"sensitive system" wet food

I just brought our 9 month old home from a 2 night stay at the hospital... he was eating a mix of Iams original and Iams kitten dry foods full time, supplemented with a non-byproduct wet food in the evening which he usually didn't eat all of. The day after I opened two new bags of Iams, mixed it together, and served it, his entire GI tract got inflamed and he was vomiting, had diarrhea and was lethargic. I don't mean to start a riot, but I read afterward in other places online that other people had the exact thing happen with Iams dry... and I'm fairly certain it caused the GI tract inflammation that was so bad it killed one of our other cats in November as well... only then the vet couldn't pinpoint the cause and we never thought it was the food.

ANYWAY... our little kid's system is so sensitive (apparently) that the vet, though concerned about dental health, recommends he have an entirely premium brand wet food diet to remove the threat that it'll ever take his life like our other precious son. He'll be on prescription food for a little while, but after that I want to give him the best possible food for his condition. I know the wet food by nature will be easier to digest, but I want to be safe and the brands I've heard the best things about don't seem to have a sensitive system formula. The vet was of no help... he said he could stay on the prescription for life but it's more expensive than all the other premium brands, and the Science Diet they sell doesn't just have byproducts, it has undefined "meat byproducts". At least if they say "chicken byproducts" you know what animal it came from!!! UGG, I HATE SD! WHY do vets push that @#$*?!?! At least the Prescription Diet doesn't have any byproducts. ... uh, sorry for the mini-rant.

Anybody got any tips?

(By the way, I know the Iams we were feeding wasn't great, so I sound like a hypocrite, but it was the only stuff that kept our girl from barfing.)

No worries about dental health. Dry food cleaning the teeth is a myth. Since they chomp down once or twice, and then swallow the food, it really doesn't help. It doesn't stay in contact with the teeth long enough to actively clean it. In the wild, cat's chew on raw meat and cartilage, which keeps the teeth pretty clean. They don't seek out dry hard kibble. The benefits of wet food drastically outweigh any possible small benefit of dry.

The better the brand of food, the less likely you'll see a "sensitive stomach" labeled formula. Why? Because the ingredients are generally better digested, are more species appropriate, and are natural. If you're really worried, you can try foods that have chicken and rice, or lamb and rice, for example. Even though rice is a grain, and not really needed in an obligate carnivores diet, it is one of the easier grains to digest. I'm pretty sure that California Natural has a chicken and rice canned diet. Neither of my kitties have sensitive stomachs, so I don't have much experience in the issue. I'm sure someone will be along soon with more brand recommendations.

Vet's push SD because they are paid to. The rep's from the company come in, give them a "class" on how SD is the greatest thing on earth, and I think give them free samples. Vet's are also typically not up to date on the nutrition information. Simply said, they just don't know. I've had people I work with tell me that their vets said crap foods like Friskies is ok to give the cat. I had someone tell me just this week that the vet said their diabetic dog was ok on Beneful. I checked the ingredient list and ground yellow corn is the first ingredient!

Willow gets California Natural Chicken and Rice dry food. It's nice because it's simple--there's really not much else in other than chicken, rice, sunflower oil, and some vitamins (http://www.californianaturalpet.com/...ult.asp?id=72). Their canned is a little more complex as it has fish as well. Odo gets Evanger's canned rotated with whatever else I can get him to eat right now (he did get Natural Balance, but I'm frustrated with the company right now and won't buy from them). I actually made some cooked food for him (Sharky's recipe)a few days ago, and he seems to like it. My vet also loaned me a book of recipes that I plan to try soon. It's nice, because that way I have control of what goes into his food, though I don't think I will ever be able to feed homemade all the time--way too much work.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

Willow gets California Natural Chicken and Rice dry food. It's nice because it's simple--there's really not much else in other than chicken, rice, sunflower oil, and some vitamins (http://www.californianaturalpet.com/...ult.asp?id=72). Their canned is a little more complex as it has fish as well. Odo gets Evanger's canned rotated with whatever else I can get him to eat right now (he did get Natural Balance, but I'm frustrated with the company right now and won't buy from them). I actually made some cooked food for him (Sharky's recipe)a few days ago, and he seems to like it. My vet also loaned me a book of recipes that I plan to try soon. It's nice, because that way I have control of what goes into his food, though I don't think I will ever be able to feed homemade all the time--way too much work.

Click to expand...

Cal natural

Natural balence (some under recall)

Sensible choice

Evangers

Nutro( thou not till back in production)( some under recall)

Wellness has some but most I dont think would work for this

Natures prarie

Wysong au jus

Pm me and I will send the homemade stuff

I'm another one who has a girl with a sensitive tummy who does well with Natural Balance Venison and Pea CANNED. She has barfed dozens of other flavors and varieties, but never that one. I'll admit there are some on Sharky's list that I have not tried with her, though.

With Momma, a key issue is the AMOUNT of food that I allow her to have in a sitting. If I am strict with the amount, the chances of the food staying down go up exponentially.

I have had good luck in the past with Sensible Choice, and Felidae chicken & rice. My sensitive tummy girl is eating Merrick now and doing well, as long as I only give her certain flavors.