Hello everyone,
I am a newbie here. I joined because I'm looking for a better food to feed my cat, Cheeba. He's 11 yrs old, and he's currently on a half & half mix of Science Diet c/d and Science Diet Adult (dry). He has a history of UTI's, but has never blocked. I really don't care for the ingredients of SD, but since I switched him to the c/d mix 2.5 yrs ago he hasn't had a problem, so I want to be very sure I'm doing the right thing before I change his food.
He has had vomiting and loose stool every 2 weeks or so. When I took him to the vet for it this week, the vet thinks he may have IBD or colitis, but isn't sure. The vet suggested that I switch him to Science Diet z/d or another digestive-friendly food. I asked the vet about other options and he told me that he wasn't a nutritionist, but that science diet was fine. I had been reading on these boards for a couple weeks, so I asked him what levels of magnesium, ash, phosphorous and calcium he thought would be appropriate. He said as low as possible for the mag and ash, but didn't give any upper limits. He said phosphorous and calcium don't matter, so I'm having a tough time figuring out what to do for Cheeba.
I've rummaged around the boards, but I can't seem to find what levels of calcium and phosphorous are appropriate. Besides the UTI history and new requirement for GI-friendly foods, should I be taking his age into consideration for choosing an appropriate food?
Oh, and I'm planning on switching him to a half dry/half canned diet. I was thinking about the TimberWolf Organics Serengeti for the dry food.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I am a newbie here. I joined because I'm looking for a better food to feed my cat, Cheeba. He's 11 yrs old, and he's currently on a half & half mix of Science Diet c/d and Science Diet Adult (dry). He has a history of UTI's, but has never blocked. I really don't care for the ingredients of SD, but since I switched him to the c/d mix 2.5 yrs ago he hasn't had a problem, so I want to be very sure I'm doing the right thing before I change his food.
He has had vomiting and loose stool every 2 weeks or so. When I took him to the vet for it this week, the vet thinks he may have IBD or colitis, but isn't sure. The vet suggested that I switch him to Science Diet z/d or another digestive-friendly food. I asked the vet about other options and he told me that he wasn't a nutritionist, but that science diet was fine. I had been reading on these boards for a couple weeks, so I asked him what levels of magnesium, ash, phosphorous and calcium he thought would be appropriate. He said as low as possible for the mag and ash, but didn't give any upper limits. He said phosphorous and calcium don't matter, so I'm having a tough time figuring out what to do for Cheeba.
I've rummaged around the boards, but I can't seem to find what levels of calcium and phosphorous are appropriate. Besides the UTI history and new requirement for GI-friendly foods, should I be taking his age into consideration for choosing an appropriate food?
Oh, and I'm planning on switching him to a half dry/half canned diet. I was thinking about the TimberWolf Organics Serengeti for the dry food.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
