Hi, new here with a question. My previous vet reccommended that I switch my cats from dry food to wet food because they were starting to discover that dry food had additives that cats are unable to break down, and it could be causing damamge to the cats (i.e. kidney failure). We got on this topic because one of my cats is a chronic vomiter and she thought it was possible that she was having a reaction to something in the dry food (we use natural choice). I did switch them to wet food for a while, and it stopped the vomiting for a while, but eventually resumed.
My question now is has anyone else ever heard of dry food being potentially bad for cats? I prefer dry food because it is easier and less smelly than canned food, but if it truly is better for the cats then I will continue the wet food.
Just hoping for some advice.
Thanks in advance.
Wet food vs. Dry food
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
You could try comparing the ingredient list between the dry and wet food and seeing if there is something in the dry food that's not in the wet. If you want to continue feeding the dry food, you could try to find a brand that doesn't have that ingredient. Science Diet just came out with a new line called nature's choice or something like that, and it is comparable to the nutro foods.
When you were having the problems with the dry food, did you try opening a new bag and checking the expiration date on the old bag? I had a run of vomiting in one of my cats for a few days when I was down toward the bottom of a bag. Even though it was far from expiring, I replaced the food with food from a new bag, and the vomiting stopped. Sometimes it can just be rancid food.
One thing you want to keep in mind with the wet food is that you need to take care of your cat's teeth diligently. This might have been somewhat exaggerated in my case because of an underlying disorder, but I had explosion of tartar in my one cat after I started giving him wet food. His teeth went from having no visible buildup to needing a dental in 2 months. So you probably want to be diligent in brushing your cat's teeth (which is a good thing when you're feeding the dry food, too...).
I hope you find out what the problem is so you can stop the vomiting!
When you were having the problems with the dry food, did you try opening a new bag and checking the expiration date on the old bag? I had a run of vomiting in one of my cats for a few days when I was down toward the bottom of a bag. Even though it was far from expiring, I replaced the food with food from a new bag, and the vomiting stopped. Sometimes it can just be rancid food.
One thing you want to keep in mind with the wet food is that you need to take care of your cat's teeth diligently. This might have been somewhat exaggerated in my case because of an underlying disorder, but I had explosion of tartar in my one cat after I started giving him wet food. His teeth went from having no visible buildup to needing a dental in 2 months. So you probably want to be diligent in brushing your cat's teeth (which is a good thing when you're feeding the dry food, too...).
I hope you find out what the problem is so you can stop the vomiting!
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
There is no substantial evidence to suggest that canned is better than dry food. However, quality is important, so ask your vet for recommendations on high quality dry food, if that is what your cat prefers. In some cases, such as renal failure, or dental disease, etc, canned may be preferrable.
The important thing is finding out what is causing the chronic vomiting, because you could be overlooking a developing health condition. Ideally, bloodwork should be done to monitor organ function, and if there is no significant changes in bloodwork, then a trial diet can be initiated to rule out food allergies, sensitivities, etc....but that diet needs to be a specific diet, designed with one specific protein source, and fed for at least 6 weeks to determine favorable or non-favorable results. There are several veterinary diets available for this purpose, such as low-residue, allergy diets, etc.
Other rule-outs include hairballs, gorging (vomiting undigested food), treats, human foods, bacterial infection (oral, diseased teeth, GI tract, etc), stress, or underlying health conditions that may require further diagnostics.
If your vet isn't taking steps to find out the cause of the vomiting, or helping you choose an appropriate diet, see a new vet promptly.
The important thing is finding out what is causing the chronic vomiting, because you could be overlooking a developing health condition. Ideally, bloodwork should be done to monitor organ function, and if there is no significant changes in bloodwork, then a trial diet can be initiated to rule out food allergies, sensitivities, etc....but that diet needs to be a specific diet, designed with one specific protein source, and fed for at least 6 weeks to determine favorable or non-favorable results. There are several veterinary diets available for this purpose, such as low-residue, allergy diets, etc.
Other rule-outs include hairballs, gorging (vomiting undigested food), treats, human foods, bacterial infection (oral, diseased teeth, GI tract, etc), stress, or underlying health conditions that may require further diagnostics.
If your vet isn't taking steps to find out the cause of the vomiting, or helping you choose an appropriate diet, see a new vet promptly.
..........Traci
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
Thanks for both of the responses. I actually have an appointment for her tomorrow with a new vet (we recently moved so I had to find a new vet anyway).
I originally thought that maybe it was expired food, but starting a new bag didn't help. Plus, our other cat has never gotten sick in the 2 years that we have had her so I am pretty sure it's not bad food. She usually gets sick every 2 days or so, in the morning after she eats. At first I thought it was just her gorging, but my previous vet said it shouldn't be happening that frequently.
Hopefully we will get some answers soon!
I originally thought that maybe it was expired food, but starting a new bag didn't help. Plus, our other cat has never gotten sick in the 2 years that we have had her so I am pretty sure it's not bad food. She usually gets sick every 2 days or so, in the morning after she eats. At first I thought it was just her gorging, but my previous vet said it shouldn't be happening that frequently.
Hopefully we will get some answers soon!
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
Glad to hear you're getting her checked.
If you feed them on a schedule, perhaps try free-feeding....and make sure she isn't intimidated at meal times (such as the other cat intimidating her, etc)
If you feed them on a schedule, perhaps try free-feeding....and make sure she isn't intimidated at meal times (such as the other cat intimidating her, etc)
..........Traci
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Luv my kitty
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Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
I haven't heard that about the dry food, but my son's girlfriend has a bad problem with her cat throwing her food up.
The vet said it was a "fissure", or something. I'm not sure that's exactly what the vet said it was, I can't remember exactly.
She has to feed her a food that is not too wet, not too dry. She also has to put her food bowl up on a couple of books so the cat will keep her head up when she's eating. She has has this problem for several years.
she still throws up some, but not too often now.
Don't know if this helps or not. I hope you can get to the bottom of this.
Luv my kitty
The vet said it was a "fissure", or something. I'm not sure that's exactly what the vet said it was, I can't remember exactly.
She has to feed her a food that is not too wet, not too dry. She also has to put her food bowl up on a couple of books so the cat will keep her head up when she's eating. She has has this problem for several years.
she still throws up some, but not too often now.
Don't know if this helps or not. I hope you can get to the bottom of this.
Luv my kitty
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
Just wanted to update everyone on this. I did take my cat to the vet, and she checked out fine. I switched their food the the Natural Choice dry food for indoor cats about 2 weeks ago, and she has not gotten sick since. So maybe it was an ingredient in the regular food that was not agreeing with her. So, hopefully, the problem is solved.
Thanks again for all the responses and advice!
Thanks again for all the responses and advice!
Re: Wet food vs. Dry food
Good to hear! And thanks for the update.