Possible Ibd And Food

[GalaxyGirl]

12 oz isn't a lot of food. You'd likely need at least 2 or 3 bags for an entire week's worth of meals. If your cat will even eat it.

A lot of vets don't approve of raw diets so don't expect much from your vet. Expect a typical spiel on the dangers of raw diets, even well known commercial brands, and how prescription food is best.

No that’s not how the food is feed. It’s higher in calories so they assume your cat will feel filler. Average cat would use a bag a week or a bit longer.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Hi. I had to comment because you mentioned Temptations treats. Is your cat still eating them? These treats make Demi vomit.

No. Actually, I had cut him off completely about 3 months ago, I think. A few weeks ago, I gave Duncan and Gracie a few because I was hoping to find something for them to bond over during introductions...but my vet has put a kibosh on that, at least for now. She wants me to feed him nothing but a bland diet for the next month or so, which would make 2 months total.

 

[Wile]

If he's always eaten chicken, is turkey considered "novel," or does poultry all fit into one category?

It is hard to say for sure. Some cats allergic to chicken can have cross-reactivity with turkey. Others are fine. To be safe I'd put him on something with fur rather than feathers for your initial trial.
Also don't forget to account for the vegetable protein sources he's been exposed to (potato, pea, wheat, soy, etc.) If you can find a novel meat and veg protein food that would be best.

 

[daftcat75]

If he's always eaten chicken, is turkey considered "novel," or does poultry all fit into one category?

Krista says turkey is novel enough. Chicken doesn't agree with her but she is thriving on turkey. Duck seems to be novel enough for her too but also perhaps a little too fatty.

But she also eats raw. I believe the drugs will only help so much in getting the inflammation down. But if all the inappropriate crap that's in commercial wet and dry food is part of the problem, then no amount of food trials or steroids will bring meaningful healing until you eliminate the aggravating ingredients. I think this is why a lot of IBD kitties eventually end up finding relief on a raw diet once their guardians get over the ick factor.

Have a look at this page. Skip ahead to the Introductory Diet and see if you could do a couple of weeks of just raw meat and bone broth to heal his gut. You might find the change so dramatic that you keep with it.

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nature and Treatment

 

[Beyond Confused]

Also don't forget to account for the vegetable protein sources he's been exposed to (potato, pea, wheat, soy, etc.) If you can find a novel meat and veg protein food that would be best.

It is darn near impossible to find a food without peas! You'd think that was the only veggie available. I'm finding more than enough novel proteins he might be willing to try, though. I think maybe I would start with turkey just because it would be similar enough to chicken, taste-wise.

Krista says turkey is novel enough. Chicken doesn't agree with her but she is thriving on turkey. Duck seems to be novel enough for her too but also perhaps a little too fatty.

But she also eats raw. I believe the drugs will only help so much in getting the inflammation down. But if all the inappropriate crap that's in commercial wet and dry food is part of the problem, then no amount of food trials or steroids will bring meaningful healing until you eliminate the aggravating ingredients. I think this is why a lot of IBD kitties eventually end up finding relief on a raw diet once their guardians get over the ick factor.

Have a look at this page. Skip ahead to the Introductory Diet and see if you could do a couple of weeks of just raw meat and bone broth to heal his gut. You might find the change so dramatic that you keep with it.

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nature and Treatment

Thanks for the information, Wile.

One of my huge concerns about raw, aside from the fact that cooking and messing with meat in general scares me, is that he is not a big eater at. all. He literally grazes throughout the day. Obviously, I work, so sitting around, making sure he always has food when he wants or needs it isn't an option, and leaving raw food out isn't an option either.
Now what I could do is give him/them a wet food in the evening and leave a little dry out for him to have during the day, so the acid doesn't get his stomach all upset. But that kind of goes against what you've suggested.

 

[daftcat75]

It is darn near impossible to find a food without peas! You'd think that was the only veggie available. I'm finding more than enough novel proteins he might be willing to try, though. I think maybe I would start with turkey just because it would be similar enough to chicken, taste-wise.


Thanks for the information, Wile.

One of my huge concerns about raw, aside from the fact that cooking and messing with meat in general scares me, is that he is not a big eater at. all. He literally grazes throughout the day. Obviously, I work, so sitting around, making sure he always has food when he wants or needs it isn't an option, and leaving raw food out isn't an option either.
Now what I could do is give him/them a wet food in the evening and leave a little dry out for him to have during the day, so the acid doesn't get his stomach all upset. But that kind of goes against what you've suggested.

If you can find a game meat burger patty with no seasonings in the freezer section of a Sprouts or Whole Foods or maybe even a Safeway, something like venison, bison, wild boar, etc. You can thaw a patty under cold water enough to break off a corner. The rest you throw back into the freezer and that corner you can thaw completely in a plastic baggie under warm water. Turn it out onto a plate and serve to your little carnivore. Minimal handling and not messy or gross when dealing with frozen meat. Not bloody at all. You can get nitrile gloves if you're concerned. I'm sure you'll find your fussy eater isn't nearly so fussy when you feed it what evolution would still have it eating if it weren't for the rise of prepackaged cat foods in the last century or so. And here's the best part. No peas! You get to decide what goes on the plate.

Meat in the frozen section is good. Stay away from any meat in the refrigerated section because they want to sell old meat.

 

[Beyond Confused]

If you can find a game meat burger patty with no seasonings in the freezer section of a Sprouts or Whole Foods or maybe even a Safeway, something like venison, bison, wild boar, etc. You can thaw a patty under cold water enough to break off a corner. The rest you throw back into the freezer and that corner you can thaw completely in a plastic baggie under warm water. Turn it out onto a plate and serve to your little carnivore. Minimal handling and not messy or gross when dealing with frozen meat. Not bloody at all. You can get nitrile gloves if you're concerned. I'm sure you'll find your fussy eater isn't nearly so fussy when you feed it what evolution would still have it eating if it weren't for the rise of prepackaged cat foods in the last century or so. And here's the best part. No peas! You get to decide what goes on the plate.

Meat in the frozen section is good. Stay away from any meat in the refrigerated section because they want to sell old meat.

Interesting tip, thank you!

 

[LTS3]

Does ZiwiPeak come with a scoop? If not, how do you know what a "scoop" size portion is?

If he's always eaten chicken, is turkey considered "novel," or does poultry all fit into one category?

Some cats who are sensitive to chicken are also sensitive to other poultry. Others are not. Leroy can eat turkey and other poultry, just not chicken.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Does ZiwiPeak come with a scoop? If not, how do you know what a "scoop" size portion is?



Some cats who are sensitive to chicken are also sensitive to other poultry. Others are not. Leroy can eat turkey and other poultry, just not chicken.

Thank you. And yes - I, too, was wondering about the scoop for ZiwiPeak.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Average cat would use a bag a week or a bit longer.

Oy...for 2 cats, that would be $160 a month! That's double what I spend on my own food each month.
I have no problem paying for a good food, but that's pushing it over the line and a mile beyond.

 

[Beyond Confused]

I found one without peas! LTS3's suggestion of Pure Vita Turkey Entree.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Oy...for 2 cats, that would be $160 a month! That's double what I spend on my own food each month.
I have no problem paying for a good food, but that's pushing it over the line and a mile beyond.

I’m currently umemployed. My cats food cost so much more than what I eat about $280. I donate plasma. I think I’m hoing to start making their food next year. So I feel you.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Krista says turkey is novel enough. Chicken doesn't agree with her but she is thriving on turkey. Duck seems to be novel enough for her too but also perhaps a little too fatty.

But she also eats raw. I believe the drugs will only help so much in getting the inflammation down. But if all the inappropriate crap that's in commercial wet and dry food is part of the problem, then no amount of food trials or steroids will bring meaningful healing until you eliminate the aggravating ingredients. I think this is why a lot of IBD kitties eventually end up finding relief on a raw diet once their guardians get over the ick factor.

Have a look at this page. Skip ahead to the Introductory Diet and see if you could do a couple of weeks of just raw meat and bone broth to heal his gut. You might find the change so dramatic that you keep with it.

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nature and Treatment

You are right. I think it’s so odd that my kittens have it. They’ve had all the tests. It sucks. But early on i had a gut feeling about raw. So it works. It’s what cars should be eating.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

Thank you. And yes - I, too, was wondering about the scoop for ZiwiPeak.

“Scoop” it comes in the bag with ziwipeak. It’s 1oz of their food.

 

[LTS3]

Rawz doesn't have peas either. It's a very pricey brand, though. At my local pet store, it's $2.99 a can for the pates The store doesn't have the new shredded varieties yet.

Koha also doesn't have peas.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Rawz doesn't have peas either. It's a very pricey brand, though. At my local pet store, it's $2.99 a can for the pates The store doesn't have the new shredded varieties yet.

Koha also doesn't have peas.

I passed on Koha because, unless I missed something, they don't have a dry food, which would be a requirement, since I always need to have something out for his grazing ways.

Rawz had dry options, but both had chicken, which it sounds like I might need to avoid.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Good morning, all.

I wanted to give a quick update on this because I hate looking for information on threads that never have a follow-up.

I hadn't been hearing back from the vet's office because they're so busy with trying to see all their patients before the holidays, so I walked my be-hind in there and sat until someone talked to me.

We talked about Duncan's trip to the ER the other night bc of the vomiting, and I mentioned he still had (and Gracie has) a soft stool. I asked about possible protein/veggie allergies, since he had been on basically just chicken and peas his whole life.

Bottom line: The vet feels like it could be something more than just needing to change the food. She's not ruling that out, but she wants to run more tests to make sure it's nothing more serious, given his age and symptoms.

Next week, I'll be taking in a stool sample from both to make sure they aren't passing parasites back and forth through the litter box. Duncan will also be getting blood work done to make sure his kidneys are still OK. He had a complete work up 2.5 months ago, and one kidney was good, the other had an ever-so-slight off number. They ran a second test to follow up on that one kidney, and that came back OK. So they're just erring on the side of caution. I can appreciate this.
In addition, the vet wants to do an x-ray and ultrasound to hopefully see what's going on.

Possibilities they threw out: IBD, something kidney related, lymphoma. Oy.
I have a bit of an obsessive personality, so I'm trying my best not to spend time on the internet searching, reading, and freaking myself out.

I'm not thrilled about needing to spend the money. I swear - every time I start to get into an OK place financially, something comes along and knocks me off my feet. That aside, the peace of mind in getting answers and possibly getting him treated early is worth the money spent.

I realize that not every situation is the same, but here are his issues, if someone has thoughts on the situation:
-Soft stools, though definitely not diarrhea. (I have to turn the scoop around in order to push the poo off the sides of the box..that kind of soft. Sorry, that's gross)
-Vomiting - not everyday. I say once a week, When he throws up, sometimes it's one and done, other times, it's multiple...could just be stomach spasms making him do it so much on the multiple times. Some food, some liquid.

-He's currently on a new antibiotic 2x/day. I can't remember the name (starts with a T), but they wanted to try a different one since he had been on the Metronidazole for 2 cycles, and he still has a softer stool.
-He's also on Metoclopramide for nausea 2x/day
-1/4 of 10mg tablet of Pepcid 1x/day
-1/4 table of Cerenia 1x/day, 5 days on/5 days off
-Purina ProPlan EN (RX formula) bland diet.

 

[verna davies]

Thanks for the update, it's so frustrating when there are lots of possible reasons for an illness. Hopefully you will get some answers in the next couple of weeks.
Are you doing a three day stool sample? Often a one day sample will show a negative result because the cat might not be shedding on that day.
I can't help on the questions you asked, no experience on the meds but I'm sure some members will respond to you.

 

[Beyond Confused]

Thanks for the update, it's so frustrating when there are lots of possible reasons for an illness. Hopefully you will get some answers in the next couple of weeks.
Are you doing a three day stool sample? Often a one day sample will show a negative result because the cat might not be shedding on that day.
I can't help on the questions you asked, no experience on the meds but I'm sure some members will respond to you.

I did a stool sample from Duncan 3.5 months ago, so there's that. I've only had gracie for a month. I suppose I could take in samples in various labeled bags and see what they want to do, but she didn't tell me to do that last night. That being said, she DID say something about how, even though his last stool sample was fine, things can vary by the day.

Gracie is still separate from Duncan, but I do let her out to wander usually once a day for a couple hours at a time. I don't think I see her using his box, though I have witnessed her climbing in one, sniffing, and then hopping out. It's also possible he's used her box when I've put him in her room for those 2-ish hours.

 

[Maria76]

Hi. I had to comment because you mentioned Temptations treats. Is your cat still eating them? These treats make Demi vomit.

I have one coincidence with this. My kittie was recovering and she eat one piece after her medication and puke came back a two days. I have it under suspicion