Feedback On Diet?

MargoLane

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Sorry for the wall of text - I can't seem to make a short post on this site! I've been trying different types of raw and wet to find the right combo for my IBD cat. She is currently on a low dose of Prednisolone every other day, which I'd like to be able to transition away from in the future. The long and short of it is too much wet, and she has soft stools. Too much commercial raw, and I start to see a little bit of blood in her stools. I'm thinking it's due to the higher bone content.

Busy is now a prolific eater, and switches between different types of wet and raw effortlessly. She hasn't turned her nose up at anything so far. She's 8 pounds, so I'm feeding her about 170 calories per day and I'd like to get down to about $100 per month on food.

Breakfast: 1 Primal Freeze Dried Nugget (Duck) rehydrated with 1/4 cup of Honest Kitchen Goats Milk Probiotics (75 cals)

Dinner: 1.5 ounces rad cat (50 cals)

Bedtime: 1.5 ounces rad cat (50 cals)

My pet store sells the big bag of primal for $35 and Rad Cat is $22 for 24 ounces, so we're looking at $3.50 per day to feed her. (48 nuggets usually in the bag of primal = .75 cents per day, and $2.50 for the three ounces of Rad Cat).

Any feedback? Does that seem way expensive? Using primal breakfast keeps the cost down, and hopefully will be a low enough bone ratio to keep the blood from coming back.
 

Furballsmom

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I'm not a raw feeder other than some Primal Pronto.
With that said, if your furbaby is healthy, the correct weight for her size (with a thin layer of fat over her ribs) drinks lots of water and uses her litter box(s) appropriately, I'd say you have a good thing going.
If I were to try and figure out what I spend on my Big Mess Of Fur daily, it would be in the range of $2.75 to $4. He's a big eater, gets a variety of brands and gets some kibble and treats.
 

Gizmobius

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I think the most important thing is; does this current diet work for her? I understand wanting to get price down, believe me. I have a raw fed boy with digestive issues myself! I think as long as she seems alright and healthy with that diet (if stool is where you want it to be and she's not begging for food,) you must have a good thing going!
 

1 bruce 1

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Sorry for the wall of text - I can't seem to make a short post on this site! I've been trying different types of raw and wet to find the right combo for my IBD cat. She is currently on a low dose of Prednisolone every other day, which I'd like to be able to transition away from in the future. The long and short of it is too much wet, and she has soft stools. Too much commercial raw, and I start to see a little bit of blood in her stools. I'm thinking it's due to the higher bone content.

Busy is now a prolific eater, and switches between different types of wet and raw effortlessly. She hasn't turned her nose up at anything so far. She's 8 pounds, so I'm feeding her about 170 calories per day and I'd like to get down to about $100 per month on food.

Breakfast: 1 Primal Freeze Dried Nugget (Duck) rehydrated with 1/4 cup of Honest Kitchen Goats Milk Probiotics (75 cals)

Dinner: 1.5 ounces rad cat (50 cals)

Bedtime: 1.5 ounces rad cat (50 cals)

My pet store sells the big bag of primal for $35 and Rad Cat is $22 for 24 ounces, so we're looking at $3.50 per day to feed her. (48 nuggets usually in the bag of primal = .75 cents per day, and $2.50 for the three ounces of Rad Cat).

Any feedback? Does that seem way expensive? Using primal breakfast keeps the cost down, and hopefully will be a low enough bone ratio to keep the blood from coming back.
I like the addition of Goats milk probiotics.
$3.50 a day for a single cat to me 'seems' expensive, but then again when you're dealing with a difficult to control case of IBD you weigh the costs of food she does well on vs. food she's "meh" on + the cost of vet visits for whatever reason if the food causes problems and the stress on her, stress on you, and annoyances at calling/taking her to the vet often, the math is there and $3.50 for a diet she does well on and maintains her weight/stool on isn't bad at all! =)


Our cat with IBD has diarrhea on most commercial foods, and gets constipation bad on all raw foods (even a balanced boneless diet! Sigh!!) Kibble is a nightmare with him. NO raw worked, and I say this as a die hard raw feeder that cooked diet DID help him, and for some reason Fancy Feast is well tolerated too.

I wonder if digestive enzymes would be a help, even short term or after you notice a bit of a flare up starting.
 

yeva2292

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What I would suggest is looking to see if any stores within 10-20 miles of your home or work stock Rad Cat and call them to ask about pricing. The store closest to my home sells Rad Cat (lamb) for $21.99. The store near my work sells the lamb formula for $13.99. Suffice to say, I switched to buying from the store near my work.
 

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What I would suggest is looking to see if any stores within 10-20 miles of your home or work stock Rad Cat and call them to ask about pricing. The store closest to my home sells Rad Cat (lamb) for $21.99. The store near my work sells the lamb formula for $13.99. Suffice to say, I switched to buying from the store near my work.
Wow! What a good deal!
I have yet to find RC 24oz tubs for less than 19.99.
 
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MargoLane

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I wonder if digestive enzymes would be a help, even short term or after you notice a bit of a flare up starting.[/QUOTE]

Digestive enzymes are a great idea! Any suggestions for what you use? I tried a probiotic/digestive enzyme powder for cats, and she had diarrhea the first time she ate it so now she won't go near food that has it. It's the only food she's refused - not including bad flare ups where she eats nothing, of course.
 
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MargoLane

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And you're all right - when you find something that works, it is worth the money. Thanks for the reassurance. I know making our own raw would be the most cost effective, but my partner is a hard no on that front, and I'm not really keen on it myself.
 
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MargoLane

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What I would suggest is looking to see if any stores within 10-20 miles of your home or work stock Rad Cat and call them to ask about pricing. The store closest to my home sells Rad Cat (lamb) for $21.99. The store near my work sells the lamb formula for $13.99. Suffice to say, I switched to buying from the store near my work.
That's a good idea! I'll see if any of the other places carry it; unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be widely available in Canada. We're lucky in that we have lots of local companies that produce high quality raw food that's fairly affordable. However, I haven't found one yet that doesn't have at least 10% bone content. So I'll see if any of the other stores carry it!
 

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What I would suggest is looking to see if any stores within 10-20 miles of your home or work stock Rad Cat and call them to ask about pricing. The store closest to my home sells Rad Cat (lamb) for $21.99. The store near my work sells the lamb formula for $13.99. Suffice to say, I switched to buying from the store near my work.
Wow! I thought I had found a good deal at $16.99! Is the store with the $13.99 price a chain or strictly local?
 

yeva2292

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I think its a local chain. Its called Pet Supply and they have 2 stores on the same long street. Not sure if they have any other locations.
 

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I can't believe how much some of these food prices vary! Rad Cat is usually $14.95 or $15.95 and large bags of Primal pork or turkey seem to average out at around $25.95. I live in the Portland, Maine, area, where there are multiple stores that sell both brands.
 
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MargoLane

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I can't believe how much some of these food prices vary! Rad Cat is usually $14.95 or $15.95 and large bags of Primal pork or turkey seem to average out at around $25.95. I live in the Portland, Maine, area, where there are multiple stores that sell both brands.
I'm in Canada, specifically in downtown Toronto, so between small store prices (I don't live near any large chain pet stores, and they don't seem to carry lots of these brands anyways) and the difference between American and Canadian prices/dollar, we end up paying more. I'm jealous of $15 Rad Cat! It would make a huge difference in my budget.
 

mschauer

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Well, sure enough, I called around and found a local store that carries Rad Cat (24 oz) for $15.87. In addition they have a loyalty program where if you buy 10 you get 1 free. That effectively lowers the price to $14.42 for me since I would always buy 10.
Plus, they offer free, same day, home delivery! :thud:

Sure am glad I joined in on this conversation! :)
 
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lisahe

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Well, sure enough, I called around and found a local store that carries Rad Cat (24 oz) for $15.87. In addition they have a loyalty program where if you buy 10 you get 1 free. That effectively lowers the price to $14.42 for me since I would always buy 10.
Plus, they offer free, same day, home delivery! :thud:

Sure am glad I joined in on this conversation! :)
It really does pay to shop around! One of our stores will even meet competitors' prices. And they all have some sort of loyalty program and/or bulk discount or "buy 10 get 1" so the prices usually end up a little lower than what's on the shelf.
 

mschauer

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I'm usually too lazy to shop around for the best price. I don't like shopping to begin with. I don't want to add anything that makes it worst! :lol:

I feel kinda guilty about buying Rad Cat though. It is sooo much more expensive than what I make myself. BUT, my cats would never eat the turkey food I made with locally purchased turkey but they love Rad Cat turkey. And I already said how I justify buying Rad Cat lamb. Also, I'm down from 4 cats to 3 so it's a little less expensive than it would have been a few months ago. So, I've talked myself in to using Rad Cat for 1/2 of their diet. :blush:

Also, just realized I was wrong about how much I have been paying for Rad Cat. It's actually $15.99 not $16.99. I'll probably still try the new place though. The same day home delivery would be nice!
 

lisahe

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I'm usually too lazy to shop around for the best price. I don't like shopping to begin with. I don't want to add anything that makes it worst! :lol:

I feel kinda guilty about buying Rad Cat though. It is sooo much more expensive than what I make myself. BUT, my cats would never eat the turkey food I made with locally purchased turkey but they love Rad Cat turkey. And I already said how I justify buying Rad Cat lamb. Also, I'm down from 4 cats to 3 so it's a little less expensive than it would have been a few months ago. So, I've talked myself in to using Rad Cat for 1/2 of their diet. :blush:
I'm the same way about shopping around and shopping in general! Most of my price comparisons come from buying foods in various places and comparing the register receipts.

And Rad Cat is expensive but our cats love it so much that I keep an afternoon snack on their menu. That rotates between RC chicken, RC turkey, and Oma's Pride Purr, which they actually like best but which I limit because it has necks (chicken or turkey or both, I don't remember!). Purr is much cheaper but pretty decent food and denser than RC: I even add a little water.
 

lisahe

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I'd like to try Oma's Pride but it isn't available in Houston. :sigh:
That's too bad! I think there are even two places near me where I can get it. The cats really love Purr. I should really think about what other items of theirs I might want to try...
 
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