Cramping with RC High Fiber?

cocoanlace

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My 13 year old Kitty has been eating wet food and also the Royal Canin high-fiber response dry food because of diarrhea issues he was having last year. The downside is he gets in a hunched position for an hour or more before a BM. I believe he is experiencing either cramping or discomfort with this fiber content. Has anyone experienced this? I tried to substitute another RC brand but the diarrhea started to return. It works but I hate to see him in discomfort. He won't touch pumpkin so that is not an option. Thank you.
 

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Hi. I don't what the RC high-fiber diet contains to help with his diarrhea, but you could try psyllium (it is the primary ingredient in Metamucil) and see if this more natural fiber would cause less discomfort. Another more natural treatment might be slippery elm. And, finally if those alternatives don't help with the diarrhea, like RC does, you could look into probiotics.

Have your told your vet about the discomfort when using the RC food, to see if they would offer some alternatives? I take it, given his age, he has had a full senior check up (blood work, including a Chemical Profile, urinalysis, fecal test)?
 

Azazel

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I would take him off of that food. Cats don't need very much fiber in their diet. RC also contains lots of grains and carbs that can cause digestive upset in cats.
 
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cocoanlace

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Thanks, yes because he had recent exploratory surgery he's had full panel blood tests, blood typing, chest xray, ultrasound, including a blood panel just yesterday to see where we are. The additives to his food would require putting it into wet food, and he snubs any wet food that I doctor up with pumpkin, CBD oil, you name it. It gets rejected. I used slippery elm on another kitty, and it would make him vomit. We are dealing with nausea right now so I don't want to invite other issues. I will check with my vet about a fecal. I'm sure we haven't done that. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 

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So, what was the exploratory surgery for, and what were the vet's assessment of the results? Is the nausea new (you didn't mention it before). Could it be the result of the same thing that is causing the intestinal discomfort/cramping?

I am guessing that the food you are feeding him is: Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Fiber Response? I see the first several ingredients in this food is: Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn, Chicken Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Gluten, Psyllium Seed Husk, Natural Flavors, Dried Chicory Root, Egg Product.

It is possible the rice or the glutens are causing his issues. Ask your vet about that and what in this food he thinks helps to eliminate his diarrhea. You only need to replicate the ingredient that is helping him and eliminate other potential reasons for the cramping - and nausea.

You can try a couple of wet foods that he might actually go for. One is Sheba Perfect Portions in pate style. The other is Fancy Feast pates. The former is a real attractant for picky eater cats, but actually so is the latter. You could test them out by mixing a bit with his dry RC food - just to see if he would be amenable. If he would turn out to like either of those, then you could test out the psyllium.

Just some lay-person thoughts...
 
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cocoanlace

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So, what was the exploratory surgery for, and what were the vet's assessment of the results? Is the nausea new (you didn't mention it before).

He has a defective biliary system. His distended, fluid-filled common bile duct was cut down to size and attached to his intestines. His gallbladder is atrophied and not functioning. The nausea and vomiting
returned in August when his CBD and the others inside his liver became distended with too much fluid. It's rare. Nobody knows why it happens. Could be congenital. Previous to that, for almost a year, he was doing okay. He was mildly nauseous but did not vomit. His BM's were as normal as they could be for a cat whose insides were not what they should be. Now that his biliary system has been mostly resolved, I am thinking his discomfort may be from the RC food itself. He likes the Fancy Feast for gravy lovers but just the gravy. And if I give him the pate, he licks the moisture and leaves the solid. That's why mixing these additives into wet food never goes well. Today I was searching for a chewable treat that contains the psyllium. Could not find one. My thought is to give him the fiber as a supplement and switch to a completely different food.
You've helped me to think through all of this and I appreciate it. The vet put him on transdermal mirtazapine and it made him start eating, but he vomited all his food this afternoon anyway. I realize he has a complicated issue and I am simply trying to navigate my way through the dark here.
 

FeebysOwner

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Oh, wow! Poor little guy. You are to be commended for what you have done for him! Just throwing this out one last time - try the Sheba Perfect Portions pates. When Feeby has issues - for whatever reason - she will lick all the moisture off the FF pates and leave the 'real' food. She does not do that with the Sheba.

The licking of wet food is a also a common issue with cats that are used to dry food - or at least that is what I experienced with Feeby. Although, she will no longer eat dry food (of her own choosing), she still mostly licks/laps at her food. She does OK with FF pates, but on occasion I have to 're-entice' to eat better with the Sheba. It's worth a try...

I also give her baby food meats when she gets her arthritis supplement - just enough to make sure she eats the supplement. I also have done that with human canned tuna or chicken in water as well. I give her the meds in some of the 'water', just enough to get her to lap all of it up, and the a piece of the tuna or chicken as a treat afterward.
 
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