Vet reccomended a prescription food. Advice would be appreciated!

DizzyAvocado

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Hello,
So my 5-year-old DSH went to the vet today and they recommended he start Hill's Science Diet GI Biome for hairball issues that are causing stomach inflammation. Specifically, they said he has Hairball Gastritis. I'm not too pleased with the ingredients or the brand overall, but if it helps I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
My main question is, has anyone else used this food before, and what were the results? Does it tend to make a difference? I'm also curious if anyone has experience in food with better ingredients but has the higher fiber the vet said he needed? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!
 

verna davies

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I haven't used that food but Amazon have a wide selection of food for hairballs that might have better ingredients. You could also give your cat a probiotic daily.
 

artiemom

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I feel for you,,
Ugh... second year I am going through this with Geoffrey..
This year was an ultrasound.

All was negarive. Geoffrey acts so normal ... not losing weight.. just vomiting.

I am currently feeding Royal Canin Prescription Rabbit; along with a large dose of laxatone, daily...
I was also asked to brush him more regularly. I have tried so many brushes, combs.. but the best one is one of my OLD hair brushes!!! an old Boars bristle brush. Geoffrey seems to tolerate it better ... so it is his! Still vomits 7-8 times a month...

I still feel my guy has a chicken allergy. I stopped all chicken products.

I am at a loss, also...

I was told, that it is furballs.. all blood tests came out negative. It does not mean that this could not be IBD, but my guy is not sick enough to warrant a biopsy...
We even saw an Internal Med Vet, at a huge world renowned hospital...

It is maddening..
I wish you luck....
 

LTS3

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If it's hairballs, you don't need any special food. Take a read through this: How Best to Manage Hairballs A raw egg yolk (no egg white) or powdered egg yolk lecithin mixed into canned food helps. You can also try store bought hairball gels and the like.

It's perfectly fine to disagree with the vet about the prescription food and not buy it :agree:
 
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DizzyAvocado

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Thank you all for your help! The vet has him on a prescription for vomiting (he hasn't been sick in the last two days but she wanted to be sure) and she had me get him some hairball gel. I squeeze about a pea-sized amount of the Tomlyn brand onto his paw, I suppose I should do it daily.
He's just never been sick before. Always a totally healthy cat and then he just started vomiting for like three days. What would the probiotic do? Would that be for his stomach bacteria?
 

LTS3

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Probiotics promote a healthy digestive system by keeping the good bacteria happy. IMO it doesn't help at all with hairballs. Preventing hair from being ingested in the first place is best but even cats who get brushed daily may still have the hairballs. Hairball gels, raw egg yolk, etc helps lubricate whatever hair is in the digestive tract and makes it come out in the litter box. I think egg yolk also somehow breaks down ingested hair a bit so it passes more easily.
 
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DizzyAvocado

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Okay, I'm willing to look into getting him probiotics. Is there a brand to look for specifically? I'll also try the egg yolk. Any tips on getting him to eat it? He's not really into people food or any raw food.
 

LTS3

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There's info on probiotics here with some suggested brads:


You can use either pet specific probiotics or Human probiotics. Human probiotics seemed to be preferred because they undergo quality control testing and are available in a wider variety of CFU counts and number of bacteria strains. Most vets are unfamiliar with probiotics other than pet ones like FortiFlora and Proviable and a few others so don't expect much help from your vet on which brand to use.

I'd start with a low CFU count to avoid upsetting the tummy, maybe no more than 10 billion CFU to start. A suggested dose is 1/2 a capsule twice a day and you could even do 1/4 capsule if you want to be really safe and not upset the cat's tummy. A capsule can be pulled apart and carefully put back together. Keep the in use capsule separate from the bottle so you know which one to use. I'd put the in use capsule into a labeled baggie or small container so other people in the house don't toss it in the trash.

Some people just beat the raw egg yolk a bit and offer it as is or mix it into canned food. If your cat doesn't like the raw egg yolk, try the egg yolk lecithin powder instead.
 
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