Ok, this might be a little long, if you don't want to read all the details go to the last paragraph.
My friend has a cat named Oliver, he is 5 years old, altered and healthy weight. No chronic health issues that we know of, other than a previous bowel obstruction removal done (he has major PICA) when he was a year old. He has recently developed diarrhea, my friend says it has been going on since I convinced her to switch from Science Diet Sensitive Stomach (which her vet had talked her into previously for her other cat Jasper who threw up previously, though upon talking to my friend it seems his vomiting was brought on by him eating too fast right after he was rescued and not the food) to Earthborn Holistic which is a high quality grain free food that was in her price range (actually cheaper than the junk SD food). I am over there a lot and hadn't noticed diarrhea until recently when he vet put him on Clindamycin for a runny nose, since then his diarrhea has been BAD, constant and pure liquid. I recommended probiotics and bought some for her, but he hadn't even been on them long when she had to bring him to the vet due to being dehydrated from the diarrhea. The vet talked her into putting him on another antibiotic (no reason I can see for that since he doesn't have an infection and all that will do is further deplete his gut flora), switching him with no transition time back to Science Diet prescription I/D food and gave him fluids. The vet also told her that Earthborn may be "too rich" for Oliver which I think is BS, I cannot imagine a Science Diet food which has the first two ingredients listed as non-meat but grains is a better, healthier choice for any cat. I really need advice as to whether this actually has any basis in fact, because now my friend is thinking she needs to switch her cats back to SD and I hope that isn't actually the solution. I have looked at the foods she was feeding before (canned and dry), compared them to Earthborn and there are no new ingredients so that rules out allergies.
Too long; didn't read: My vet told my friend that the cause of her cats diarrhea was that grain free food is too rich and wants her to switch back to Science Diet (which she conveniently sells for a huge profit). Is this possible? Can a grain-free food be bad for a cat and grain filled junk better?
My friend has a cat named Oliver, he is 5 years old, altered and healthy weight. No chronic health issues that we know of, other than a previous bowel obstruction removal done (he has major PICA) when he was a year old. He has recently developed diarrhea, my friend says it has been going on since I convinced her to switch from Science Diet Sensitive Stomach (which her vet had talked her into previously for her other cat Jasper who threw up previously, though upon talking to my friend it seems his vomiting was brought on by him eating too fast right after he was rescued and not the food) to Earthborn Holistic which is a high quality grain free food that was in her price range (actually cheaper than the junk SD food). I am over there a lot and hadn't noticed diarrhea until recently when he vet put him on Clindamycin for a runny nose, since then his diarrhea has been BAD, constant and pure liquid. I recommended probiotics and bought some for her, but he hadn't even been on them long when she had to bring him to the vet due to being dehydrated from the diarrhea. The vet talked her into putting him on another antibiotic (no reason I can see for that since he doesn't have an infection and all that will do is further deplete his gut flora), switching him with no transition time back to Science Diet prescription I/D food and gave him fluids. The vet also told her that Earthborn may be "too rich" for Oliver which I think is BS, I cannot imagine a Science Diet food which has the first two ingredients listed as non-meat but grains is a better, healthier choice for any cat. I really need advice as to whether this actually has any basis in fact, because now my friend is thinking she needs to switch her cats back to SD and I hope that isn't actually the solution. I have looked at the foods she was feeding before (canned and dry), compared them to Earthborn and there are no new ingredients so that rules out allergies.
Too long; didn't read: My vet told my friend that the cause of her cats diarrhea was that grain free food is too rich and wants her to switch back to Science Diet (which she conveniently sells for a huge profit). Is this possible? Can a grain-free food be bad for a cat and grain filled junk better?
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