Koha Formula Change And Light Stool Color...

[blacksakura6]

Just wanted to know if anyone has noticed their cat's stool has become extremely light (tan) after the KOHA Limited Ingredient formula change?

My cat Graysan has seasonal, flea and suspected food allergies. He has been on Koha Turkey, Duck, and Venison for almost 2 years and has been doing well on it. After the recent formula change they discontinued the Venison so we started him on their Rabbit. He started refusing the turkey and is iffy about the Duck. I started noticing very light colored dry stools in the box back in Feb not long after the food change. I reported it to KOHA. They were dismissive about it and said others said their cat's stools went darker. Because the color was light one day and dark the next I assume it is the food.

Except for the extremely light stools that are often mixed with brown and brownish-gray he acts completely normal. Playful, eating very well (he just had a final full mouth extraction in Feb for stomatitis and is doing great), not vomiting, no diarrhea,... Just pale, very dry stools. But it is starting to bother me.

I have an appointment on Friday with the Vet but the tech I spoke to said, "Try to change the food to a different brand for a few days and see if it goes a consistent brown and that may solve the issue. If not we have him set..." I will try to see if he will eat Hounds and Gatos or Rawz. But we have to be careful switching foods with him because we don't know what will trigger him.

But I was curious if anyone else feeding KOHA (especially the Limited Ingredient Diets) noticed a major stool change.... Would that not indicate something may be imbalanced in the food??? Just curious.....

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sorry you are not getting any responses yet about your inquiry. And, I have no valuable information to give you, but to tell you that the stool coloring is affected by the foods and what is in the foods.

The color of the stools you are describing sound a bit off - if not for the food - as in a possible liver issue? The stomatitis is the only reason I would even suggest something like that.

I hope other members with more knowledge will soon see your post and respond with their first hand experience. Please be patient and check back often for new responses.

 

[blacksakura6]

Sorry you are not getting any responses yet about your inquiry. And, I have no valuable information to give you, but to tell you that the stool coloring is affected by the foods and what is in the foods.

The color of the stools you are describing sound a bit off - if not for the food - as in a possible liver issue? The stomatitis is the only reason I would even suggest something like that.

I hope other members with more knowledge will soon see your post and respond with their first hand experience. Please be patient and check back often for new responses.

Thank you for your response. Yesterday I stalked both of my cats and their feces were completely normal in colour while only on the KOHA Rabbit. I think that is odd.

I question if it is one of the foods (like the new formula Duck or Turkey) that change the colour. If it was a serious liver issue would the feces go back normal? I really don't know.... I just wondered if anyone else noticed something similar after the formula change.....

I just changed the food today to Hounds and Gatos Duck and will watch to see if everything in the box stays brown. If not then we will definitely be seeing their vet.

Thank you again for your reply!!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

It does sound like the food is affecting the stool coloring. Curious to see what outcome you have with the food change!

 

[FeebysOwner]

And, the verdict on stool color is.........

 

[blacksakura6]

And, the verdict on stool color is.........

It was the food!!!

Sorry for not responding sooner... We did a change over to Hounds and Gatos Rabbit and Duck formulas and everything went completely normal! Graysan went from pale yellow-gray to dark brown within 24-48 hours! Even my other cat Yong-gi had light brown stools and now they are a nice med-dark brown!

And the new formula Koha made their stools dry like crushed cardboard! Yong-gi was putting his back foot up on the rim of the box to go!!! And this was even with water added to the food!

The main culprits appear to be the Koha LID Duck and Turkey formulas. Graysan refused the new formula of Turkey but ate the Duck. Yong-gi ate both formulas reluctantly. Once they were weaned down to only the Koha Rabbit LID the movements went med brown but then we started mixing in the Hounds and Gatos Rabbit. We also slowly introduced the Hounds and Gatos Duck...

Suddenly nothing light in colour!! I actually stalked both of my sweeties to watch them go (the things we do for love... LOL) and the feces came out normal.

I made sure that there were at least 5 normal bowel movements before cancelling Graysan's appointment. The Vet was actually happy for a 'positive cancellation'.

Thank you so much for responding! I really appreciate it! Hopefully, this will help someone else if they encounter the same situation...

 

[FeebysOwner]

It was the food!!!

Yay!!

 

[Ngomez1515]

Not to create a zombie thread but in the event it helps anyone, I recently started my hyper-allergic cat on Koha Lamb shredded in gravy and am having the same issues—Light clay/yellow stool, very dry (within a day of starting the food). He also regurgitates this food every other day which is unusual for him. I’m not happy considering how they advertise improved hydration using their products and how expensive it was. I will be switching as I’m concerned about possible adverse health affects with time.