Diarrhea Is Back...grrrr

Erin80

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I read some cats just can’t handle grain free, and I’m wondering if Binx is one of them. I’m putting them completely on dry until things firm up, and then we will try some none grain free foods like Nutro, Natural Balance, etc. They both had Merrick for breakfast and Binx just had total diarrhea. I will introduce wet back one kind at a time and see how it goes. How do I figure out if it’s grain free or a specific protein that makes this happen?? They had Merrick kitten this morning and surf and turf.
 
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Erin80

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The dry food they’re on is grain free too...ugh. Lol
 

verna davies

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It's down to food trials which is a slow process. Many cats are allergic to chicken, is this what you feed them?
 
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Erin80

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A lot of their food is chicken based, yup....but we do have Merrick rabbit too. I wonder if I should start with chicken free or grain free....
 
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Erin80

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Actually, he was on chicken based food at the shelter and was perfectly fine. So I’m thinking it’s the grain free....so we will see!
 

kommunity kats

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Grain Free is NOT Carb Free. I haven't seen your prior post & don't know where to look for it, so will just respond to what you say here & seem to imply . . .

Your cat might have IBS/IBD, allergies to something in its food, or a difficult to diagnose parasite. I've learned a lot by reading the following articles about those subjects, & figure you may want to read some of them, too:

"One Time You SHOULD Withhold Food from Your Pet…"
Pet Diarrhea Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

"IBS & IBD in Cats"
IBD/IBS-Cat

"Allergies & Your Cat"
ALLERGIES-Cat

"Tough to Kill, This Pet Parasite [Giardia] Can Infect You, Too"
Does Your Cat Have Giardia Infection Problems?
(When my dog was diagnosed with Giardia & would NOT swallow the prescription meds for it, I gave her appropriate-sized doses of GarpeFruit Seed Extract; MSM; & Virgin Coconut oil. Each of them reportedly kill it, but my dog had lost 10 lbs & I didn't want to waste any time. . . . She gained it all back in one week taking the natural treatments & eating 3 instead of 2 meals daily!)
 
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Erin80

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Grain Free is NOT Carb Free. I haven't seen your prior post & don't know where to look for it, so will just respond to what you say here & seem to imply . . .

Your cat might have IBS/IBD, allergies to something in its food, or a difficult to diagnose parasite. I've learned a lot by reading the following articles about those subjects, & figure you may want to read some of them, too:

"One Time You SHOULD Withhold Food from Your Pet…"
Pet Diarrhea Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

"IBS & IBD in Cats"
IBD/IBS-Cat

"Allergies & Your Cat"
ALLERGIES-Cat

"Tough to Kill, This Pet Parasite [Giardia] Can Infect You, Too"
Does Your Cat Have Giardia Infection Problems?
(When my dog was diagnosed with Giardia & would NOT swallow the prescription meds for it, I gave her appropriate-sized doses of GarpeFruit Seed Extract; MSM; & Virgin Coconut oil. Each of them reportedly kill it, but my dog had lost 10 lbs & I didn't want to waste any time. . . . She gained it all back in one week taking the natural treatments & eating 3 instead of 2 meals daily!)

Thanks!!
We did get a fecal sample run last Saturday and sent away to the lab to check for Giardia.....all clear. I'm thinking it's a sensitivity to something in the grain free foods.....just not sure what.
I will feed dry until it firms up again, then try one brand at a time and see what happens. I read an article about a lady who was feeding her cat all top of the line, grain free excellent foods and her cat just kept having diarrhea. Her vet recommended trying a regular old cat food - in this case she tried Meow Mix....and within a few days his diarrhea had stopped. I don't think I'd try Meow Mix, but I might go with something like Royal Canin dry and see.......if being on his current grain free dry food doesn't clear it up.
 

kommunity kats

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Grain Free food usually has potatoes &/0r beans in it . . . neither of which are on a species specific diet for cats.
 

kommunity kats

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Thanks!!
We did get a fecal sample run last Saturday and sent away to the lab to check for Giardia.....all clear. . . .
I want to make sure that you read the following specific information in the article I posted the link for above, on Giardia :

". . . Another challenge in diagnosing giardia is that the parasite is *not* shed in every stool. This means there can be cyst-free stool samples from *infected* animals. If one of these samples happens to be the one collected for analysis, it won't show any evidence of giardia, even though the kitty *is* infected.

"I recommend an ELISA or PCR test for giardia for any pet with a history of GI issues. A fecal ELISA or PCR test is preferable to a fecal flotation test because it checks for the presence of giardia *antigens*. A fecal float only detects giardia cysts, which may or may not be in the particular stool sample being tested.

"Unfortunately, many vets do *not* routinely run the ELISA or PCR test and instead, use only stool sample results that may or may not pick up evidence of infection. So make *sure* to ask your vet for a *fecal* *antigen* *test* in addition to a fecal float.
 
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Erin80

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Update!
Nobody is having diarrhea this morning. They ate mostly dry yesterday, with a bit of Chicken Soup for the Soul wet food at dinner time. This morning they had Natural Balance for breakfast and so far so good. I think it might be fish based foods....they had that surf and turf yesterday morning and he had diarrhea a few hrs after that.
I just bought some Instinct LID to try, and also some Natural Balance LID.
 

kommunity kats

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Update!
Nobody is having diarrhea this morning. . . . I think it might be fish based foods....they had that surf and turf yesterday morning and he had diarrhea a few hrs after that. . . .
You may be onto something!

Fish is nutritionally deficient, & must have nutrient/s added to make it a balanced food. . . .

"[Fish] is also responsible for a large percentage of food allergies in cats. In one study of 56 cats with identifiable food allergies, fish was a responsible ingredient in 13 (23%) of those cases. This puts fish in third place for potential allergic reactions behind only beef and dairy products (16 cases [29%] each). . . . ." Of Cats and Fish – Is Fish Bad for Cats | petMD

I didn't know that!

Just wondering if the LID foods you've purchased say they are specifically for a fish based allergy . . . ? And whether they have any fish oil in the ingredients list . . . ?
 
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Erin80

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You may be onto something!

Fish is nutritionally deficient, & must have nutrient/s added to make it a balanced food. . . .

"[Fish] is also responsible for a large percentage of food allergies in cats. In one study of 56 cats with identifiable food allergies, fish was a responsible ingredient in 13 (23%) of those cases. This puts fish in third place for potential allergic reactions behind only beef and dairy products (16 cases [29%] each). . . . ." Of Cats and Fish – Is Fish Bad for Cats | petMD

I didn't know that!

Just wondering if the LID foods you've purchased say they are specifically for a fish based allergy . . . ? And whether they have any fish oil in the ingredients list . . . ?
Nope, no fish or fish oil at all in any of them.
 

Notacrazycatlady

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Just an FYI from someone who's dealing with a similar chronic soft stool/diarrhea issue in her household--avoid Blue Buffalo and possibly Royal Canin. I started Leo on Blue Buffalo dry for kittens from the beginning and he had soft, smelly stool (color and odor were diarrhea-ish, but some consistency to it) which occasionally was actual diarrhea. When Angus got into the Blue Buffalo dry, he also developed soft stool and diarrhea after having been normal up to that point. I discovered other people online who have experienced the same thing with their cats. From what I read, the potato they use as a filler in the dry is what is pointed to as the culprit. Someone here mentioned that their cat is chronically constipated and their vet recommended Royal Canin food for that so I'm guessing it also has the same effect. I took them off the Blue Buffalo dry and Angus is back to normal. Poor Leo had two bowel movements in one day that were basically liquid. The vet has him on probiotics for a couple of weeks and said we need to increase his fiber (picky little snot won't touch pumpkin or anything else I've tried but at least he seems to like the Fortiflora probiotic I'm mixing with his food). If anyone has any suggestions about fiber, I'd love to hear it (not to hijack the thread:oops:)
 

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My Ragdolls like 100% pumpkin paste puree supplemented/mixed in their food. This firms them up when they have bouts with diarrhea. I also sprinkle probiotic powder on their food when I am making a change to another type of food. I feed them Crave wet food and Rawz kibble/wet food.
 

kittyluv387

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The only thing that helped my chronically runny cat was raw cat food. Would you consider that?
 

10009891

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Not everyone has the time to prepare the complicated diet. It has to be done in proper ratios. I am one that do not like to handle raw meat and blood.
 

kittyluv387

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Not everyone has the time to prepare the complicated diet. It has to be done in proper ratios. I am one that do not like to handle raw meat and blood.
I understand that. I do commercial raw myself. But i gotta mention it because I was at my wits end and it was the magic cure for my cat.
 

10009891

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Which brand of commercial raw food do you buy? I was buying Primal, but most frozen bags of food I bought had freezer burn. I then tried the freeze dried, but the cost is astronomical for just a few nuggets.
 

kittyluv387

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Which brand of commercial raw food do you buy? I was buying Primal, but most frozen bags of food I bought had freezer burn. I then tried the freeze dried, but the cost is astronomical for just a few nuggets.
Yes the expense is the downside of comemrcial raw, but for me it's better than dealing with diarrhea. I spend over $100usd/month for just one of my cats so he can eat 100% raw. My cat stopped liking frozen primal so he's eating a lot of freeze dried. I was also feeding him vital essentials but they have supply issues right now. I was even feeding Rad cat but that business is going under. Does doing 50% raw help you at all? If you could get by with that it'll help your budget.
 

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Fish is a hidden ingredient in many foods that say there just chicken or beef. Always read the ingredients. Slowly add new food to old. My cat with a sensitive tummy eats Dr Elseys clean protein. Few ingredients so its like lid. Also no carrageenan. I make sure their are no ingredients that are not needed and can cause problems. Your cat is more likely to get diarrhea from dry food
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat
 
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