Dr. Elsey's Formula Change

[AslanFriend]

I just found a new product I am hopeful may be at least part of the solution. Wysong brought it out, maybe a month ago. It's called "Wysong Restore Canine and Feline" food.

UPDATE: After trying several times, I could not get any information from Wysong on their new Restore product's dry-weight phosphorus level. Without knowing that, seeing no reason to stress my cat's kidneys, I can't recommend their new food.

 

[5CatDraw]

Hi 5CatDraw, I'm definitely still watching this for new information. Yes, I would say the problem is the "porcine plasma," which is processed pig blood. Hydrolyzed pork, though it is also from factory farmed pigs, who live under terrible conditions, is refined to the point where it is just broken-down protein.

Here is my longer answer:

Pig plasma, is made by spinning the slaughterhouse pig blood in a centrifuge. This takes out blood cells, but leaves behind other things. The spray-dried pork plasma industry describes its process as letting the spray-dried plasma sit for two weeks or more, and says most but not all processors do this. They do this because porcine plasma (the liquid part of the blood) contains viruses.

They claim it helps in "inactivating certain pathogens susceptible to dry environments and mild temperatures, such as PRRSV, PEDV and coronaviruses in general": Biosafety steps in the manufacturing process of spray-dried plasma: a review with emphasis on the use of ultraviolet irradiation as a redundant biosafety procedure - Porcine Health Management (see "Post-drying heating treatment").

PRRSV stands for "Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus" (Advanced Research in Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Co-infection With Other Pathogens in Swine)
PEDv stands for "Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus" (Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV): An update on etiology, transmission, pathogenesis, and prevention and control)
SDV stands for "Swine Vesicular Disease" (https://www.researchgate.net/public...sease_Virus_in_Porcine_Plasma_By_Spray-Drying)

Porcine plasma, also called "Spray-dried Porcine Plasma" or SDPP, naturally contains other viruses as well. It has long been controversial. In 2018, China banned the use of Porcine Plasma in pig feed, out of concern over swine flu: Chinese ban on SDPP creates opportunities for alternatives - All About Feed

China later began to allow it again. Besides viruses and other pathogens, SDPP has not been tested for long-term feeding in cats, or dogs.

I find it alarming, that in the few studies that have been done, one shows a decrease in an beneficial immune system component known as Immunoglobulin A. It binds to "good" gut bacteria and helps to keep them. But Pig Plasma decreased IgA in both cats and dogs. This alone means I would not feed anything with any amount of porcine plasma in it to anything. The Pig Plasma industry did this study long ago (2007) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377840107000363 . They claim the decrease is good, but we now have growing evidence IgA benefits human health (IgA in human health and diseases: Potential regulator of commensal microbiota - PubMed).

Most research that claims SDPP is safe has been funded by those who financially benefit from it. Somewhere, often below the reference section of a paper, the authors are supposed to declare conflicts of interests, and APC and others who profit from processed pig blood as food are typically the funders.

I have also become concerned about the factory-farmed pig industry in general. In the USA, they use ractopamine, which has been banned in other countries (Ractopamine at the Center of Decades-Long Scientific and Legal Disputes: A Lesson on Benefits, Safety Issues, and Conflicts ; Banned in 160 Nations, Why is Ractopamine in U.S. Pork? (Op-Ed) ). Also, the pigs' stress hormones, are carried in the blood, specifically the plasma. I don't want my cat eating dried stress hormones. The more I have seen about how factory-farmed pigs are treated (and also practices like "feed back") the more I do not want my cat eating any pig, which isn't a normal prey item for house cats in the first place.

Dr. Elsey's began it's cat food line with its focus on what was best for cats. I believe it has changed to simply choose what is more easy to source. They added pork isolate, but still had the egg for a while.

They also made the choice to change to a new producer for its food, and ran into problems that kept them from having any products to sell for a while.

Then the price of eggs (a simple, hormone and antibiotic-free protein) rose. The pig blood processers are strongly marketing their product as pet food. Dr. Elsey's gave in, and their new pig-laden formula has led to many negative reviews on Chewy, with quite a few cat owners reporting diarrhea (https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-cleanprotein-chicken-kibble/dp/146270 ; reviews starting in September 2023 note problems with the new formula).

Dr. Elsey's was once a good formula, for a dry cat food. The best I'd ever seen. I wish I had a dollar for every hour I have spent trying to solve the cat food problem caused by Dr. Elsey's choosing to feed cats processed pig blood. I do not trust their food anymore.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share so much info. You have obviously done a ton of research on porcine plasma and are quite well informed. I haven’t checked out the links you provided yet, but I will.

I had noticed pork plasma in some dog foods when I was recently researching those. I hadn’t taken the time to look into it.
You definitely present a good case for deciding that porcine plasma in pet foods is not a good idea. But then there is so much about the pet food industry that doesn’t sit well with me. You also raised concerns about the pork industry (like Ractopamine) which may cause me to rethink whether to feed any food with pork. But as far as the inhumane treatment of factory farmed pigs, stress hormones, etc. – it’s pretty hard to get away from that for cattle, chickens, etc. too. I’ve gone through periods where that was a very important factor for me when looking at dog foods, but trying to fact check claims about humane treatment of the meat sources just becomes overwhelming.
If you have done that, and feel good about some companies in that respect, I would love to know about those companies.

Dr. Elsey’s had a good product and now they have possibly made the decision to make this risky change based solely on increasing their profit margins. I understand that this may have started due to supply shortages during COVID, but as you point out, they then had the ability to go back to the original formula but chose not to.
But, since there are no other great options out there in dry cat food, desperate cat owners are probably going to keep feeding it. You’ve convinced me though.

My cats also eat Farmina dry, but I was wanting to eliminate fish from their diet - at least as a test. Seeing no other good options out there for fish-free dry, I will probably just stay with Farmina for now. But mostly I’m going to try harder to start feeding homemade to my dogs and cats. Thanks again for taking the time.

 

[5CatDraw]

UPDATE: After trying several times, I could not get any information from Wysong on their new Restore product's dry-weight phosphorus level. Without knowing that, seeing no reason to stress my cat's kidneys, I can't recommend their new food.

Thanks for sharing this info on Wysong too. I too am not inclined to use products of companies who are not responsive to requests for info. Seems like I had the same experience with them years ago, but I can't be sure about that.

 

[AslanFriend]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share so much info. You have obviously done a ton of research on porcine plasma and are quite well informed. I haven’t checked out the links you provided yet, but I will.

I had noticed pork plasma in some dog foods when I was recently researching those. I hadn’t taken the time to look into it.
You definitely present a good case for deciding that porcine plasma in pet foods is not a good idea. But then there is so much about the pet food industry that doesn’t sit well with me. You also raised concerns about the pork industry (like Ractopamine) which may cause me to rethink whether to feed any food with pork. But as far as the inhumane treatment of factory farmed pigs, stress hormones, etc. – it’s pretty hard to get away from that for cattle, chickens, etc. too. I’ve gone through periods where that was a very important factor for me when looking at dog foods, but trying to fact check claims about humane treatment of the meat sources just becomes overwhelming.
If you have done that, and feel good about some companies in that respect, I would love to know about those companies.

Dr. Elsey’s had a good product and now they have possibly made the decision to make this risky change based solely on increasing their profit margins. I understand that this may have started due to supply shortages during COVID, but as you point out, they then had the ability to go back to the original formula but chose not to.
But, since there are no other great options out there in dry cat food, desperate cat owners are probably going to keep feeding it. You’ve convinced me though.

My cats also eat Farmina dry, but I was wanting to eliminate fish from their diet - at least as a test. Seeing no other good options out there for fish-free dry, I will probably just stay with Farmina for now. But mostly I’m going to try harder to start feeding homemade to my dogs and cats. Thanks again for taking the time.

Thank you very much for all your kind words, 5CatDraw. I agree that there is a lot about the pet food industry that doesn't sit well with me. Both for cats and dogs. I had never heard of "porcine plasma" until it became the 3rd ingredient in what had been my favorite cat food - Dr. Elsey's. There are so many ways this is not a good idea.

One thing I learned from Dr. Elsey's was the importance of protein for cats. I had been using a 40% protein food when Dr. Elsey's came out with their formula, and it made a big difference.

My plan for the time being is to feed roughly half Wysong's Epigen90 (low plant food, high protein, but too high in phosphorus) mixed with Orijen's classic dry to make a food that's around 52% protein, fairly low in plants, and something that will be eaten. I'm also trying to add more wet food, and so far Stella & Chewy's dinner morsels (just a few, crumbled well with warm water) is lapped up readily and helps to hydrate, and their human-grade wet food has been received better than I thought it might. And I want to get ground flax in the new food, maybe just adding it myself.

I agree with you about the factory-farmed animals, too: it's a problem with chickens and cattle, too absolutely. The few cat foods I've seen that use humane-raised food (like Open Farm) use herring and lentils and other things I do not want.

What I've seen in the pig industry though, including in undercover videos taken at the factory farms, has changed my own willingness to eat factory-farmed pig myself. Applegate Farms and Niman Ranch both have humane-raised and killed pork and other products, I will give a try. Even if I didn't care about the suffering, I had no idea pigs are fed cannibalistically in the USA (on porcine plasma), or that cannibalistic feeding has been banned in Europe ever since the mad cow disease scare. And now there is some evidence that ractopamine may also increase risks of Alzheimer's disease. And also that pigs apparently have the strange feature of being able to harbor prions without looking like they have them. I can live with turkey pepperoni, or something else from a humane people-food producer, besides not wanting pig (or fish) in my pet food anymore.

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't warn people about porcine plasma. No long-term independent studies say it is safe for cats or dogs. And I don't think it's right that Dr. Elsey's has been allowed to keep it's ratings and stars on Amazon and Chewy by marketing this very different formula under the same name as their previous product. They suddenly put two new ingredients in as second and third highest, one of which - pig plasma - has long been controversial. I think they should have had to start a new page for a new product, and the formula with all the praise should now be marked "discontinued."

I hope your homemade food experiments go well, 5CatDraw. You sound like you really love your pets. I hope they reward your efforts with increasingly better health. And thanks again for your kind reply.

I'm putting some links at the end in hopes this may be easier to read. I take nearly everything with a grain of salt, and don't always agree with the pet food advisors below, but maybe something here will be useful to someone.

Pet food ingredient information: Pet Food Ingredients – Truth about Pet Food
and https://truthaboutpetfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/AAFCOFDARegsandDefinitions.pdf

Feed grade vs. Human-grade pet food: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Feed-Food-brochure.pdf

Pet food recall history: Pet Food/Treat Recall History – Truth about Pet Food

Recall notices email list: Subscribe to the Newsletter – Truth about Pet Food

Recall list: Cat Food Recalls | Cat Food Advisor

There is also a Dog Food recall list: Dog Food Recalls | DogFoodAdvisor

EU lifted part of its ban on processed animal proteins (but kept the ban against cannibalistic feeding): EU to lift its ban on feeding animal remains to domestic livestock

In the USA, pigs are fed cannibalistically as the norm.

Here is a remarkable (though technical) article on pigs as a possible reservoir for prion-related diseases. Researchers put prions in pigs' brains, waited, and the animals showed no signs of disease. After they were killed, their brains showed no signs (holes) either. And the four different kinds of tests used were all negative. And yet, they discovered the prions were still there. Yikes!: Classical BSE prions emerge from asymptomatic pigs challenged with atypical/Nor98 scrapie - Scientific Reports

I particularly like their last sentence in their Discussion section: "Given that pigs have demonstrated being susceptible to other prion diseases, and to propagate prions without showing signs of disease, the measures implemented to ban the inclusion of ruminant proteins in livestock feed must not be interrupted."

Good thinking, researchers!

Ractopamine is banned in about 160 countries, but is used in the USA. It makes the animal produce leaner meat that can be sold at a higher price. Now some initial evidence suggest another health risk link to Alzheimer's Disease: Assessing the Possible Influence of Residues of Ractopamine, a Livestock Feed Additive, in Meat on Alzheimer Disease

 

[AslanFriend]

Thanks for sharing this info on Wysong too. I too am not inclined to use products of companies who are not responsive to requests for info. Seems like I had the same experience with them years ago, but I can't be sure about that.

Yes, it makes me wonder why they won't give information. And it's bad customer service. Even so, they do have a good record of avoiding recalls, and their protein level in their Epigen 90 is good (though they include pig in their "meat protein isolate").

Still looking for a great cat food company . . ..

 

[5CatDraw]

A AslanFriend - Thanks for sharing all of that info – even the very unpleasant stuff. I wish my dogs and cats could be healthy as vegetarians, but I know that won’t work.

The sneaky recipe change by Dr. E’s is troubling in many ways. A reminder that one can’t count on the ingredients in a pet food remaining consistent. I will need to be more diligent in the future about checking ingredients before I buy, even on products I have been purchasing for a while. I’m just glad that cats.com did at least mention the ingredients change in their review. If they hadn’t, I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to realize it had happened. Also, as you point out, reviews become somewhat meaningless when recipe changes can happen at any time. One more thing to be aware of.

Questions for you, if you have the time:

Wysong: In your previous posts you mentioned Restore, and it looked pretty good to me so I ordered some, without putting too much thought into it. But now as I scrutinize a little more closely I find that there are things I prefer about Epigen90. I prefer the fish oil in Epigen90 over all of the vegetable oils and flaxseed in Restore. On the other hand I think I prefer the Dried Natural Meat Broth in Restore over the Meat Protein Isolate in Epigen. I would love to hear some more thoughts from you on the pros and cons of each. Have you looked into the preservative Calcium Propionate? I’ve never heard of that one.

You mentioned that Wysong was unwilling to provide you with the phosphorous content of Restore. Lack of transparency really is a turn off for me, and I do get that impression about Wysong. They provide only the bare minimum info online. I asked if nutrient profiles were available, but so far no reply. So it’s probably not a company I’m going to want to stay with for long.

Phosphorous: It sounds like low phosphorous is important to you, but you also want high protein. That’s really tough, if you also want the protein to come from meat – right? So is low bone content pretty much essential to keep the phosphorous down to a level you can live with? Do you feel better about phosphorous being a little higher than you like if the calcium is also high?

Phosphorous is not something I have been scrutinizing in cat foods since none of my cats have kidney issues (that I know of). But I probably should be paying more attention to it, as a preventative measure.

I have a feeling that inorganic phosphates are probably a firm “no” for you (??). I had read that they are much more readily absorbed than the phosphorous in meat, and can be problematic for cats. For a while I was determined to avoid them, but they are so prevalent in cat foods that at times I look the other way. At least the Wysong foods don’t seem to contain any of those.

Flaxseed: I’m puzzled that you see it as a desirable ingredient. I’m going the other direction right now – wanting to minimize it. I guess I have decided that in cooked foods the cyanide content probably isn’t a factor, but from what I’ve read I have concluded that cats can’t utilize flaxseed like they can fish oil. That they are unable to convert the ALA in flaxseed to EPA and DHA. But I would certainly like to hear more of your thoughts on it.

Why does cat food (and dog food) have to be such a complicated, frustrating topic? At this point, I’ve gotten over even caring how much it costs. I just want high quality!!

 

[AslanFriend]

5CatDraw, I am so glad I have met you! I love all these important, well-thought out questions. And I am really going to enjoy answering this thoroughly when I have time. I totally agree with you too: At this point, I don't care what it costs I just want high quality! Trying to find good cat food has become like a necessary hobby ever since Dr. Elsey's went rogue.

You've also made a lot of excellent points that I would like to look into, like about Calcium Propionate. Thank you so much for responding - I really appreciate it. I am hoping to find better solutions, and you are helping with that.

For right now, my apologies for posting the new Wysong Restore product ingredients - which I was so glad to find - before I knew what the dry-weight phosphorus level is. I assumed it wouldn't be a problem, so I ordered some from Chewy. After multiple contacts with the company over weeks and getting nowhere, I asked Chewy if they could find out, and after contacting Wysong more than once, they were unable to find out anything either. So I asked for my money back. I also said if a company will not tell what the phosphorus level for a cat, I don't think Chewy should allow them to sell it. (Is there a Bill of Rights for Cat Owners, somewhere? We need one.) Chewy has an extremely good policy of standing behind products they sell, and they refunded my money, including tax, with no problem.

On their FAQs page under "Returns," Chewy says their policy is:

Our return policy is simple and worry-free: If you're not 100% unconditionally satisfied with your pet supplies, you can return them within 365 days of purchase. If you would like to request a return or replacement, please send us a message with your order number.

We do not accept returns or exchanges on prescription medications. However, if the medication you received is incorrect or damaged, we will gladly exchange it for you or provide a refund on a case-by-case basis.

Chewy.com does not take title to returned items until the item arrives at our fulfillment center. At our discretion, a refund may be issued without requiring a return. In this situation, Chewy.com does not take title to the refunded item.


I had also contacted Amazon, to ask about the dry weight phosphorus of Wysong's new Restore product. They had no luck getting information from Wysong, either. If I had bought it from Amazon, I would try to have them call me, and would talk to them, to explain that the company will not give information that is very important in cat food and I am not going to use it. I think there is possibility they would issue a refund.

I hope you can get your money back. Wysong needs to be held accountable. So, I wish I would have waited until I knew more about the problem, and I hope you can be refunded if you want to be.

Also - I thank you for your comment in an earlier post about not wanting fish in your cat food. It reminded me that don't want it either. I have been using Epigen90 mixed with Orijen, and Orijen has two kinds of fish in its first five ingredients. It's also a Mars-owned company, and I do not like Mars. So I plan to switch to a different food, to get the fish out.

Hope you have a good weekend.

 

[5CatDraw]

Hi A AslanFriend I’ve already started feeding the Wysong Restore, and I’m going to keep it, but I hope to find something else so I don’t have to do business with them going forward. Now hearing more about what you went through trying to get the phosphorous content – that’s just ridiculously bad transparency. And terrible customer service when they wouldn’t even give you the courtesy of a reply. Me either, for that matter. At first I was kind of disappointed that my cats liked it more than I wanted them to - as what I am really seeking is a dry food that I find acceptable and that they will eat if hungry but not pig out on. To help with my planned transition to more canned and/or homemade. Now the interest in it has waned some, so it might work out for me as a temporary measure. I only bought a 2 lb bag.

But I haven’t had the heart to pull the free fed Farmina dry just yet. And, I’m kind of on the fence as to whether I’m going to or not. The main incentive was because all of their foods contain herring and for a while it seemed important to me to get my cats off of fish. And, I would rather they not be consuming so much sweet potato. Now, with reality setting in regarding the compromises that it seems must be made when it comes to cat food, I’m wondering if giving up Farmina is the right thing to do. I haven’t been terribly satisfied with their level of transparency, but compared to Wysong they now aren’t seeming that bad. At least they put quite a bit of info on their website. But when I have tried to get more specific vitamin/mineral content info, it has not gone well.

Hope at this moment you are discovering the perfect dry cat food, and will share it with me.

 

[3CatsWithLyme]

UPDATE: After trying several times, I could not get any information from Wysong on their new Restore product's dry-weight phosphorus level. Without knowing that, seeing no reason to stress my cat's kidneys, I can't recommend their new food.

I've been talking with Dr Elsey's. The 2 lb bags that they have left are of the old formula. I just bought 20 bags. I got them from chewy and Amazon. I don't know if you can find any more of the old formula or not. Good luck. My theory about cat food is that if a cat wouldn't eat it normally in the wild, they shouldn't eat it as part of their cat food as a domesticated cat.
Pork in general is not a good thing for cats, but pork plasma is a terrible thing for cats. My cats used to eat the salmon formula. Salmon was the first ingredient. Now chicken is the first ingredient, but there's a little Salmon Oil added way down the ingredient list. They took a really good cat food and ruined it. I've been emailing them and talking to them on the phone. I recommend you all do the same to see if we can force them to go back to the old formula! I know it won't be cheap, but I have three cats with Lyme disease and they need the best food they will eat. I feed them Wellness brand pate for their wet food and now I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of this old formula of Dr Elsey's kibble.
Thanks for the info about other foods to check out.
I think the biggest problem with most other Foods is the legumes. There's some research coming out saying that legumes can cause some type of heart problem in cats. I'd like to feed my cats raw food, but so far they haven't wanted to eat what I have purchased for them.

 

[Kflowers]

We used the old formula, the chicken no pork, to slowly - starting with one piece a day and working up - to get our cat where she not only tolerated chicken but does well on it. We aren't taking any chances with this new formula. Every vet we've had from way back, has been against feeding cats pork, any kind of port. Just saying, won't argue, but there you are.

3 3CatsWithLyme I am so glad you found that batch that your cats can eat.

 

[5CatDraw]

I've been talking with Dr Elsey's. The 2 lb bags that they have left are of the old formula. I just bought 20 bags. I got them from chewy and Amazon. I don't know if you can find any more of the old formula or not. Good luck. My theory about cat food is that if a cat wouldn't eat it normally in the wild, they shouldn't eat it as part of their cat food as a domesticated cat.
Pork in general is not a good thing for cats, but pork plasma is a terrible thing for cats. My cats used to eat the salmon formula. Salmon was the first ingredient. Now chicken is the first ingredient, but there's a little Salmon Oil added way down the ingredient list. They took a really good cat food and ruined it. I've been emailing them and talking to them on the phone. I recommend you all do the same to see if we can force them to go back to the old formula! I know it won't be cheap, but I have three cats with Lyme disease and they need the best food they will eat. I feed them Wellness brand pate for their wet food and now I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of this old formula of Dr Elsey's kibble.
Thanks for the info about other foods to check out.
I think the biggest problem with most other Foods is the legumes. There's some research coming out saying that legumes can cause some type of heart problem in cats. I'd like to feed my cats raw food, but so far they haven't wanted to eat what I have purchased for them.

Thanks so much for sharing that hot tip about the 2 lb bags. As soon as I read this I ordered 4 bags. If they are the old formula I will buy a bunch more.
Are your 2 lb bags the original formula (Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin …) or the interim formula (Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Gelatin, Chicken Fat …)? Either one would be better than the new. I can’t get comfortable with pork plasma either.

I agree that legumes are bad news, and I’m in the same boat as you regarding raw. I’ve tried several commercial brands of raw – frozen and freeze dried - and my cats have no interest whatsoever. Right now I’m trying to get them interested in ground turkey by barely cooking it and mixing it (still warm) with something they really like (like Fancy Feast). Hoping for this to be a stepping stone toward homemade – either raw or cooked.

I was considering trying Viva Raw. Have you tried it? Someone here mentioned it and I like the looks of it except that it contains cod liver oil, which I’m not a fan of. But, I’m realizing that I need to start making some concessions . . .

Thanks again for the hot tip on Dr. E’s!!!

 

[5CatDraw]

We used the old formula, the chicken no pork, to slowly - starting with one piece a day and working up - to get our cat where she not only tolerated chicken but does well on it. We aren't taking any chances with this new formula. Every vet we've had from way back, has been against feeding cats pork, any kind of port. Just saying, won't argue, but there you are.

3 3CatsWithLyme I am so glad you found that batch that your cats can eat.

So maybe I am confused about the original formula vs. the interim formula. Based on some old bags that I have, I thought the original formula contained pork protein isolate (but not the undesirable pork plasma).

These are the first few ingredients on the old bags I have:
BFB 11 Sept 23: Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin, Chicken Fat, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor
BFB 04 Feb 24: Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Gelatin, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil

And this is the new formula:
Chicken, Hydrolyzed Pork, Pork Plasma, Gelatin, Chicken Fat, Ground Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil

 

[Kflowers]

My understanding is that the ingredients are as you have described above for the old and new formula.

 

[5CatDraw]

I've been talking with Dr Elsey's. The 2 lb bags that they have left are of the old formula. I just bought 20 bags. I got them from chewy and Amazon. I don't know if you can find any more of the old formula or not. Good luck. My theory about cat food is that if a cat wouldn't eat it normally in the wild, they shouldn't eat it as part of their cat food as a domesticated cat.
Pork in general is not a good thing for cats, but pork plasma is a terrible thing for cats. My cats used to eat the salmon formula. Salmon was the first ingredient. Now chicken is the first ingredient, but there's a little Salmon Oil added way down the ingredient list. They took a really good cat food and ruined it. I've been emailing them and talking to them on the phone. I recommend you all do the same to see if we can force them to go back to the old formula! I know it won't be cheap, but I have three cats with Lyme disease and they need the best food they will eat. I feed them Wellness brand pate for their wet food and now I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of this old formula of Dr Elsey's kibble.
Thanks for the info about other foods to check out.
I think the biggest problem with most other Foods is the legumes. There's some research coming out saying that legumes can cause some type of heart problem in cats. I'd like to feed my cats raw food, but so far they haven't wanted to eat what I have purchased for them.

My 2 lb bags from Chewy arrived. They are the new formula. But I'm glad you were able to get some of the old before they made the change.

 

[cocoanlace]

My diabetic cat Sister went into remission after switching to Dr. Elsey's turkey dry. Then in 2023, the shortage due to ingredients sourcing forced me to buy pricey chicken formula on Ebay (lots of gouging but I was desperate). Next, Dr. Elsey's office finally shipped chicken dry to Amazon, so I grabbed six 6.6pd bags! I held my breath over the egg/pork plasma substitution, but Sister digested it fine. I should add that transitioning to Dr. Elsey's was a 2-month process. Wysong and Young Again Zero BOTH gave Sister diarrhea. So did Dr. Elsey's salmon and duck. Dr. Elsey's turkey or chicken did not. And Sister is a Dry Food Junkie. Elsey's seemed like miracle food.

This year, Sister's favorite turkey formula became available on Amazon and grabbed two 6.6pd bags. She did fine the first 3-4 weeks and then diarrhea began. My other cat who also likes Dr. Elsey's turkey now has diarrhea, too. So I have $120 worth of turkey formula I will not feed them. Since I still had unopened bags of Dr. E's chicken formula, I went back to feeding that, but the diarrhea continues, off and on. So now I have also "pulled" the Purina prescription struvite crystal dry I was feeding another cat in case THAT is the reason for the digestion issues. (Sister has accidentally accessed tiny amounts of the Purina on occasion.) I am giving everyone s.boulardii probiotic to address this (seems to be working!) because if Sister cannot eat Dr. Elsey's we are in trouble. And if that is not enough, during Sister's recent wellness exam, Proteinuria was proven after 3 Urine Protein Creatine Ratio tests. (It means her kidneys leak protein.) Ugh! The culprit could be consuming "too much protein." So the "miracle food" is now harming her? The vet has suggested high carb Hills KD! Apparently, Sister getting back on insulin is not an issue for this vet. For sure, I need to find a dry food with less protein to see if that resolves the Proteinuria. If Sister cannot have high protein because of her kidneys and cannot have high carb because of diabetes, WHAT IS LEFT??

 

[3CatsWithLyme]

UPDATE: After trying several times, I could not get any information from Wysong on their new Restore product's dry-weight phosphorus level. Without knowing that, seeing no reason to stress my cat's kidneys, I can't recommend their new food.

Hi,
I found product that is working well for my 3 cats, after Dr Elsey's let us down.
Fresh Mate kibble is what my cats are now enjoying. It has only 5 ingredients (other than the vitamins and minerals). My cats like the Pacific Ocean Fish Meal flavor, but i think they also have a second flavor that is some kind of fowl. It is expensive, but very worth it.
This food is so nutrient dense, my cats are actually eating a lot less food. I think in the long run, it won't workout to cost too much more to feed this kibble to them.

 

[Babypaws]

Hi,
I found product that is working well for my 3 cats, after Dr Elsey's let us down.
Fresh Mate kibble is what my cats are now enjoying. It has only 5 ingredients (other than the vitamins and minerals). My cats like the Pacific Ocean Fish Meal flavor, but i think they also have a second flavor that is some kind of fowl. It is expensive, but very worth it.
This food is so nutrient dense, my cats are actually eating a lot less food. I think in the long run, it won't workout to cost too much more to feed this kibble to them.

Do you mean “first mate”.

 

[3CatsWithLyme]

Do you mean “first mate”.

Oh yes. Thanks for catching that. I do mean First Mate.