My cat was having kidney trouble on venison and a change in food was advised by my veterinarian. I was going to have “Just Food for Dogs” formulate a rabbit pate for my cat but they insisted on using tapioca. Unfamiliar with tapioca I looked it up on line. Tapioca is cassava or yucca and it causes cyanide in food. I advised them on this but they insisted on tapioca for their pates. My elderly cat likes pate and needs this because she is lacking some teeth. So I decided to look for a canned rabbit cat food pate instead. I chose Lotus Rabbit Pate because it is low in phosphorus needed for my cat’s chronic kidney failure and a unique protein needed for her inflammatory bowel disease and severe food allergies. Rabbit is the one protein I know my cat is not allergic to. I thought I did good as my cat improved on her kidney values although her pancreatic enzymes were through the roof. I started to look more carefully at the ingredients and noticed flaxseed. Being an unfamiliar item I looked it up. I read an article about Sweden recommending to stop using flaxseed and France banning flaxseed oil. One of the major problems is that it can cause cyanide in food. Oh no not again! I decided to send in a few cans to a local food testing lab Nutridata. The food came back as .3 ug/ppm and the limit was .2ug/ppm meaning a low positive for cyanide. I thought I was avoiding the cyanide from tapioca problem when I got stuck with the same issue from flaxseed. I notified Lotus and sent them the report. I found an expert on cyanide in animal feed who wrote an article for Merck Veterinary Manual on the subject, Rhian Cope who is the principle toxicologist for Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Australia. I wrote her an email and sent her the lab results. At first she wrote back that it might be ok even though it was above the acceptable limit since limits are set much higher than they need be for safety but then she calculated and clarified that for my 5 1/2 lb cat she should only be eating one can a day to stay below the limit. That means my cat would have to eat two different foods not advised for a cat with inflammatory bowel disease. I requested Lotus Pet Foods please remove the flaxseed since it is not necessary but I have not had an appropriate response. The flaxseed is in all their pates. I am looking for another rabbit pate that is equally low in in phosphorus that my cat needs for her chronic renal failure but only found one that is 30% higher in phosphorus. At least it is without flaxseed or cyanide. My choice is to switch to that or to a turkey pate that my cat might be slightly allergic to. I am distraught! My cat’s kidney levels were better on the Lotus Rabbit Pate but her pancreatic enzymes were out of control. I am wondering if the cyanide is to blame. I’ve read that flaxseed is a supplement and therefore not regulated. Please take a moment to write Lotus Pet Foods and request they remove the flaxseed in their pates because it causes cyanide and we love our cats and do not want to poison them with their cat foods! Lotus’s email is:
[email protected]
Thank you,
Joanie & Tutu
Here is some research supporting the need to remove flaxseed:
(PDF) Ground Flaxseed – How Safe is it for Companion Animals and for Us?
Warning: ground flaxseed can be toxic and shouldn't be eaten
[email protected]
Thank you,
Joanie & Tutu
Here is some research supporting the need to remove flaxseed:
(PDF) Ground Flaxseed – How Safe is it for Companion Animals and for Us?
Warning: ground flaxseed can be toxic and shouldn't be eaten
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