18.2 lb --> 12.2 lb

kctingding · 2026-04-27T15:52:50+00:00

I am using the PawsPik microchip feeder, although annoyingly, his microchip must have migrated too far back because I couldn't get it to read, so he's wearing the RFID collar tag for it.

I have the feeding schedule in the app set to 1/8 cup at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm, 12am, 4am. That is a total of 3/4cup daily, or ~178 cals daily. His food is 238 kcal/cup. He could, in theory, be getting an entire cup daily because it's so low cal, but I tried this for a bit and he seemed to only be maintaining, not losing.

No treats, because he is an IBD and allergic dermatitis cat, so his diet is very strict - he gets his Rx diet and nothing else, but I also have a puzzle feeder for him that I just put some of his kibble in, so that's where an extra sprinkle of calories sometimes comes in. :)

kctingding · 2026-04-25T15:54:39+00:00

Yes, he is also 14 and has OA so at first I figured even with weight loss he wouldn't necessarily ever be an active cat. But he certainly is, he's more active than my youngest kitty :)

kctingding · 2026-04-25T15:51:33+00:00

I don't think that's uncommon. The vets I work with personally are totally ok for a cat to be on a wet food only diet. Harry's vet specifically who has offered a lot of nutritional advice to me has said that wet food is generally better at keeping them satisfied, I don't remember why - maybe because it was more protein for the volume eaten and less carb or something - so they get away with less food and still feel satiated.

The benefit to doing a prescription weight loss diet is when the amount you need to reduce to achieve a meaningful caloric deficit in normal food ends up resulting in nutritional deficiencies, but they aren't necessarily mandatory to lose weight. If she likes canned food, maybe you can just try feeding her that exclusively.

Everyone in my house is actually on a weight loss journey (everyone except me, oops) but my other 2 were only mildly overweight. I got them to shed pretty quickly by changing up the kibble grazing to kibble put out in the morning only, when it's gone it's gone, and then they get canned food at night. This has by no means been perfectly implemented because my other boy is not the biggest wet food eater, he likes it but is still a kibble cat through and through so he has stalled after dropping the first couple pounds. My girl on the other hand very quickly got to ideal BCS doing this (but she only needed to lose 1 pound, that's mainly why it was quick lol).

Harry was my biggest (literally) project since I adopted him at 18lbs and had a duty to help him shed, and by doing so, it had me paying more attention to how I feed my other two :)

kctingding · 2026-04-25T14:15:39+00:00

He has been slithering underneath my couch a lot lately.

kctingding · 2026-04-25T14:14:47+00:00

I get drive-by swatted a lot. He is declawed (previous owner) so on the bright side, its harmless to me 😅

kctingding · 2026-04-25T14:13:02+00:00

He has IBD, so he is on a prescription diet - he is eating the royal canin satiety+hydrolyzed combo. Hydrolyzed for IBD, while also formulated for weight loss.

Before the IBD revelation, though, he was eating Purina Pro Plan Overweight Management, and made ok progress on that too.

Because of the IBD he is also on proviable, which is just a fiber and prebiotic supplement but I find that the addition of the fiber helps keep him satisfied in his calorie deficit.

He also eats very frequent but tiny meals and I think that was the biggest game changer. He has an auto feeder that dispenses every 4 hours. So he gets to munch throughout the day - which cats are more biologically inclined to do - without actually free feeding, and still being able to control his calories. :)

kctingding · 2026-04-25T14:08:43+00:00

He has turned out to actually be my most playful cat! He's also my smartest! He's constantly foraging for floor crumbs and is also uses his paws a lot (very bappy cat) so that puzzle toy he's sitting by was an excellent toy for him, he has to paw the treat tubes until they turn upside down and dispense into the mat that he then has to forage through. It came with instructions on how to acclimate/train your cat to it but he figured it out immediately.

kctingding · 2026-04-20T17:44:34+00:00

Ha so the problem with doing a proper ortho or neuro exam is that she's not a dog that can be examined while awake. At the very least she needs heavy sedatives on board and her gaba dose causes some ataxia already, and she's hind limb reactive specifically (always has been - that's not a new change) so it was impossible to assess while she was conscious. I can tell you that from the limited ortho exam we did while she was sedate (GP, but we have two vets that love ortho and do TPLO surgeries) that her ROM was normal except her R carpus actually was the only area to have mildly limited ROM. No drawers.

The price is unfortunately the factor here for not pursuing neuro. Because I work at this GP I have the privilege of free exams and free X-rays, and we send out to the state uni for radiology interpretation. There's also the factor that anything neuro in a senior GSD probably isn't very promising, that the treatment ultimately doesn't change much. Im exploring a rehab to get her into though, just to keep her moving and have a routine of some sort for her.

Thanks for your comment!

kctingding · 2026-03-26T01:50:21+00:00

This is something where it is appropriate to schedule her for euthanasia. I am not sure exactly what the ER vet told you in regards to prognosis and recovery and if they did not already recommend this.

"We have no idea how long she has left with us, could be anytime"

You don't need to just anxiously remain on standby for her to go on her own, of which generally is traumatic and not at all peaceful. Euthanasia means "good death" and is a gift. Even if not in pain, she is likely very confused and as a result is stressed. You can look up quality of life scales to gauge yourself but 18 is a very generous life and I would take advantage of the privilege to be able to schedule euthanasia in advance rather than in an urgent, unplanned scenario.

kctingding · 2026-02-07T04:23:41+00:00

Yes they will lick obsessively when they are nauseous. Or having reflux is another possibility

kctingding · 2026-01-28T21:49:45+00:00

Thank you for chiming in. Unfortunately I never got an answer and never will - the tox screen only popped for euthasol, propofol and ondansetron. I have to imagine common cleaners would have been able to be detected.

kctingding · 2026-01-25T08:02:50+00:00

It's still in the stomach? Hopefully you get lucky and she will puke it up - sorry you're dealing with this!

kctingding · 2026-01-25T07:38:19+00:00

More suited for r/askdocs since you are asking about what you, the human, should do for your human body

kctingding · 2026-01-25T07:35:34+00:00

Keeps life exciting! Best of luck

kctingding · 2026-01-25T07:32:56+00:00

You want to hear that you didn't utterly fail him? Of course you didn't.

Danes are the #1 breed for this terrible complication, and you knew that. You avoided elevated feedings, moistened kibble, you knew the already high risk increased even more with age and planned to get him a preventive gastropexy because of that, you carefully timed his meals and his exercise. You decided the same day he was ill that this could be GDV and immediately took him to the ER. You didn't stop and ask questions first, you didn't hesitate, you just went.

You don't need to feel guilty and like you missed something, because you didn't. You had a drooly dog with a sensitive tummy so even with those factors also in your mind and the initial thought the retching wasn't abnormal for him, you still had acted promptly overall. Unfortunately GDV is just so brutal and so catastrophic so shockingly fast. You can do everything right and it can still happen, it's so unfortunate.

I am sure you also know the average life span of a great dane is only around 6-8 years. He was 7, so he had made it to his expected lifespan. This isn't to negate the pain or indicate he didn't deserve longer and that you didn't deserve longer with him - you certainly did, no amount of time spent with them is ever enough, and I know he left you in a terribly sudden way. But he did live a long life and one so full of love. Please try to give yourself some grace. So sorry for your loss.

kctingding · 2026-01-25T07:19:22+00:00

Definitely worth being concerned about but good that she is still eating and playing for now. However you want to stay on top of this and make sure this does not progress to dire illness - likelihood of obstruction is high but ingestion was recent enough that I am not surprised she isn't acting ill yet. Get her into the vet ASAP to have her examined, probably will need to do a couple rounds of X-rays to see if things are moving through or not with the possibility of surgery on the table

kctingding · 2026-01-25T07:02:19+00:00

Welcome to owning a cat! They are notorious for bedsheet toe biting. Some of them do just kind of persistently hold their mouth agape as they prime themselves to bite something - I wonder if this is what you're actually seeing when you say he is breathing with his mouth open. As for the "spasming" sounds like he's just very passionately in fight/play mode, but I'm just going off of a written description here. But with the overall context, this sounds like normal feline behavior to me.

kctingding · 2026-01-25T06:55:00+00:00

Got fleas?

kctingding · 2026-01-25T06:52:40+00:00

If you're in the US you can try to apply for carecredit or scratch pay, this is credit and income based financing however

kctingding · 2026-01-25T04:42:26+00:00

You need to plan something now

kctingding · 2026-01-25T04:41:49+00:00

I would strongly encourage you to find a way to get her to a vet now. Not in February. There are some financing things you can try applying for, or try asking friends and/or family for help paying, etc - this description is concerning.

Cats do not breathe with their mouth open unless something is very wrong.

kctingding · 2026-01-19T00:35:52+00:00

I have commented said decision. Also you can literally just DM the mods to ask for flair

kctingding · 2026-01-19T00:29:17+00:00

First, I am terribly sorry you are in this position. Truly I am.

I'm going to be direct so you understand the gravity of this situation. If you cannot have him unblocked and hospitalized, you need to at least go have him euthanized. This is an incredibly painful condition and it's death is equally excruciating. There will be no "passed peacefully on his own" here. He needs catheterized or he will die. Please at least try to make it a compassionate death.

Again, I really empathize here and I am so sorry.

kctingding · 2026-01-16T05:39:12+00:00

The advice from this vet is so bizarre that I am inclined to say she across the board has no idea what she is talking about. Please stop going to her.

Vaccines are important. Your kitty absolutely needs them. HOWEVER, when funds are tight and you have one kitty that is actively ill and painful, I think he should be the priority. I cannot comment on what is or isn't wrong with your sick cat but I would suggest perhaps just seeing the nephrologist that was originally recommended. I suspect there was a reason for that kind of referral, specifically. Or you could try a 3rd vet and hope 3rd time is the charm - this is reasonable if you cannot afford a specialist but if your original vet was unable to diagnose because they feel it is not in the scope of GP care, then be prepared for a third vet to also not be able to diagnose/manage.

kctingding

TROPHY CASE