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bah! oscar's losing weight ... a bit *too* fast



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 24th 05, 06:01 PM
Monique Y. Mudama
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Default bah! oscar's losing weight ... a bit *too* fast

I took Oscar to the vet for her second steroid shot (she had an "indolent
ulcer" on her lower lip). The lip is doing great, but when the vet weighed
Oscar, she was eight and a half pounds. That would probably be great, except
that she was almost 10 pounds in early December, when I switched her to
Wellness canned food from Nutro dry. As the vet said, "Sometimes these wet
food diets work a little *too* well."

The vet agreed with me that Oscar's body is about ideal; she looks good,
but really shouldn't lose any more weight. So I'm bumping her from 1/3
can twice a day to 1/2 can x 2, so that she has opportunity to eat more
if she'd like. Sure, it wastes some food, but if if it keeps her on
track ... Oh, and I've definitely been supplementing her meals with
treats, which I'll continue to do.

I'm going to look into a pediatric scale. I can weigh Oscar at the vet's for
free, but the trip is traumatic. If I can't afford a scale, the vet suggested
bringing her in once a month for a weighing. Oscar has a healthy appetite, so
if she keeps losing, the vet would like to do some bloodwork "just in case."
I strongly suspect, though, that this is simply a reaction to her change in
diet. She's not getting as much filler crap as she was.

Anyone have any recommendations for scales? Is it okay to just look for the
cheapest one available, or are there quality/brand issues?

As the vet said, "We'd love it if our overweight cats would lose weight this
fast, but it always seems to be the ones who don't need to!"

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*
  #2  
Old January 25th 05, 03:22 PM
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Default

I have been wanting a scale that covers
the 5-10 pound range


I work with many people developing weight loss programs for their cats.
Most of them can't afford the expensive scales, but there are
alternatives. For under $100 you can get a digital baby scale he
http://www.oldwillknott.com/cgi-bin/...75760/OldWill2
Also check Ebay for "digital baby scale" as they have quite a selection.
One of my clients got one similar to the one at the link for about $75
including shipping. Another alternative for $40 that several of my
clients have used is the Escali digital postal scale which can be found
he
http://www.toplinedigitalscales.com/...24&item_id=166

With this scale you'll have to get a box your cat fits in, put it on the
scale first and zero it out, then put the cat in the box.

Megan



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  #3  
Old January 25th 05, 06:03 PM
Phil P.
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Default


"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

I'm going to look into a pediatric scale. I can weigh Oscar at the vet's

for
free, but the trip is traumatic. If I can't afford a scale, the vet

suggested
bringing her in once a month for a weighing.



I have a Tanita 1583 Pediatric scale and highly recommend this scale. 0-20
lbs in 1/2 ounce graduations and an auto weight lock-in that's exceptionally
handy for cats that don't stay on the scale. The 1583 also has zero/tare
functions for weighing your cat in a carrier. The infant tray is removable
so just toss a treat on the base and the cat jumps on and weights herself!

http://www.maxshouse.com/tanita_baby.htm (no I don't get a commission)


Here's a easy way to weigh your cat:

http://www.maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm


Phil.

Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!
--Theophile Gautie
Feline Healthcare & Mo www.maxshouse.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline..._and_Behavior/


  #4  
Old January 25th 05, 06:23 PM
Monique Y. Mudama
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On 2005-01-25, Meghan Noecker penned:
On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 10:01:52 -0700, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:


I'm going to look into a pediatric scale.


Where would you find one of these? I have been wanting a scale that covers
the 5-10lb range, and I haven't been able to find one.


I seemed to find the best results googling for "veterinary scale." I went to
the Tanita site from there (I recognized the brand name). Pet scales are part
of their professional line, so I called the professional customer service
number and they referred me to a store in Colorado. I am expecting a call
from the store to see what they can do for me. I'm looking at something like
Tanita's 1584 Portable Feline/Puppy Scale

http://www.tanita.com/VeterinaryScales.shtml

The Tanita rep quoted $175 for it. It measures in 1oz increments. The 585
measures in half-ounce increments, but it's a lot more expensive.

[snip rant about sister]

Honestly, I'm not sure why you're so upset at your sister. She obviously now
knows that cat weight fluctuations can have serious implications, and she's
concerned for your cat. There must be some sister thing going on here that I
don't understand.

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*
  #5  
Old January 28th 05, 03:14 AM
Monique Y. Mudama
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On 2005-01-28, Meghan Noecker penned:

Thanks! I will check these out. I keep joking that I would like to take him
to work and weigh him there.

Sometimes, I get a feeling this his weight is a little down, and it would
just be nice to track his daily weight for awhile and then recheck it as
needed. So, I can really tell if something is wrong.


I'd be careful about reading too much into a daily fluctuation. Go ahead and
weigh him that often, but don't worry if he's off for a single day.

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*
  #6  
Old January 28th 05, 06:04 PM
Monique Y. Mudama
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Default

On 2005-01-28, Meghan Noecker penned:
On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 19:14:18 -0700, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:

I'd be careful about reading too much into a daily fluctuation. Go ahead
and weigh him that often, but don't worry if he's off for a single day.


That's what I figure. If I weigh him every day for 2-3 weeks, then I would
know what the normal fluctuations are. It would be a baseline, and then I
would only need to check every week or so, to make sure nothing is changing
without my noticing.


*nod* Sounds good to me.

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*
 




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