Hill's Y/D Diet Not What It Used To Be

budwood

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Hi everyone. This is my first post on your Forum but I have been lurking around for some time. I share the frustrations that come with caring for a hyperthyroid loved pet. I have a short story to tell you about the Y/D diet after receiving a response from Hill's yesterday to an inquiry I made . If your cat refuses to eat the diet when they were eating it before the shortage there may be a reason.

My cat Buddy is 18 years old and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 3 years ago. He was not a good candidate for Iodine 131 (not that I would put him through that) and he could not tolerate methimazole. The only option left was iodine-free diet or should I say very very low iodine diet. He was on Y/D canned exclusively for almost 3 years. He didn't love it but he at least ate it. His T4 numbers did come down back into the normal range (high normal). Then the Y/D shortage happened and like everyone that could'n get it, I had to find an alternative. I started making a pate of boiled white and dark meat chicken and left the Y/D dry out for him ad-lib for the vitamins and minerals. He ate very little of the dry but enough to help balance out the diet. His T4 was at 4.2 when tested 7/7/22. That was 4 months before I could no longer get the Y/D diet. I finally received a shipment from Chewy on 11/9/22. Buddy refused to eat it no matter what inducement I tried. So I continued to make and feed him the chicken.

I had his blood work done on 11/17/22 and his T4 had dropped to 2.5. Go figure that one out. It was a better result than when he was exclusively on the Y/D. My vet told me just keep doing what I was doing.

So I emailed Hill's to see if they had any incite or explanation as to why his T4 went down and why he refused to eat the new diet. This is part of the response I received from Hill's:


We have upgraded all of our Prescription Diet packaging as well as upgraded some of our formulas including Hill's Prescription Diet y/d canned feline formula. There were no ingredients added or removed, just a minor change in the formulation.

I knew the minute I opened the first can that it was different. I don't believe that nothing was added or changed. If it isn't broken you don't fix it. So Buddy still won't eat it and would rather starve. You make up your own minds.

Has anyone had trouble getting their cat to eat the new Y/D diet?
 

FeebysOwner

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I think that the problem you experienced with Hill's Y/D is pretty much widespread across cat food brands of many kinds. I've seen a lot of comments on this site relative to suspected changes, either because their cats no longer want their food, and/or the appearance/texture is clearly different. Fancy Feast (pates) ingredients look to be the same, but the texture is now much grittier than it was previously, and Feeby doesn't care for whatever they did to change it. I gather these 'changes in formulation' involve cheapening up the process so it is less expensive for the companies to produce their foods.

Good on Buddy's T4 level!!! In order to make his chicken meals complete, look into Alnutrin or EZComplete which are supplements that can be added to 'human' food to make them nutritionally complete for a cat. If you go that route, no worries about feeding him 'actual' cat food until/unless you can find one that he likes.
A Guide To A Balanced, Homemade Cat Food - Alnutrin Supplements (knowwhatyoufeed.com)
EZComplete Premix Information (foodfurlife.com)
 
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budwood

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Thank you Feebysowner. I checked out both links but these products are obviously made for healthy cats not a hyperthyroid cat. They contain too much iodine.
Thanks again.
 

FeebysOwner

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Thank you Feebysowner. I checked out both links but these products are obviously made for healthy cats not a hyperthyroid cat. They contain too much iodine. Thanks again.
I don't know about Alnutrin, but I know if you reach out to the folks at EZComplete, they will be happy to answer all your questions and address your issues. They might even be able to recommend a low iodine solution for you. I would expect Alnutrin would do so too.

I also wonder if you post a thread under the 'Raw & Home Cooked Cat Food' (sub-forum under 'Nutrition') if there would be members who could help - there has to be some of them who are dealing with the issues you are!!
 

Zaza

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Hi Budwood. Any chance you could attach an image or two and instructions of how you are boiling chicken to make the pate for Buddy? My cat Marie is 16 and has hyperthyroid. Same deal; can't get Y/D wet, and she's fed up with Y/D dry. She is wasting away. No wonder, it's mainly corn.
 

louisstools

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Not with Hills y/d but I just opened up a bag of my girls RX purina kibble and it's different in kibble color (darker) and size (a bit smaller) than the current bad that is about empty. Usually the quality control is better with the RX line but I guess if it's not enough of a re-formula they don't have to disclose it.
 

stephanietx

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Sounds like you're doing something right! I'm so glad Buddy's numbers are looking better.

My cat was on Hill's SD i/d until last year when something changed in their formulation, supplier, or ingredients because it caused him to have runny and uncontrolled diarrhea. We asked our vet about it and she assured me nothing had changed, but we changed him to Royal Canin and he's been fine ever since. I'm convinced they changed something because he'd been on it for years and had zero problems. Seems like their change affected more than just my guy and the food he was eating.
 
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budwood

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Every time I intended to reply to your post something would come up that needed my attention. Better late than never.

When Buddy was first diagnosed as hyperthyroid back in February 2020, his T4 level was 10.1. The Hill's y/d canned diet got the level down to 4.2 after a few years but he was loosing weight while on the diet. When the shortage hit It was then that I started to make Buddy's food.

I decided after reading everything I could find on hyperthyroidism in cats and the nutritional need of cats that making cat food wasn't rocket science. Just give him what his body needed with as low an iodine content as possible. To me that meant meat protein that naturally contained the amino acids that cats need. Buddy loves chicken so that was my first choice.

After putting Buddy on this home concoction his T4 levels dropped to 2.5 in November 2022 and most recently to 1.9 in January 2023.

Okay lets get to the process. I make his food about every 2 1/2-3 weeks. I start with 5 lbs of in-bone and skin-on chicken thighs because they are cheaper than skin and boneless and I want the bones (for the collagen and minerals) and 5 lbs of chicken breasts (minimal processing). It yields about 7 lbs of food.

I debone the thighs and remove the skin and excess fat. I don't have to be the profession cook when I debone since the meat is going into the food processor after its boiled. I cut the meat into about 1 1/2 inch pieces so it cooks very quickly. Throw all the meat into a stock pot along with the bones and just cover with water. I start by getting it to almost a boil and then simmer it for 10 minutes. That is enough time to kill any bacteria and not destroy the amino acids. Skim any foam and fat that rises to the top.

I pull out the bones and scrape them to get any remaining meat off and throw them in the garbage. I pull out the cooked meat with a slotted spoon and retain the stock. I process the meat in a food processor in 4 batches and I add 2 cups of the stock to each batch. I put each batch into a large mixing bowl and blend them all together.

You have to decide how much you want to process the meat. Buddy likes it when it is almost like a past but you can still see the chicken shreds. The stock you add may seem at first to make it a bit watery but the chicken will absorb the liquid when you refrigerate or freeze it. Sometime I have to add a small amount of water when I serve it. I refrigerate one container and freeze three defrosting one the day before I need it. Buddy gets 2 three and a quarter ounce meals a day (give or take) based on his weight (almost 15 lbs presently).

I have started giving Buddy a supplement mixed in his food that I found to be all inclusive of the vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and amino acids that he needs. The jury is still out on the product but it is affordable ($9.00 per month) and Buddy is bulking out, has more energy and is gaining weight. It is called Cat Mix made by Life Extension. I only give half the recommended amount (by his weight). I also give him some Greenies chicken treats a few times a week. They have a very small amount of iodine in them and even hyperthyroid cats need some iodine to stay healthy.

That's it.
 
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