Convincing Damita to eat her raw...

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Thanks Heather! Salmon oil capsules, can you just get them at a store like GNC? That would be great if you'd let me know what the vet says....

I don't even know the extent of her fish allergies...she got sick off some canned food with fish in it, so I just avoided all fish.

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I got mine at whole foods, they're a wee bit pricey as opposed to some of the other stuff, but basically they seem to be around at most places that have an extensive vitamins/minerals section. Particularly any natural store. I can't imagine that GNC wouldn't carry it. But you may want to shop around and see what price you can find at a local grocery store. GNC has it on their website, for probably about what I paid for it at WholeFoods..actually, it's cheaper there. I paid about that price for 90 softgels, 130 mg each, and theirs was more capsules @ 1000mg each. Just as a note, I did see another fish oil product on their site.. but catnutrition.org (which has been a lot like a bible through this whole new raw thing for me).. says only to get the salmon, and not the other fish, since the properties are different. For your purposes though, I don't know if it'd make a difference. But the salmon is definitely... hmm, we'll call it fragrant. The Bengals love it, though.

And I'm calling the vet shortly, so I'll update when I get off the phone.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Thanks Heather! Salmon oil capsules, can you just get them at a store like GNC? That would be great if you'd let me know what the vet says....

I don't even know the extent of her fish allergies...she got sick off some canned food with fish in it, so I just avoided all fish.

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Grizzley salmon oil is found in pet stores ... capsules are hard to pucture and then u have little idea of how much, IMHO I found capsule anything to be a waste of money

Ahh, I don't know about those ones. They're actually "gel capsules" and not the normal kind that you can slide apart... at least the ones I have. I've not had any real issues puncturing them. I've been using one of those little things you use for pulling the nuts out of shells, or the crab meat out of crabs. It's just got a sharp little point on the end. That being said, I did use the scissors last week..which was a little more iffy.

I bought the Solaray Salmon Oil..they're in gelatin softgels. Once I pierce it, it comes out in drops (it did come out faster when I used the scissors). I just put about five drops on each plate, but one or two is definitely enough to smell it.

I find the kelp capsules to be a much bigger pain. I have to find some way to deal with them yet. : :

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Ahh, I don't know about those ones. They're actually "gel capsules" and not the normal kind that you can slide apart... at least the ones I have. I've not had any real issues puncturing them. I've been using one of those little things you use for pulling the nuts out of shells, or the crab meat out of crabs. It's just got a sharp little point on the end. That being said, I did use the scissors last week..which was a little more iffy.

I bought the Solaray Salmon Oil..they're in gelatin softgels. Once I pierce it, it comes out in drops (it did come out faster when I used the scissors). I just put about five drops on each plate, but one or two is definitely enough to smell it.

I find the kelp capsules to be a much bigger pain. I have to find some way to deal with them yet. :

:

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There are many pet stores that carry organic kelp by like 8 ozs or a lb.. and it was really reasonable( my cat turned up allergic to kelp so I dont use it )

your piercer is a great idea lol I was using a knife

I've pieced gel capsules before for the dogs....I just used a needle & it came out in droplets...unfortunately at the time I wanted it all to come out at once.

Originally Posted by sharky

There are many pet stores that carry organic kelp by like 8 ozs or a lb.. and it was really reasonable( my cat turned up allergic to kelp so I dont use it )

your piercer is a great idea lol I was using a knife

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Hehe, well, it was one of those things that.. I opened the silverware drawer and was like... what the heck am I going to poke a hole in this with.. when I spotted that. I definitely lucked out!

I never thought to look at our pet store for kelp. I got it along with the salmon oil and psyllium husks at whole foods. I had to special order the dulse..

Anyway, off track... sorry!

Ohh, btw, I did check with my vet about the Salmon Oil. He said... he doesn't see any reason that it can't be used for the short term, but he would add only one or two drops per meal. He said it can cause a few issues with the pancreas, and cause diarheea and vomiting, but that the problems are definitely not permanent and can easily be solved by no longer adminstering it every meal. He did say that they should be getting at least some of this, and he said for my kitty at least, that this was a good idea to get her eating the psyllium, but simply keep an eye on her.

I probably have to use slightly more with mine, but you can probably get away with one drop per meal with yours, or even two. It's very very fragrant! You might even be able to get away with "scenting the plate" if you're using a paper plate.

Let me know if you try it and how it works!

It can causing vomiting & diarrhea? That's what I'm trying to solve by feeding raw. She has vomited twice & honestly, I cannot tell if it's poop or food...it smells like poop & looks like a loose turd. This has been in the past week. I've been in contact with the vet about it, but he wanted me to wait to see how she did on the raw before brining her in.

He said it can, if you are administering it a lot. For instance, he said he thinks that one or two drops per meal would be fine, and for the short term he said he doesn't see any problems with it. He was more worried about it when he thought it was a higher dosage than one or two drops. He seemed to think that one or two drops wouldn't cause a problem for them.

Again though, I don'ot think that what I was putting hers could have possibly flavored her entire three ounces of food this morning.. so I'm thinking it's more the smell. And if it's the smell.. it might simply work to put it on a paper plate, let it absorb, and then put his food on it. Anyway, I don't know. I've got a kitty that's a bit constipated so.. I'm in the opposite boat. Don't know if I'd try it or not in your situation. He seemed to think that it would only happen after you used it for awhile, if they were getting too much of it.

I don't know... but let me know what you decide to do. Have you tried egg yolk?

I've tried tuna juice, canned food, & begging. Damita's hardest problem, I believe, is here eyesight again! She cannot see her food & raw is harder to smell, so she essentially "face plants" into her food & then won't eat it. I'm going to try to find some salmon oil capsules tonight....

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I've tried tuna juice, canned food, & begging.

Damita's hardest problem, I believe, is here eyesight again! She cannot see her food & raw is harder to smell, so she essentially "face plants" into her food & then won't eat it. I'm going to try to find some salmon oil capsules tonight....

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try raw beef

Logically, you'd think that would be the first thing I'd do...since she loves beef so much. I hafta run into town in like 30 min, I'll stop to see if I can get some beef then!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Logically, you'd think that would be the first thing I'd do...since she loves beef so much.

I hafta run into town in like 30 min, I'll stop to see if I can get some beef then!

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lol... been there

Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that the vet also suggested that I try chicken broth or beef broth.. it also occurred to me that one might try just mixing the juice only in from packet food, or there is a product they use for dogs that is "sauce" to go on their dry food. They sell it at the pet store.. we used it for our aging dog when he was off his food. I don't honestly know if the cats would like it or not, but it was a fairly inexpensive bottle. I think it cost around three bucks, for a good sized bottle.

If you decide to try just the packet food gravy... Meow Mix does a packet food (packets, not cans), that has a lot of gravy in them. If I remember correctly, all but the surf and turf have a good amount. The surf and turf is pretty dry.

sick as it sounds the best "gravey " i found is blood

Yeah, that was kind of my opinion on it... I sort of said.. I don't think she's going to be enticed by chicken or beef broth when she's already eating raw..hehe.

Well, the beef was a no go.

Stupid question, but how can I find the bloodiest meat?

Chicken livers are pretty bloody. They're soppy. They're the worst part of preparing the raw diet that I use for my kitty... ugh, can't stand the little slimy things! But, that being said, they're not overly fond of the liver taste. Yours may like it.. but you can get a pound of livers in a one pound container for under $2.00 in the DC metro area..It's probably about the same other places.

Livers and kidneys are very bloody ... try mixing livers with grd meat and see if that will work

I don't mean to sound mean or cruel, but Dr Pitcairn recemends in his book if cats dont eat raw you starve your cat for three for four days no food at all, so they thing they're experencing a famine. Their primal survival instincts kick in and they eat everything. Cats can go awhile without food.http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/ima...lies/smile.gif