Help--Overwhelmed with Nutritional Decisions: Cat 1 Hyperthyroid, Cat 2 Skin Issues, Cat 3 Digestion

[sadrael]

I have three cats with three different issues, I don't know what I ought to feed any of them anymore. Help? 

First--What I've been feeding all of them, before everyone decided they had issues:   

Wet food (various brands of grain-free, limited ingredient, poultry proteins) morning and evening, and Wellness CORE (which is grain free) kibble to snack on.

Also, they've got a running water dish and I add water to their wet food.

Second--Information about each of the three cats:

Cat 1: Sadie, 21 years old, calico cat 

Issue: Hyperthyroid 

I originally brought her to the vet because she seemed to be vomiting up her dinners more often than usual and was losing weight. Blood test showed that thyroid levels were slightly outside of normal. I started with pills. That didn't go well. I tried hiding them in wet food, pill pockets, cheese, treats... but she caught on to the ruse quickly. I didn't want the remainder of her old age to involve fighting over pills... so I tried the Hills y/d. She loved the food, stopped vomiting, gained weight, and blood tests showed normal thyroid levels. But, problems: (1) my extensive research into the Hills y/d diet (thanks to all of the helpful posts here at thecatsite) convinced me that it wasn't a good long term diet, and (2) Sadie's fur when from normal to disgusting in less than a month. I eventually had to have her shaved. So I went back to the vet and asked for the ear cream version of the medicine (which is nearly prohibitively expensive... which is why I decided to try the diet option first... not knowing that the diet option was not an actual treatment until I did my research).

Where I'm at: She's doing well on the ear version of the thyroid medication, and she's back on the regular diet. She seems fine. Is this a good diet? I asked my vet. He said (1) well, she's 21 and whatever your doing so far seems to be working, (2) but if your going to change, I recommend Hills. I don't feel good about Hills. 

Cat 2: Azzie, 11 years old, tiny maine coon

Issue: Skin

Azzie is a beautiful maine coon who loooovvvves to groom herself. Her coat is always soft, silky, and perfect with out my having to do any grooming. I few years ago I noticed her tail was looking a bit sparse and shortly after that her tummy looked pink... I realized she'd licked most of the fur off of it and that looked a bit raw. Then she started getting little scabbies at the base of her tail. The vet gave her a steroid shot and it went away. It comes back every 3-6 months, and I have to bring her in for a shot. I'm wondering if this is a food issue. Vet said "could be" maybe try an elimination diet.

Where I'm at: I haven't made any changes to her diet yet. She's fine right now.

Cat 3. Leroy, 4 years old, giant turkish van

Leroy... always has poop in his butt. Like, for the last few years, very frequently has poop in his butt. Not a dingle berry... it's like it's a soft mushy consistency + he can't take a complete @#$% + he's got long fur + he doesn't groom himself. I take him in for a lion shave pretty regularly, and that helps... but there's still the mushy poop in his butt on a regular basis. The vet thought he might have megacolon, but the xray looked good. No megacolon, no obvious constipation. Rectal exam seemed fine. So it's probably either a food allergy or a bowel issue. Vet suggested 8 weeks on z/d, then an IB food. If it gets better on z/d then worse on IB food, bowel issue. If it doesn't get better on z/d, then does on IB... there you go. If it's the first option... then we play the game of figuring out what the allergy is I guess.

Where I'm at: Just fed him some wet z/d. It's too early to tell what's what.

Third--Questions:

1. Leroy (poop-butt) is starting z/d. Is this a good hypoallergenic food, at least for 8 weeks?

2. Can I feed z/d Azzie (scabbie-tail)? She doesn't currently have scabs... so I probably couldn't tell if she's got an allergy this way.

3. Can I feed it to all three (or some other hypoallergenic food), so that I can feed them all (including sadie (old cat)) the same thing?

4. If z/d works, can they eat it for more than 8 weeks?

5. If I only feed them (or just Leroy) z/d/ for 8 weeks, what should I feed him after that.

6. Is there any option that would be good for all of them (also I am a poor, busy grad student... so those are factors).

7. Help?

Thanks to anyone who read all that!!! 

 

[violetxx]

Wowza - what a story! 

 I am sorry to hear that your cats are having so many issues 

It's sounds to me like their current diet plan is causing them more trouble than good. Have you have ever considered going raw? You would be amazed the wonder if does for the health and it can be very affordable if make it yourself, or more expensive if bought pre-made.

I have been researching cat food for sometime now - and one thing I have noticed is that premium and medium quality foods are not got options for pets. They are a gimmick and actually are so carb high and contain ingredients like carrageenan - your better off feeding Fancy Feast classics with a few HIGH quality canned every once in awhile or the addition of commercial raw.

I personally haven't had much luck with any prescription food, our cats always got sick off them eventually. I would really recommend trying the fresh food route if you can, and see if it relieves their problems. Ofcourse with cats change must be very gradual. 

Here are some links you may find helpful! Best of luck 

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/skin-coat-problems-in-cats/
http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/hyperthyroidism/

http://catinfo.org/
http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and-food/raw-feeding/

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/

 

[lisahe]

Just a quick thought: I, too, have to wonder about the possibility that there's something in the food that's bothering Azzie and Leroy. Lots of cats are sensitive to ingredients like potato and peas that are fillers in lots of grain-free foods so my first step would be to eliminate those.

I tend not to look at price or marketing phrases like "premium" when I research or buy cat food: I look at the ingredient lists and avoid grains, carby vegetables, and carrageenan because our cats have digestive issues. There are plenty of foods considered "premium" that meet those standards (we feed Tiki and some Weruva), but, on the other end of the price spectrum, there are also lots of cheaper options like Fancy Feast Classics, Sheba, and 4Health, too.

Good luck!

 

[sadrael]

Thanks so much for the responses!

 

[paiger8]

Yikes, I feel your pain. 

With Sadie, she's 21 - give her whatever she wants to eat. If she's doing well on her regular diet and the ear thyroid medication - I'd just stick with that. I wouldn't mess too much with her diet if it's working. 

Azzie sounds itchy. That's probably why she's licking so much. My cousin has a dog with a gluten allergy and he will bite and scratch himself raw when he has any grain. You feed grain free, but look for corn, potato, and peas in her food. I'd also make sure there's no carrageenan, as I've heard that's a common allergy as well. Merrick LID canned foods don't have any of those things if you want to try that out. -- If that doesn't work, the owner of my local indy pet food store said chicken is the most common protein allergy in cats since chicken is in EVERYTHING. The Merrick LID canned foods have lots of flavors that aren't chicken also. 

I would try out the Merrick LID with Leroy as well. He's probably sensitive to something in the food. Peas, potato, carrageenan. Most of the time, litter box issues come down to food. You can also add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, no spice) to his canned food daily. That should help firm up his poop. You might also consider starting a probiotic as well. I use this one. You can split a pill between all 3 cats if you want, mixed into their canned food. It honestly can't hurt. 

 

Honestly, you could start them all on Merrick LID canned (or one with similar ingredients) if they'll all tolerate it. My cats both really like it. I would cut out the kibble completely for now. At least until you figure out the issue. It's hard to rule anything out with kibble in their diet, since it has SO many ingredients in it.