Sorry about the long story but here we go.... I have a 2 1/2 yr old male neuter cat called Mouse. He's well acquainted with our vet and appears to be in good health, still likes to play lots, and likes his food and water. BUT - he has been on a strict diet of TD kibble since he was about 9 months due to severe gum inflammation and stomatitis which started when teething. He was really sick with raw gums, tonsillitis, and lesions on his tongue that have left scarring. At this point his teeth are in very good condition - and sharp!
Before his oral problems started he was on a combination of half Iams kitten kibble (he was intolerant to Royal Canin) and half adult pate food he'd had since he was with his mum alternated with Iams wet kitten food with a view to transitioning on to it.
Although anxious about starting him on the strict TD kibble diet I was assured by the vet that this was best for him and not to be concerned about his age or that he'd be on a dry only diet. He's always been good at drinking water and consumes at least 75 ml a day from his bowl plus what ever he gets from dripping taps I put on from time to time. He also gets some from a hand held syringe for treats. Plenty evidence of fluids in his litter! He's lean as a result of his diet (and very bouncy) and has a fabulous RB coat but - the more I read the more I worry about the low protein / high carbs of his kibble and the long term effects of a dry diet. I've been really strict with the TD diet and the only other food he gets is a daily 'ration' of freeze dried pure white fish snacks that he loves - I hoped these would slightly up his protein intake. My vet still says the TD is best for him but I'd like to try improving his nutrition if I can. I know that if I give him wet food for even a day his teeth are instantly yellowed with plaque and the areas of red gum increase quickly: I gave him wet food once in the last year as ran out of his biscuits for 24 hours until vet got them in stock and the effect was almost instant despite tooth brushing.
I brush his teeth with an enzyme paste once a day AM and give him a top up from licking the finger brush in the evening. The combination of this plus the TD biscuits keeps his teeth clear with a fine red edge around varying little bits of his gums.
To complicate the picture, he's always had a bit of a funny nose blowing thing and would occasionally cough which I thought he was doing if his mouth was a bit more sore. However, he's had 3 episodes of runny eyes in the past 16 months and the vet recently concluded that all the presenting symptoms are FHV 1. He hasn't had any infections in his eyes and no sinus/nasal problems to date but it does all make sense the more I learn. (And yes, he's had loads of blood tests run). He seems to have quite frequent mild symptoms plus more severe symptoms every 3 or 4 months. I talked to the vet about L Lysene but he thought it might distress my boy as he has quite a lot of other medications over the year due to managing the mouth and eye issues. He said he does use it but as' it's not proven to have an effect' thought it would be better to hold back on this occasion. I'm seeing information on this site indicating there is a form that can be given like treat so I'm still looking in to this as feel his immune system does need support.
I don't want to go raw out of concern for his immune system which I don't think is that great coupled with living in an inner city area where access to really fresh poultry / meat would be hard. Vet would also not be keen and I don't want to go TOO far with them as I am otherwise very happy with their care.
Wondering whether it would be beneficial to add in a small portion of high protein wet food each day, or perhaps try poached chicken or turkey - either shredded or liquidized like a pate? He loves his TD kibble but doesn't eat much of his food from the bowl: he likes it thrown so he can chase it around first
Not an option with pate
but he might eat a bit if it's put down like a treat. I know he'll still eat tiny portions of wet food as I fed him a sliver of tuna in spring water from a tin I had the other day. His favourite does seem to be fish but I know it's not good to give them too much fish due to toxins. I think his sense of smell might not be great, again due to the FHV 1 so tends to go for strong smelling food that's 'on the move' so easier to find.
Before his oral problems started he was on a combination of half Iams kitten kibble (he was intolerant to Royal Canin) and half adult pate food he'd had since he was with his mum alternated with Iams wet kitten food with a view to transitioning on to it.
Although anxious about starting him on the strict TD kibble diet I was assured by the vet that this was best for him and not to be concerned about his age or that he'd be on a dry only diet. He's always been good at drinking water and consumes at least 75 ml a day from his bowl plus what ever he gets from dripping taps I put on from time to time. He also gets some from a hand held syringe for treats. Plenty evidence of fluids in his litter! He's lean as a result of his diet (and very bouncy) and has a fabulous RB coat but - the more I read the more I worry about the low protein / high carbs of his kibble and the long term effects of a dry diet. I've been really strict with the TD diet and the only other food he gets is a daily 'ration' of freeze dried pure white fish snacks that he loves - I hoped these would slightly up his protein intake. My vet still says the TD is best for him but I'd like to try improving his nutrition if I can. I know that if I give him wet food for even a day his teeth are instantly yellowed with plaque and the areas of red gum increase quickly: I gave him wet food once in the last year as ran out of his biscuits for 24 hours until vet got them in stock and the effect was almost instant despite tooth brushing.
I brush his teeth with an enzyme paste once a day AM and give him a top up from licking the finger brush in the evening. The combination of this plus the TD biscuits keeps his teeth clear with a fine red edge around varying little bits of his gums.
To complicate the picture, he's always had a bit of a funny nose blowing thing and would occasionally cough which I thought he was doing if his mouth was a bit more sore. However, he's had 3 episodes of runny eyes in the past 16 months and the vet recently concluded that all the presenting symptoms are FHV 1. He hasn't had any infections in his eyes and no sinus/nasal problems to date but it does all make sense the more I learn. (And yes, he's had loads of blood tests run). He seems to have quite frequent mild symptoms plus more severe symptoms every 3 or 4 months. I talked to the vet about L Lysene but he thought it might distress my boy as he has quite a lot of other medications over the year due to managing the mouth and eye issues. He said he does use it but as' it's not proven to have an effect' thought it would be better to hold back on this occasion. I'm seeing information on this site indicating there is a form that can be given like treat so I'm still looking in to this as feel his immune system does need support.
I don't want to go raw out of concern for his immune system which I don't think is that great coupled with living in an inner city area where access to really fresh poultry / meat would be hard. Vet would also not be keen and I don't want to go TOO far with them as I am otherwise very happy with their care.
Wondering whether it would be beneficial to add in a small portion of high protein wet food each day, or perhaps try poached chicken or turkey - either shredded or liquidized like a pate? He loves his TD kibble but doesn't eat much of his food from the bowl: he likes it thrown so he can chase it around first
Not an option with pate
I do hope they recommend the L-lysine. It has helped so many kitties without being harsh on their bodies.
