Young again food dropped sugar

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Tamra, Apr 3, 2016.

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  1. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    Young again cat food has dropped my cats sugar but some nights it runs 84 is that too low?
     
  2. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    Dec 2, 2014
    Some members on here have had good results with Young again.

    Can you post a bit more information such as what insulin you are using and the dose and what type of meter you are using. When did you got the 84 reading..was it at the preshot or how any hours after the shot was it?
     
  3. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    He hasn't had a shot in days because of the food. It was a human meter.
     
  4. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    If he hasn't had any insulin in days then you do not have to worry about how low the numbers go. You only have to worry if the numbers start to go up again.
     
  5. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    So even if it goes to 50? How is that
     
  6. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    If your kitty has not had any insulin for a few days then you don't have to worry about lower numbers since it is only the body's natural insulin that is working, not any injected insulin. Some kitties can run in the high 30s and 40s when not on insulin.
     
  7. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Oh ok I thought it would be considered diabetic shock still
     
  8. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    Unless there are other health concerns a kitty running in the high 30s-50s is not a problem when not on insulin. The body has its own control system for glucose and insulin levels. In diabetic kitties that require insulin this natural system is not working. Please keep checking the levels to make sure they don;t start to trend upward. Even if a kitty goes into remission they are still considered diabetic and checking levels is still important. A kitty is not considered in remission until after 14 days without insulin and staying in normal numbers.
     
  9. jayla-n-Drevon

    jayla-n-Drevon Well-Known Member

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    Hi Tamra
    I am interested in your experience with YA--
    Are you feeding it exclusively?
    How long have you been feeding it?
    I am doing tight regulation and ordered YA before I knew he had to be on all wet. My other cat eats it tho-
    Can you tell me more about your kitty? age? dx? do you have a spreadsheet?
    I am very curious --- thanks!
     
  10. scoobydoox

    scoobydoox Member

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    Mar 21, 2016
    How do you know if it is the food or if the cat went into remission?
     
  11. jayla-n-Drevon

    jayla-n-Drevon Well-Known Member

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    That is part of the reason I am looking for more info-
    YA is a quality low to 0 carb food but it is dry-
    They claim remission is pretty much a given if you feed this exclusively-
    It is s toss up--wet food is much better for a cats system but of course FD is no bueno -
    My non diabetic eats it sometimes but others have said they went into remission on this food.... I know this is a "hot topic" on the forum so I am going to shut up now :stop:
     
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  12. scoobydoox

    scoobydoox Member

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    Mar 21, 2016
    I found this
    https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/cat-care.html
     
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  13. jayla-n-Drevon

    jayla-n-Drevon Well-Known Member

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    Yes--they are experts at marketing and it is a good food other than the fact it is dry-not species appropriate for a feline for multiple reasons.
    BUT--it seems I am seeing this more often about the BG going way down-
    AT first I thought it was YA "spys" LOL-yes I am paranoid--
    I am not crazy about the claims they make without knowing a cats history but I am curious.....
    It is expensive-but high calorie so little is needed and can't use with tight regulation as it is not tested for safety reasons we stick to wet food.
     
  14. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    When a cat is running at 50 (human meter) then that is the low end of the normal blood sugar range for a healthy cat.

    For a cat that is on insulin this number is of concern because injected insulin doesn't come with an 'OFF' switch so one would need to monitor to make sure that the cat's numbers stayed in the safe range and intervene with carbs if necessary. However, for a cat that is not on insulin the body's natural glucose regulation mechanisms will be dynamically controlling the secretion of sufficient insulin for the body's needs.


    Mogs
    .
     
  15. Olive & Paula

    Olive & Paula Well-Known Member

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    Sep 6, 2015
    If your kitty is a dry food addict and you can't get them off it. YA is a better choice for the dry. It is low carb. They will probably be better off with it. To claim all cats go into remission by using this food only is wrong. And to think that, it's unrealistic. Not all cats go into remission regardless of what you do or try. If it were true I'm sure many humans would start eating it so they could go into remission.

    FD and human diabetes is a CHRONIC life long disease not a cold or flu bug that goes away in 10 days. This is what people need to realize.
     
  16. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    I totally agree with your statement. Some members who have dry food addicts have used Young Again, which is better than a lot of the other dry food out there. But YA cannot "cure" diabetes on its own, regardless of what the sales pitches would like a person to believe. Diabetes is a disease of the endocrine system and using better quality low carb food is only part of the treatment process.
     
  17. scoobydoox

    scoobydoox Member

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    Mar 21, 2016
    Shouldn't the FDA be stepping in on the claims that YA is making?
     
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  18. jayla-n-Drevon

    jayla-n-Drevon Well-Known Member

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    they should ... I am guessing they "skirt" around the edges of what they can say.
    From what I have seen they use documented information .... just not their documented information.
    I am sure they say ONLY feed YA as it will sell more food. Maybe they have good intentions but for some cats it could be dangerous. Example...they told me testing more than pre shot was stressful for my cat and me and not necessary. I caught a 48 on my AT that night-THAT IS dangerous.
     
  19. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    YA did change the product name recently from Zero Carb to Zero. The general consensus here is that they probably had their wristies slapped by someone in officialdom because the product is not carb-free.


    Mogs
    .
     
  20. Julia & Bandit (GA)

    Julia & Bandit (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Young Again is not 0 carbs--it is 0 digestible carbs. The actual carb content is somewhere around 5%. It is a good food to feed if you have a dry food addict who absolutely refuses to eat wet, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. As human diabetics know, it's not just the digestible or "net" carbs you're looking at in foods, but rather the full carb load. Carbs from sugar and fiber can impact the BG of a diabetic cat, arguably even more so than a human.

    A cat that goes into remission on YAZC would have also gone into remission on a low carb canned food. There's nothing about it that makes diabetic cats more prone for remission. Cats have the best odds of reaching remission if they are using a low carb canned food, a long acting insulin, and having their dose adjusted in fine increments based off daily home testing.

    However, even the lower carb dry foods can be problematic and present problems with remission and regulation for some cats. Bandit's BG will be fine eating things at 9 and 10% carbs in canned food, but if he eats just a few pieces of dry EVO at 8% carbs his BG will shoot way up. This is because even the lower carb dry foods still tend to be highly glycemic because of the manufacturing process. I knew someone with a diabetic cat in remission who started feeding the Young Again Zero Carb and their BG slowly crept back up on it until they needed insulin again. After removing the food and a second short stint on insulin, the cat went back into remission. The problem is, you don't know how it will effect your cat unless you start them on the food, and in my opinion it's just not worth the risk if your cat will eat wet food.

    And it's also important to keep in mind that regardless of the carb level and how it affects BG, dry food is still chronically dehydrating, and causes kidney and urinary tract disease that is unrelated to the carb load. It's the lack of moisture in dry food that causes these issues, not the carb load.
     
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  21. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    I don't know but he hasn't had to have a shot in 5 days so far and he is doing really well. We also give him canned food once a day. The classic that this site recommends. The lowest is sugar has been is 84. Do I still need to test twice daily if he has not needed a shot in two weeks?
     
  22. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    If he goes in remission can I only check once a day instead of twice. I hate poking his ear so much and worry it hurts him but if it saves his life I will continue
     
  23. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    Dec 2, 2014

    A kitty is considered in remission once they are able to maintain normal glucose levels for 14 days without insulin. Usually during the 14 day trial period people will test at least 2X daily for the first week then maybe once daily for the second if that is all they can manage. After a kitty is officially in remission you would still need to test a couple of times a week for awhile. Once a kitty has been diagnosed as diabetic they should still be fed low carb food.

    There is a sticky with guidelines for doing OTJ (off the juice) trials, but I can't find it right now. Hopefully someone else will come along and post the link.


    ETA: From another post

    "
    OTJ TRIALS:

    Prior to starting an OTJ trial, one wants to see kitty mostly in the range of a healthy cat (50 - 80 mg/dL), but under 100 overall... with only occasional readings in the 100 - 120 range.

    Remission is achieved when kitty can go 14 days without insulin while maintaining normal blood glucose values under 100 overall. Most will stay in the 50 - 80mg/dL range. Although, some will occasionally experience BG numbers up to 120 mg/dL.

    "
     
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  24. Julia & Bandit (GA)

    Julia & Bandit (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I would still test twice a day for at least two weeks--then you can cut back to once a day for the following couple weeks to make sure, and then you can cut back to testing once a week. Because you're still feeding dry food, I wouldn't test less than once a week. I've seen cats come out of remission on the YA, so I would just keep an eye on his BG. If it starts creeping up above 120 on a regular basis, you may want to consider switching to a canned diet only.
     
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  25. Tamra

    Tamra Member

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    Feb 12, 2016
    What dry food is good to feed for a non diabetic cat. I feed them wet canned chicken every day also but want a good quality dry to give also
     
  26. Tuxedo Mom

    Tuxedo Mom Well-Known Member

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    If you ABSOLUTELY cannot get them all off dry food all together, then the Young Again is as good a choice as anything. However if at all possible to get them all on low carb wet food (no gravies or sauces) such as Friskies or Fancy Feast pates, it would be healthier for all your kitties.

    This is a posting from a while back discussing various dry foods:

    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/evo-dry-food.43926/

    It discusses a few types of dry but also talks about whether dry food of any kind is a good idea.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2016
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