article gives a good explanation of it: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hepatic_lipidosis.html. The LL expert on fatty liver is Karrie and Maverick. She has posted her experience with it in a Google doc.: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qkxaFCBp5f_wnR_ApOBmaGWKAmgi6RQNGuCjneDvz0E/preview

Best of luck to you and thank you for opening your heart to this needy kitty,

Ella & Rusty
 
Hi Mel-


Casey and O.C. were both healthy normal weight cats a year ago until the only mom they've ever known had a heart attack and her son and DIL took over their care.
Click to expand...
How were they fed before...when Mom was feeding them?
I'd find that out because apparently that was working and they'd be used to it.

Hank, my sweet ORANGE boy was over 20lbs at DX...probably had been over 21 but by the time I figured out he was sick he had lost some. He had been free fed 'heath food' type dry before along with some canned. I cold turkey switched him to all canned LC right when he was diagnosed. Not only did he get off insulin fairly quickly with the diet change but he lost nearly 5 lbs. I am not positive in what exact time frame but did not take too long. I did mix in water at each meal and hope you can get Casey to be receptive to that. We also fed mini meals as many here do. Between the LC canned, spreading his food into mini meals throughout the day and extra water flushing him out the weight just came off. I need to eat like that again, when I did my weight was also in check. (not anymore- i look like Casey at the moment in sounds like-lol) Hank is still a big cat and still weighs in the high 16lb range, but not 21 lbs anymore. Really it just came off easy once he was fed correctly. He is a hoover now though and IS food motivated unlike Casey. He would eat all day if I let him.
I am also sure he is depressed missing OC, makes me sad for him. You are so dear to take this boy in. Orange boys will steal your heart, this i KNOW!

I cannot believe he was on 11U BID.That is just outrageous. :o How can vet be current enough to prescribe levemir, but still be so off and old school in how to dose?
 
Mel,
Just to be sure, he was getting 11u "blind", right? No home testing for the past year?

Nice AMPS this morning. :-)
 
Yep they were shooting 11u BLIND. I have a feeling this guy has been on a roller coaster ride for awhile since he was started on 6u Prozinc, then . months later 8u Lantus and 2 months later 11u Levemir. Poor guy doesn't know if he's coming or going right now.

My understanding was his original owner was giving them canned food but the gravy stuff as well as they had the run of a three floor Victorian House and gardens. And were completely spoiled rotten with attention from mom.

Lady Jane and Arabella are trying to comfort him they are taking turns grooming and bringing him toys or just laying with him.

Mel
 
So they were on all canned before? This should be pretty easy then to get him back to canned. Just have to convince him LC is as good as the gravy stuff.
I mix a little of the LC juice in to sort of make a little gravy and pour it on Hank's food..he's finicky (spoiled) sometimes.
Amazing that the dry ruined him in one year. Wonder what he weighed before when he was with Mom...if you said I missed it.
I bet the weight will come off easier than you imagine just switching to LC alone.


I am so happy this guy found you. He sounds awesome. And so sweet your girls are trying to help. I am sure he is feeling a bit stunned and out of sorts still. Can't wait to see how he does with proper treatment. Do you have any pics yet?
 
Carl

The tiles are 12 x 12 :o He's very long and once the belly is out of the way he'll be tall as well. Even with his figure he can step into the bathtub.

Mel
 
OMG, he IS long then! So basically, we're looking at a watermelon with feet?
 
I bought my tub o' lard a harness today...I just hope it'll fit around her stomach (one of my civvies)....after she's through refusing to move with it on,(I'm sure she'll do what most cats do..throw herself on the floor and refuse to move) I'll add a leash...eventually I hope to get her out walking

Right now, the only exercise she gets is walking to the food bowl..even with doing portion control with her, nothing is happening, so next, it's The Biggest Loser Ranch!
 
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