So frustrated with food!

In the continuing saga of Rajah... she's a dry food junkie who became anorexic after dental surgery, i tried her on a lot of different brands of wet and dry before finally finding one that she would eat - Chicken Soup. But it seems that she's allergic to something in it - it has a lot of protein types. She was scratching her head and neck bald, yes she's been to the vet a couple times for this issue, he ruled out mites and such, and i haven't seen a flea or any evidence of fleas since she was a kitten years ago. So i switched her to California Natural chicken & brown rice since it's so simple. I had previously tried the herring & sweet potato formula, but she can't keep it down, the fish i presume.

About four days after she was totally on CN, she got some stinky loose stools, but they firmed up the next day, no big deal. Towards the end of the bag she was doing better, no longer scratching herself bald, eating well, and finally cleared 7 lbs (she was down to 6 at her worst). I bought another bag, and it doesn't seem to be the same. It's a slightly lighter color and smelled a little different. Within the first day of the new bag she got terrible diarrhea, didn't make it to the box once (there's something i'd never had to clean up before, gross). I figured maybe the formula had changed slightly and she'd get used it in a day or so, but it continued for a several days, so i decided that maybe there was something wrong with this particular bag. I went back to the store and asked for an exchange. The only bags he had were from the same lot number, but he opened a bag in the store for me and it looked more like the previous bag and smelled a little different, so i accepted it. But the cat won't touch it. I'm not sure if perhaps there is something wrong with this entire batch of food, or if maybe she is associating it with being sick from diarrhea and now doesn't want to eat it. I put down a little of the herring and sweet potato formula since i still had it, and she ate it with gusto but again could not keep it down.

I just don't know what to do. I'm pretty sure based on past experience that she does not tolerate corn or fish well, which rules out many so-called premium brands, and i need something simple so if the allergy recurs i'll have a better idea of what the offending ingredient might be. The Natural Balance venison and pea was one of the brands i offered her when i was trying to coax her out of the anorexia, but at that time she refused it, but maybe i should try it again. I think the local Petco stocks the Wysong allergen formula... i was leaning towards trying the Nature's Logic rabbit formula but the only local retailer for that is on the other side of town, it would be a huge headache to try to get over there on a weekday but i may see if i can make it at lunchtime. And really it's not that simple of a food either, but i'm pretty sure that chicken is ok for her, she's never had rabbit - my only concern is really the millet which was also in the Chicken Soup, but who knows if that was actually triggering her or if it was something else.

I have spent so much money in the last few months on her gazillion vet visits and offering her what feels like every food under the sun, i feel terrible buying expensive bags of food only for it to make her sick or she just won't eat it. I have this nightmare that she will become anorexic again. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Have you looked at Felidae? I have heard great things about it for animals that have allergies. I just switched my kittens to this food and so far they are doing well on it but I have only had them on it since this past Saturday. I was told that Chicken formula is better looks like more animals like the taste of it. I unfortunately picked up the bag that was not just chicken it has Lam, Rice and other stuff but it's for all life stages which is what I need as my guys are still under 12 months old. Also I was told Innova made by Natura is good food for animals with allergies. I have my puppy on Innova puppy but I have noticed he has been passing a lot of gas lately and a stinky once too. I may end up switching him to Canedae instead which is made by the same company as Felidae. Sorry to hear about your kitty it sounds though you are doing a lot for her. Can you just take some samples and try them first? I know the store I bought my cat food they have samples you can take home to try. I hope you find something that works for your kitty.

Since you have treid some of the best ellimination formulas OTC ... PLEASE consult a vet .. Normally I would recommend Felidea also but it has alfalfa and it sounds like you need a vets help

Yes, i tried Felidae. She liked the sample, but would not eat any when i bought a whole bag. In retrospect i think it was rancid or something, it smelled odd. She wouldn't touch the Evo sample. Nor the NB green pea and venison, Solid Gold Katz n Flocken, Kitty Caviar, the list goes on and on - but i offered her these foods when she was deep in the anorexia - i wonder if she might be less finicky now that she's got her appetite back.

And i have consulted a vet. She's been so many times since the initial surgery in November, i'm going broke! At this point i estimate that we've spent about $2K plus financing on her - i love her dearly but i can't afford to keep taking her in every two weeks with no results. I guess i'll have to if i can't find some food solution, but i'm not real impressed with the ingredient profile of the science diet allergen foods.

Anyone have an opinion about the Wysong allergy food? She has eaten lamb before, but there was no lamb in the Chicken Soup which is when the food allergy seemed to begin.

Wysong allergy??? can you link it... MOST wysong I would nt give to any suspected allergy cats

It's called 'Anergen', they list it on Petco's site - it would be relatively convienient if they also stock it. Here's a link to the page on the Wysong site:

http://www.wysong.net/Merchant2/merc...roduct_Count=4

I Dont call that allergy ...

but if you know lamb rice and oatmeal are safe try it ... the ingrediants individual quality is iffy...

Well, they call it that - "manage adverse food reactions". I share your thoughts about the ingredient quality, and i'm not really sure that oatmeal and lamb and rice are ok - i haven't been able to do a real tood trial with her and i doubt i'll ever be able to do a true challenge. But i think that she's ok with lamb and rice. The oatmeal is an unknown, it is an ingredient in Chicken Soup, but i don't think she ever had that in a food previously. But there are so many other ingredients in CS that's it's impossible to really say. Meh.

Well, i weighed Raj last night and she actually gained an ounce since the last time i weighed her 5 days previous, so i figured she must be eating. Then i witnessed her eat some of the Cal Nat a couple times last night, so i guess she just needed a little time.

Her stools were a little loose this morning but not too bad, i suppose they will firm up in a day or so.

Thanks for the help.

Yippy and lots of keep it up vibes

When she started eating the CN again, the diarrhea returned and she stopped eating it again. I decided to go to Petco and try to pick up the Wysong Anergen and Natural Balance Green Pea and Venison on the chance that she might accept it if i offered it again. Well, apparently they don't carry the Wysong in the store, only on the web - at least at this branch, so i just got the NB. But she accepted it with no fuss, i'm so relieved. Hopefully she'll be able to stay on this food.

NB is a very good food ... IMHO better than Wysong

Oh yes, i agree. I was going to get both in case she refused the NB (since she had refused it previously). If there is one thing that this whole experience has taught me - it's that she has got to eat, even if it's not what i would consider ideal.

The sample of NB that i had offered her before was nowhere near as good as what's in this bag though, maybe the sample was old. The sample was a pale brown color, very little aroma. This bag has a nice rich venison smell and she accepted it very easily, and when she had eaten she came over and gave me her little kisses. Awww.

So i was going to post this nice little follow-up about how she accepted the NB V&GP, and how it cured the diarrhea immediately... and then i read the new notice on the NP site saying not to feed it - that it's causing kidney problems.

I caled my vet to see if they have the Hill's green pea and rabbit or venison formulas - they tell me that they do carry it, but it's not in stock, all they have is the z/d. I agreed to that, then i looked that food up on the Hill's website and i honestly think i'd rather put her back on Iams that feed her that, and that's saying something.

So i called Petsmart to see if they had any of the d/d formulas in stock, hoping i could get a script from my vet and buy it there. "Oh no," they tell me, "you have to have a BANFIELD prescription or you can't buy it here". What is up with that insanity!?! Makes me want to never, ever, buy a single thing from Petsmart again.

I called my vet back, said i wasn't comfortable feeding the z/d and asked if they had anyone that they were affiliated with that i could get some d/d from, and someone is supposed to call me back.

So now i am just sitting here fuming, thinking about how this food is in my cats' bowls as i write this. I don't know what to do. I guess i'll go drive around town and try to find something else to get her, i just wish there were more simple formulas available - it seems like everything has an ingredient list a mile long featuring six different meat proteins and at least as many grains. So tonight i'm going to a store that's supposed to have Nature's Logic and Natural Instinct (and more, i imagine) and try to pick something out for her.

Somebody pinch me. I can't wake up.

Edit: my vet's office called me back - she said that she's sorry she missed it the first time, but that they do have one bag in stock of the d/d green pea and rabbit formula, so i'll pick that up tonight and switch my poor kitty's food yet again. I went home after i wrote this post and dumped the contents so at least they won't be munching on it while i'm not home.

Edit2: turns out what they had was the IVD Royal Canin brand, looks like a better ingredient profile than the d/d to me. She really seems over her finickness and accepted this willingly, so far it's stayed down. Please cross your fingers that she can just stay on this for awhile.

Alright, i'm not happy with this IVD Royal Canin food either (surprise, surprise). For one thing, the poops are HUGE - i've never seen poops like this! Too much filler i guess. Recently Raj has started to periodically vomit it as well, so that's it. The issues aren't terribly pressing, so i'll be switching slowly this time, but i have to find something else.

At this point, i'm leaning towards trying some of the grain free drys, or other rabbit formulas that are not exclusive allergy formulas but which might work. My short list is Raw Instinct, Nature's Logic rabbit, and Serengeti. I would add Orijen to my potential list if i could find it locally. I really hope that it's not fish that she's allergic to - there is fish in every grain free dry that i've seen. I am reasonably certain that chicken is ok for her.

An interesting development - she is now accepting Laxatone. Previously she wouldn't touch it, and i was having to place it in her mouth manually. Now she seems to have decided that it's ok, and she is taking her dose with no fuss. This is a really good sign to me, i'm considering offering her some canned food again, maybe she might be interested now.

Originally Posted by luxum

Alright, i'm not happy with this IVD Royal Canin food either (surprise, surprise). For one thing, the poops are HUGE - i've never seen poops like this! Too much filler i guess. Recently Raj has started to periodically vomit it as well, so that's it. The issues aren't terribly pressing, so i'll be switching slowly this time, but i have to find something else.

At this point, i'm leaning towards trying some of the grain free drys, or other rabbit formulas that are not exclusive allergy formulas but which might work. My short list is Raw Instinct, Nature's Logic rabbit, and Serengeti. I would add Orijen to my potential list if i could find it locally. I really hope that it's not fish that she's allergic to - there is fish in every grain free dry that i've seen. I am reasonably certain that chicken is ok for her.

An interesting development - she is now accepting Laxatone. Previously she wouldn't touch it, and i was having to place it in her mouth manually. Now she seems to have decided that it's ok, and she is taking her dose with no fuss. This is a really good sign to me, i'm considering offering her some canned food again, maybe she might be interested now.

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Oh wow. I just read this thread (missed it before). You and Raj have been through a lot!

I know you said you weren't impressed with the Science Diet allergy formula. I don't think many of us LOVE the SD diets--but some of our cats *need* them when other things fail.

Worst case scenario, Raj goes on the SD. She won't get the best overall ingredient base but maybe she'll clean her bowl and you'll her poops

I am just posting this as a general statement. for you for trying all different higher end formulas and not just settling.

One of my cats goes off/on Hill's c/d for past utis. He likes it, so I keep it as a back up if other things fail, and I often mix it with a new food I am trying.

I would think some of the basic chicken and rice formulas would be easiest for Raj as rice is the least allergenic....my gang loves the California Natural, Wellness, Evo, and some of the Merrick's.

Sorry it's been so frustrating. You are a great cat mom

Sorry it's been so frustrating. You are a great cat mom

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Oh, thanks for the support, i really appreciate it.

I know you said you weren't impressed with the Science Diet allergy formula. I don't think many of us LOVE the SD diets--but some of our cats *need* them when other things fail.

Worst case scenario, Raj goes on the SD. She won't get the best overall ingredient base but maybe she'll clean her bowl and you'll her poops

I am just posting this as a general statement. for you for trying all different higher end formulas and not just settling.

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Apparently my vet's office carries the IVD instead of Hill's D/D (which are the green pea & venison, rabbit, etc. formulas), so it would be a pain to get her on SD D/D even if i really wanted to. What they had from the Hill's line was the Z/D - one those new hydrolyzed protein diets - the first ingredient is rice protein concentrate, the second is brewer's rice. No way am i feeding her that, i just don't see how it is remotely biologically appropriate and i don't like all the processing involved. Don't get me wrong, i'll keep the D/D formulas in mind as a last resort, but i would really like to try other options. It's sort of frustrating since i don't know exactly what she is allergic to in order to avoid it and i'm having to go through so much trial and error, but it's worth it.

I would think some of the basic chicken and rice formulas would be easiest for Raj as rice is the least allergenic....my gang loves the California Natural, Wellness, Evo, and some of the Merrick's.

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She was on California Natural - it was great for one bag, her fur started to grow back (which leads me to beleive that she's ok with both chicken and rice), but then the next bag gave them both terrible diarrhea. I tried another bag (unfortunately the same lot number), and it kept happening. This resolved immediately when i switched to the Natural balance GP&V but had to stop that due to recall. The IVD seems to be good for the allergy, but those poops are just far too big and the color is disturbingly dark. Oh, and their coat quality deteriorated pretty quickly on it too.

I am considering trying the CN chicken and rice again (i'll write down my bad lot number though and won't buy from that lot again), and i'm also considering Felidae Chicken and Rice which i tried once before but wound up with a rancid bag. It's like a curse! The CN herring and sweet potato they both just LOVE, but Raj can't hold it down. I found a different store than the one where i got these bad bags from that carries Nature's Logic rabbit dry, so i'm going to start with that and will pick up some of the canned version as well - Elvirah will eat it even if Raj won't, and at this point maybe she would too, she seems much more accepting of new foods than she has ever been. I might pick up a bag of another brand as well depending on what's available.

Thanks for the response, it really helps to talk these things out.

Yikes. I didnt' realize which Hill's script diet and what ingredients were involved -- I don't blame you there.Plus your vet didn't even carry it so -bah.

You are definitely working this though intelligently. Your patience amazes me

Did the vet have NO other suggestions other than the IVD? If she is tolerating the IVD maybe it's worth keeping it in rotation? You could drop off a fecal sample....for peace of mind. And maybe that would level out after some regulated time on one food. Same with the coat (and offer supplements?)

This is a tough one....but good idea about trying the CN and Felidae again!

Did the vet have NO other suggestions other than the IVD?

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Well, he gave her some antihistamines but they didn't agree with her so i stopped giving them per his advice (they were making her very withdrawn and sort of sad? she's normally the most gregarious, affectionate cat i have ever known). He also mentioned allergy tests but said they were pretty expensive and were only about 50% accurate on cats. Other than that, he suggested food trial with green pea and whatever, and IVD is the brand they carry. I elected to try the CN first, ~insert drama from above~ and here we are. I think it's pretty clear that she has a food allergy, and i am confident that there is something out there that won't make her scratch herself bald, won't make their coats dusty and dry, and won't make such humungous poohs! I really can't even express how big they are, they look like they came from a medium/large dog! They share a litter box and it's getting full too fast for me to keep up with it. I'm also concerned that with the color of them being so dark (they are basically black) that if there was something wrong with the stools, like blood in them which manifests as dark stools - i wouldn't be able to tell.

At any rate, i drove across town and picked up the Nature's Logic rabbit dry and couple cans of the wet, so we'll see how it goes. I plan a slow transition this time since the issues aren't huge (only the poops, hah!). Hopefully they like the NL and it agrees with them.

Hmmmm. You're probably right about allergies.

Has *anything* at all made her nervous or anxiety prone in recent months? I know you said Raj is so happy and affectionate, but with all the scratching one can't help but think of an OCD-type manifestation.

That leads to trying meds, of course, Fluoxetine being the most successful (if anxiety was the case). Very easily hidden/administered in Pill Pockets.

But I don't want to ignore the allergy signs. Just looking for any possibilities.

What antihistimine was she on? Cyproheptadine? I know that is also been sucessful in stirring up appetite. Bleh on those side effects.

Raj! Tell your mom what's wrong!!!