Young Again Zero Mature | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Young Again Zero Mature

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Diane Tyler's Mom GA

Diane Tyler's Mom GA

Member since 2018
Hi everyone , my 10 yr old was just diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. He's on Vetsulin 3 units twice a day. Last week is when my vet had to up it from 2 to 3. He goes back tomorrow night for test again. Right now he's still eating Iams Healthy Adult dry food. My vet wants to get the sugar under control first, then talk about the food change. I got a sample of the young Again Zero Mature and showed her it, she read about it on line. I know everyone says dry is so bad, but everything about it sounds good to me. If I wanted to just give this dry food, and I read that Young Again says to free food feeding, how would someone do that if you are only supposed to feed your cat twice a day, then give them their insulin shot right after they eat. How would you know if you left the food out all day that your cat ate enough food in order for you to give the insulin shot. I hope you all understand what I mean lol. I'm going to discuss this with my vet tomorrow night (10-8-2018). Also is anyone's cat in Vetsulin?. Thanks this is just so confusing to me
 
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Hi, and welcome to this forum, which will be very helpful for you in the coming weeks, months, and possibly years. I joined in May, after my 14 yr. old boy was diagnosed with diabetes. I had almost the exact same questions as you, and I do have months of experience with Young Again, now that Jerry has been on it for a full 4 months. First of all, the most important thing is to make sure that you have a monitor, and are ALWAYS checking his glucose readings before you give each shot. My cat is also on Vetsulin, and started out at 2 units for a long while. Now he is usually on 1 unit, sometimes, 1/2 and other times 1/4 or none, always depending on his pre-shot reading. Secondly, I also reached out to Young Again, and they sent me samples of their zero mature, zero LID, and their treats. Jerry seemed to like it, so I dove in and spent the small fortune on a small bag to begin with. At first, he was just on Young Again, and I had the same question: Aren't they supposed to eat WITH an insulin injection? I actually contacted Michael, the owner of the company, and he called me, saying that the food is so high in protein, etc. that they are only supposed to eat a small amount per day, and that they don't necessarily have to eat WITH an injection, as long as you see that your cat is eating normally. Well, when I took the Fancy Feast away, and only fed him YA, he was crying all the time for food. I took away what he really liked, which is canned. So, NOW I give him his small portion of FF (like 1/4 can) mixed with a bit of water before each shot. Then, he eats Young Again throughout the day/evening. This seems to be working well, but because he is a food obsessed cat, I have to portion out 1/2 of a 1/3 cup of YA each morning and evening, so he won't overeat. Another word of warning: The poop that your cat produces is going to be the most offensive smell ever to hit your nostrils. You have been forewarned. I have to say, though, that Jerry's numbers have improved (mostly), and I have now purchased my 3rd bag of YA. I plan on keeping him on it indefinitely, because it is zero or very low carb, and he loves dry food. Dry food is what made him diabetic, sadly. I wish I knew then what I know now. All of that crap that they sell in the stores is filled with carbs, which CATS DON'T NEED! I have learned a very hard lesson with that. For 13+ years, that is ALL he ate. You can't blame yourself for what you don't know, but I sure wish I had known. I also recommend the YA treats, which Jerry loves, and if your cat doesn't love them or the food, they sell a $5 flavor enhancer (basically flavored salt) to use sparingly until he gets used to the actual food. Both of the vets that I have worked with since May had never heard of Young Again, so I would be surprised if your's has. It saddens me that there aren't more vets out there that are up to date and knowledgeable in the field of feline diabetes. At least the two young women vets that I have dealt with aren't. Let me know if you have any further questions.
 
If you have not already been there, I suggest you visit catinfo.org where there is a lot of information about feline nutrition and specifically about why dry food is not good for cats. Also, here is a post by the same doctor: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...r-more-than-just-carbohydrate-content.175004/

A high-carb, low-carb wet food diet is the best option, and it is usually best to feed a cat multiple small meals rather than just two meals. You do want to make sure you cat has food before the insulin kicks in. It is best to feed at or just prior to shot time, especially with a faster-acting insulin.

There are a few choices for low-carb dry foods if you need one while transitioning the cat to wet food, or as a treat or food-topper. Young Again Zero Mature has only trace carbs, but it has been known to cause runny, stinky poop in a lot of cats. Even if you have a bag or two that doesn't, odds are that you will eventually get a bag that does. Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken dry food has between 4 and 5% carbs, and if you just review/research the ingredients in both dry foods, you will see that Dr. Elsey's has 'cleaner' ingredients. I use a few kibbles of it for Mia's testing treat, when she is in the mood for one. Whatever you do, I suggest not basing your decision on what the Young Again company says. They have a biased interest in touting their food as the be-all and end-all, and in my opinion, they go overboard on their claims.
 
Rain7 said:
Yeah, I have done my research, and remember that post. My cat didn't like Dr. Elsey's and puked right after eating it. So, that's that. My cat likes Young Again, and it is helping his numbers. He pees normally, drinks water regularly, and his diet is supplemented with Fancy Feast canned food. I appreciate your input, but we all have different experiences and different cats. I am choosing what I think is best for my cat. You do what is best for your's.
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It seems like these comments are directed at me. If so, I want to be clear that Mamakin posted for input, and I was responding to Mamakin. I was not addressing you or attempting to change your viewpoint. You are free to do whatever you choose, as is everyone. Just as you shared your opinion on Young Again, I did the same. That is sort of the point of a forum like this. No need to be defensive.
 
Thank you rain7 and furbabiesmama for replying back. As you know this is all new to me, it seems so complucated to me lol. Yes I will be buying a monitor, then I will have to learn about that lol. I know my cat will fight me with this one. I will ask my vet to show me how to do this. What monitors do you use . When you say Dr Elsey's chicken dry food has cleaner ingredients what do you mean?
 
About Dr Esley's dry food the chicken, I showed my vet both samples I received one from Dr Esley's and the other Young Again Zero Mature. When I showed her them she wasn't crazy about the Dr Esley's , if I remember correctly she said because it said for all life stages and not for mature/ maintenance like Young Again. I'm going to ask her again tonight, I think she said she didn't want my cat to lose weight to quickly , that's why she wasn't crazy about the Dr Esley's. Right now she has me giving him 1/3 cup twice a day of what I still have him on now which is the Iams healthy adult. She does want to switch him over to wet food like I said as soon as we get the diabetes under control. This is so overwhelming to me, I also have another cat who is Tyler's brother and his name is Perry and he has kidney disease and seizures for 2 yrs. Thank God his seizures are under control and he is stage 2 kidney disease. So he gets 2 medications per day, one of them 3 x a day and the other one twice a day. I feel like I'm going to go crazy simetines.
 
Hi again when I showed my vet both samples of dry food Dr Esley's and the Young Again, she preferred the Young Again Zero Mature because it said for maintenance, Dr Esley's says for all life stages. I asked her what she meant by that and she said she didn't want him to lose weight to fast with the Dr Esley's. Right now he is still on the dry Iams Healthy Adult , been in it for 13 yrs. Until we switch to wet she has me giving him 1/3 cup twice a day.I wish I never started them on dry from the very start is the one with diabetes and his brother Perry has kidney disease for the last 2 yrs plus seizures. Thank God his seizures are under control with his 2 medications and his kidney disease is stage 2. Between giving Perry his meds , one is 3x a day and the other med is twice a day, then trying to learn about diabetes and everything that goes along with it, I am so overwhelmed right now.I am going to see the vet to night and ask her about the food again. Thanks everyone
 
The Iams dry food is high in carbs. Getting him off of that could lower his glucose considerably and help it get under control. So, it is interesting that your vet doesn't want you to switch until it is under control. Also, when you do switch, it will be super important to be monitoring his glucose, because it is very possible he will start needing less insulin. If your cat has lost weight due to diabetes, he should begin to gain weight once his glucose is under control.

Here are the ingredients in each of the foods. If you want, you can review them and decide what you are most comfortable with. When I was researching all of this, I learned more than I ever cared to know about ingredients I had never heard of. :) Both of these foods (as is generally the case with dry foods) are high calorie. YA is 654 calories per cup and Dr. E is 554.

Young Again Zero Mature:
Hydrolyzed Pork, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Guar Gum,DL Methionine, L-Lysine, Fish Oil, Psyllium Husk (source of soluble dietary fiber), Potassium Citrate, Brewers Yeast, Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Potassium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Tryptophan, L-ascorbyl-2polyphosphate (source of stabilized vitamin C), L-Carnitine, Betaine Anhydrous, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Biotin (vitamin B7), Zinc Sulfate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacinamide (vitamin B3), Thiamine Mononitrate (vitamin B1), Copper Proteinate, Folic Acid (vitamin B9), Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Calcium Pantothenate (vitamin B5), Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dehydrated Pediococcus Acidilactici Fermentation Product, Beta Carotene, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid (Preservatives).

Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken:
Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Fructooligosaccharide, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide), Potassium Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Taurine, Salt, Rosemary Extract.
 
Thanks so much and yes I'm going to ask her to night why do we have to wait to switch his food. Yep the Ians is definitely not helping him with such high carb content. He used to weigh 23 lbs before I noticed sonesomet was wrong with him especially his walking, so I took him to the vet for that reason and when we went to weigh hm he was 18 lbs. I was shocked. I felt absolutely awful I didn't notice it and I usually weigh him every now and then at home. The vet said he still weighs too much let's aim for 16 lbs for now. Boy I'm really confused about everything . I appreciate all your help
 
I have had the unfortunate experience of having two different vets tell me things that I don't feel comfortable with. I have gone against both of their orders, and Jerry is doing fine for now. His pre-shot numbers (at least this week) have been in the 100's, and this evening before his shot, it was 104, so he didn't get one. The current vet that he saw once so far told me to give him 1 unit if the pre-shot numbers are 100 or greater. I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me?" NO WAY am I giving him any insulin if his sugar is well within normal range. And the one before her advised me to "just check his sugar a few times a week" and keep him on 2 units twice a day. This was when his readings were consistently in the high 200's and sometimes low 300's. I can't say that I never did give him a shot in the very beginning, without checking his sugar, but I would NEVER do it again! It is dangerous, and playing with your cat's life to do that. I use the Alpha Trak meter, which I have found is the easiest to read, since it is specifically for cats and dogs only. I had been purchasing the Alpha Trak strips, until I learned on this wonderful site that you can get Freestyle Insulinx strips on Amazon for a FRACTION of the price. They are almost always $30 for 100 strips, as opposed to $50 for 50 strips (Alpha.) Going back to the food, I would also agree with FurBabiesMama to get him off of the Iam's asap! To me, that is bad advice from the vet. They are only human, too, and they certainly can give poor advice. I have had to do a lot of my own research online, looking at reviews, etc. I was quite overwhelmed at first, too, and still get that way. It hasn't gotten an WHOLE lot easier, but it has become somewhat easier over these last 4.5 months. I know there are a lot of diabetic cat owners on here that have had to deal with this diabetic nightmare a lot longer than I have. But we can just take things one day at a time, or if necessary, one minute/hour at a time. It's hard to not think too hard into the future, since that is just our human nature. The hardest part for me has been giving up sleeping in on weekends, and the whole twice daily ear pricks/shots, and of course, the great financial burden it puts on you. It really tests you, to see what you are made of, and to see just how far you will go for your beloved feline companion. I have gone farther than I ever dreamed I would have to....and it has been all worth it so far. He is my best little buddy, and I will do anything I can to help him.
 
Hi saw my vet last night with my cat Tyler, it's been week 3 and his sugar was still high 430. It started out at 500. She gave me a sample can if the Hills Md wet. Gave it to him as soon as we got home and he ate it. She also upped the Vetsulin to 4 units. If he bothers me to eat around lunch time I give him a few Young Again Zero Mature. I hope he continues to eat the Hills wet. So far he has eaten it twice last night and this morning. She showed me how to use the Alpha Trak meter also last night. I'll be getting that also. So you can use the free style insulin strips with the Alpha Trak meter, they are the same as the Alpha strips? Sorry for so many questions, this is all new to me. Haven't done the curve test yet
 
Mamakin, a fellow member on here, JanetNJ, introduced me to the Freestyle INSULINX (make sure it is that kind, not the lite, etc.) strips to use in place of the Alpha Trak strips. She has more experience with the very similar readings that you will get with a single reading. She actually has a spread sheet, which I have not set up, since I just don't feel the need for it. They are very helpful, though. I also compared several readings with one ear prick with both the Alpha Trak and the Insulinx strips, and they were very similar. You will save a lot of money in the long run just using the Insulinx. I have been using them exclusively for the past month or two, and have had no problems at all. You also don't need to worry about changing the code on the meter (whereas when you have Alpha Trak strips, it has a code on the bottle for a cat or dog.) Also, regarding the Hills wet food...I have heard that it is higher in carbs than Fancy Feast. Is there a reason you won't put your cat on Fancy Feast? It is much cheaper than Hills, that's for sure. You can get 24 cans on Amazon for around $14. I know the Hills cans are bigger, but they are still more expensive, I believe.
 
Hi Mamakin, and welcome to FDMB. When I read that your vet wants to get the blood sugar under control first then address a diet change I had to say something. Changing the diet is a tool to get the blood sugar under control! The recommended Hill's canned food is 13% carbs, which is still too high, although better than the Iams dry food. A low carb wet food diet is best for our sugar cats, and many of us use Fancy Feast classics and Friskies pates, under 10% carbs. Feeding the high carb dry food and a higher than ideal carb wet food is feeding the fire. It's like providing a nice sweet dessert, or a very high carb meal to a human diabetic. The blood glucose levels are NOT going to go down, and increasing the insulin to combat the additional sugar is essentially creating a cycle you don't want to be in.
You can try the lower/no carb dry foods, but you still need to be very sure of adequate water intake. Please read this: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...r-more-than-just-carbohydrate-content.175004/
There is a very informative website about feline diet: www.catinfo.org. I found this board just from that website when I was trying to figure out what to feed Idjit when he was diagnosed. Lucky for both of us. You need to read the information here, post in the Vetsulin forum about these big increases in insulin doses and get busy home testing. You don't have to use an AlphaTrak, many of us use a less expensive system from Walmart, the ReliOn confirm or micro, because of the cost of test strips.
I want to tell you that my vet provided some pretty sketchy advice on Idjit's treatment, what I learned here saved Idjit's life, and he went into remission very quickly. No promises, but you need to read, question and learn to help your kitty. Do not completely rely on your vet's advice, it is not all correct or safe for your cat!
 
Here's A chat showing the comparison between alphatrak strips and the insulinx strips. They are very close.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

Dry MD food is too high in carbs.

29CCEB54-18EA-4239-B04B-9873F2FE96DD.jpeg
 
Rain7 said:
Mamakin, a fellow member on here, JanetNJ, introduced me to the Freestyle INSULINX (make sure it is that kind, not the lite, etc.) strips to use in place of the Alpha Trak strips. She has more experience with the very similar readings that you will get with a single reading. She actually has a spread sheet, which I have not set up, since I just don't feel the need for it. They are very helpful, though. I also compared several readings with one ear prick with both the Alpha Trak and the Insulinx strips, and they were very similar. You will save a lot of money in the long run just using the Insulinx. I have been using them exclusively for the past month or two, and have had no problems at all. You also don't need to worry about changing the code on the meter (whereas when you have Alpha Trak strips, it has a code on the bottle for a cat or dog.) Also, regarding the Hills wet food...I have heard that it is higher in carbs than Fancy Feast. Is there a reason you won't put your cat on Fancy Feast? It is much cheaper than Hills, that's for sure. You can get 24 cans on Amazon for around $14. I know the Hills cans are bigger, but they are still more expensive, I believe.
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Rain7 I brought in acan of Fancy Feast Classic Chicken Pate, showed my vet and told her Tyler did eat it. You are going to think I'm a jerk for not remembering why she told me she didn't like the FF , but it was in the order that she has seen many cats that eat FF come down with a problem, and for the hell of me I can't remember. I see her again this Monday and I will ask her again for sure. Thanks for the ibfi about the strips.Will talk to you soon
 
Idjit's mom said:
Hi Mamakin, and welcome to FDMB. When I read that your vet wants to get the blood sugar under control first then address a diet change I had to say something. Changing the diet is a tool to get the blood sugar under control! The recommended Hill's canned food is 13% carbs, which is still too high, although better than the Iams dry food. A low carb wet food diet is best for our sugar cats, and many of us use Fancy Feast classics and Friskies pates, under 10% carbs. Feeding the high carb dry food and a higher than ideal carb wet food is feeding the fire. It's like providing a nice sweet dessert, or a very high carb meal to a human diabetic. The blood glucose levels are NOT going to go down, and increasing the insulin to combat the additional sugar is essentially creating a cycle you don't want to be in.
You can try the lower/no carb dry foods, but you still need to be very sure of adequate water intake. Please read this: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...r-more-than-just-carbohydrate-content.175004/
There is a very informative website about feline diet: www.catinfo.org. I found this board just from that website when I was trying to figure out what to feed Idjit when he was diagnosed. Lucky for both of us. You need to read the information here, post in the Vetsulin forum about these big increases in insulin doses and get busy home testing. You don't have to use an AlphaTrak, many of us use a less expensive system from Walmart, the ReliOn confirm or micro, because of the cost of test strips.
I want to tell you that my vet provided some pretty sketchy advice on Idjit's treatment, what I learned here saved Idjit's life, and he went into remission very quickly. No promises, but you need to read, question and learn to help your kitty. Do not completely rely on your vet's advice, it is not all correct or safe for your cat!
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Idjit's mom Hi Right now Tyler is eating the Hills Wet, I just told Rain7 that I did buy the Fancy Feast Classic Chicken Pate and Tyler ate it. When I took the can in to show her and to tell her that he ate it after being on dry food for 13 yrs she told me why she didn't lijl it, I feel like a jerk because I can't remember what she said, but it was along the lines that she has seen many cats that ate the Fancy Feast and wound up with another health issue. I will see her this Monday again and will definitely ask her. I would love to give it to him, the Hills is so expensive. I have been reading all the sites you gave me. Not only do I have to worry about Tyler, his brother Perry has kidney disease, stage 2. He also has seizures. Thank God his medication works, the seizures started 2 yrs ago. He's doing ok. Now reading all this he has been on the dry food Iams Healthy Adult chicken. I tried to give him wet food awhile back and he wouldn't eat it. I am going to try again and read about transitioning from dry to wet. I'm going to ask my vet what she suggests for him that is not an RX, what can I buy in the supermarkets , etc. This is so overwhelming having 2 cats with health issues. My poor babies. Hope to talk soon . Thanks for all the info
 
Mamakin said:
Idjit's mom Hi Right now Tyler is eating the Hills Wet, I just told Rain7 that I did buy the Fancy Feast Classic Chicken Pate and Tyler ate it. When I took the can in to show her and to tell her that he ate it after being on dry food for 13 yrs she told me why she didn't lijl it, I feel like a jerk because I can't remember what she said, but it was along the lines that she has seen many cats that ate the Fancy Feast and wound up with another health issue. I will see her this Monday again and will definitely ask her. I would love to give it to him, the Hills is so expensive. I have been reading all the sites you gave me. Not only do I have to worry about Tyler, his brother Perry has kidney disease, stage 2. He also has seizures. Thank God his medication works, the seizures started 2 yrs ago. He's doing ok. Now reading all this he has been on the dry food Iams Healthy Adult chicken. I tried to give him wet food awhile back and he wouldn't eat it. I am going to try again and read about transitioning from dry to wet. I'm going to ask my vet what she suggests for him that is not an RX, what can I buy in the supermarkets , etc. This is so overwhelming having 2 cats with health issues. My poor babies. Hope to talk soon . Thanks for all the info
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There are alternatives to the Fancy Feast canned foods, that are low carb and less expensive than the Hill's canned. I also use Friskies pates and my next shopping trip am going to take my food chart to look at the 9 Lives pates to check the carb amount. Other members feed Weruva and Tiki Cat that they order from Chewy.com. You might start a new thread here in the Main Forum asking for input on what brands of canned foods other member use and why. If you have time and inclination you can make your own cat food. I think @FurBabiesMama has a formula that is good to use to filter the food chart as a starting point to searching for canned foods. I can't remember it, sorry. Just be advised, changing to the low carb food is going to affect the BG, lowering it and you need to be testing to be sure that kitty is safe.
 
Idjit's mom said:
I think @FurBabiesMama has a formula that is good to use to filter the food chart as a starting point to searching for canned foods
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I have a link in my signature to the version of the food chart that can be filtered by your desired criteria. Dr Pierson recommends " start with protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300."
 
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