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- Feb 8, 2015
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My 6-year old kitty was just diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the vet has recommended Rayne's special diet. It contains rabbit which is a novel protein for my cat since I've never fed him rabbit. I checked out the Rayne's website since I'm not familiar with the company, and have discovered that their diet is dry only! I was quite surprised by that - you would have thought that a so-called "holistic" food company would have focused on wet formulas, since dry is not even recommended for cats! At least if they made both wet and dry formulas, then pet parents would have a choice. In the case of my poor kitty, he's never been able to digest dry food, and has been on wet for the past 2 years. Two of my other cats also had issues with dry - both had urinary blockages. Since they started eating canned only, 2 years ago, they've been fine. I feed all my cats Hound & Gatos, a high quality US made food, that contains basic meat protein and added vitamins and minerals.
Regarding my 6 year old who now has IBD, I'm wondering if anyone can offer suggestions on what brands they have fed to their cats needing special diets, since I can not offer him the dry Rayne's food.
And another question regarding feline IBD, my cat's symptoms are unlike the most common, which are vomiting and loss of appetite. My cat is the exact opposite: he's always hungry, his appetite is enormous and he virtually inhales his food. He almost never vomits his meals. He has lost a lot of weight despite the huge appetite. He was initially tested for hyperthyroidism because his symptoms are exactly those of this condition, however his T4 was normal. I questioned the results because a normal T4 doesn't always mean the cat is negative for the condition. But in my cat's case his reading was so low (16 and the normal range is 10-60) and he is only six yrs of age ( and hyperthyroidism affects mainly cats of 10+ yrs), so the vet felt he was truly negative for the condition. I should mention that his tests showed no diabetes, no liver or kidney disfunction either. The diagnosis of IBD was based on very low B12 and folate levels. Regarding his ravenous appetite, contrary to what you would imagine with IBD, the vet said that although most cats will have a decreased appetite, some will have the opposite and always be hungry because they are not absorbing the nutrients from their food. Has anyone else had an IBD cat with an insatiable appetite, like mine?
Sorry for the long post, but vets can only tell you so much and I believe that just as much relevant information can be obtained from pet people dealing with the same ailment in their precious pets.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Regarding my 6 year old who now has IBD, I'm wondering if anyone can offer suggestions on what brands they have fed to their cats needing special diets, since I can not offer him the dry Rayne's food.
And another question regarding feline IBD, my cat's symptoms are unlike the most common, which are vomiting and loss of appetite. My cat is the exact opposite: he's always hungry, his appetite is enormous and he virtually inhales his food. He almost never vomits his meals. He has lost a lot of weight despite the huge appetite. He was initially tested for hyperthyroidism because his symptoms are exactly those of this condition, however his T4 was normal. I questioned the results because a normal T4 doesn't always mean the cat is negative for the condition. But in my cat's case his reading was so low (16 and the normal range is 10-60) and he is only six yrs of age ( and hyperthyroidism affects mainly cats of 10+ yrs), so the vet felt he was truly negative for the condition. I should mention that his tests showed no diabetes, no liver or kidney disfunction either. The diagnosis of IBD was based on very low B12 and folate levels. Regarding his ravenous appetite, contrary to what you would imagine with IBD, the vet said that although most cats will have a decreased appetite, some will have the opposite and always be hungry because they are not absorbing the nutrients from their food. Has anyone else had an IBD cat with an insatiable appetite, like mine?
Sorry for the long post, but vets can only tell you so much and I believe that just as much relevant information can be obtained from pet people dealing with the same ailment in their precious pets.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.