More Satin Ball Questions

[TinyMityMo]

Bailey doesn't have much appetite these days. I'm going to try making the satin balls for her. We are supposed to be trying to feed her low carb high protein because she's doing chemo for her fibrosarcoma. The satin ball recipes I'm finding linky have wheat germ and oats in them. Should I try to make it without these? Is wheat germ even a carb? I'm not sure what it's role is in the recipe. I have been giving her peanut butter and ensure but sometimes she turns her nose up at those too. I'm giving Pepcid twice a day and she has been taking Cerinia for nausea for the last 4 days. I think it helps a little bit. The oncologist sent her home from yesterday's chemo with a can of N/D and she ate a bit of that today.

She rarely turns down canned cat food but rarely eats the whole can (5 oz). Her weight is 55 lbs so only 2-3 lbs lower than usual but she looks like she's skinnier than that - all her ribs show and she's getting a dinosaur back with her spine and hipbones showing.

 

So are wheat germ and oats considered carbs? Should we try it without those? I just spoke with my vet and she's ordering me in a case of N/D and some Cyproheptadine as an appetite stimulant. Any other ideas?

[3DogNite]

it was suggested to me to use kibble (no grain in your case) instead of the oat meal or wheat germ. not sure if they are considered "carbs" or not.

 

just put it in a blender and add the same amount suggested in the recipe. i'm going to do this next time.

[kamsmom]

Mo, I don't have any thing to add but wanted to bump this up for you.

[ahicks51]

According to the USDA's Nutrient Analysis Lab website, crude wheat germ is mostly carbs (51.80% by weight), followed by protein (23.15%), and fat (9.72%). So, it'd get a sizable chunk of its calories from carbs, although wheat germ (literally the part that "germinates,") is higher in protein and fat than the rest of the seed. I have a strong bias against triticum species (i.e., wheat) as they're chock-full of lectins that are probably not good from an inflammation standpoint anyway.

 

If you are compelled to add carbs in that form, use cooked rice instead- low on the lectins. Alternatively, use "honest" oats, something like McCann's Irish Oats (can or box), which are processed on equipment that is used only for oats. My idea of low carb fat balls would be something like this:

 

80/20 hamburger

Chicken or turkey necks, chopped

Raw egg (shell and all)

Chicken livers (or beef liver)

Ground beef heart

Beef or pork kidneys

*mash* *mash* *mash*

 

If one is compelled to add vegetable matter, use cauliflower- the most versatile of the vegetables. Raw, cooked, cooked and mashed (like mashed potatoes), steamed, boiled, roasted with chicken, whatever.

 

Carbs are entirely superfluous. With relatively modest exceptions, our two greyhounds and Tito the FUOU have been fed extremely low carb, raw food for months, even years at a time. As I noted previously, Coco developed one tiny new dermal hemangio some 22 months after his first two were removed- a rather long time period for new growths, and it was very small (I missed it- the vet caught it). Anecdotes, anecdotes- but I suspect the low carbs reduces the incidence and growth rate.

[Batmom]

Wheat germ has carbs. I'd say the real question is, does she like her satin balls with or without? No reason you can't make them without.

 

When Batman was ill, I didn't try to avoid carbs but did feed mostly meat/eggs. His mainstay was pureed meatloaf -- beef, chicken, egg mixed with some spinach, molasses, egg shell, kelp powder. In the protein category, he also liked Tripett and those processed cheese slices (who knows, maybe those are really plastic but he liked them). He couldn't have fish or I'd've stuffed him with jack mackerel as well.

 

Hugs and best luck.

[Guest bigorangedog]

My two boys with osteo love the canned EVO (they have a "very low carb" version that does have some other ingredients (mostly veggies), and also a "95% meat" version that comes in chicken/turkey, beef, and salmon I think). Most dogs are going to love these just as much as fat balls. EVO also makes a low-carb kibble.

 

Most fat ball recipes have a ton of carbs -- the one we used to use has corn syrup (carbs) and oatmeal (carbs) and peanut butter (if it has sugar in it, it has carbs). So we don't use those with our tripawd boys.

 

You can also try raw, or if you don't have the time/inclination/patience for that you can try one of the prepared raw diets that come frozen in specialty pet stores. Most of those are low-carb. We use Primal or Stella & Chewy's. If they don't like it raw, try pan frying it with a little butter for added fat!

[TinyMityMo]

thanks guys. We have the red meat Evo kibble but she's not accepting that. I'll smash it up and add it with the raw eggs and meat and go from there.

[Guest K9_Lady]

Mo, I do not have any suggestions just many healing thoughts coming Baileys way.