blood in stool - dry stools - raw food link?

[b-roc]

I just cleaned the litter box and for the second time in as many weeks I found small traces of bright red blood on some of the stool.  My cat was thought to have come down with stomatitis about a month ago but that appears to have not been the case.  She was on 10 days of prednisone and antibiotics but that ended two weeks ago.  At the time one of her facial lymph nodes was swollen as was the stoma on one side.  All of that has subsequently gone away and her appetite and activity have returned to normal.  She does have food allergies and is on a raw food diet.

Her poops are regularly dry and crumbly (no more diarrhea since going 100% raw).  She is a 3.5 years old indoor only cat so I’m not thinking she has parasites.  I do think she could have IBD.   I read that bright red blood indicates a problem in the lower intestine / colon.

My question is, whereas this has only occurred twice in 2 weeks, is it time to be concerned or do you think this could be a somewhat normal occurrence given how dry her stools are as a result of the raw diet?

I don’t want to do nothing but I’m not looking to accrue more vet bills.  We’ve spent hundreds of dollars on her in November only to discover we don’t think she has stomatitis.  Has anyone else had experienced this on occasion, especially if on a raw food diet that produces very dry, crumbly stools?

 

[b-roc]

FWIW, I’m feeding Nataure’s Variety (lamb and rabbit at the moment).

 

[denice]

I don't feed raw but it is my understanding small dry stools are normal with a raw diet.  Bright red blood is often an indication of constipation but constipation in a raw fed cat is rare unless it's a senior cat.  I think too much bone can cause constipation and I have read that it can cause problems with a cat that has IBD.  You might want to start a thread in the raw forum, you are more likely to get answers from people who know a lot more about a raw diet.

 

[vball91]

The NVI raw has a somewhat high bone percentage which may cause constipation in some cats. You can try cutting that percentage down by adding some plain meat to her meals.

 

[b-roc]

If I add raw beef chunks, do I have to sear them first or can I just wash them and give them to her as is?

 

[vball91]

That really is up to you and your comfort level with raw. Most of us raw feeders just buy fresh meat and serve it raw, but there is no reason you can't sear it first. I'm not sure what washing really does though.