The Slow Transition - any interim risks?

[nanucat]

I have slowly begun to feed my ultra picky cat a raw food diet based on the catinfo.org recipe http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood  .  However my recipe is somewhat lacking of all the suggested ingredients  especially organ meat   . My cat refuses to touch any other kind of meat except for juicy pieces of chicken breast and it might take me months to get him to eat minced organ meat. Below is the current recipe, that I feed Dexter. I am worried if he is missing any special vitamins, minerals till he fully transitions. Thoughts? Suggestions?

3lb chicken breast pieces

1 cup distilled water

2 eggs

vitamin E, B, Taurine, bone powder (amounts as in original recipe)

Missing: Liver, Bones, Organ Meats etc.

Dexter had FLUTD a year ago. His PH on raw food is great!  

thank you!

 

[vball91]

How long of a transition are we talking about? Obviously you know that what you are feeding currently is not nutritionally complete. While nutritional deficiencies do take time to form, I would consider getting a premix supplement that you can add to the raw meat that makes the meat nutrionally balanced. That way you can take as long as you need to transition or stock with this method if he prefers chunks of raw meat instead.

 

[ritz]

I agree with vBall91. I would also consider egg shells in lieu of bone (rinse, dry thoroughly, pulverize. This thread talks more about egg shells and amounts needed. A general purpose supplement like Alnutrin is probably easier and safer from a nutritional standpoint.
Also, see if your cat likes dehydrated organs (Hare Today sells them and probably other vendors). I know freeze dried/dehydrated LIVER treats are widely available. Although usually marketed to dogs, as long as the only ingredient is liver, they are fine for cats.
Finally, you can use the same tips for transition any cat from canned/kibble to raw/canned for organs: a teeny tiny bit of raw organs and increase the amount gradually.

 

[peaches08]

Are you adding iodized Lite salt?  I didn't see it listed so I thought I'd ask.  That is a requirement of this recipe.  What kind of bone powder are you using?

All you need to add is 4 oz of liver to the recipe and Lite salt.  I'm assuming you are using the correct amount of E, B complex, taurine, and bone meal or freeze dried bone.

If you absolutely cannot add liver, here's a site that has a substitute available until you can get him eating liver:  http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.html

 

[cprcheetah]

That is the recipe I am feeding and I mix the liver into the meat, and chop it up with my Ninja food processor.  My chihuahua who is VERY picky with organs will eat them this way (ground into the meat) as she doesn't realize they are there.

 

[nanucat]

I went ahead and bought dehydrated liver treats for now and will slowly add minced/pureed organ meat (liver, heart) to his food. It will probably take me 2-3 months, given his nature. If dehydrated treats don't work, I will try adding liver substitutes. Hope he eats organ meat soon

Bone Powder: 
Iodine: 
I tried Alnutrin premix but Dexter's PH absurdly became very high. Perhaps because I didn't use distilled water in the mix. Hence I now try to control the ingredients myself and check his PH often. Maybe I should give Alnutrin a try again sometime...

Thank you for the replies. All great suggestions!