Update on Norton

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sbnadell

Member Since 2013
Hi. I realized it has been a few months since I posted, so I thought I would provide an update on Norton. When I last posted in mid-August, Norton was staying off insulin, eating mostly wet low-carb diet with a little Young Again dry food on the side, and his BG was was back down just below 100. (When I get a little free time over the holidays I will set up a spreadsheet for the site.) I'm happy to say that he is still off insulin, and his BG has stayed below 200 and for all of September and most of October was no higher than 115. His past few readings have been a little higher with the highest at 182.

We did modify the mix of wet foods to give him a little more carbs, though still below 10%. He had a week or so where his appetite increased, but his BG was fine (80's ish) and his water intake was normal. We spoke with the vet and she thought maybe we went a little too far on the low end of carb intake. After we rejiggered the mix of his wet food, his appetite went back to normal. He has had some diarrhea issues over the past few weeks that we have been treating. The vet prescribed Metronidazole, and even though we all enjoyed shoving pills down his throat (not), it really did not help. So now we have been giving him Bene-bac and that seems to be helping. His appetite has been off due to the meds, though, and he's dropped a little weight because he is not eating as much as normal. I'm hoping that once the Bene-bac is done, his appetite will improve. He weighs in at ~14.5 lbs (down from 15), so he's still a decent weight.

His vet said that as long as he keeps doing ok, and since we are home testing, he doesn't need to go back to the vet for a check up until early next year. We have the thunder shirt in reserve for when that trip happens!

Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Shari and Norton
dancing_cat
 
Good job!

You might do some desensitization with Norton, so he is less distressed when going to the vet.

The first step is leaving his carrier out with some comfy towels in it, and perhaps a spritz of Feliway, some catnip, or a treat. You want him to learn he can relax and be comfortable in it.

Once that step is accomplished, you gradually add in small steps to help him become comfortable with more aspects of being transported. Each step gets a minimum of a week and may take longer.
You might include steps of:
shutting the door
lifting and putting down the carrier
lifting, walking a few steps, and putting down the carrier
Etc
The idea is to gradually build his comfort with the process.
 
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