Thinking Of Transitioning To Raw For Possible Ibd Kitty.

[UnderneathTheStars]

So, I'm thinking of transitioning my cat to a raw diet. Since adoption, she has had GI issues. She was ok for awhile but about four weeks ago she started having terrible diarrhea at night and really bad stomach grumbles. She has lost weight and honestly didn't have much to lose in the first place. We went to a vet when it first started and we were given flagyl which worked WONDERS but then when the treatment stopped her symptoms came back. Then, we went again and they gave her a probiotic which didn't help. Her full blood panel came back fine. Today we have a stool test and if it's negative we may treat for IBD (no biopsy because she can't handle anesthesia).

Anyway, I've avoided raw for a long time because it scares me. I don't know how much to feed or how to feed it. I don't know what kind to get. Will she get enough nutrients? Is it calorie and fat dense enough to get her to gain weight once the diarrhea is under control? Here are some questions I have!

My pet store has raw in a freezer and freeze-dried raw from different companies like Stella and Chewie. Which is better?

Do you have positive experiences with raw and your cat's IBD symptoms? I'm hoping it will take care of the diarrhea along with vet meds if she gives me any.

I avoided raw for a long time because I was scared it wouldn't have enough nutrients. I know this to be false but I'm scared that it doesn't contain enough fat or calories to make my kitty gain weight. She has a hard time gaining and really needs to.

I got S. Boulardi last night and added it to some plain chicken baby food. She loved it and she only had two very small amounts of diarrhea last night. The capsules are 250 mg each. Can I keep giving this even if the vet gives her prednisone or another medication today?

Someone mentioned she might actually have a food intolerance to chicken. As such, I won't get the raw chicken. Which of these is best? Turkey, duck/goose, fish, or pork? I have reservations about pork because I never see it in cat food. I don't eat pork myself for religious reasons so I don't know much about its nutritional value. Is it any good for cats?

Can I transition directly to raw or should I mix it with the Fancy Feast even though it might be giving her GI issues?

 

[Tillybug]

My kitten has GI issues since he got here. Didn’t respond to any vet treatments. Did elimination diets with boiled proteins and vet GI foods- got him to cow patties with that.

As a last resort I started raw about 6 weeks ago. The change was instant. I made batches using EZComplete and now I’ve switched to Alnutrin just because it’s about 1/4 of the price for me in Canada.

My kitten gained 2lbs in a month.

His favourite proteins are rabbit, pork, duck, quail. He didn’t like beef or lamb or turkey. I was worried about chicken as well but the EZ has chicken liver in it and he had no reaction, so I made a batch of chicken last week. He didn’t react to it, but also didn’t love it. Rabbit is by far his favourite, but it’s harder to source and also very expensive. I balance it out with the pork that is cheap and readily available and he does really like it.

I also use freeze dried chicken as a topper.

S boulardii 2x a day.

I’ve got him pooping once a day and it’s formed. I do still keep dry out (which I know most raw feeders say is a big no no) and he grazes on it.

 

[LTS3]

I feed my IBD cat a raw diet, Nature's Variety Instinct frozen raw. He has been eating that brand of raw food since he was weaned (he's 8 now) so there wasn't any diet transition period. Instead of feeding the chicken (it gives him a flare up), I now feed only rabbit plus whatever novel protein with pre-mix I make up.

Commercial raw food is easiest to start with since there's no guessing about nutrients. It doesn't matter if you use frozen or freeze dried raw. As long as the food is a complete diet, your cat will get the proper nutrients. Freeze dried may be easiest to start with and more readily acceptable than frozen. A diet change should be done slowly.

Pork is a good novel protein to try. Some cats are ok with poultry except chicken while others can't tolerate any poultry. You'll have to see if your cat can tolerate turkey and duck.

Probiotics can be given if the cat is also on pred and other medications. If the probiotics are in capsules, you pull the capsule apart and sprinkle the powder directly into food. What is the CFU of the S. boulardii and what brand is it? A whole capsule may be too much. Half of a 5 billion CFU capsule twice a day is typically suggested. I give my IBD cat S. boulardii plus a separate probiotic. There's info here on using probiotics: http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/probiotics-for-cats---why-and-which-ones.htm

IBD cats often have low levels of B12 which affects nutrient absorption and results in weight loss. Your vet can check the B12 levels. Low B12 is treated with injections.

More info:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats

 

[MargoLane]

Another IBD-driven raw feeder here. Business is also on 2.5 milligrams of Prednisolone every other day. The medication made a huge difference in her appetite, pain and is really minimizing the effects of her flare-ups. But when she was eating an all canned diet, she was still having diarrhea and seriously terrible gas. Switching to a mostly raw diet has eliminated the diarrhea and the gas.

For some people, feeding raw has completely dealt with all symptoms. It hasn't been that way for me, but it has been pretty significant. It's about keeping my cat as healthy as I can by feeding her the mostly biologically appropriate diet I can. She already has significant health issues; I want to do everything I can to keep any other medical conditions at bay.

Other benefits; raw can actually be more affordable that high quality canned, depending on whether you make it, or you can find an affordable and reliable local supplier. Also - stink free litterbox!

I started with a small bag of freeze dried raw to see if my cat liked it. She loved it, so I slowly transitioned to that before introducing frozen grinds. Just do it really slowly with an IBD cat. Good luck!

 

[daftcat75]

Another IBD cat dad here. I have way too much experience to share so let's try just a few bullet points:

1. Have you tested for EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) and pancreatitis? The symptoms for these overlap quite a lot with IBD and in fact, IBD often causes add-on stress to the pancreas leading to pancreatic conditions. These are not standard tests and therefore are often overlooked. It took me three different vets for one to mention pancreatitis. Sure enough, my Krista had it and her recovery wasn't meaningful until we treated that first. The tests are fTLI (for EPI) and fPLI (for pancreatitis.)

2. I believe fTLI is a fasting test. So as long as you're doing that fasting test, check B-12 levels too. But chances are very good that a cat with diarrhea and weight loss is going to have compromised nutrition and a B-12 deficiency. Ask about starting B-12 replacement therapy even if you don't opt to test for it. If she's B-12 deficient, her diarrhea will not clear up until her B-12 levels are restored. It is safer to do the treatment and not need it than to need it and not do it. B-12 is very safe as any excess is excreted in urine.

3. Raw is a fantastic idea. My Krista's IBD and pancreatitis turned around almost overnight when we switched to raw. Sadly, we switched to Rad Cat which just announced they're going out of business. We'll be switching to homemade soon. I still have Rad Cat stocks for awhile anyway. I have an order of ground boneless turkey arriving this week and the EZ Complete mix to make it balanced and complete. As for handling and serving, I thaw it just enough to spoon it like ice cream into ice cube trays. Each cube is approximately 15-20 g (a little more than half an ounce.) For my Krista, more feedings of smaller meals also helps manage her IBD so she gets four meals of an ounce and a half. Or I take three cubes from the freezer, place them in a baggie, and run it under hot water until they're thawed. I handle the meat a lot less than I thought I would.

Bonus bullet point:
Start an IBD journal. What did you feed her? When did you feed her? What was her approach to meal times and disposition after? Did she have any reactions? Did you give medicine with this meal? What and how much? The journal helps to keep everything straight because the most frustrating part of IBD is identifying triggers to eliminate and determining what medicine is successful. And both of these are much too big a job to do in your head. Especially if you have had to increase the number of feedings or the number of incidents are increasing. I use a Google Sheet for this because I can pack a ton of information into a week's tab with comments and colors and I can see at a glance how we're doing this week vs previous weeks. Helpful when I need a reminder that even though we still have occasional flare-ups, we're in a much better place than before.

 

[LTS3]

Also - stink free litterbox!

That has yet to happen with Leroy He's always had stinky poop on raw food. Maybe he's just an oddball

Some people with IBD cats only feed LID / novel protein canned food and have good results. You could give that a try before attempting raw.

Bonus bullet point:
Start an IBD journal.

A journal / notebook / calendar to track everything is really helpful. There are numerous ways to do this. Just try a few different things to see what works best for you. I was using an Arc notebook system but now use Google Keep. Track everything: food brand and amounts, meal times and what was fed, all medicines and amounts, when the medicine was given, any supplements, litter box use, behavior, vomiting, vet visits, etc.

 

[missmimz]

I have a cat with GI lymphoma/pancreatitis/leaky gut (which caused the GI lymphoma) and CKD that eats raw. Best diet possible for a GI compromised cat.

 

[Twiggybaby]

The oncologist I took my cat to said no raw diet for risk of bacteria. She is not giving me any answers n I'm so frustrated. I feed mine rabbit minced from instinct. Her diarrhea came back bad the last few days since upping her dose of steroids. Doc wants her twice a day.

 

[missmimz]

The oncologist I took my cat to said no raw diet for risk of bacteria. She is not giving me any answers n I'm so frustrated. I feed mine rabbit minced from instinct. Her diarrhea came back bad the last few days since upping her dose of steroids. Doc wants her twice a day.

They just don't understand raw, so they parrot what they are told about nutrition (which isn't much). Even immune compromised cats can eat raw just fine, they still have incredibly acidic digestive systems. I know someone (she used to be active here she has old threads about it) that had her cat who was going through CHOP for large cell lymphoma on raw. He went into remission and lived several more years.

 

[daftcat75]

The oncologist I took my cat to said no raw diet for risk of bacteria. She is not giving me any answers n I'm so frustrated. I feed mine rabbit minced from instinct. Her diarrhea came back bad the last few days since upping her dose of steroids. Doc wants her twice a day.

Show me a wild cat that cooks its food and I'll give pause to what she's saying. Otherwise, it's just junk science based on extrapolating human concerns to cats. Different species, different physiologies, different concerns. To be honest, most people who feed raw take much greater care in sourcing their meat than the canned food producers do.

Talk to the good people at Vitality Science. They have customers who have successfully treated lymphoma with their supplements. They can't promise a cure or remission, but they can certainly provide you with more species-appropriate information and advice and guidance on supplements to support your cat's immune system instead of suppressing it (which is what pred does.) They will also help you with your cat's diarrhea. They have a few supplements that can clear that up fast. You can call them or drop them an email and they will usually get back to you within 24 hours. Very knowledgeable. Very helpful.
vitalityscience.com

 

[missmimz]

I've never seen any cases in all the cat health groups I'm in where a cat with lymphoma was cured from any natural remedies alone. GI lymphoma is especially tough. It goes undetected for a long time and often when it's discovered it's pretty advanced. Small cell is much easier to treat but large cell is incredibly aggressive. I'm a huge believer in an integrative approach to cancer, I do it with my own cat, but I don't think we've found a way to put it into remission yet without some forms of chemo.

 

[daftcat75]

I've never seen any cases in all the cat health groups I'm in where a cat with lymphoma was cured from any natural remedies alone. GI lymphoma is especially tough. It goes undetected for a long time and often when it's discovered it's pretty advanced. Small cell is much easier to treat but large cell is incredibly aggressive. I'm a huge believer in an integrative approach to cancer, I do it with my own cat, but I don't think we've found a way to put it into remission yet without some forms of chemo.

Did I suggest Vitality Science in place of the oncologist? I didn't mean to. If the pred is working for yours, keep using that. I treated IBD with supplements but I'm out of my depth with lymphoma. However, the folks at Vitality Science can help you with additional information and support. For example, they can definitely help with the diarrhea.

 

[Gins]

So, I'm thinking of transitioning my cat to a raw diet. Since adoption, she has had GI issues. She was ok for awhile but about four weeks ago she started having terrible diarrhea at night and really bad stomach grumbles. She has lost weight and honestly didn't have much to lose in the first place. We went to a vet when it first started and we were given flagyl which worked WONDERS but then when the treatment stopped her symptoms came back. Then, we went again and they gave her a probiotic which didn't help. Her full blood panel came back fine. Today we have a stool test and if it's negative we may treat for IBD (no biopsy because she can't handle anesthesia).

Anyway, I've avoided raw for a long time because it scares me. I don't know how much to feed or how to feed it. I don't know what kind to get. Will she get enough nutrients? Is it calorie and fat dense enough to get her to gain weight once the diarrhea is under control? Here are some questions I have!

My pet store has raw in a freezer and freeze-dried raw from different companies like Stella and Chewie. Which is better?

Do you have positive experiences with raw and your cat's IBD symptoms? I'm hoping it will take care of the diarrhea along with vet meds if she gives me any.

I avoided raw for a long time because I was scared it wouldn't have enough nutrients. I know this to be false but I'm scared that it doesn't contain enough fat or calories to make my kitty gain weight. She has a hard time gaining and really needs to.

I got S. Boulardi last night and added it to some plain chicken baby food. She loved it and she only had two very small amounts of diarrhea last night. The capsules are 250 mg each. Can I keep giving this even if the vet gives her prednisone or another medication today?

Someone mentioned she might actually have a food intolerance to chicken. As such, I won't get the raw chicken. Which of these is best? Turkey, duck/goose, fish, or pork? I have reservations about pork because I never see it in cat food. I don't eat pork myself for religious reasons so I don't know much about its nutritional value. Is it any good for cats?

Can I transition directly to raw or should I mix it with the Fancy Feast even though it might be giving her GI issues?

 

[Gins]

Oh, Underneaththestars, I had to register just to be able to respond to your post.
15 years ago my kitty Sophie started with digestive issues which would not stop - howling, walking around with her back arched, clearly in pain, uncontrollable squirts of diarrhea all over the house - she was miserable and so was I!! Vet did all kinds of tests, could not identify anything specific, although clearly there was a problem - prednisone helped but when she was off the meds it came right back. We tried all of the prescription sensitive stomach cat foods, various commercial things, nothing helped. I was at the end of my rope and feared for her life, so I felt I had little to lose. I was reading The New Natural Cat, looking for a treatment that would be longer-lasting, when I learned about the raw diet.

The book had the recipe, it seemed easy enough, and I was inspired to try it - as I said, I felt I had nothing to lose. I found the ingredients, mixed it up, and served it to both the sick one and the one we called "the garbage girl", because she would eat anything. They both loved it immediately, almost no suspicion or resistance at all. Within two weeks there was a dramatic improvement with Sophie's bowels, pain, and she began gaining weight.

Although I had initially been leery and everyone thought I was crazy - in my small town, nobody had ever heard of a raw diet and there was certainly no way to buy raw commercial food! - the results were inarguable. Even the vet who was quite skeptical could not argue with the results, going from a cat who was truly very ill to one who was very healthy for many years.

After about 10 years I eventually switched to Primal, when I learned of it and convinced a local pet store to order and stock it for me. Both girls made the switch easily and it really was less expensive than constantly sick cats with vet bills!

Both my girls are gone now, but I will do the raw diet again without a minute's hesitation when I have a cat/s again. The benefits far outweighed the trouble and call it anecdotal if you like, but I saw firsthand the miracle cure that it was for my girls. You have to do what works for your family, but I urge you to at least give it a try and see if it helps. Best of luck to you and your baby.