Could Fish Flavored Food Cause Diarrhea??

[javannalynn]

I've been battling this issue with Theo's diarrhea since I brought him home. He's a picky eater so its hard to find something he likes and I'm currently feeding him a mix of Authority wet food and ProPlan wet food. I'd love to feed him something higher quality but he eats so much I can't afford much more. We are moving in the spring and new jobs and opportunities will give us a better income. BUT for now I'm doing what I can. Since he was Hospice to start out i was giving him Friskies we food because I was told he had a problem with not eating so I figured if he was eating Mcdonalds cat food i would let him. After I realized he just needed someone to love and feed him and he wasn't going to die in weeks I started feeding him better. When i got him they had him on Fortiflora which really helped at least thicken things up. He started refusing food with the probiotics on it. They gave me proviable but it has prebiotics which can worsen diarrhea. I bought the Natural Factors on amazon that everyone here recommended. He loves this and licks it off the food and sometimes leaves the food.
Recently i thought i would try feeding him a bland diet to see if i could maybe narrow down his issue. He continued to have diarrhea but also stole the other cats food any chance he got so it was not completely bland. I've been told he is in the beginning stages of kidney failure and i know in humans kidney failure can cause diarrhea but not sure about cats. As i said he is an extremely picky eater. He will scarf down a bowl of food and then refuse the same one next time. One thing he eats ever time is fish. He LOVES any fish flavored food. So I'm wondering if maybe the fish is causing the diarrhea?? is the 10billion probiotics maybe too much?? Any suggestions on things to try?? Keep in mind higher cost foods are not affordable right now. anything under $1.50 a can for a 5oz is about what we can afford.

 

[Daisy6]

Hi Javanna! I would be glad to help you with this. It is an interesting question.

First of all, how old is Theo? Was he officially diagnosed with early stage CKD or is it just he said she said? Your vet needs copies of blood test results if he/she is not the one who diagnosed Theo. If darrihea is the only symptom, it could be another disease or an allergy to fish.

 

[javannalynn]

He's 17. I get very little information about his actual conditions. I got him from a shelter and as part of his adoption they handle his medical care and costs. I think they only did this thinking he would not live more then a few weeks. I took him to my vet and had blood work done just to find out more info and make sure the thyroid meds were good since the shelter tells me nothing and has not done blood work since i've had him. He told me about the beginning failure of one kidney although the other is working. While he has gained a bunch of weight since being here because of the muscle loss before he came to me he still looks thin in his hips. he is starting to gain muscle slowly.

 

[javannalynn]

I also give him sub-q fluids every few days. but it doesn't seem to effect his diarrhea.

I've told the shelter that he has this diarrhea several times and they seem unconcerned. Just like it is something he has to live with.

I also had his shelter records sent to my vet and my vet said none of it made any sense and didn't say what his conditions were or include any blood work or information on how he was diagnosed.

 

[Daisy6]

How long ago did you adopt him? Maybe the shelter's thinking is, "Once we adopt out ani animal it is not our busness anymore."

Obiovusly your vet needs to test for everything else because the T4 (thyroxine) is separate from all that. Then it will be easier to find out if the diarrhea is related to fish (a common allergy) or something else. For now keep feeding Theo the fish so he can continue gaining weight.

 

[javannalynn]

I kinda feel the same about the shelter. they seem to care very little about him even though every time i take him to their vet everyone comes to see him. They call him a staff favorite. they were without a vet for a few months because she abruptly quit and just recently got a new one. that is why i took him to my vet. he did full blood work as if they were going to do surgery on him. he said its the best blood test for the least amount. My vet is amazing and has helped me out several times with getting me the cheapest options. They've even not charged me anything a few times because they are so awesome!

 

[Daisy6]

It will be a sad day when your vet retires.

Did the blood test show normal levels of BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine when he did it? those are the two key blood values for diagnosing CKD. If not, the vet should do a urinalysis next time you take Theo in.

 

[javannalynn]

He didn't tell me that. I did have him fax the blood work to the shelter and she also mentioned the same that one is starting to fail and the other is working fine. she did not seem concerned about that either just said to keep giving him the fluids every few days. He drinks tons of water and pees more then all the other cats. Huge puddles.

I've had him since November i don't know if i mentioned that. I know that he starved himself in food protest because he loves food and he was skin and bones when i got him. He was on an appetite pill that he didn't need. He does protest his food here where he will lay by it and stare at me til i give him something else. I could imagine someone with less cat experience not realizing a cat is starving themselves. I watched my female do it and didn't realize it for over a month. Knowing how much he loves food i can only imagine he protested himself into starvation...

 

[javannalynn]

The day we met...


Today.

 

[Daisy6]

Awww,Theo is so cute. How could anyone surrender such an adorable kitty?

The shelter vet was not concerned because only one kidney is failing. I don't think cats should be considered OK if they have only one working kidney but tthat topic ios for another thread.

Food protest is a tricky issue. I have that problem with Daisy, who re fused to eat most wet foods I tried and sometimes ate 1/4 ro 1/2 of a can after protesting it. I have to give her something with "fish" as the first ingredientt, which is against all of my feline nutriiton beliefs, and am just happy she lloves something with higher quialty ingredients than Purina, Hill's, Royal Canin, etc.

Back to the diarrhea: Plain pumpkin (not the stuff people eat) might help if he will eat it.

 

[javannalynn]

Authority actually offers a can of plain pumpkin and i tried it. every cat refused it.

 

[Daisy6]

Did you mix it in the cat food or just serve the pumpkin as is?

 

[mikameek]

While I don't have anything to offer in regards with the CKD but in regards to foods that are less expensive, I really like Whole Earth Farms. They're the cheaper brand under the Merrick company. I don't feed the synthetic vitamin K which they don't have in their foods. They're .99 cents for a 3 oz can and around 1.20 for 5 oz cans. They also make mixed foods (beef & salmon, chicken & salmon, salmon & tuna) so it makes my baby happy.

Wishing you the most luck with this beautiful boy of yours!

 

[javannalynn]

I just offered the pumpkin on a plate.

I will have to look into that food. i already feed them merrick hard food but theo doesn't eat it. Where do you get it from?

 

[mikameek]

I usually buy it at my local petco. I’ve noticed Petsmart doesn’t carry it, at least around me.

 

[Daisy6]

Wet and dry food are not the same. Daisy likes dry Blue Wilderness Chicken but I could not get her to eat much of the wet version. If a Petco is near you, Theo may like the one Mika suggested.

See if Theo will eat pumpkin mixed in the fish.

 

[duckpond]

He is a pretty boy! and i do applaud you for adopting a senior!

I feed a fair amount of fish flavor foods, and unless a cat has an allergy to fish it should not cause diareah, any more than any other protein. The only way to know for sure would be to pull him off any fish for a few weeks and see?

Purina pro plan, Fancy feast, and Friskies are wet foods that are well accepted by many cats. If he will eat those, then i would feed him those, unless you vet has him on a prescription diet. I would feed him what ever wet foods he likes. Sometimes its more important that they eat, what ever that food may be.

If your vet has not treated him for Giardia i might bring that up. Parasites and Giardia are often a cause of diarrhea. Very few cats i have rescued did not have both.

I do like to look up wet foods at the link below.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Best of luck to him, and do continue to update on the pretty boy!

 

[javannalynn]

I tried the Whole Farms brand and i don't really like it. He loves gravy and there is none. also the cans look the same size but are actually smaller. a 2.75 oz can and a 5oz can. I did buy some anyways and Theo showed little interest. He liked the duck flavor but that was about it. I noticed the food was a weird consistency. it seems almost like a foam... He was eating it for a few days but was refusing to eat about half the bowl each time. I returned some of them to petco today and while looking there was another brand same price right next to it. Whole Hearted so we are trying that. he really like it so far. I tried to not give him any fish for a few days but he was eating so much less i got worried and gave him some which he scarfed the entire bowl. The shelter seems to think he will just live with diarrhea. maybe i should just feed him whatever he eats. I wonder if besides probiotics if there is maybe a prescription med i could give him to help... thicken things... what about fiber??