Is Fortiflora safe for cats with chicken allergy?

[macaroonie]

Anyone have any experience with this? It's one of the toppers that helps motivate my girl to eat her food...

 

[AbbysMom]

I give Fortiflora to my cat with chicken allergies with no issues.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi Fortiflora contains liver flavoring which is sourced from pork and poultry. Maybe it is just not enough to bother many of the cats who are allergic to chicken?

 

[macaroonie]

I give Fortiflora to my cat with chicken allergies with no issues.

Hi Fortiflora contains liver flavoring which is sourced from pork and poultry. Maybe it is just not enough to bother many of the cats who are allergic to chicken?

Yea I looked on Purina's site and it did say the pork and poultry are hydrolyzed. I think that means the proteins are broken down so much the immune system doesn't recognize it? but it's better to be safe than sorry!! Really good to know some cats doesn't react to it

 

[daftcat75]

I guess it would depend on the cat.

My last cat, Krista (over there in the avatar), had IBD and eventually lymphoma. Chicken was one of her triggers and FortiFlora had enough of it (hydrolyzed or not) to trigger her.

My current cat, Betty, has had appetite and nausea issues before. She doesn't seem to have any food-related triggers at the moment. But sometimes it is hard to get her started on her meals. I also sneak a few drops of hemp oil into her food to help with her arthritis. I'm not sure how much it helps there. But we seem to be doing better on food uptake since that introduction. To hide that flavor, I use an herb grinder to grind a few kibble pieces into a powder that gets sprinkled over those drops.

I suggest picking up an herb grinder and some freeze-dried foods or treats in different proteins and using that in place of FortiFlora if your cat has a chicken allergy.

 

[macaroonie]

I guess it would depend on the cat.

My last cat, Krista (over there in the avatar), had IBD and eventually lymphoma. Chicken was one of her triggers and FortiFlora had enough of it (hydrolyzed or not) to trigger her.

My current cat, Betty, has had appetite and nausea issues before. She doesn't seem to have any food-related triggers at the moment. But sometimes it is hard to get her started on her meals. I also sneak a few drops of hemp oil into her food to help with her arthritis. I'm not sure how much it helps there. But we seem to be doing better on food uptake since that introduction. To hide that flavor, I use an herb grinder to grind a few kibble pieces into a powder that gets sprinkled over those drops.

I suggest picking up an herb grinder and some freeze-dried foods or treats in different proteins and using that in place of FortiFlora if your cat has a chicken allergy.

Hemp oil...She's still young and jumps around no problem so I'm not sure about arthritis but that's a really good tip to keep in mind, thank you!
So far Fortiflora is the only thing that will consistently get her to eat...Not sure if it's contributing to her allergies or if it's just because her ear infection is extra stubborn (her allergy cause excess earwax = yeast infection). Her vet did just say the infection getting a lot better, though! The ear wax has cleared out a lot. She also got started on a medicine for environmental allergies so we'll see if that helps the infection go away completely. If not then it's most likely the Fortiflora at fault.
I've also tried multiple different freeze dried treats but for some reason...she just doesn't like them at all So the stray cats get to gobble those up. She's weirdly picky like that. I'd love to know which one is the most appetizing for your Betty, though! Maybe it could be something I haven't tried!!

 

[Alldara]

Yea I looked on Purina's site and it did say the pork and poultry are hydrolyzed. I think that means the proteins are broken down so much the immune system doesn't recognize it? but it's better to be safe than sorry!! Really good to know some cats doesn't react to it

If it's hydrolyzed then it's the same process that is used to make the allergy prescription food that vets use as the first step to eliminate all proteins, so you should be good

 

[daftcat75]

Hemp oil...She's still young and jumps around no problem so I'm not sure about arthritis but that's a really good tip to keep in mind, thank you!
So far Fortiflora is the only thing that will consistently get her to eat...Not sure if it's contributing to her allergies or if it's just because her ear infection is extra stubborn (her allergy cause excess earwax = yeast infection). Her vet did just say the infection getting a lot better, though! The ear wax has cleared out a lot. She also got started on a medicine for environmental allergies so we'll see if that helps the infection go away completely. If not then it's most likely the Fortiflora at fault.
I've also tried multiple different freeze dried treats but for some reason...she just doesn't like them at all So the stray cats get to gobble those up. She's weirdly picky like that. I'd love to know which one is the most appetizing for your Betty, though! Maybe it could be something I haven't tried!!

Betty just gets a couple of pieces of Hills I/D dry food cut up in a spare pill cutter. These four half pieces each get a drop of hemp oil. Then I grind up three more pieces in the herb grinder and put that over those half pieces. I restrict how many dry pieces she gets because she's already a little overweight (from more than enough junky carbs in the Hills I/D and A/D wet foods.) Her sensitive tummy tends to get aggravated if she eats too much dry and not enough wet. You probably don't want to copy Betty's diet. My best efforts to change her diet and treats for the better are matched with resistance from her lips and gut. But if there's any dry, freeze-dried, or treat that yours likes, you can use a grinder to make it a powder like FortiFlora. Just have to find the right flavor that also works for her all the way through. Krista liked ground Stella and Chewy dry rabbit morsels as a topper. But that had ground bone in it that was eventually too much for her IBD. Betty can't do bone-in raw either.

 

[macaroonie]

If it's hydrolyzed then it's the same process that is used to make the allergy prescription food that vets use as the first step to eliminate all proteins, so you should be good

Yes! I called Purina to confirm and they did reassure me that the chances for a reaction would be very low since all the proteins are hydrolyzed. She's still on Fortiflora cause it's literally the only topper that will get her picky highness to eat so I'm really, REALLY hoping that she won't ever react to it!! So far I'm not seeing anything yet...but I know allergy symptoms can take time to show up so I'll continue monitoring and keep Fortiflora intake to a minimum.

 

[macaroonie]

Betty just gets a couple of pieces of Hills I/D dry food cut up in a spare pill cutter. These four half pieces each get a drop of hemp oil. Then I grind up three more pieces in the herb grinder and put that over those half pieces. I restrict how many dry pieces she gets because she's already a little overweight (from more than enough junky carbs in the Hills I/D and A/D wet foods.) Her sensitive tummy tends to get aggravated if she eats too much dry and not enough wet. You probably don't want to copy Betty's diet. My best efforts to change her diet and treats for the better are matched with resistance from her lips and gut. But if there's any dry, freeze-dried, or treat that yours likes, you can use a grinder to make it a powder like FortiFlora. Just have to find the right flavor that also works for her all the way through. Krista liked ground Stella and Chewy dry rabbit morsels as a topper. But that had ground bone in it that was eventually too much for her IBD. Betty can't do bone-in raw either.

Thank you for your in depth explanation!! I haven't found a freeze dried treats that worked on her yet, unfortunately enough...Really want to find something she'd die for (like those Temptations treats which she can't have anymore) so I'll keep looking!! So far she doesn't care at all about freeze dried rabbit and lamb so I'll try beef next. Fingers crossed!!

 

[CatEng]

If it's hydrolyzed then it's the same process that is used to make the allergy prescription food that vets use as the first step to eliminate all proteins, so you should be good

I do wonder how well they hydrolyze it, what process they use, and whether they check for residual protein (like they do to certify gluten-free foods). I stopped using it with my cat who has a chicken allergy because there isn't enough proof it's safe for him. Some of the allergy prescription food actually has enough leftover non hydrolyzed protein that it triggers allergies in cats.