Healthy novel protein dry food suggestions (maybe IBD)

[meowmixing]

My 12 year old male cat had frequent vomiting and stopped eating last year briefly - tests suspected IBD and he changed to dry and wet versions of royal canin selected protein pd (duck and pea) which completely solved the vomiting.

Before that he had been eating grain free foods his entire life. Now he has what seems like a chronic URI (on the serious side) and some mysterious skin issues that won’t go away. He is seeing a vet and trying all the different medication options. I can’t help but wonder if the food helps his stomach issues but all the fillers in Royal Canin may be bad for his health.

I just ordered a case of Koha duck wet food Pure Shreds Shredded Duck Entrée for Cats but cannot figure out a good dry food with limited ingredients (ideally duck I guess since his vomiting stopped on it). Not looking to switch him to raw food at age 12.

Does anyone have any dry food suggestions? Or think switching foods while he is sick is a bad idea? Thank you

 

[Furballsmom]

I like halo but they don't have duck.
Not everyone likes Blue but I've used it and like it, so there's this I've linked for you, plus if you do a search in chewy you might find others

BLUE Wilderness™ Nature's Evolutionary Diet with Duck for Adult Cats Dry Food.

 

[meowmixing]

I like halo but they don't have duck.
Not everyone likes Blue but I've used it and like it, so there's this I've linked for you, plus if you do a search in chewy you might find others

BLUE Wilderness™ Nature's Evolutionary Diet with Duck for Adult Cats Dry Food.

Thank you! This looks great aside from chicken ingredients. Chicken is in virtually everything

 

[lisahe]

You may have already considered this possibility but... many cats have digestive symptoms not from the proteins in their food but from thickeners and fillers. We've had to cut a bunch of htese ingredients out of our cats' diet: potato, agar-agar, green-lipped mussels, xanthan gum (not totally sure about that one but better safe than sorry!). I also avoid carrageenan, all grains, and all legumes, in any quantities. Our cats' sensitivities have usually taken a little time -- a few months for agar-agar, a year or two for the mussels -- to develop so even when you find something your cat can eat without symptoms, it's good to keep looking for new options.

One of the reasons I mention the fillers and thickeners is that you're right, M meowmixing , chicken is in almost everything. Unfortunately, it sounds like a lot of vets focus on chicken (and fish, too) first when a cat has a food issue. With our two cats, who've been with us for almost ten years, so far it's always been the other stuff that's caused problems. And thank goodness (I write, as I knock on wood that they can continue to eat chicken, which they love!) because there are lots of good foods with chicken. We've found that the best way to find viable foods for them is to seek out the simplest recipes: chicken shreds in broth, chicken/duck mousse, even Fancy Feast turkey/giblet pate. They're all high in protein, low in carbs.

The only dry food I'd recommend is Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken, which has no fillers, extremely low carbs, and even low phosphorus. Dr. E's other dry foods (I forget the proteins) have chickpeas in them, which I won't feed because they raise the carbs and cats are designed to eat meat protein rather than plant protein.

 

[jencat]

My cat with food intolerances/allergies did really well on Natures Variety Instinct Turkey Wet/ Dry. Her energy level, coat and body condition dramatically improved from the RC Duck as well. We tried the Blue Duck, but she didn't like it. It was kind of a last resort try, as the dermatologist thought Turkey might be an issue, but it wasn't in her case.

 

[Mighty Orange]

Tractor supply has dry duck cat food Manufacture 4 health Untamed Still water Marsh recipe.
30% protein no grains.

 

[jclark]

My 12 year old male cat had frequent vomiting and stopped eating last year briefly - tests suspected IBD and he changed to dry and wet versions of royal canin selected protein pd (duck and pea) which completely solved the vomiting.

Before that he had been eating grain free foods his entire life. Now he has what seems like a chronic URI (on the serious side) and some mysterious skin issues that won’t go away. He is seeing a vet and trying all the different medication options. I can’t help but wonder if the food helps his stomach issues but all the fillers in Royal Canin may be bad for his health.

I just ordered a case of Koha duck wet food Pure Shreds Shredded Duck Entrée for Cats but cannot figure out a good dry food with limited ingredients (ideally duck I guess since his vomiting stopped on it). Not looking to switch him to raw food at age 12.

Does anyone have any dry food suggestions? Or think switching foods while he is sick is a bad idea? Thank you

IBD is an autoimmune response to certain animal proteins. This is why for example hydrolyzed protein is commonly prescribed for cats with this condition. Nature's Variety and Merrick have limited ingredient options but you're going to want to make sure the phosphorus levels are appropriate for the age of your cat.

 

[ladytimedramon]

My 12 year old male cat had frequent vomiting and stopped eating last year briefly - tests suspected IBD and he changed to dry and wet versions of royal canin selected protein pd (duck and pea) which completely solved the vomiting.

Before that he had been eating grain free foods his entire life. Now he has what seems like a chronic URI (on the serious side) and some mysterious skin issues that won’t go away. He is seeing a vet and trying all the different medication options. I can’t help but wonder if the food helps his stomach issues but all the fillers in Royal Canin may be bad for his health.

I just ordered a case of Koha duck wet food Pure Shreds Shredded Duck Entrée for Cats but cannot figure out a good dry food with limited ingredients (ideally duck I guess since his vomiting stopped on it). Not looking to switch him to raw food at age 12.

Does anyone have any dry food suggestions? Or think switching foods while he is sick is a bad idea? Thank you

Fussie Cat has a fairly limited ingredient list on their Duck/Quail dry. I've given it to both my girls. Unfortunately one is on rabbit, the other is on a diet.

Ingredients: Quail, Duck Meal, Peas, Pea Flour, Sunflower Oil, Duck Fat, Duck, Natural Flavors, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Salt, Alfalfa Meal, Fructooligosaccharides, Taurine, Cranberries, Blueberries, Dried Kelp, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative).

 

[tyleete]

I use Instinct LI Rabbit dry