Hi guys! It's been a while since I've been on here. Just to update: After almost a year of trials and tribulations with skin/stomach issues and struggles tweaking their diet, I'm so happy to say Milo and Phoebe are doing wonderful! The last few months we've been free of any bathroom accidents and their skin has mostly cleared up 
They are running around playing like maniacs and are more affectionate than ever!
So... food. To recap their diet the last few months: They were on RC HP dry kibble for about 6 months to set a baseline for food trials. While it cleared up their diarrhea/loose stool and reset their system, something in the ingredients list and/or only eating dry food was making Phoebe's skin 10x worse. Her dandruff was OFF THE CHARTS and fully visible all over, plus her fur became extremely waxy/oily. I have to assume the food was the cause, as that was the only change I made in their routine. Phoebe's skin just continually got worse, and while she didn't seem uncomfortable/in pain, I was sure she wasn't having the best time of her life.
So I reached out to my vet for a recommendation. Phoebe has always liked wet over dry (Milo has no preference), and because I suspected the dry food to possibly be causing her skin issues, I asked for a wet food option to test the waters a little bit. But my vet has been theorizing that they have IBD, and basically told me it's probable they will never be able to have wet food ever again without issues.
It was definitely a kick in the shins for sure, but I didn't want to just give up without trying first. So, she gave me a prescription for RC PR rabbit and pea protein wet food, and for the last few weeks I've been slowly switching their food over. And shockingly... they have no problems! I'm not sure if it's because it's another prescription food, or because it's a novel protein, but they are doing great. They love the taste, it's caused virtually no bathroom problems (save one soft piece getting stuck in Milo's butt hair at the very beginning lol), and Phoebe's skin is almost dandruff free! But it isn't without issue...
Quite obviously, prescription food is EXPENSIVE. The RC HP was about USD$80 for a 8lb bag, which wasn't horrific given how long a bag could last. But the RC PR averages out to about USD $100 every order for a case of 24 cans, even with my autoship savings through Chewy. A case lasts a little less than two weeks, and after three orders now, I'm starting to worry because I can't afford it with my income. I just spoke with my vet as well, and she advised to avoid any grain-free food which makes my options even more limited.
Does anyone know any similar wet foods to the RC PR that we could try? Should I really be so worried about grain vs grain-free food? I'm open to anything at this point, even maybe trying raw food, as long as it's cheaper than what we are doing now.
They are running around playing like maniacs and are more affectionate than ever!So... food. To recap their diet the last few months: They were on RC HP dry kibble for about 6 months to set a baseline for food trials. While it cleared up their diarrhea/loose stool and reset their system, something in the ingredients list and/or only eating dry food was making Phoebe's skin 10x worse. Her dandruff was OFF THE CHARTS and fully visible all over, plus her fur became extremely waxy/oily. I have to assume the food was the cause, as that was the only change I made in their routine. Phoebe's skin just continually got worse, and while she didn't seem uncomfortable/in pain, I was sure she wasn't having the best time of her life.
So I reached out to my vet for a recommendation. Phoebe has always liked wet over dry (Milo has no preference), and because I suspected the dry food to possibly be causing her skin issues, I asked for a wet food option to test the waters a little bit. But my vet has been theorizing that they have IBD, and basically told me it's probable they will never be able to have wet food ever again without issues.
It was definitely a kick in the shins for sure, but I didn't want to just give up without trying first. So, she gave me a prescription for RC PR rabbit and pea protein wet food, and for the last few weeks I've been slowly switching their food over. And shockingly... they have no problems! I'm not sure if it's because it's another prescription food, or because it's a novel protein, but they are doing great. They love the taste, it's caused virtually no bathroom problems (save one soft piece getting stuck in Milo's butt hair at the very beginning lol), and Phoebe's skin is almost dandruff free! But it isn't without issue...Quite obviously, prescription food is EXPENSIVE. The RC HP was about USD$80 for a 8lb bag, which wasn't horrific given how long a bag could last. But the RC PR averages out to about USD $100 every order for a case of 24 cans, even with my autoship savings through Chewy. A case lasts a little less than two weeks, and after three orders now, I'm starting to worry because I can't afford it with my income. I just spoke with my vet as well, and she advised to avoid any grain-free food which makes my options even more limited.
Does anyone know any similar wet foods to the RC PR that we could try? Should I really be so worried about grain vs grain-free food? I'm open to anything at this point, even maybe trying raw food, as long as it's cheaper than what we are doing now.
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