Prescription diet >_<

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Well, looks like this new cat mom was right. Delilah had small itches at odd times since I had adopted her (6 weeks now - can't believe it!) but over the last 3 weeks it seemed more and more. I switched her to a wheat free/chicken free kibble, and was trying to find a wet she would eat. The other day she wasn't just rolling - she was going to the rug to roll back and forth, then drag herself on her side across the rug using her claws. The fur on her ears also seemed more sparse. Something wasn't working and I called the vet yesterday. Last night it got to the point where I was trying to scratch her itches so she wasn't rolling. My short nails couldn't do much so I got her brush. As I was brushing her, she pulled the brush out of my hand and began rubbing herself against it.

Got her into the vet today, where he confirmed most likely food allergies. He gave her an allergy shot to calm down what was going on, and gave me prescriptions for skin allergy sensitive foods. I can choose from Hills' Prescription Diet d/d Duck, or Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein. Is one of these better than the other?

I'm not worried about the changeover on her dry. The wet, however, is going to be a problem. Princess Fussy Pants hates pate... and both brand's wet foods are pate. But of course I'm going to try to keep her all on the same brand.

Hopefully when her allergies are under control I can try to find a non prescription food, but I'd like to get her system settled.

Here are a couple of pics of her when she grabbed the brush.
delilah brush 1.jpg
delilah brush 2.jpg
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
Got her into the vet today, where he confirmed most likely food allergies. He gave her an allergy shot to calm down what was going on, and gave me prescriptions for skin allergy sensitive foods. I can choose from Hills' Prescription Diet d/d Duck, or Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein. Is one of these better than the other?

You don't need either despite what the vet says. The ingredients are pretty junky, IMO. There are commercially available limited ingredient foods you can buy:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
RAWZ | 100% Rendered Free Cat Food
Grain Free Wet Recipes - NutriSource Pet Foods (not exactly an LID food but some of the canned are novel protein)

Many people here on TSC find a novel protein non-prescription LID diet helpful for their cats with food sensitivities.

Some people find a raw or home cooked diet helpful. There's a separate forum on those diets here on TCS.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Thanks. I'm all for anything not pate and for food not as much as the cost of the prescription foods.

With the limited ingredient foods, do you just keep giving them the same meat? For example, if I wanted to give Delilah just duck... at least until this is under control (I'm only saying duck because that is the main protein in what he recommended). Or could I rotate the different proteins? Or wait until the skin is under control?
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
For a food trial, you stick with one protein for at least 13 weeks. If all goes well after that, you can add in another novel protein and see if your cat still continues to do well.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
For a food trial, can you use 2 different brands?

Otherwise I'm thinking timed feeder. The Koha looks like it has what Delilah will eat (shreds), but they don't make a dry. While I'm home, I can feed wet but when I'm back to work, I'm not going to be able to put fresh wet food out lunchtime.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
I'm kind of springboarding off my other post about prescription diets. I was looking at the foods Delilah has been eating. The doctor prescribed a duck and pea based science diet. But the dry food Delilah has been eating the last 2 weeks is duck and quail (and I told the nurse that when I checked her in). So if I am going limited ingredient, would I be better off sticking with duck, or trying a protein she hasn't eaten (like lamb)?

I am looking at Koha, who has a shreds in broth. Koha doesn't have a dry food. Can I use a different brand dry food, or should I keep it all one brand?
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,885
Purraise
9,884
Location
Houston,TX
Since different brands have different ingredients, stick with one brand. If needed, slowly mix in one brand with another before switching. One of my 3 cats has trouble eating a different protein every day. It has been hard figuring out what's good for her. Right now its canned rawz duck then slowly mix in another protein for 2 weeks or simply stick with duck. It depends what's on sale
 

Talien

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
2,650
Purraise
5,131
Location
Michigan
Tiki Cat is a really good LID food and has several varieties. Most are are fish though, with some chicken or chicken+another meat.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Tiki Cat is a really good LID food and has several varieties. Most are are fish though, with some chicken or chicken+another meat.
Chicken, unfortunately, is one of the possible problem proteins.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Since different brands have different ingredients, stick with one brand. If needed, slowly mix in one brand with another before switching. One of my 3 cats has trouble eating a different protein every day. It has been hard figuring out what's good for her. Right now its canned rawz duck then slowly mix in another protein for 2 weeks or simply stick with duck. It depends what's on sale
I'm first going to be trying the limited ingredient diet with Delilah. The most of what I'm finding, the company makes a limited ingredient kibble but the wet is pate, which she won't eat no way no how. The one limited ingredient shred I found doesn't make a kibble.
 

Talien

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
2,650
Purraise
5,131
Location
Michigan
I'm first going to be trying the limited ingredient diet with Delilah. The most of what I'm finding, the company makes a limited ingredient kibble but the wet is pate, which she won't eat no way no how. The one limited ingredient shred I found doesn't make a kibble.
Dry food itself is bad, and the prescription dry are some of the worst so that could possibly be the issue there. It is terrible for Cats and only exists because it is cheap and easy for humans, unfortunately it is loaded with flavorings to entice Cats to eat it so many of them will eat that over other food if given the choice. Even LID dry that isn't mostly plant based ingredients is still bad for the simple fact that it's dry, Cats are designed to get their moisture intake from prey and don't normally drink much water so they can become dehydrated by not drinking enough to make up for not getting any moisture in their food.

Easy way to see if she's dehydrated is pinch a bit of skin and lift it up, if it drops down right away she's ok but if it drops back slowly or stays up then she's dehydrated. If that turns out to be the case it may be the problem, dehydration can cause dry skin which is often itchy.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Dry food itself is bad, and the prescription dry are some of the worst so that could possibly be the issue there. It is terrible for Cats and only exists because it is cheap and easy for humans, unfortunately it is loaded with flavorings to entice Cats to eat it so many of them will eat that over other food if given the choice. Even LID dry that isn't mostly plant based ingredients is still bad for the simple fact that it's dry, Cats are designed to get their moisture intake from prey and don't normally drink much water so they can become dehydrated by not drinking enough to make up for not getting any moisture in their food.

Easy way to see if she's dehydrated is pinch a bit of skin and lift it up, if it drops down right away she's ok but if it drops back slowly or stays up then she's dehydrated. If that turns out to be the case it may be the problem, dehydration can cause dry skin which is often itchy.
Vet said she wasn't dehydrated. She gets wet twice a day (breakfast and dinner) and dry twice a day (lunch and bed/late night snack).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
So, to update...

I went to a couple of stores and spoke to their pet nutritionists.

Both of them said that the Fussie Cat Quail and Duck should be just fine for a dry food since it is grain free and only 2 proteins that are both novel proteins and ok for limited ingredients. One of them suggested a fish based program but that's out for me.

So for wet I'm going with the Koha, because it is the ONLY limited ingredient wet that isn't a pate. I got the duck, but one shop gave me a sample of the lamb. I gave that to her tonight, because I want to give her the duck when I know she's going to be hungry. She didn't touch the lamb.

I think shes a little off her feed from the shot. Not just not eating the lamb but she also just ate half her kibble and nibbled on her cat grass.

Both nutritionists recommended probiotics, so back to the fortiflora. They suggested Greek yogurt or goats milk. I tried Greek yogurt. Not for Princess Fussy Pants. Wouldn't touch it. I even put a bit on her nose and she wouldn't lick it off.

I'll see how she is in the morning. 20200527_204447.jpg

20200526_203237.jpg
 

BlackCatOp

Black Cats Rule!
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
233
Purraise
238
Location
Cat Cuddling (USA)
While I too dislike the prescription diets, I would at least attempt to complete the food trial with a prescription food - then you can try to switch things up later on if you know the food is actually causing the itchiness. I have to reluctantly feed my own cat Royal Canin Pea and Rabbit as he either reacts to other OTC limited ingredient diets or won’t eat them. Thus, while I would prefer to feed a higher protein, lower carb food, his quality of life is much better on the Royal Canin thus that’s what he eats.

Regarding the concept of novel proteins - if your cat has eaten duck before then the protein is not novel. Doesn’t matter how good the store’s “pet nutritionist” thinks it is - they are just there to sell you on a food. Novel means no prior exposure. Since food allergies are a type of hypersensitivity reaction - there has to be an initial exposure for antibody production and subsequent histamine release. If your cat has already been exposed to duck then the potential for her to have antibodies against duck exist. That’s why a new protein type has to be selected. Obviously, your vet missed that you currently feed duck if he suggested a duck based diet.

I would clarify the protein selection with your vet and see if he could provide you with some samples.

Best of luck and hope your baby feels better soon!
 

Buffy1983

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
May 28, 2020
Messages
3
Purraise
1
New poster, but long time cat mom! From reading posts I may be in the minority but I don’t think there is anything wrong with prescription diet or dry food. When my cats were young I fed them Wellness Grain Free or other grain free high protein products. Then at 10 my cat had a urinanary issue (e coli caused crystals) and was put on Hills c/d and is 16 now, acts like a kitten and has never had an issue since then. I don’t think what everyone on here is saying is wrong at all, I just think food is a personal choice and depends on each cat. I personally think it’s the quality that matters most.
 

Buffy1983

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
May 28, 2020
Messages
3
Purraise
1
New poster, but long time cat mom! From reading posts I may be in the minority but I don’t think there is anything wrong with prescription diet or dry food. When my cats were young I fed them Wellness Grain Free or other grain free high protein products. Then at 10 my cat had a urinanary issue (e coli caused crystals) and was put on Hills c/d and is 16 now, acts like a kitten and has never had an issue since then. I don’t think what everyone on here is saying is wrong at all, I just think food is a personal choice and depends on each cat. I personally think it’s the quality that matters most.
FYI: I also feed my cats wet food as well, not just dry!
 
Top