? Max 4/24 - HI - Please Help With This Dilemma

Giomax

Giomax

Member Since 2018
Max is losing weight. His spine and hip bones are becoming more and more prominent. He eats, but not as enthusiastically as he used to. I've tried MANY varieties of canned food and even provide some Dr. Elsey's dry kibble. Food is left out all the time. Problem is, he's just not eating as much, so I've resorted to feeding him gravy foods because he gobbles them right down. I NEED him to put on weight. I need him to eat well. But I don't want to keep compromising his BG like this.

He's had tests...just had another full blood panel done. Vet still doesn't suspect cancer, just the IBD and such...but I'm not so sure. I can't afford a biopsy right now so there's really no way for us to be 100% either way.

Max is getting a daily probiotic, a weekly B-12 injection and 6mg Zobaline a day. Can you guys help me with wet food choices? I need something low carb gravy or low carb with sauce, GRAIN FREE (because of IBD). I've seen the food charts but it's a lot to go through. I have a few varieties saved I'm going to try and buy today. Does anyone have some of their own recommendations? (P.S. I've seen the post about how to get cats to eat. I don't need linked to that.)

Please help!
 
Most of the Weruva line have sauce and are low carb, except the Grandma’s Chicken Soup which was my go to for higher HC, 21%, and carbs from potatoes, not wheat. Wheat is a common problem for IBD. Canidae also has some grain free low carb options that are chunky and have “gravy”. I have one IBD kitty who actually prefers raw to canned. Raw can be a good option for IBD kitties. What is really important for IBD is trying to figure out which meat or protein they re allergic too. Fish, beef and chicken are common allergens.

Has the vet talked about adding prednisolone or budesonide for Max? It can really help with the bowel inflammation which is making him feel icky and like not eating. It might cause an increase in blood sugar, but you can work around that with a dose increase.

Speaking of which, you need to get Max back into better blood sugar numbers. High glucose numbers means his body is starving because the insulin is not letting the sugar get into the cells. Time for some mid cycle tests and/or a curve..
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Most of the Weruva line have sauce and are low carb, except the Grandma’s Chicken Soup which was my go to for higher HC, 21%, and carbs from potatoes, not wheat. Wheat is a common problem for IBD. Canidae also has some grain free low carb options that are chunky and have “gravy”. I have one IBD kitty who actually prefers raw to canned. Raw can be a good option for IBD kitties. What is really important for IBD is trying to figure out which meat or protein they re allergic too. Fish, beef and chicken are common allergens.

Has the vet talked about adding prednisolone or budesonide for Max? It can really help with the bowel inflammation which is making him feel icky and like not eating. It might cause an increase in blood sugar, but you can work around that with a dose increase.

Speaking of which, you need to get Max back into better blood sugar numbers. High glucose numbers means his body is starving because the insulin is not letting the sugar get into the cells. Time for some mid cycle tests and/or a curve..
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He is on Budesonide. I just did an increase...half a unit a couple days ago. The reason he's so crazy high at testing times yesterday is because he was eating gravy food throughout the day. That's why I need some low carb gravy pronto! Thanks for the advice!
 
Giomax said:
The reason he's so crazy high at testing times yesterday is because he was eating gravy food throughout the day.
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You are only guessing that. Without mid cycle tests it's hard to say. He could also be going lower during the cycle and bouncing at the end of it. It could also be the budesonide. While it didn't impact Neko's numbers, I have seen it cause BG increases in other cats. It is a steroid.
 
You might also want to look at calories. Weruva is an option for the gravy and low carb but it's very low in calories. I'd also look at Wellness. It's typically higher in calories.

I also agree with Wendy re the IBD. Raw may be an option. I really like this website -- Raw Feeding for IBD Cats -- not only for the info on a raw diet but for the general information on supplements and how to manage the variety of issues that go along with IBD.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
You are only guessing that. Without mid cycle tests it's hard to say. He could also be going lower during the cycle and bouncing at the end of it. It could also be the budesonide. While it didn't impact Neko's numbers, I have seen it cause BG increases in other cats. It is a steroid.
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+10.5 @ 403
 
Wendy&Neko said:
You are only guessing that. Without mid cycle tests it's hard to say. He could also be going lower during the cycle and bouncing at the end of it. It could also be the budesonide. While it didn't impact Neko's numbers, I have seen it cause BG increases in other cats. It is a steroid.
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Just gave him a 3oz pouch of Chicken and Tuna in gravy from Soulistic (Weruva). Carb count 9% according to the chart. He ate the whole thing! Even put his paw in the bowl to get that last little bit of meat. I know we're not supposed to feed so close to shot time but until he puts on some weight and his bones stop sticking out I'm going to be offering him food every hour.
 
As long as he’s high as a kite, feeding late will just shorten duration and make his preshot even higher. You might want to look at higher calorie, but lower carb food. It’s calories that will help put something on his bones.

Good to see the start of some mid cycle tests. A curve or at least a couple tests up to +5/6 tonight will give us an idea what he is doing at night. It’s not enough information to decide whether to increase, but a good start. Please keep the spreadsheet updated. The 5,5 unit depot should be full now.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
As long as he’s high as a kite, feeding late will just shorten duration and make his preshot even higher. You might want to look at higher calorie, but lower carb food. It’s calories that will help put something on his bones.

Good to see the start of some mid cycle tests. A curve or at least a couple tests up to +5/6 tonight will give us an idea what he is doing at night. It’s not enough information to decide whether to increase, but a good start. Please keep the spreadsheet updated. The 5,5 unit depot should be full now.
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SS is super updated. I update every day. =]

Any good suggestions on high cal, low carb and grain free? Also...juicy. He's not a massive fan of plain patès.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
As long as he’s high as a kite, feeding late will just shorten duration and make his preshot even higher. You might want to look at higher calorie, but lower carb food. It’s calories that will help put something on his bones.

Good to see the start of some mid cycle tests. A curve or at least a couple tests up to +5/6 tonight will give us an idea what he is doing at night. It’s not enough information to decide whether to increase, but a good start. Please keep the spreadsheet updated. The 5,5 unit depot should be full now.
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Going down...but very slowly. :'(
 
The recently re-formulated Ziwi Peak foods--particularly the chicken and the lamb-- are higher in calories than the old. They also have very good ingredients.

Good luck finding a food for Max that will help keep him from losing weight.
 
@Giomax Sorry to be a pest. When you asked for recommendations I thought part of that was food. Did the link not open? I know you have bigger issues, Noah lost weight at a steady rate for years so please don't feel obligated to reply.
 
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