Cheaper alternstive to fortiflora please

[Elainemcl]

My little cat has ibs and I have him on hills id dry food at the minute. He was fine at the start loved every mouthful but 2 weeks in he decided he wasnt eating it anymore! I was nearly demented!
I had some fortiflora I had been using previously so I sprinkled some on his food now he wont eat the food without it! Hes a minx! I would like a cheaper alternative to fortiflora but it's basically for the taste and nothing else!
He just loves it .
Thank you
Elaine

 

[di and bob]

You might trying to lessen the amount so it is gradually less and less. I guess there could be worse things to get addicted to! Otherwise, just try to find coupons, shop around, or buy in bulk, see if that can bring the price down. If you have found a good combination that he will eat and be better, it is hard to change. Maybe try to find the Hills cheaper on line too.

 

[Elainemcl]

You might trying to lessen the amount so it is gradually less and less. I guess there could be worse things to get addicted to! Otherwise, just try to find coupons, shop around, or buy in bulk, see if that can bring the price down. If you have found a good combination that he will eat and be better, it is hard to change. Maybe try to find the Hills cheaper on line too.

Yeah I've done everything you ve mentioned and I know the fortiflora wont do him any harm its just so expensive. I'm going on holiday soon so I wanted to be sure he was going to be eating while I'm away . Hes just so stubborn - but that's cats for you!
If anyone finds a cheaper alternative that cats like the taste of I'm willing to give it a try
Thanks

 

[daftcat75]

You can get freeze-dried treats like turkey liver, duck liver, etc. Powder them up and sprinkle over food. Liver can get a cat’s poop moving so don’t overdo the liver treats.

 

[Elainemcl]

Thanks for reply the vet insists I keep him on hard food . If I am powdering how do I go about it please?

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks for reply the vet insists I keep him on hard food . If I am powdering how do I go about it please?

You can place the treats in a baggie and crush them in the baggie with your fist. Or you can get a coffee grinder for about $20.

 

[Elainemcl]

You can place the treats in a baggie and crush them in the baggie with your fist. Or you can get a coffee grinder for about $20.

Ok thank you for your advice
I really appreciate all of your helpful replies.

 

[LTS3]

My little cat has ibs and I have him on hills id dry food at the minute.

Thanks for reply the vet insists I keep him on hard food .

Dry food isn't good for many cats who have IBD. Sometimes vets are stuck in the mindset that (dry) prescription food is good for every health issue The Hills I/D most likely comes in a canned version. Give that a try. It's perfectly ok to feed something other than what the vet recommends Novel protein limited ingredient diets work best for many IBD cats.

Here are two web sites with great info on IBD cats and treatment:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

www.ibdkitties.net

Feline IBD

Address the root cause of IBD in your cat. Treat inflammation and gut dysbiosis with proper tools to restore health, not just manage symptoms.

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

The vet should be kept in the loop on any changes to diet, etc you want to do with the cat. Diet is one of those things you and the vet can on.

If I am powdering how do I go about it please?

Easy method is to place the treats in a baggie and smash away with a heavy pot / pan, can of veggies, rock, etc. Most freeze dried meat treats are easy enough to crush up into powder.

 

[Elainemcl]

Dry food isn't good for many cats who have IBD. Sometimes vets are stuck in the mindset that (dry) prescription food is good for every health issue The Hills I/D most likely comes in a canned version. Give that a try. It's perfectly ok to feed something other than what the vet recommends Novel protein limited ingredient diets work best for many IBD cats.

Here are two web sites with great info on IBD cats and treatment:

http://[URL][URL]https://www.ibdkitties.net/

[/URL][/URL]

http://[URL][URL]http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/

[/URL][/URL]

The vet should be kept in the loop on any changes to diet, etc you want to do with the cat. Diet is one of those things you and the vet can on.




Easy method is to place the treats in a baggie and smash away with a heavy pot / pan, can of veggies, rock, etc. Most freeze dried meat treats are easy enough to crush up into powder.

Dry food isn't good for many cats who have IBD. Sometimes vets are stuck in the mindset that (dry) prescription food is good for every health issue The Hills I/D most likely comes in a canned version. Give that a try. It's perfectly ok to feed something other than what the vet recommends Novel protein limited ingredient diets work best for many IBD cats.

Here are two web sites with great info on IBD cats and treatment:

http://[URL]https://www.ibdkitties.net/

[/URL]

http://[URL]http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/

[/URL]

The vet should be kept in the loop on any changes to diet, etc you want to do with the cat. Diet is one of those things you and the vet

Thanks for advice he s def been a lot better since hes been on dry food it's just hes not a fan! so that's why he likes the fortiflora over the dry food I suppose it adds flavour to it ! Who knows ? Hes a cat I wish I could read his mind!
Thanks again

 

[Kieka]

Fortiflora is mostly digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals and a little probiotic. The digestive enzymes is what makes it appealing to cats and it honestly isn't a great probiotics. Not to say it hasn't helped cats but I tend to think it's one of those stopgap treatments to help with an immediate solution until a better long term on can be determined.

Has your vet said why he is insistent on dry? If it's a new IBS diagnosis, I can see maintaining a diet for up to a month to ensure that food changes are not the problem and that the diet is working. Prescription diets do have their place, again in my opinion, of stabilizing until the problem have be identified and a better option found. My vet is a cat only vet and her office primarily sticks the wet versions of the prescription diets; she won't give dry only unless there is a specific reason that the owner can justify. So opposite end of the spectrum on diet preference there.

If the diagnosis is solid and it's not to confirm, I would explore other options. The best food is the one your cat will eat and if you have to basically put a concentrated flavoring agent on the food; it's probably not the best on for your cat. A lot of IBS cats do really well on low carb novel protein wet diets it's just figuring out what works and your cat will eat.

 

[Elainemcl]

Fortiflora is mostly digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals and a little probiotic. The digestive enzymes is what makes it appealing to cats and it honestly isn't a great probiotics. Not to say it hasn't helped cats but I tend to think it's one of those stopgap treatments to help with an immediate solution until a better long term on can be determined.

Has your vet said why he is insistent on dry? If it's a new IBS diagnosis, I can see maintaining a diet for up to a month to ensure that food changes are not the problem and that the diet is working. Prescription diets do have their place, again in my opinion, of stabilizing until the problem have be identified and a better option found. My vet is a cat only vet and her office primarily sticks the wet versions of the prescription diets; she won't give dry only unless there is a specific reason that the owner can justify. So opposite end of the spectrum on diet preference there.

If the diagnosis is solid and it's not to confirm, I would explore other options. The best food is the one your cat will eat and if you have to basically put a concentrated flavoring agent on the food; it's probably not the best on for your cat. A lot of IBS cats do really well on low carb novel protein wet diets it's just figuring out what works and your cat will eat.

Well she said the wet food I was giving him was too rich for him . He would be ok for a while then bouts of diahorrea and gas poor wee mite! This happens in a cycle and has been happening since he was a kitten.
What type of wet foods can you suggest? I dont know which type are low carb novel protein etc. I suppose those wet food cans are expensive ? I need to watch the pennies as I m retired.
Thanks for all your advice

 

[Kieka]

Well she said the wet food I was giving him was too rich for him . He would be ok for a while then bouts of diahorrea and gas poor wee mite! This happens in a cycle and has been happening since he was a kitten.
What type of wet foods can you suggest? I dont know which type are low carb novel protein etc. I suppose those wet food cans are expensive ? I need to watch the pennies as I m retired.
Thanks for all your advice

What wet food were you giving him before?

 

[Elainemcl]

What wet food were you giving him before?

Gourmet gold savoury cake -it was only wet cat food he would eat !

 

[daftcat75]

Fortiflora is mostly digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals and a little probiotic. The digestive enzymes is what makes it appealing to cats and it honestly isn't a great probiotics. Not to say it hasn't helped cats but I tend to think it's one of those stopgap treatments to help with an immediate solution until a better long term on can be determined.

Animal digest is not digestive enzymes but rather the product of enzymatic digestion. It's basically hydrolyzed protein, or protein broken down into peptides (short chains of amino acids.) It is essentially turning animal muscle and soft tissue into a flavoring that is often used to make dry food full of non-animal starches taste more like animal.

What is Animal Digest In Pet Food? Is It Good For My Pet? | Petfinder

Have you ever wondered what is animal digest in pet food and if it is good for your pet? Learn what animal digest is, how it's made and whether it's right for your pet.

www.petfinder.com

 

[Kieka]

Animal digest is not digestive enzymes but rather the product of enzymatic digestion. It's basically hydrolyzed protein, or protein broken down into peptides (short chains of amino acids.) It is essentially turning animal muscle and soft tissue into a flavoring that is often used to make dry food full of non-animal starches taste more like animal.

http://[URL]https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-nutrition/what-is-animal-digest-in-pet-food/

[/URL]

That's what I meant. I did know it was animal digest not enzymes but multitasking over here and typed the wrong thing. Thank you.

 

[Kieka]

Gourmet gold savoury cake -it was only wet cat food he would eat !

That one calculates out to about 15% fat. Cats need a minimum of 9% fat but can handle up to 20% without problems (I've heard as much as 40% from some). Their bodies are geared towards using fat as an energy source for nearly half their bodies energies needs. I dont see 15% fat as being "too rich" and if you compare that to the dry food you are now feeding you will see that hills ID dry has 17% fat. So the too rich statement is, in my opinion, a quick grab at something without substance.

I'd honestly consult with a different vet at this point. If your vet calls a food too rich then puts your cat on a higher fat content food they either aren't paying attention or dont know what they are really talking about .... in my personal opinion. I'd want a vet who actually has a consistent message if they are going to give me an answer and a solution, they should actually align. I also wouldn't want a vet who sees dry as ideal for a cat; who are naturally less inclined to drinking water and prone to kidney problems if they dont get enough moisture. Short term dry diet to establish sensitivity or identify problems is one thing, but encouraging long term is solving for one problem but setting up for another.

 

[Elainemcl]

Animal digest is not digestive enzymes but rather the product of enzymatic digestion. It's basically hydrolyzed protein, or protein broken down into peptides (short chains of amino acids.) It is essentially turning animal muscle and soft tissue into a flavoring that is often used to make dry food full of non-animal starches taste more like animal.

http://[URL]https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-nutrition/what-is-animal-digest-in-pet-food/

[/URL]

Is there a digestive enzyme you know of which I can sprinkle over his food. He loves the taste of fortiflora ! So it's not the probiotic I need it's just the digestive enzyme to give pleasant taste to hills ID

 

[daftcat75]

Is there a digestive enzyme you know of which I can sprinkle over his food. He loves the taste of fortiflora ! So it's not the probiotic I need it's just the digestive enzyme to give pleasant taste to hills ID

It’s not a digestive enzyme. It’s the product of digestive enzymes. Since you don’t really know which animals and what tissues were used to produce the digest, you are better off powdering up freeze-dried treats. This way you will know what animal and which tissues. Freeze-dried treats will be closer to animal than animal digest. So they should be more appealing in taste.

 

[Elainemcl]

That one calculates out to about 15% fat. Cats need a minimum of 9% fat but can handle up to 20% without problems (I've heard as much as 40% from some). Their bodies are geared towards using fat as an energy source for nearly half their bodies energies needs. I dont see 15% fat as being "too rich" and if you compare that to the dry food you are now feeding you will see that hills ID dry has 17% fat. So the too rich statement is, in my opinion, a quick grab at something without substance.

I'd honestly consult with a different vet at this point. If your vet calls a food too rich then puts your cat on a higher fat content food they either aren't paying attention or dont know what they are really talking about .... in my personal opinion. I'd want a vet who actually has a consistent message if they are going to give me an answer and a solution, they should actually align. I also wouldn't want a vet who sees dry as ideal for a cat; who are naturally less inclined to drinking water and prone to kidney problems if they dont get enough moisture. Short term dry diet to establish sensitivity or identify problems is one thing, but encouraging long term is solving for one problem but setting up for another.

Ok thanks for that. I ll stick with it in mean time to give me a breathing space so I can investigate further. Do you know of any wet foods that may be suitable for him ?
Many thanks

 

[Kieka]

Is there a digestive enzyme you know of which I can sprinkle over his food. He loves the taste of fortiflora ! So it's not the probiotic I need it's just the digestive enzyme to give pleasant taste to hills ID

Animal digest. Sorry for the confusion, I mixed up my words.

I believe young again sells a flavoring to entice cats to eat. But it's really not ideal to sprinkle flavoring to entice your cat to eat something. It's akin to adding kool-aid powder to water to get kids to drink more water. It might work for a while but you dont solve the problem and if you ever run out of kool-aid you are in even more trouble. Plus other versions might have other additives that could complicate matters. The end goal should be to find a food he will eat that also is good for him.