Supplement Suggestions? | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Supplement Suggestions?

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Barb & Mr. Frog

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I recently found out about the magic of methyl b-12, I am just wondering if there are other good supplements to support the diabetes and/or just general well being.

I would love to hear about what supplements you are all giving (and the why's if you don't mind), how you give it, whether or not you feel it is actually 'helping' for the reason you are giving..... any info you're willing to share.

Much appreciation and hugs to all!
 
Supplements give, in no particular order or quantity, except daily if possible.: I give all my kitties lots of hugs, ear scritchies, time outside on the screened front porch, talk to them, play laser tag, keep them active.

Why? I do these 'supplements' to keep me and my kitties happy. ;-)

I have just started to give my cats pieces of chicken gizzards once every couple of days to help clean their teeth. Takes some time to chew and want to see how their teeth are doing. The chewing factor is missing with the canned pates, especially the soupy version I give them with plenty of water added. :shock:
 
Wendy&Tiggy said:
I give coconut oil to try and maintain and put on weight (pure organic cold pressed). Dont know if that counts?
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Absolutely it counts... and sounds like something I should be trying, as Frog is still far too thin imo..... getting some muscle in his shoulders a bit, but his spine and hips are still far too prominent, although his ribs are less obvious now too than pre-dx.


And Deb.. My kitties get lots of love, but yea, they need way more exercise... I'm trying to figure out a way to isolate one room so I can play with them alone... with as many as I have, things like lasers end up being a big fight as they leap over each other and get offended/jealous/sometimes just overzealous, but it makes playtime in that way difficult. I will look into getting some chicken gizzards, how do you give them, just raw? cut at all?
 
Salmon oil

a product called 1- TDC - it covers joint and dental health in pets - the vet dentist recommends it and is affiliated with testing of this product (not sure if he has any ownership or not), but I figure it can't hurt anything and hopefully will stop the need for dentals every year

http://www.elitesciencevet.net/

It's simple to use - cut open capsule and put the stuff on upper gums, easy breezy - I've only been using it on my cats for a couple months, so time will tell if it helps. And it is expensive and not sold everywhere (this site also doesn't sell to public). I had to order it through the vet pharmacy at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital.

there may be other brands out there, which I will look into, this is what the dentists recommended.
 
I have started giving the chicken gizzards raw, cut up into slightly smaller chunks of about 1.5" by 1.5" to 1" by 1". The idea was to leave them big enough so they can not swallow them whole Since they can not swallow whole they need to do some chewing which should be beneficial to the teeth.

One of my cats prefers his gizzard slightly cooked, so I lightly brown it on the outside.

I also like the fact that it is a little bit more of pure protein added to their diet. Wink really lost some muscle mass around his hips so I thought this was a good way to supplement his diet and hopefully add some muscle back on his hips. I'm forever checking his weight each week and making sure he will eat enough to maintain a steady weight. A 2+ pound loss in 6 weeks scared me.

I also sometimes leave one of the gizzards whole to see if one of my three kitties will give it a go. No luck yet but I'll keep trying.

Frozen whole gizzards in the freezer, take one out and cut while still frozen because they are easy to cut then. Defrost in fridge for a bit then serve.

I'm trying to figure out a way to isolate one room so I can play with them alone... with as many as I have, things like lasers end up being a big fight as they leap over each other and get offended/jealous/sometimes just overzealous, but it makes playtime in that way difficult.
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What? You haven't learned the one laser pointer in each hand trick, playing with kitties in two adjacent rooms? :o So much fun and they really slide across my wood floors. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Deb & Wink said:
What? You haven't learned the one laser pointer in each hand trick, playing with kitties in two adjacent rooms? :o So much fun and they really slide across my wood floors. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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LOL well, IF I had only two cats that might work..... we have had 3 of us (dh, me and son) with a laser in three different rooms, and the resulting clashes are almost comical, but even though it starts out good natured, always ends up in an actual fight..... and it also always ends up with the elder cats sitting around the sidelines saying "no way, I'm not jumping into that fray"
 
All my cats have supplements... :roll:

They are all 'geriatric' now...

My kitty with cancer gets a hefty whack of curcumin (turmeric extract). My kitty with mild arthritis gets a smaller dose of curcumin plus a joint supplement that contains mostly glucosamine plus chondroitin. Both of those also get 5 drops of fish oil a day (from smaller fish, lower down the food chain and so hopefully less polluted...)

I currently give brewer's yeast to all five of my cats, because, from what I've read, older cats can be deficient in B vitamins. And they love it!

I also top up their diet - as and when I see the need - with taurine.
I have concerns that processed foods don't contain enough taurine (processing of all kinds can reduce it's potency). But one of mine has been very depressed after an operation recently, and giving him taurine supplementation (a pinch dissolved in water and added to meals) seems to give him a real 'lift' in mood.

I probably use more supplements for my cats than most people do. I'm not geeky about it, but have found some supplements to be hugely beneficial for my own health issues and so extended that possibility out to my cats.

But I loved Deb's post about giving her cats 'love and hug' supplements. Could't we all do with a bit more of that..? Well, here's a 'slightly reserved (in my British way) but very sincerely meant (((HUG)))' to everyone who reads this post!

Eliz x
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
I currently give brewer's yeast to all five of my cats, because, from what I've read, older cats can be deficient in B vitamins. And they love it!
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Do you use a particular type? How do you give it to them? How long have you been giving it to them? I found some info on Web md which comments (under side effects) that it should probably be kept for short term use because of lack of long term use data. It also says it can cause headaches/stomach issues, have you had an indication of that with your kitties?

ETA: I also found, (under overview on that same page ^) a passage that says
Due to the chromium content of brewer's yeast, there is interest in using it for lowering blood glucose in people with diabetes. Chromium may help the body use insulin more effectively and this can lower blood sugar levels.
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Any experience with this? Or know anything about Chromium with cats? I am very interested.
 
That is very interesting about the Brewers Yeast with cats. Does anyone know where you can purchase Brewers Yeast for cats? Does all Brewers Yeast have Chromium in it? I would be very interested in seeing if this could help Ferdinand.

Melody
 
I found an article here on felinediabetes that mentions the chromium use in cats - Full Article

Vanadium and chromium have been shown to affect blood glucose and insulin when given to mice and rats suffering from DM. A recent human study found that giving 1,000 ug of chromium picolinate once a day to 180 NIDDM patients improved the signs of DM and normalized blood levels of hemoglobin A1c. Vanadium and chromium do not lower blood glucose concentrations in normal animals but research has shown they can be effective in cats. Studies indicate that low doses of oral vanadium (commercially available as Vanadyl Fuel; 1 or 2 capsules per day on food) will decrease blood glucose and serum fructosamine concentrations and alleviate DM clinical signs in cats with early NIDDM. Chromium at 200 ug/cat once a day may also be tried. Bacon is high in chromium.
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Boo, my cats do not like bacon.

ETA: I found a 'label' on this website for the Vanadyl Fuel, it appears to ALSO have chromium in its composition (also taurine which perks my interest more).
 
I found another website with information on this. From the page:

Chromium is essential for cats. Chromium is lost in the urine, so if your cat has increased drinking and
urination, it needs chromium supplements of 200-600 mcg/day. Even the best commercial diets provide
only 24 mcg of chromium/1000 kcal. Bacon and pork rinds are a great source of chromium. These are
good treats for your cat.
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First I'm gonna try the pork rinds and see if my cats will eat them, maybe they will think it's dry food :mrgreen:

But if they wont, I think I will definitely see about getting some of this and see how it goes.
 
My Bailey uses to love fried pork rinds. When I first go some and was eating them my self, Bailey almost bit my finger off trying to eat/steal them.
 
I was going to buy some while I was out, but ... onion powder was listed as an ingredient in the only brand they had, so I didn't. I'm hoping I'll be able to find some without that.
 
Re curcumin, I read today that it may have the potential to protect against type 2 diabetes; and also that it reduces insulin resistance...

I felt it was important to let folks know about this possibility, especially if they are thinking of giving curcumin to a diabetic cat, because it may mean they need to monitor the blood glucose levels more closely in case of unexpected drops...

About a month ago I put all my cats on curcumin. This started because one was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and I thought it just might help slow that down. But I also thought it could be helpful to give a lesser dose to my kitty that has mild arthritis. And then I thought - because of possible beneficial effects - that it might be worth trying a small dose in the other cats too.

Bertie's need for insulin always reduces at this time of year as the weather warms up and as his appetite decreases. But this year has been unusual in that his need for insulin has decreased quite dramatically. He has had 3 near-hypo situations in just over a week. This may just be 'because he's a cat'. But it also occured to me that the curcumin could be reducing his insulin resistance... So, I just thought I should mention this as a possibility to anyone considering supplementing a diabetic cat's diet with curcumin.

Eliz
 
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