NV 95% Beef or Just Juicy Pork Stew for an IBD cat?

Hi everyone,
I would like to seek your advice in the following matter. One of my cats, Tabby was diagnosed with IBD in April 2015. Very fortunately, she’s been well this year. I finally could stop giving her Prednisolone in March! 

Lately, she’s really picky about her food. I’ve been feeding her Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Canned Food LAMB formula, but she doesn’t like it anymore… She hasn’t eaten well for a week, and started to lose weight…

She is allergic to poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.) and rabbit. Also, she needs to stay away from Carrageenan, Guar Gum. 

I wanted to try Nature's Variety LID Pork, but it seemed discontinued… (If you know where I can buy this online, please let me know. My local stores don’t carry it.)

This afternoon, I went to a local pet food shop, and only I can find cat canned food that may agree to her body were Just Juicy Pork Stew and Nature's Variety 95% INSTINCT GRAIN-FREE CANNED CAT FOOD - BEEF.

This evening, Tabby tried Nature's Variety 95% Beef, and she really liked it! I haven’t fed her beef before, so I really hope it won’t cause allergic reactions. 

Anyway, my questions are, has anyone had luck with Nature's Variety 95% Beef for an IBD cat? I heard it can be hard for IBD cats to digest.

How about Just Juicy Pork Stew? It contained Potato Starch, Agar-Agar, but I'm running out of options, so I bought a few can. She hasn’t tried it yet. 

Any advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much 

Oh, how about that...I just checked Chewy.com and I don't see the NV LID Pork listed. Interesting. 

I'm glad Tabby has been doing well overall. I will say that one thing I learned from having a cat with chronic pancreatitis/IBD is that sudden fussiness can mean that they're having a flare and not feeling well. Sometimes you still have the change the food either way, but it might be worth checking in with your vet and temporarily adjusting Tabby's IBD treatments if you start noticing other symptoms that indicate a flare-up.

Sebastian actually did really well on the NV Beef for quite awhile, but I was mixing it with another food (FirstMate Salmon) to bring down the fat content a bit. If Tabby could handle the lamb without a problem, then fat must not be an issue for her (the lamb is fattier than the beef). Anyway, I kept going back to the beef/salmon mix when a new food I would try wouldn't agree with him. (Yes, I've tried ALL kinds of foods!) He seemed to handle beef really well. I also gave him fresh lean cooked beef that was supplemented, and he did well with that too.

There was a time when Sebastian was on Lotus Just Juicy Pork, and he did well with it then. He was on a rotational diet. When his disease progressed, he didn't seem to tolerate the pork any longer. Maybe it was the pork. Or maybe it was the agar-agar. I know it wasn't the potato because he was still eating the FirstMate Salmon okay, which contains potato. Just Juicy Pork might be okay for Tabby. You really won't know until you try. Every cat is different. I know it's easier said than done with these IBD kitties!    I hope the beef agrees with her! 

Thank you so much GoHolistic! 

Yes, Chewy.com doesn’t list the NV LID Pork. I looked a few more online stores, but none of them have it. My local pet shop staff told me they must no longer made it. 

Oh… I really hope she won’t have a flare… She really hates and afraid visiting the vet… I need to move out our place next month… Which we had to do it last year, but because of her IBD, we decided to stay one more year. Until we will settle down in our new house, I want her to stay as comfy as possible.

I know every cat is different, but I was so happy to know that Sebastian did really well with the NV Beef! Tabby handles the lamb pretty well, so I guess fat must not be an issue for her either. 

Could you tell me which fresh lean cooked beef do you give him?

I will give her NV Beef for a while and if she won’t eat it, then I might go back to NV LID LAMB or Lotus Just Juicy Pork. I’m still concerned about the agar-agar.

Thank you so much for your kind words and all the information!

They are really helpful!!

 Natural Balance has a limited ingredient Green Pea & Venison canned food recipe..Might be an alternative to beef, unless she can't handle peas.

Punkysmom said:

 
 Natural Balance has a limited ingredient Green Pea & Venison canned food recipe..Might be an alternative to beef, unless she can't handle peas.

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Thanks, but Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Venison & Green Pea Formula Canned Cat Food has guar gum and carrageenan, so I can't feed her. 

NV pork has been discontinued.

Here are other carrageenan free foods you may be able to feed:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240335/canned-food-without-carrageenan-or-guar-gum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/315473/mauri-gum-removal-and-new-name

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/319516/grain-carrageenan-free-foods

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/310250/new-brands-of-canned-cat-foods-including-gluten-and-wheat-free

OH, right. Nature's Variety used to make a venison meal but haven't seen it around in a long time.

I don't know if you're interested in home-cooked, @MommyTabby, but I've been making cooked food for our cats using various cuts of pork and a new supplement called EZcomplete. Our cats, particularly the picky one, love it and one of the great things about pork, at least at the grocery stores by me, is that it's easy to find meat that's not treated with any chemicals or enhancers.

Anyway, just a thought!

Punkysmom said:

 
OH, right. Nature's Variety used to make a venison meal but haven't seen it around in a long time.

Click to expand...

NV still makes the canned vension, just the Originals not LID http://www.instinctpetfood.com/product/instinct-grain-free-canned-cat-food-venison Not sure if this would be ok for an IBD cat to have.

MommyTabby said:

 
She is allergic to poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.) and rabbit. Also, she needs to stay away from Carrageenan, Guar Gum.

Click to expand...

 There's a thread with sugestions on novel protein foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food

Hounds and Gato makes a pork canned food: http://houndgatos.com/rabbit-catfood-2.aspx (I know, the URL says rabbit but it links to the pork canned food page) There's also a lamb and beef and a few seafood canned foods if your cat can have that.

Mo

MommyTabby said:

Hi everyone,

I would like to seek your advice in the following matter. One of my cats, Tabby was diagnosed with IBD in April 2015. Very fortunately, she’s been well this year. I finally could stop giving her Prednisolone in March! 

Lately, she’s really picky about her food. I’ve been feeding her Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Canned Food LAMB formula, but she doesn’t like it anymore… She hasn’t eaten well for a week, and started to lose weight…

She is allergic to poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.) and rabbit. Also, she needs to stay away from Carrageenan, Guar Gum. 

I wanted to try Nature's Variety LID Pork, but it seemed discontinued… (If you know where I can buy this online, please let me know. My local stores don’t carry it.)

This afternoon, I went to a local pet food shop, and only I can find cat canned food that may agree to her body were Just Juicy Pork Stew and Nature's Variety 95% INSTINCT GRAIN-FREE CANNED CAT FOOD - BEEF.

This evening, Tabby tried Nature's Variety 95% Beef, and she really liked it! I haven’t fed her beef before, so I really hope it won’t cause allergic reactions. 

Anyway, my questions are, has anyone had luck with Nature's Variety 95% Beef for an IBD cat? I heard it can be hard for IBD cats to digest.

How about Just Juicy Pork Stew? It contained Potato Starch, Agar-Agar, but I'm running out of options, so I bought a few can. She hasn’t tried it yet. 

Any advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much :heart4:

Click to expand...

I don't know if you can find it where you are but Hounds & Gatos makes a pork only canned food. I think it is Hounds & Gatos. There were a few new brands at one of the stores I go to and H&G was one of them.

LTS3 said:

NV still makes the canned vension, just the Originals not LID http://www.instinctpetfood.com/product/instinct-grain-free-canned-cat-food-venison Not sure if this would be ok for an IBD cat to have.



 There's a thread with sugestions on novel protein foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food

Hounds and Gato makes a pork canned food: http://houndgatos.com/rabbit-catfood-2.aspx (I know, the URL says rabbit but it links to the pork canned food page) There's also a lamb and beef and a few seafood canned foods if your cat can have that.

Click to expand...

Oops I should have read your post. Sorry!

LTS3 said:

 
NV pork has been discontinued.

Here are other carrageenan free foods you may be able to feed:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240335/canned-food-without-carrageenan-or-guar-gum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/315473/mauri-gum-removal-and-new-name

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/319516/grain-carrageenan-free-foods

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/310250/new-brands-of-canned-cat-foods-including-gluten-and-wheat-free

Click to expand...

Thanks LTS3!
I’ll check them up!!

LisaHE said:

 
I don't know if you're interested in home-cooked, @MommyTabby, but I've been making cooked food for our cats using various cuts of pork and a new supplement called EZcomplete. Our cats, particularly the picky one, love it and one of the great things about pork, at least at the grocery stores by me, is that it's easy to find meat that's not treated with any chemicals or enhancers.

Anyway, just a thought!

Click to expand...

Hi LisaHE,
That’s great that you’ve been making cooked food for your cats! My vet doesn’t recommend me to do it, nor raw foods. But if Tabby will be better by making cooked food, then I’d like to try. Thanks for the info! 

LTS3 said:

 
 There's a thread with sugestions on novel protein foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food

Hounds and Gato makes a pork canned food: http://houndgatos.com/rabbit-catfood-2.aspx (I know, the URL says rabbit but it links to the pork canned food page) There's also a lamb and beef and a few seafood canned foods if your cat can have that.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, Hounds and Gato canned food have Guar Gum. 

Thank you everyone for the response! This morning, Tabby couldn’t finish her food. I’m not sure this is just a temporary, or she already tired of the beef canned food.... 

I need to buy the beef canned food today, but I shouldn’t buy many, because she may not eat it anymore… I’ll read LTS3 links and will buy a few different canned foods that are grain, carrageenan, guar gam free. 

Thanks so much again!

MommyTabby said:

Hi LisaHE,

That’s great that you’ve been making cooked food for your cats! My vet doesn’t recommend me to do it, nor raw foods. But if Tabby will be better by making cooked food, then I’d like to try. Thanks for the info! 

Click to expand...

You are welcome! The EZcomplete supplement is AAFCO approved so it is a balanced diet. (Our vet is skeptical about raw and homemade foods, too, I think she's seen some bad situations where people didn't feed balanced diets...)

Good luck with finding a food for your cat. 

My guy was diagnosed with IBD last year. He is also very fussy.

Last year I found a few cans of the NV Pork. He ate it!!! However, I could not find any more of it. I never thought about the guar gum or carageen. I did buy a case of Hound and Gatos pork, he ate a few cans and then stopped. I also tried the NV lamb. He ate it, however I had the same problem with finding it. 

I tried the H&G lamb.. again--a few cans and then that was it.

If you decide you would like to try some of the H&G, then PM me, I can send some your way. I have been donating it to the shelter. 

I finally ended up switching him over to rabbit. That was the one which he seemed to eat consistently. I know you cannot use that. My guy is allergic to chicken also.

I am giving him the NV rabbit. I am using the Pride line---produced by Nature's variety.

NV is a very good line of food. Pride is also good. NV, at least the rabbit is a mixture of Pork and Rabbit. 

Another one is Wild Calling. I think I ordered it through Pet360. They are a bit pricey, you can only order a case of it, but they have a lot of novel proteins. Also, the Vet may have some limited ingredient food. I was surprised that my Vet did have some rabbit.

Cats who come down with IBD are pretty impossible to feed; and with them being so fussy, makes us humans want to tear our hair out....

Wishing you the best in your quest....

Pork, for some unknown reason is very hard to find!! I used to see a lot of it in the store, now, you can only order it...

Or try a speciality store. Is there a PetLife around you. I found they had a lot of 'different' brands...many of the smaller stores do, and will order what you may need. 

MommyTabby said:

 
Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, Hounds and Gato canned food have Guar Gum. 

Click to expand...

That's too bad I later remembered Evangers pork canned food but it also has guar gum and it's also not a complete diet. Neither is Wysong's Epigen / Au Jus canned food which are single ingredient. It must really stink to find suitable foods for a cat with dietary needs who can't eat certain ingredients.

A lot of vets don't recommend raw or home cooked diets because they simply don't know much about it and/or have had experiences with clients who fed unbalanced diets. You don't need the vet's permission to feed a raw or home cooked diet. As long as the diet is balanced and isn't affecting the health issue, then it's great for your cat IMO no matter what the vet says It's a lot easier to control ingredients with a raw or home cooked diet. There's a Raw and Home Cooked forum here on TCS if you want to browse around for recipies and tips.

I thought Hound and Gatos was supposed to be taking the gums out of all their foods. It may be worth writing to them to ask. I've been meaning to because I'd prefer to feed less of all the gums!

And I agree with LTS3 about vets and raw or homecooked diets. As I mentioned before, our vet is skeptical about them... but she's also totally reasonable about them if the cat's person is well-informed and careful. I'm sure a lot of vets have seen some sad situations caused by unbalanced diets or improper handling of raw food.

LisaHE said:

You are welcome! The EZcomplete supplement is AAFCO approved so it is a balanced diet. (Our vet is skeptical about raw and homemade foods, too, I think she's seen some bad situations where people didn't feed balanced diets...)

Click to expand...

Thank you LisaHE, Yes, my vet said something like that. But if I run out of options for Tabby, I’ll try homemade foods, and be sure to add the EZcomplete supplement!