Still tweaking diet, but making progress!

Status
Not open for further replies.
JenM

JenM

Member Since 2013
So, for those following Tink's journey, I thought I'd post an update.

I've gotten him off the kibble completely! :RAHCAT In fact, the only one getting any kibble is our kitten who's getting about 7oz of Wellness, plus between 1/8c & 1/4c of EVO kibble with his dinner. He's a complete chowhound with the metabolism of a hummingbird and I just can't afford to go through more than two large cans of Wellness in a day - so since we have a 20lb bag of EVO, we'll do this until it's gone, then figure something else out.

Anyway... Now that Tink has his appetite back, he was actually eating his 1/4 can (4.25 oz roughly) of Wellness at each feeding (twice/day - how we've always done it). However, then he was hungry between feedings. So, I've started splitting "dinner" into 1/8 can feedings when I get home and again when I go to bed. This seems to keep everyone happier and it seems to be having a positive impact on Tink's bg #s. Unfortunately, I can't split breakfast as I'm up at 6, feed them, and out of the house by 7. So I think I might look into getting a timed feeder for him, so he can have a smaller breakfast and a lunch around 11. The mini meals seem to bring him down into normal range, whereas he's been slightly above with the larger feedings.

Still, no insulin in quite awhile and most of his numbers are under 130 - and even lower with the smaller feedings.
 
That's fantastic news, Jen! I'm so happy for you guys! party_cat

The smaller meals seem to really help out our kitties' pancreases so it's great that you've figured out a way to spread out the food and are seeing it reflected in more even (and lower) BGs. Such a huge turnaround in such a special kitty. He's like the poster-boy of what good can happen with a MamaBean as caring as you. :lol:
 
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: CONGRATULATIONS! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Tips to stay OTJ

We say a cat is in remission if the cat can maintain BG levels for 14 days between 40-120 with most of that spent under 100. However, please keep in mind that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

1. Never feed dry - not even treats. If you change wet food types, be 100% sure the new food is also low carb and same low carb % as your current food. Some cats are very carb sensitive and an increase from 3-6% to 8-10% can spike the BG’s. Don’t feed if you aren’t sure!
2. Weigh every 2 weeks to 1 month to watch for weight changes. Too much of a weight gain can cause loss of remission.
3. Measure blood once a week, indefinitely. You want to catch a relapse quickly.
4. No steroids or oral meds with sugar - remind your vet whenever giving you any medication. Always double check.
5. Monitor food intake, peeing and drinking. If increasing, a sign of losing remission.
6. Regular vet checks for infection such as dental , ear or UTI. And get them treated quick!

If he does fall out of remission you need to be more aggressive and resolve issues/ back on insulin as soon as possible as the window for a second remission is tight if any.

Wendy
 
WOW.....Tink's numbers have been awesome. Congratulations!!! dancing_cat flip_cat :RAHCAT

Great Job !!!! :-D
 
Thanks all! I was super excited about this morning's 85!!! That's the lowest AM # in a long time. I still can't figure out why he's higher in the morning, when it's his evening meal that's getting split up.

Right now he gets a full quarter can (of the big cans) for breakfast - and before that he's been 100+ usually. I feed 1/8 can when I get home and 1/8 can before I go to bed - any evening checks have been under 100 mostly. It's just weird that 8hrs after eating 1/8 can of food, he's had the higher numbers in the morning.

I'm definitely going to start looking for a good deal on a timed feeder for him though, so he can have 4 meals fairly even spaced throughout the day.

Hopefully this lasts! Though, if it doesn't... at least I know giving insulin is easy. I'll definitely watch the diet - the only treats I'm giving are freeze dried pure meat. I make sure there's nothing else in it. I did notice that even going from a 4% food to a 6% food seemed to raise his numbers... so we're sticking with the 3% & 4% ones. :) Just spent $150 on Wellness (they had a 20% off sale)... it'll last a month. Ugh. What we do for our furbabes.
 
Sounds like it might be Dawn Phenomenon. In that case, since he's diet-controlled, you'll just have to put up with slightly higher numbers in the morning. :lol: Try feeding him the lowest carb food you can find in the evenings and see if that helps things a little.
 
Ah... that's a good idea. We're using Wellness (in flavors that are 4% carbs) because that's all he'll eat consistently that comes in a large can. I have 4 cats total and would rather they all eat the same thing, plus the big cans are just so much more bang for the buck. But... he will eat Weruva (3%) and some of the Instinct foods (Duck is 1%)... so maybe I'll grab a few of those for his nighttime meal and see if that makes a difference. I did see higher numbers when we used a 6% food... so I can see how this might be enough to lower those AM #s. He wont eat Instinct as his only food, but I think if it's only 1 out of 3 or 4 meals each day, I can probaby pull it off. He likes the Weruva most, so I KNOW that one will be doable. I just didn't want to feed it as the primary food because it's fairly low in calories and quite low in fat, so wasn't sure it was the best option for him at this time.
 
So it seems that as long as I'm SUPER strict on sticking to the feeding schedule (of 4 smaller feedings per day) his number are staying under 100! (Sorry, didn't bring the paper with me to update his SS - will soon).

There were two days this past week (I've been home) where I missed their second breakfast, which resulted in more food crammed into the remaining hours of the day. Both the following mornings his bg was over 100 (114 & 120 I think)... so we'll have to tighten up on that.

I did buy the timed feeder... though for the rest of this week my daughter is on winter break, so we dont need to use it yet. Once we do, it's going to mean Tink has to be locked in my room all day so only HE can eat the food when it pops open (otherwise he wouldnt stand a chance)! He would much prefer free roam of the house... but hey... if I could stay holed up in my room all day, with food magically appearing at just the right time... I'd be a happy camper! :lol:
 
Thanks! I updated his SS, so you can see for yourself. :) I'm so happy with his numbers!

I just want to thank you all again for helping me to learn how to get him through this! We couldn't have done it without you! Whoever created this forum is a genius! And those on it are angels! It's SO nice, especially when first diagnosed and you're not only overwhelmed but scrambling to soak up as much information as you can, to have people who are walking the walk. Especially helpful since it seems so many vets dont understand FD. I, for one, value the life experience of those who have been dealing with an issue FAR more than the "book smarts" of even the most well intentioned "professional". So again, THANK YOU ALL! drinking24
 
Yay! It's so good to hear about Tink's remarkable progress! You've done a fantastic job of absorbing everything we were throwing at you! Take a bow, Madame! My hats off to you for all your hard work! :thumbup
 
Thanks KPassa!

I can't believe I STILL dont have his pic up in my avatar! As a black cat, he's very hard to photograph... but I have a VERY nice shot of him from a few years back... just cant remember which computer it's on!! Thought I had it online but can't find it. Soon as I do, you can all see what a handsome prince he is!
 
JenM said:
Ah... that's a good idea. We're using Wellness (in flavors that are 4% carbs) because that's all he'll eat consistently that comes in a large can.
Click to expand...
Which Wellness flavors are 4% carbs?
 
I posted a new thread on that (the 4% Wellness flavors), but haven't had responses. I'm curious... because the manual calculations, using the min/max values make it appear that almost all of the Wellness flavors are at or below 4%, including ones shown higher on Dr. Pierson's list. So now I'm confused. I'd love to offer more than 3 flavors as I worry he'll get bored (though I alternate them, so hopefully he wont)... but also some of the flavors cost less at some stores. If I add all the values up, some of the flavors even come in around 3% - but according to the list they're 6%. Tink is VERY carb sensitive, so I dont want to go with "trial and error" as I dont want to gamble with his remission. Curious if I'm just not doing it right (though for the 4% foods, my manual calculations come out to 4%) or if the list maybe has old info?? Though I think maybe I AM doing something wrong, because even a few kinds that have rice in it (chicken & lobster for example) calculate to low carb when you add up the values... but I woudnt expect it to be. I KNOW that the carb count isn't exact, since it's based on max/min amounts... but still. The ingredients seem nearly identical (except the ones with rice), the values seem nearly identical... and I just can't figure out why they'd be different. ANY help/input would be appreciated.
 
The calculation is a bit more complicated then adding up the values from the can. First off, you need to get the "as fed" values from the manufacturer. The minimum/maximum values listed on the cans are not much help in finding out the carb percentages for any particular food. Dr. Lisa Pierson probably has the calculation somewhere on her website, but I could not find it quickly. http://www.catinfo.org/

Oh, found it. Here it is. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods#Calculating__Percentage_of_Carbohydrates:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top