Hydrolyzed Protein Diet

[KaraInWa]

Hi everybody. I am new here. I am a crazy cat mama of 2 and came across this site in hopes to seek some help. I have a food related question, but feel the need to give a little history before hand. I hope that is okay.

My 5 y/o, Charlie, has gotten sick and has been through many different tests with the vet. In the past 2 years he went from 15lbs down to 9.8lbs (current). He was 11.8lbs in April but he now has seemed to have leveled off and he is maintaining this weight and now has started to eat more. For awhile there he was throwing up everything he ate. Loose stools since April. The vet isn't 100% sure what he has at this point and I am trying to decide what is best for him. He is negative for parasites but he has elevated white blood cell counts in his pancreas. So as of now he is being treated for pancreatitis and has been on meds for a week now. The next step will be getting a ultrasound done, if I choose, and see if that shows anything further. He now has been given vitamin B12 shots we do weekly and he is on a steroid we give him every other day.

He has had loose super watery stools for the past 2 months and the vet placed him on a Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein diet of hard food. Now that sees to be maintaining the weight, I'd like to get him off the Hydrolyzed Protein food and onto something a little bit more sturdy (if that makes sense). I'm trying hard to firm up his stools as of now they are super watery from all the water he's given. He's eating more and more soft food as each day passes. I guess I'm asking if there is a level up on food. That is healthy, light, but not too much that he starts throwing up again. Just trying to get ideas if that is okay.

 

[KarenKat]

Welcome! Poor Charlie, hope he stays feeling better.

One other route other than Hydrolyzed protein is an LImited Ingredient Diet (LID) that has a “novel” protein - meaning one Charlie hasn’t eaten before. A common one is rabbit. When our tabby Trin had diarrhea we switched him to Nature’s Variety Instinct LID rabbit kibble. We think he has a chicken issue.

I think wet food that is LID is also recommended since there is often less ingredients and less carbs that dry food. We are planning on trying it but we aren’t there yet.

There are lots of other LID foods I have not tried yet (Blue Buffalo, Merrick and others) so I can’t really say how they are. Good luck, I know how difficult finding the right food can be!

 

[verna davies]

Is the soft food also hydrolysed? All of the food has to be hydrolysed in order for it to work, no treats , nothing else.
I agree with KarenKat try a LID food. Its just trial and error for you at the moment until you fond something that works. Good luck

 

[lisahe]

KaraInWa , welcome to the Cat Site, although I'm sorry to hear about the circumstances that brought you here.

Just a point of information for the moment, to be sure I understand about Charlie's diagnosis. It sounds like the vet isn't sure if he might have pancreatitis or IBD, is that correct?

If the thought is that he might have some sort of issue (sensitivity, allergy, IBD, etc.) with his food, do you have any sense at all about what might be causing the problem? I know that's often impossible to know so apologize for the irritating question but any little thing can help with suggestions. Tiki Cat, for example, has some very simple recipes... but many are chicken-based and chicken's a common irritant.

One thing to keep in mind -- and to reinforce what KarenKat already mentioned -- trying novel proteins is a fairly common strategy but it's often other ingredients in foods that cause digestive issues. One of our cats barfs from potato and I know some members have mentioned that eliminating carrageenan was effective in controlling their cats' IBD. This is why KarenKat suggested simple recipes. Our cats have touchy digestive systems so we feed them only wet food, much of it commercial raw food, so we can avoid as many gums, carbs, and other fillers and additives as possible.

Good luck!

 

[mschauer]

He has had loose super watery stools for the past 2 months and the vet placed him on a Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein diet of hard food. Now that sees to be maintaining the weight, I'd like to get him off the Hydrolyzed Protein food and onto something a little bit more sturdy (if that makes sense). I'm trying hard to firm up his stools as of now they are super watery from all the water he's given. He's eating more and more soft food as each day passes. I guess I'm asking if there is a level up on food. That is healthy, light, but not too much that he starts throwing up again. Just trying to get ideas if that is okay.

You need to discuss this with your vet. He/she probably wants your cat on an exclusively hydrolyzed diet for at least a specific period of time in an effort to determine whether your cat has an allergy to a protein. As far as I know there are no non-prescription hydrolyzed diets. You have to get it from your vet.

If you change your cats diet without consulting your vet you could be hampering his/her effort to help your cat.

 

[LTS3]

Has IBD been ruled out? That can cause weight loss, vomiting, loose stools or diarrhea, and intolerances to certain proteins and ingredients that the cat may have not had previously. An ultrasound may show thickened intestines. A biopsy would confirm IBD or perhaps something else.

Here are web sites to learn more:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats