Treats

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RobinCot

RobinCot

Member Since 2013
When I took in my foster sugarcat, he came with several bags of treats that are grain free but I noticed today that the second ingredient listed is chickpea flour. I can't imagine that that isn't full of carbs. The treats are called Buster Buddy. Does anybody know about these treats. The only dehydrated liver snacks my civvies will eat is from Oliver and Iris. They seem to smell sweeter than the ones they won't touch so I am hesitant to try these on my sugarcat.
 
I never heard of this Buster Buddy treats. I tried looking it up and only found dog treats named Buddy - do you have a link or pic of the treats you can share. If the ingredients contain chick pea flour, then I would be wary of using.

You are better off using a simple protein treat - such as halo liv a littles or Purebites - both have one ingredient only - chicken, beef or fish, depending on the flavor you buy.

You can also make homemade treats - cooking - baking, boiling or grilling your own meat - chicken, steak, fish, etc. Even purchasing a rotisserie chicken at the market and serving the non-seasoned pieces of that. I use that sometimes and my cats love it.

Here is a link to another post that provides an extensive list of diabetic friendly treat options:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=445
 
Thanks. The list if very helpful. Since I spend a considerable amount of time making my own raw cat food, I wouldn't be too keen on making treats as well. There is only so much my kitchen can handle :lol: . I will look for new treats tonight at my Pet Nutrition store. I just hope Snoball will accept the change. Lesson learned, don't always assume that rescue personnel are always correct - they are so overwhelmed in trying to save so many kitties. I should have looked at the ingredients sooner.
 
When you look for the treats also check the dog treats. I can often find freeze dried chicen or liver in larger bags that per ounce cost less than similar cat treats.
 
Thanks Lisa. I can only seem to find dehydrated dog treats so that's what I have been getting for my civvies. They just have to be broken up. I hope I haven't spoiled my sugarcat with the chickpea flour :?
 
So my rescue rep says that chickpea flour is not high carb because it is a vegetable that has just been dried and crushed. I found information though that says it actually is high in carbs (61% of calories) but that it is the kind of carb that does not raise blood sugar. I read where one human diabetic claimed it only increased her bg by 15 points - I don't know how that would translate for a sugarcat. My Snoball really likes the treats but the second ingredient behind chicken is chickpea flower (which is gluten free). Not sure what to think.
 
Fruits and vegetables do have carbs in them. Think of the potatoes or green peas that are added to many cat foods in place of the grains. Grain free does not mean low-carb. Those vegetable substitutions raise the carb value of those cat foods.

For instance, Hill's D/d duck and green pea dry cat food is 32.7% carbs according to the manufacturer. Not low carb at all.

Chickpeas are another legume so I would expect the carb % to be too high for a diabetic cat.

How about using a tiny piece of the raw rabbit as a treat?
 
I have done a lot of reading about chickpea flour and I am in agreement that I should find a replacement treat. He loves raw chicken so I may shake some in parmesan to see if he could like them.

Wendy - I will update and forward Snoball's spreadsheet in a PM to you. Thanks for offering to look it over.
 
If he likes raw chicken, you can certainly cut him up pieces of raw chicken and serve it - I bet he may even like if you freeze it in small pieces and serve that way - kind of like eating chicken-cles..
 
Ok well, here is what I found out about these treats. First of all, I was wrong on the name - they are called Buddy Biscuits and they are made by Cloud Star. They apparently are very high carb judging from the info below. Unfortunately my Sno will not accept a replacement treat. It is either this or nothing. I have gotten him down to just one little pellet (about the size of a pea) per ear jab so he gets two little pellets a day but I am wondering if just these two treats per day are keeping him from getting out of the 300 bg range.

Honestly, I can't read these ingredients and consciously keep giving them to him. :YMSIGH:

â– 100% Grain Free
â– Gluten Free
â– Made with premium meats and vegetables
â– No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
â– No corn, wheat, soy, or eggs
â– Made in USA
â– Three meaty flavors: Savory Turkey & Cheddar, Tender Chicken, and Tempting Tuna
â– Available in 3 oz. bags

Savory Turkey & Cheddar
Ingredients:
Turkey, chickpea flour, potato flour, maple syrup, tapioca starch, vegetable glycerine, cheddar cheese, gelatin, natural flavor, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (as preservatives), citric acid, mixed tocopherols (natural preservative), rosemary.

Guaranteed Analysis:
crude protein (min): 7.0%
crude fat (min): 6.0%
crude fiber (max): 2.0%
moisture (max): 28.0%

Tender Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken, chickpea flour, potato flour, maple syrup, tapioca starch, vegetable glycerine, gelatin, natural flavor, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (as preservatives), citric acid, mixed tocopherols (natural preservative), rosemary.

Guaranteed Analysis:
crude protein (min): 6.0%
crude fat (min): 4.0%
crude fiber (max): 2.0%
moisture (max): 28.0%

Tempting Tuna
Ingredients:
Tuna, chickpea flour, potato flour, maple syrup, tapioca starch, vegetable glycerine, gelatin, natural flavor, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (as preservatives), citric acid, mixed tocopherols (natural preservative), rosemary.

Guaranteed Analysis:
crude protein (min): 6.0%
crude fat (min): 1.0%
crude fiber (max): 2.0%
moisture (max): 28.0%
 
Yes, those treats certainly do look high carb.

Some more treat ideas for you:

If Snoball likes the homemade raw food so much, why not just give him a tiny bit of that as a treat after the ear prick?

Treats don't have to be food. They can be something he loves. Brushing, extra petting, play time, talking to your kitty. Anything that makes it special and makes Snoball happy and feel special.

One of my semi-ferals loves whole body massages. Hates being picked up though.
One of my other cats loves being picked up and slung over my shoulder and petted and told what a good boy he is. Makes him feel special.

Here is a list of other low-carb treats. Maybe he would like bonito flakes?
treats
 
Robin sent me Snoballs SS as an excel. she Its not the format we usually use. She is doing a good job of preshot tests but no other ones so its really hard to know whats going on i.e.
date - amps -pmps - all doses given for the below numbers were 0.5.

Monday, 20 May, 13 397 273
Tuesday, 21 May, 13 364 268
Wednesday, 22 May, 367 300
Thursday, 23 May, 13 233 320
Friday, 24 May, 13 315 307
Saturday, 25 May, 13 337 x
Sunday, 26 May, 13 286 288
Monday, 27 May, 13 303 317
Tuesday, 28 May, 13 X 373
Wednesday, 29 May, 360 288

Last week she had a PMPS of 92 but that was on 1unit which is why they dropped to 0.5.

All the preshots are pretty much pink but we really need at least one mid cycle test and a before bed. And/or a weekend curve. Snoball may be dropping low at night and we need to know that is the case or not.

Wendy
 
Wendy, Thank you for sharing this with us.

I remember that Snoball's mom can't use google because her work computers do not allow access to google and she has no other access.

I agree, that without some mid-cycle numbers, we don't know if that dose is working or not. We could be seeing bounces at every single pre-shot test, because of lows mid cycle. That pattern is something that can happen frequently.

Lantus dosing changes are based on the nadir or lowest point in the cycle, which is usually somewhere between +5 and +7. We really need to see some tests in those time ranges to figure out what is going on.
 
Thank you Wendy for creating that spreadsheet. I was thinking of doing something similar and having a couple of us here keep it up to date.

For now, I've saved that spreadsheet link as one of my favorites so I can refer to it again easily.
 
Thanks for all the attention to Snoball's numbers. I am planning to do a curve on a weekend soon. I have a houseguest right now so I will have to wait until she leaves but I am hoping to do one at the end of June or beginning of July.
 
Oh and I should add that I have removed the treats and have not replaced them (since he doesn't seem to like anything else). It seems that he just wants rubs and kisses as a reward and doesn't even take the treat. Wow! I am so blessed.
 
Snoball getting rubs and kisses as his treat. Made me smile.

A month more on that dose is a really long time to not get any additional numbers than the pre-shot tests.

The first 6 months after diagnosis is the best chance a cat has for going into remission. After that, it gets much harder as the pancreas continues to be damaged by the high glucose concentrations.

As long as Snoball's numbers remain above the renal threshold (230-250), there will continue to be slow but widespread organ damage and nerve damage. If he starts to have trouble with his back legs, not being able to jump as well, walking down on his hocks, stopping to rest after a few steps, those are all signs of nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy.

If you could get just two more tests a day, that would get us so much more information and tell us if the dose needs to be changed.

A test at +2 is always good.
A test just before you go to bed is good.

Then, instead of a curve, some random tests, trying to get some around that +6 or at +11 would be helpful to see. That +5 to +7 timeframe is when a lot of cats have their lowest BG reading, also called the nadir. We base dose changes on that number.

I do think a change is needed in Snoball's insulin dosage. Not sure if this should be up or down without a few mid-cycle tests.
 
No, sorry - I have not been able to update the google chart while I have a guest. You should understand though that Snoball was diagnosed long before I got him - at a shelter. He then went to a foster home for a while where he did not receive insulin. Apparently the foster mom was ok with testing but injections were another story. She did the right thing in giving him back to the rescuers. When he arrived at my door, he was frighteningly thin, his scruff tented on its own and he could barely walk. The neuropathy had already set in. Since then, he has gained weight and a great appetite - on a raw diet with a FF pate snack in-between, he is hydrated through his food and never drinks from the water bowl, and his back legs are getting stronger and more upright. The rescuers want to wait another week to consider a B-12 shot. I know that he is still very sick and would like to see him get stronger but I am not able to get the +numbers you request. A curve is possible during a future weekend. I am doing the best I can for him but maybe it's not good enough. Maybe someone else can be a better foster-mommy - someone who can get home in time for a shot right at +12 or can do multiple tests. The rescuers were desparate and I was willing to learn so I raised my hand and it's the best he's got right now. His numbers seem to be around 300 on the lowered dose (.50) so I think that the rescuers are going to ask me to increase it to .75.
 
Thanks Wendy - by the way, I have updated the chart you created and have provided a link in my signature.
 
I am doing the best I can for him
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We can see that with the improving clinical signs you mentioned.
he has gained weight and a great appetite - on a raw diet with a FF pate snack in-between, he is hydrated through his food and never drinks from the water bowl, and his back legs are getting stronger and more upright.
Click to expand...
You are feeding Snoball a really good diet. That always helps.

I know that he is still very sick and would like to see him get stronger but I am not able to get the +numbers you request. A curve is possible during a future weekend.
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Ok, we asked and you told us not right now on some other tests.

Wendy is very good at following up with people. We were just worried a bit because we had not heard anything for a few days.

His numbers seem to be around 300 on the lowered dose (.50) so I think that the rescuers are going to ask me to increase it to .75.
Click to expand...
The thing is, the adjustments in dose should be made on the low point or nadir, not the pre-shot test numbers. Without some other mid-cycle numbers, we don't know if the dose should be raised or decreased.

Maybe someone else can be a better foster-mommy - someone who can get home in time for a shot right at +12 or can do multiple tests.
Click to expand...
People here have used Lantus insulin on 11/13 or 10/14 cycles. There can be some flexibility in the schedule.
 
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