Science Diet AD

[vferrll1]

Is Science Diet AD a good food?  My cat is in beginning stages of kidney disease, and she never liked moist food.  Is AD a good source of nutrition for her?  Her appetite has not been as good lately with her dry food.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

A/D IS a good source of nutrition, it is usually given to cats recovering from an illness, as it has extra vitamins and calories in it, and is highly digestible.  Some cats really like it.  My CRF cat liked it ONLY when I first opened the can, but never after it had been refrigerated.

Have you seen this website?  It's specifically regarding feline kidney disease and is full of information, including tips on how to get a kidney cat to eat.  There is a lot of reading here, but take your time and you will gain a lot of useful information.  I have directed you to the Diet and Nutrition page, but be sure to look around at all the other sections.  http://www.felinecrf.org/diet_and_nutrition.htm

One thing that my guy really liked was Wholelife 100% freeze dried chicken.  You can crumble it up over  canned food as a "topper" to try to entice them to eat, and it is definitely better to have CRF cats eating canned food over kibble, since they need to have as much water as possible.  I even added water to my guy's wet food, along with giving him sub-q fluids. 

Did you get a prescription for the A/D?  You need one, you know.  Not sure where you are located, but some Petsmarts sell it, but you still need that prescription.   

 

[vferrll1]

Thank you.  I only bought one can of AD at my vet's office to see if she would eat it, thinking there were vitamins that she might need.  At first she liked the nutri-cal chews, but now she won't touch them.  I thought they were an appetite stimulant.

Vicky Ferrill

 

[white shadow]

...she never liked moist food.  Is AD a good source of nutrition for her?

Hi VFerrll1-

Many cats "don't like" wet foods simply because they were never shown wet foods when they were being weaned....that's when the learning usually happens, with their mothers as teachers. The kittens follow the mother's example.....perhaps that was your kitty's experience.

There are lots of tips in this article for "retraining" an older cat....there is one prerequisite, however: patience on your part, It may well take months - BUT - if you stick with it, she'll come around. Here you go: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_

The Hill's a/d is also fine for kidney cats - so, if she'll have it, that's a great start. It can be expensive, however. for full time feeding.

What's important for cats with kidney disease is that their food contains a low percentage of phosphorus - like 1% or less. The a/d has 1%.

The website that mrsgreenjeens gave you also has a list of almost all the wet foods available in North America right here http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm About 1/4 of those have phosphorus levels 1% or lower, so, you'll have lots of choices.

If you want to find out about this phosphorus thing, it's here http://www.felinecrf.org/phosphorus.htm

 

[sevenwonders]

I had a CRF Kitty who lived a couple of years on SD and Royal canin (Kidney formulas)

then he got to the point where the Vet said "all you can do now is take him home and make him comfortable,

or let me put him to sleep."

I researched frantically and started cooking for him.

Turkey or Chicken with some carrots, broccoli, pumpkin and oats (to keep the level of protein under 50%).

Also added bone meal and chicken liver.

Put it all in the food processor to make it into a Pate, and kept some on the fridge, the rest in the freezer.

At meal time, I'd add warm water to bring it to room temp,

then add Dr Goodpet's Maximum Protection Formula, Salmon Oil and Taurine before serving.

Not only did his health improve dramatically, he lived 5 more Happy years, to over the age of 20.

Personally, I very seriously doubt that I will ever use any "prescription" foods again.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I had a CRF Kitty who lived a couple of years on SD and Royal canin (Kidney formulas)

then he got to the point where the Vet said "all you can do now is take him home and make him comfortable,

or let me put him to sleep."

I researched frantically and started cooking for him.

Turkey or Chicken with some carrots, broccoli, pumpkin and oats (to keep the level of protein under 50%).

Also added bone meal and chicken liver.

Put it all in the food processor to make it into a Pate, and kept some on the fridge, the rest in the freezer.

At meal time, I'd add warm water to bring it to room temp,

then add Dr Goodpet's Maximum Protection Formula, Salmon Oil and Taurine before serving.

Not only did his health improve dramatically, he lived 5 more Happy years, to over the age of 20.

Personally, I very seriously doubt that I will ever use any "prescription" foods again.

Wow!  Just curious,did you cook the meat, or was it raw.  If cooked, how did you do it?  Just kind of poach it all together with the vegies and oats.  Did you use thighs, or use bone-in then take it off the bone, or what? 

Really just curious, as some others might be.  This is a great testament!

 

[sevenwonders]

Wow!  Just curious,did you cook the meat, or was it raw.  If cooked, how did you do it?  Just kind of poach it all together with the vegies and oats.  Did you use thighs, or use bone-in then take it off the bone, or what? 

Really just curious, as some others might be.  This is a great testament!

Yes, I cooked it. Depending on how much time I had, I would sometimes use leg quarters - other times I used thighs or ground meat.

I would cook the meat in a large pan with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking, then add some water to make plenty of broth.

When the meat was done cooking, I would use a little broth to cook the oats, and I'd lightly cook the carrots and broccoli in a different pan, again with the broth.

Then I'd use the blender for the veggies and add the canned pumpkin (not pie filling - regular pumpkin) to it while it was hot.

I'd add the meat and oats to the food processor and mix it up well.

Next, I'd put the (lightly cooked) liver and bone meal and some broth in the blender,

and THEN mix everything together in a huge stainless steel mixing bowl,

and dish out portions into those little plastic storage containers.

Just took one out of the freezer a day before I'd need to serve it and let it thaw in the fridge.

Before serving, I'd add very warm water and mix it up to warm it to room temp, then add the powdered Taurine and Dr. Goodpet's Max Protection Formula.

The Taurine and Bone Meal were Human Grade - I can PM a link to those with a Discount code if anyone wants it.

Dr Goodpet's can be found easily with an internet search.

I think the amounts used were:

Meat 3 lb (precooked weight)

Broccoli  1 lb

Carrots  1 lb

Pumpkin 4 oz

Liver  4 oz

Taurine 6000 mg (2000 mg per lb of meat)

Dr Goodpet's  1/2 to 1 tsp per serving

Bone Meal... can't remember, but I think I have it written down at home.

Now that I think about it, I would occasionally cook an egg and mix it in with the food for some flavor and texture variety.

DISCLAIMERS:

I am not a Vet, or a Certified Feline Nutrition Professional, so I cannot make any promises.

I bought several books and searched the web, and came up with this recipe based on info from several sources -

don't remember all of them, but Dr. Pitcairn's and Dr. Pierson's books were definitely consulted.  

Please do your own research and modify the recipe as needed based on your Kitty's needs.