Urgent Rec Request For Low-carb, Non-chicken, Non-fish Wet Food

[cheeser]

Thanks be to God, Buddy finally appears to be showing signs of improvement re: his most recent health setback. That faint sliver of light off in the distance might be starting to look more like light at the end of the tunnel, instead of yet another oncoming freight train in a long series of freight trains.

And as an extra blessing, what started out as another new challenge to overcome has suddenly turned into a golden opportunity. Buddy is now eating pate style food. Woo hoo!

That's a huge step for us, because he appears to have developed an allergy to chicken, and he can't have fish based flavors because of his history of urinary tract problems. Unfortunately, most shredded textures are chicken or fish based, so we were in a bit of a pickle.

However, much to our surprise and delight, Buddy has enthusiastically embraced the Koha limited ingredient options that we've tried thus far (kangaroo, duck, and guineafowl), and is tolerating them quite well. So we'd like to strike while the proverbial iron is still hot, and offer him some other options while he's still willing to try new things.

I'm going to Petsmart this morning to pick up some cans of Instinct's limited ingredient flavors. Is there anything else you could recommend that's low carb, and isn't chicken or fish based? For what it's worth, we're also willing to consider commercially prepared raw food or other wet food options if Buddy is agreeable.

 

[myrnafaye]

NV makes a rabbit formula, both limited ingredient and regular. It is very high quality food as far as I can tell. What was his setback?

 

[cheeser]

NV makes a rabbit formula, both limited ingredient and regular. It is very high quality food as far as I can tell. What was his setback?

Thanks! That makes me feel better since Petsmart and Petco didn't have what I went there for, so I just grabbed some rabbit and a couple of other regular NV flavors so Buddy would have something new for lunch, which he did eat. Yay!

As for Buddy's setback, well...the antibiotics worked great for treating the staph infection, but really wreaked havoc on his digestive system. So he's been alternating between diarrhea and constipation, throwing up, developing hairballs again, not wanting to eat, and now he's not tolerating any of his usual food -- which is probably for the best since we and the vet suspected that he's developed an allergy to chicken. We just haven't been able to get Buddy to try anything else because he'd only eat shredded textures until I bought a couple of cans of Koha the other day almost as an afterthought on my way to the checkout. It was like a miracle. After just one can, he's showing some enthusiasm about eating again, his appetite has picked up, and last night he had his first normal poop in ages. So we're hopeful. We just don't want him to get bored with his current menu options and lose interest in eating again.

 

[LTS3]

Try these non-fish / non-chicken foods:

Weruva - People Food for Pets - TRULUXE - Steak Frites
Hound & Gatos Pet Foods Corp.
Products Archive - Wild Calling!
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet - Real Duck Recipe Grain Free Canned Cat Food for Cats and Kittens
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet - Real Turkey Recipe Grain Free Canned Cat Food for Cat and Kittens
BLUE Basics - Canned Duck cat food, a limited ingredient diet
BLUE Basics - Grain Free Turkey & Potato Canned cat food, a limited ingredient diet
L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Venison & Green Pea Canned Cat Formula | Natural Balance Pet Foods
L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Duck & Green Pea Canned Cat Formula | Natural Balance Pet Foods
Wet & Treats | Instinct Pet Food
Ziwi Peak Moist Cat Food | Ziwi Pets
https://www.addictionfoods.com/products/cat-formulas/canned
Grain-Free Cat Food | By Nature? Pet Foods
https://www.frommfamily.com/products/four-star/cat/#can-pâtés
Slow Cooked Beef Stew
Slow Cooked Turkey Stew
95% Premium Meat Archives - Dave's Pet Food

Some are textured and others are pate. The gravy ones might be a little high in carbs but they could just be fed occasionally. They may be on the Catinfo.org food chart.

 

[cheeser]

Try these non-fish / non-chicken foods:

Weruva - People Food for Pets - TRULUXE - Steak Frites
Hound & Gatos Pet Foods Corp.
Products Archive - Wild Calling!
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet - Real Duck Recipe Grain Free Canned Cat Food for Cats and Kittens
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet - Real Turkey Recipe Grain Free Canned Cat Food for Cat and Kittens
BLUE Basics - Canned Duck cat food, a limited ingredient diet
BLUE Basics - Grain Free Turkey & Potato Canned cat food, a limited ingredient diet
L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Venison & Green Pea Canned Cat Formula | Natural Balance Pet Foods
L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Duck & Green Pea Canned Cat Formula | Natural Balance Pet Foods
Wet & Treats | Instinct Pet Food
Ziwi Peak Moist Cat Food | Ziwi Pets
https://www.addictionfoods.com/products/cat-formulas/canned
Grain-Free Cat Food | By Nature? Pet Foods
https://www.frommfamily.com/products/four-star/cat/#can-pâtés
Slow Cooked Beef Stew
Slow Cooked Turkey Stew
95% Premium Meat Archives - Dave's Pet Food

Some are textured and others are pate. The gravy ones might be a little high in carbs but they could just be fed occasionally. They may be on the Catinfo.org food chart.

Awesome! Thanks a million for your help, as always.

 

[missmimz]

Try a freeze dried raw food, something like Primal or even Feline Naturals. It's more likely your cat is allergic to something IN these foods rather than the protein itself. There's no way to actually know if your cat has a true protein allergy unless you go homecooked or raw, because otherwise you can't remove all the fillers which are the most likely culprit. While a true chicken allergy is possible, it's not incredibly common.

 

[lisahe]

Others pretty much covered things but I'll add that our cats really like Rawz canned foods: they make a beef food and a turkey food. No carrageenan, either. Nutro Natural Choice also makes several foods that don't have chicken: sliced turkey and chunky turkey loaf among them. And also no carrageenan. (There are more choices, like duck, if you feed carrageenan.) A lot of cats seem to find Nutro very tasty. All these foods are very low-carb.

As for raw options, Rad Cat makes frozen pork, turkey, venison, lamb, and beef foods; our cats love their chicken and turkey but haven't been thrilled with the lamb or pork. And Northwest Naturals has turkey in either freeze-dried or frozen versions.

Good luck! I hope Buddy feels better soon.

 

[cheeser]

Try a freeze dried raw food, something like Primal or even Feline Naturals. It's more likely your cat is allergic to something IN these foods rather than the protein itself. There's no way to actually know if your cat has a true protein allergy unless you go homecooked or raw, because otherwise you can't remove all the fillers which are the most likely culprit. While a true chicken allergy is possible, it's not incredibly common.

Huh. That's an interesting thought. Are some ingredients more likely to be a possible culprit than others?

I've noticed that Buddy's ears haven't been as yeasty since we started him on other proteins. Maybe I could spreadsheet the ingredients to see what other changes we've made in the process.

 

[cheeser]

Others pretty much covered things but I'll add that our cats really like Rawz canned foods: they make a beef food and a turkey food. No carrageenan, either. Nutro Natural Choice also makes several foods that don't have chicken: sliced turkey and chunky turkey loaf among them. And also no carrageenan. (There are more choices, like duck, if you feed carrageenan.) A lot of cats seem to find Nutro very tasty. All these foods are very low-carb.

As for raw options, Rad Cat makes frozen pork, turkey, venison, lamb, and beef foods; our cats love their chicken and turkey but haven't been thrilled with the lamb or pork. And Northwest Naturals has turkey in either freeze-dried or frozen versions.

Good luck! I hope Buddy feels better soon.

Thanks much! I'll look into those options.

Buddy seems to be feeling a little better these days, thank God. Honestly, about a week or so ago, we thought his nine lives had about run out. But he's pulled back from the brink so many times before, we hoped and prayed he'd bounce back this time, too. Maybe we should rename him Lazarus.

 

[lisahe]

Huh. That's an interesting thought. Are some ingredients more likely to be a possible culprit than others?

I've noticed that Buddy's ears haven't been as yeasty since we started him on other proteins. Maybe I could spreadsheet the ingredients to see what other changes we've made in the process.

Yes, that's a very good idea! I don't remember what Buddy's symptoms were (other than ear gunk) but we've found that feeding the simplest-possible recipes has been great for our cats: one vomits at the drop of a hat, the other has a tendency toward mild nausea. Their diet of commercial raw (about 50%), homemade cooked (about 40%), and canned (about 10%) has really helped. I think the homecooked has been especially good for Ireland (mild nausea) because of the digestive enzymes or (as the vet thinks) the pancreas in the supplement. Edit: I even wonder if the gums in canned foods were part of Ireland's issue. She's seemed to feel even better after I cut their canned foods back a couple of months ago. Buddy's issues are obviously different but it's just so hard to know what will cause a problem for each individual cat!

Thanks much! I'll look into those options.

Buddy seems to be feeling a little better these days, thank God. Honestly, about a week or so ago, we thought his nine lives had about run out. But he's pulled back from the brink so many times before, we hoped and prayed he'd bounce back this time, too. Maybe we should rename him Lazarus.

I can add to those options if you're interested in freeze-dried raw! Feline Naturals chicken/lamb is the big favorite around here; we usually mix in a little Northwest Naturals turkey.

'm very glad to hear Buddy's feeling better. And so funny that you mention Lazarus: I'm a translator and have translated two novels that involve Lazarus in one way or another!

 

[cheeser]

Yes, that's a very good idea! I don't remember what Buddy's symptoms were (other than ear gunk)

Well, sometimes it's a bit tricky to figure out what's what when your cat has several problems going on at the same time. Buddy's a great multi-tasker, what can I say?

But the vet suspects that the chronic nail/toe fungus is also related to the possible chicken allergy, since it tends to affect so many toes when it flares up. Buddy also seems to suffer from frequent nausea, and sometimes develops sores on his upper lip from licking his lips so often. However, Buddy almost always has a snuffly nose from airborne allergies and other chronic upper respiratory problems, so the nausea could be from the near constant sinus drainage. The vet just prescribed some antibiotic/steroid drops for that, so hopefully that will make it easier to figure out which problem is contributing to the nausea.

Thanks for the freeze-dried raw recs! It's taken us awhile, but we're finally beginning to become more comfortable with the idea.

And so funny that you mention Lazarus: I'm a translator and have translated two novels that involve Lazarus in one way or another!

Hee! What a coincidence!

 

[lisahe]

Well, sometimes it's a bit tricky to figure out what's what when your cat has several problems going on at the same time. Buddy's a great multi-tasker, what can I say?

But the vet suspects that the chronic nail/toe fungus is also related to the possible chicken allergy, since it tends to affect so many toes when it flares up. Buddy also seems to suffer from frequent nausea, and sometimes develops sores on his upper lip from licking his lips so often. However, Buddy almost always has a snuffly nose from airborne allergies and other chronic upper respiratory problems, so the nausea could be from the near constant sinus drainage. The vet just prescribed some antibiotic/steroid drops for that, so hopefully that will make it easier to figure out which problem is contributing to the nausea.

Thanks for the freeze-dried raw recs! It's taken us awhile, but we're finally beginning to become more comfortable with the idea.

Hee! What a coincidence!

I know what you mean about cats who multitask with their health issues -- it can really make things challenging. I also know what you mean about the comfort level of starting on raw food. Some of the ones we feed are treated with high pressure to kill bacteria; if you're concerned about bacteria, you might want to seek those out!

 

[cheeser]

I know what you mean about cats who multitask with their health issues -- it can really make things challenging. I also know what you mean about the comfort level of starting on raw food. Some of the ones we feed are treated with high pressure to kill bacteria; if you're concerned about bacteria, you might want to seek those out!

Oh, I'm very interested in learning more about raw! I've had my concerns about it since Buddy has so many health issues. But sometimes I have concerns about the canned cooked stuff, too.

 

[lisahe]

Oh, I'm very interested in learning more about raw! I've had my concerns about it since Buddy has so many health issues. But sometimes I have concerns about the canned cooked stuff, too.

Ditto here about the canned food concerns! I feel pretty comfortable with, for example, Feline Natural, which isn't pressure treated. I'm the daughter of a dietitian trained in food safety so this hasn't always been easy! (That's one of the big reasons I make homemade cooked food but not raw food...)