Munchie's Transition

[cprcheetah]

So my boy Munchie has a slew of health issues (you can read about them here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/271285/munchies-many-issues  Among the most critical is his heart (we are having an ultrasound done tomorrow to determine what is wrong).  He has decided he doesn't want to eat cat food (dry, canned or mixed) any more so I have decided I am going to transition him over to raw.  I am going to feed mixed (ground and chunks) so this will be his journey.  So far he has had a couple of cornish hen boney meals, 1 ground meal and 1 chunks meal of chicken.  He is liking it.  He doesn't like the leg bone on the cornish hen, which surprises me as he steals the chicken bones out of the garbage cans and eats most of them (before we catch him), he particuarly likes the end knobby things.  He is overweight by about 3# so we are going to feed for his ideal weight.  I am hoping that raw helps him as much as it helped my Chihuahua, Zoey (she's been on raw for 3 & 1/2 years now), she was so sickly before, now is really healthy for the most part.  Anyways this is Munchies raw transitioning journey.   The chicken ground mix is Dr. Pierson's recipe with a few more supplements added for his health issues.  I am concerned about beef as he cannot tolerate even the tiniest amount without puking less than 5 minutes later.

Day 1-  Cornish Hen Boney piece PM: Chicken Chunks

Day 2-  Cornish Hen boney piece (only ate the meat), PM: Chicken Ground Mix

Here he is after dinner tonight.  A very happy and content boy with a clean bowl for the most part

munchieraw.jpg

• cprcheetah
• Jan 29, 2014

 

[ritz]

Welcome to The Raw Side. Looking forward to the transition journal (and news on the heart).
Quite a few cats can't tolerate beef. Ritz will throw up beef if she eats it on an empty stomach, i.e., after I've been at work for 11 hours. So I feed her beef or a similar red meat in the morning and white meat in the evening. Ritz will keep down rabbit, pork, usually poultry of any kind including the darker meat (turkey, chicken, quail).
I wonder if Munchie would have the same reaction to all red(ish) meat, like Venison. Goose is a kind of poultry I think, but tends to be fattier than most proteins. Veal might be doable. (My nephew hunts and I sometimes get free venison and goose.)
Rabbit is quite lean, and I noticed HareToday now sells chucks (versus ground) of rabbit. It's one of Ritz' favorite foods.

 

[peaches08]

Gadget throws up beef if fed as a meal out of the blue. I have to give it as a small snack first, then later that same day he can have a full meal of it. He's my piggy and I think part of the problem is that he wolfs down food. Maybe try pork?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

All 3 of my cats tolerated beef well, but immediately tossed up Elk/Venison blend.  You just never know.   But how wonderful that Munchie is taking to raw so quickly

 

[cprcheetah]

Thanks guys, I'm really excited he is liking it so well so far (Fingers crossed it continues).  It was fun to make, I love making my animals their food lol.  Maybe if he does good on it, I can convince him to let me transition the other 4 cats to raw.  I really would love to.

 

[ldg]

:lol3: What a great picture! It sure looks like he enjoyed his meal!

I know it hasn't been long... but is he complaining about the amount of food? Sometimes it seems the raw is so much more satisfying that they don't complain about what - to us - seems like much smaller amount of food. Are you going to do weekly weigh-ins?

Oh I hope hope hope this helps him overall!

And for good news on the ultrasound. :rub:

 

[miki]

Miki is very picky (or at least her digestive system is)- she immediately vomits up beef and any other red meat (like venison, elk, etc.) but she loves her raw chicken meal. It is good that Munchie is adjusting to his raw food so quickly and that he loves it (his picture definitely tells a story!)

Making food for all our fur-babies is a lot more exciting than driving to the local pet store to get kibble, which hasn't worked for Miki or Belle, my dog.

Best wishes- keep eating, Munchie boy (but don't eat TOO much!) 

 Hope the switch works. 

 

[cprcheetah]

What a great picture! It sure looks like he enjoyed his meal!

I know it hasn't been long... but is he complaining about the amount of food? Sometimes it seems the raw is so much more satisfying that they don't complain about what - to us - seems like much smaller amount of food. Are you going to do weekly weigh-ins?

Oh I hope hope hope this helps him overall!

And

for good news on the ultrasound.

He doesn't seem to be complaining.....yet.  Munchie is my piggy boy and loves food.  So I don't know if he'll be more satisfied (I hope).  After I let him out of the hall where he eats he runs out and investigates everyone elses bowls looking for morsels.  Yes I am doing weekly weigh-ins.  I think you saw his health thread...ultrasound was good and bad.  Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy but not in heart failure yet. 

 
Miki is very picky (or at least her digestive system is)- she immediately vomits up beef and any other red meat (like venison, elk, etc.) but she loves her raw chicken meal. It is good that Munchie is adjusting to his raw food so quickly and that he loves it (his picture definitely tells a story!)

Making food for all our fur-babies is a lot more exciting than driving to the local pet store to get kibble, which hasn't worked for Miki or Belle, my dog.

Best wishes- keep eating, Munchie boy (but don't eat TOO much!) 

 Hope the switch works. 

I just love making the food, it gives me so much more satisfaction than scooping out some kibble or dishing out the canned.  It makes me feel like I am doing the absolute best for my critters.  I love that I am able to sneak all his supplements into it and not have to spend 10 minutes dishing them out any more lol.  He's on so many different ones for his health issues. 

 

[ritz]

I hate hate to cook; if I can't microwave it I don't buy it

But I really like to make Ritz' food.

 

[cprcheetah]

So I had a bit of a scare today.  I weighed Munchie and he was 13.8#, he was 15.4# on the 21st.  But he did go probably 4-5 days without eating his normal amounts.  So I am increasing how much raw I am giving him for a bit to see as I know he needs to lose weight I just don't want him to lose too fast and get fatty liver.  He is still loving every meal.

 

[miki]

 
So I had a bit of a scare today.  I weighed Munchie and he was 13.8#, he was 15.4# on the 21st.  But he did go probably 4-5 days without eating his normal amounts.  So I am increasing how much raw I am giving him for a bit to see as I know he needs to lose weight I just don't want him to lose too fast and get fatty liver.  He is still loving every meal.

Uh oh- sounds like Munchie boy is loving his food a BIT too much- increasing the amount of raw should help and prevent him from getting fatty liver. It's good that he's eating well. Best wishes and keep us updated 

 

[cprcheetah]

So I think it was a fluke on my scale, I should have verified.  He is 15.2# so has only lost 2oz in 10days.  So that's better.  I was getting really worried there for a minute.  He is doing great health wise, has a lot more energy and is more active. 

 

[cprcheetah]

Munchie continues to clean his bowl at every meal.  Hoping to start adding maybe pork in the next week or so.  I was thinking the recipe I made was too watery, but once frozen and then when it thaws it isn't watery at all so I will continue to follow the recipe (Dr. Pierson's).  He is doing really well right now, I think it's a combo of the diet as well as the nasal sinus flush he had.  He is breathing better and seems to have a bit more energy.

 

[ldg]

So I think it was a fluke on my scale, I should have verified.  He is 15.2# so has only lost 2oz in 10days.  So that's better.  I was getting really worried there for a minute.  He is doing great health wise, has a lot more energy and is more active. 

and *phew* That's much better! A safe target for him is 2 - 4 ounces a week. Just bear in mind, pork tends to be a bit more fatty, so that may have more calories (well - depending on how much skin you'd included with chicken).

And yes, I saw his health thread. :rub:

He was easy to transition! :lol3: Are you going to tackle transitioning the other cats at some point?

 

[cprcheetah]

and *phew* That's much better! A safe target for him is 2 - 4 ounces a week. Just bear in mind, pork tends to be a bit more fatty, so that may have more calories (well - depending on how much skin you'd included with chicken).

And yes, I saw his health thread.

He was easy to transition!

Are you going to tackle transitioning the other cats at some point?

I am really wanting to transition everybody.  Trying to convince the hubby.  I think I *may* have convinced him to let me transition DeeJay as it saves about 50 cents a day to feed raw over the canned she is eating now.  I would LOVE to feed all my cats raw. 

 

[cprcheetah]

Munchie has diarrhea.  How do I correct this?  He is eating boneless meals with egg shells for the calcium because I don't have a grinder.  I know in my little chihuahua she doesn't need bone in her meals to have normal poops. 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well...constipation is caused from too MUCH bone (or substitute), so I'm guessing that too little could cause diarrhea, although I've never heard anyone report that before.  Did you introduce a new food recently (although that usually causes vomiting if they can't handle it).  Hmmmmm, not sure.  Mine never had diarrhea once they started on raw.  He's on so many meds, though, maybe it's an accumulative effect of everything he's on.  Are you giving him probiotics too?  I think that helps, at least when first starting raw. 

 

[cprcheetah]

No he's still just on chicken.  He has probiotics as he's on long term antibiotics.  I can't get him to eat very much bone at all.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

 
No he's still just on chicken.  He has probiotics as he's on long term antibiotics.  I can't get him to eat very much bone at all.

Since you can't get him to eat much bone at all, are you giving him something else?  Eggshell powder?  It's imperative he get calcium.  Dr. P has more than one recipe...one with ground bones, one using bonemeal.  Which one are you using, or or you doing something different?  Are you grinding your own chicken? 

 

[cprcheetah]

i am using the boneless recipe with eggshells added to it for calcium.