My vet feels one of my kitties is allergic to chicken and turkey. We changed food to accomodate but none of the cats like it and it's expensive. Any ideas? Thanks!
Pam
Food allergies
Re: Food allergies
What was the brand/type you were feeding before, and what is the brand/type the vet recommended? Is it a prescription diet or something else?
How did your vet determine kitty has allergic reactions to the prior food? What tests were done to confirm? What are the symptoms your kitty is experencing?
How did your vet determine kitty has allergic reactions to the prior food? What tests were done to confirm? What are the symptoms your kitty is experencing?
..........Traci
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Pam and Alex
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:23 pm
Re: Food allergies
I was feeding low carb Fancy Feast because I also have a diabetic kitty who is now in remission after almost a year on insulin. I went to one of the holistic brands that is all meat-no by-products-after trying several to see what they would eat-. My kittys wouldn't eat it after awhile-they got venison, duck, rabit and beef. Also a good quality fish brand. Unfortunately, it's all very expensive and when I was throwing most of it away I gave up and went back to FF and Friskies-which they ate for awhile but now are very hit and miss. By the way, I don't feed dry and won't because of my diabetic and I also won't feed prescription diets for the same reason. They don't like raw food so I've wasted a lot of money on that.
Alex sometimes vomits-not as much as before-and gets loose stools. The vet felt it was either a food allergy or a blockage so we went with the allergy and food change first. The symptoms did subside. He had x-rays and bloodwork done but nothing was conclusive.
This morning for example I fed FF Tender Beef, which they normally eat, and none of the four would eat it and have continued to bug me for food. Alex has loose stools again. I'm at my wits end.
Pam
Alex sometimes vomits-not as much as before-and gets loose stools. The vet felt it was either a food allergy or a blockage so we went with the allergy and food change first. The symptoms did subside. He had x-rays and bloodwork done but nothing was conclusive.
This morning for example I fed FF Tender Beef, which they normally eat, and none of the four would eat it and have continued to bug me for food. Alex has loose stools again. I'm at my wits end.
Pam
Re: Food allergies
There's nothing special about "holistic" food, and more often than not, there are unnecessary ingredients in them or, excesses/deficiences in vital nutrients. Likewise, raw foods cannot be appropriately balanced with vital nutrients and vitamins, and the risks for parasitic/bacterial infections are always a potential.
You didn't give a valid reason for not considering prescription diets, and diabetic cats ideally should be on a prescribed diet, not only are they able to metabolize better but insulin is absorbed better, and the low carbohydrate/higher protein is ideal. There are also prescription diets for allergy-related conditions, which too, are formulated better than commercial brands, since they utilize (usually) only one protein source, you would choose a protein source the cat has never been exposed to prior, and you have to give the diet at least 4 weeks to determine results. All of the prescription diets are also available in canned form.
How old is your kitty who has the suspected "allergies"? Vomiting and diarrhea can indicate a miriad of conditions, from inappropriate food to stress, to IBD. If he is older, you have several rule-outs you need to address: inappropriate diet, IBD, pancreatitis, mass or lymphoma, bacterial infection, hairball impactions, etc. What type of bloodwork did you have done, was it a full chemical profile including CBC? Did the vet find anything suspicious upon xrays?
You can't keep switching foods, this approach alone will not resolve vomiting/diarrhea, and in fact, will only exacerbate the problem. One diet, chosen for proper nutrient/ingredient formulation fed consistently, and absolutely nothing else fed during the process of elimination stage, including treats. If you want this resolved and if the vet has enough evidence to suggest allergies to diet ingredients, I would strongly recommend Hill's Rx Z/D or D/D (or Purina DVM prescription diets, or even Royal Canin prescribed diets). If there are allergies involved, chances are, they will be resolved using any one of the above diets, and your vet can then determine what past foods /ingredients were not appropriate. Most of the Rx hypoallergenic diets can also be fed to the other cats, providing they are healthy adults and have no primary health conditions. BTW, Hill's or Purina diabetic diets are often ideal for those cats who have gone into insulin "remission" as well, so you should be talking to your vet about that.
Don't let hype and anecdotal info on the net deter you from properly treating your cats. Only your vet and you know the true condition/symptoms of your cats, and only your vet is qualified to test/diagnose/treat/prescribe for the condition noted. There is no evidence canned is better than dry (with the exception of certain cases such as renal disease or oral health problems etc), and as a matter of fact, there are equal contraindications with using strictly canned only.
Again, if you want resolve for this suspected allergy, you're going to have to give him the opportunity to respond with results, isn't that the goal, and isn't it worth it to see results?
You didn't give a valid reason for not considering prescription diets, and diabetic cats ideally should be on a prescribed diet, not only are they able to metabolize better but insulin is absorbed better, and the low carbohydrate/higher protein is ideal. There are also prescription diets for allergy-related conditions, which too, are formulated better than commercial brands, since they utilize (usually) only one protein source, you would choose a protein source the cat has never been exposed to prior, and you have to give the diet at least 4 weeks to determine results. All of the prescription diets are also available in canned form.
How old is your kitty who has the suspected "allergies"? Vomiting and diarrhea can indicate a miriad of conditions, from inappropriate food to stress, to IBD. If he is older, you have several rule-outs you need to address: inappropriate diet, IBD, pancreatitis, mass or lymphoma, bacterial infection, hairball impactions, etc. What type of bloodwork did you have done, was it a full chemical profile including CBC? Did the vet find anything suspicious upon xrays?
You can't keep switching foods, this approach alone will not resolve vomiting/diarrhea, and in fact, will only exacerbate the problem. One diet, chosen for proper nutrient/ingredient formulation fed consistently, and absolutely nothing else fed during the process of elimination stage, including treats. If you want this resolved and if the vet has enough evidence to suggest allergies to diet ingredients, I would strongly recommend Hill's Rx Z/D or D/D (or Purina DVM prescription diets, or even Royal Canin prescribed diets). If there are allergies involved, chances are, they will be resolved using any one of the above diets, and your vet can then determine what past foods /ingredients were not appropriate. Most of the Rx hypoallergenic diets can also be fed to the other cats, providing they are healthy adults and have no primary health conditions. BTW, Hill's or Purina diabetic diets are often ideal for those cats who have gone into insulin "remission" as well, so you should be talking to your vet about that.
Don't let hype and anecdotal info on the net deter you from properly treating your cats. Only your vet and you know the true condition/symptoms of your cats, and only your vet is qualified to test/diagnose/treat/prescribe for the condition noted. There is no evidence canned is better than dry (with the exception of certain cases such as renal disease or oral health problems etc), and as a matter of fact, there are equal contraindications with using strictly canned only.
Again, if you want resolve for this suspected allergy, you're going to have to give him the opportunity to respond with results, isn't that the goal, and isn't it worth it to see results?
..........Traci
-
Pam and Alex
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:23 pm
Re: Food allergies
Thank you for your thoughtful replies.
Pam
Pam