bengals and "sensitive digestion"

mschauer · Jul 8, 2007

I have a bengal, Coco, she is 22 mos and I have had a long standing loose stool problem with her. Below is a link to a thread where I have been discussing this with forum members:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=133698

My questions for any bengal breeders out there is this: What if anything is there to what I keep hearing referred to as the "sensitive digestion" of bengals? If such a thing exists, what triggers it and how does it manifest itself?

Also, have any of you heard of bengals that have a digestive problem with eggs?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

rugthugs · Jul 8, 2007

I can't get the link to work. I'd post an article for you but I don't want to be redundant in case you've already seen it through this thread.

I'd say the majority of my bengals have recurring loose stools. Two of the boys also are quite the little fart machines and can clear a room in a hurry. They do all really seem to have immediate and intense reactions digestively to any change in diet. This would include treats and the occassional raid on supper plates.

I eventually would like to switch all my cats to a raw diet. My dogs used to eat this way and the change in their health was remarkable.

rugthugs · Jul 8, 2007

And, I must add-most of mine will react with the runs to environmental stressors.

kai bengals · Jul 8, 2007

Originally Posted by mschauer

I have a bengal, Coco, she is 22 mos and I have had a long standing loose stool problem with her. Below is a link to a thread where I have been discussing this with forum members:

//http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133698

My questions for any bengal breeders out there is this: What if anything is there to what I keep hearing referred to as the "sensitive digestion" of bengals? If such a thing exists, what triggers it and how does it manifest itself?

Also, have any of you heard of bengals that have a digestive problem with eggs?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

The first thing you should do, is have your bengal tested for parasites. Specifically, tri-trich feotus. Ask your Vet to use the "pouch test", as this can be a tricky parasite to find, but if your bengal has it, it will explain the chronic loose stools.

I can't stress enough, that you first need to eliminate the possiblity of this bug! Giardia is another problematic intestinal parasite that she should be screened for. This one is easy to find with a common fecal float test.

If she has no bugs, then she may have sensitivity to certain ingredients in the food you're offering. Many have problems with foods loaded with grains.
Bengals need more protein than other cats.

Switching to raw will help a great deal with loose stools, provided there is no intestinal parasite.

I feed all my bengals a raw diet along with royal canin dry formulas based on age. They all have solid stools. No gas and the litterbox rarely smells.

mschauer · Jul 8, 2007

Originally Posted by rugthugs

I can't get the link to work. I'd post an article for you but I don't want to be redundant in case you've already seen it through this thread.

I fixed the link.

I eventually would like to switch all my cats to a raw diet. My dogs used to eat this way and the change in their health was remarkable.

I'd like to switch mine to raw also but I thought I should resolve the loose stool problem first. Maybe raw is the appropriate resolution.

Thanks for the reply!

mschauer · Jul 8, 2007

She has been throughly tested for parasites. I have fixed the link in my original posting in case you tried and it dodn't work.

So, in your experience, foods high in grains are likely to cause loose stools in bengals? Any other specific foods you know of? Have you ever heard of eggs causing a problem?

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

The first thing you should do, is have your bengal tested for parasites. Specifically, tri-trich feotus. Ask your Vet to use the "pouch test", as this can be a tricky parasite to find, but if your bengal has it, it will explain the chronic loose stools.

I can't stress enough, that you first need to eliminate the possiblity of this bug! Giardia is another problematic intestinal parasite that she should be screened for. This one is easy to find with a common fecal float test.

If she has no bugs, then she may have sensitivity to certain ingredients in the food you're offering. Many have problems with foods loaded with grains.
Bengals need more protein than other cats.

Switching to raw will help a great deal with loose stools, provided there is no intestinal parasite.

I feed all my bengals a raw diet along with royal canin dry formulas based on age. They all have solid stools. No gas and the litterbox rarely smells.

kai bengals · Jul 8, 2007

Originally Posted by mschauer

She has been throughly tested for parasites. I have fixed the link in my original posting in case you tried and it dodn't work.

So, in your experience, foods high in grains are likely to cause loose stools in bengals? Any other specific foods you know of? Have you ever heard of eggs causing a problem?

Are you positive she's been tested for tri-trich? Many Vets don't even know this parasite exists in cats, so they don't look for it. Make sure to ask your Vet if he tested for the tri-trich feotus specifically.

I read through your other thread. Based on the info you've supplied, I would recommend you switch her to raw, along with a supplement like "Wysong Call of the Wild" to ensure a balanced diet and put her on "Kitty Bloom" to repair her intestinal tract
Feed only this diet for 2 months, then gradually start introducing small portions of royal canin Adult Fit 32.

Continue with about 70% of her diet being raw and the remaining 30% dry.

I have not heard of eggs being an issue for bengals, but I don't feed mine eggs.

mschauer · Jul 8, 2007

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

Are you positive she's been tested for tri-trich? Many Vets don't even know this parasite exists in cats, so they don't look for it. Make sure to ask your Vet if he tested for the tri-trich feotus specifically.

I specifically asked her to test for tri-trich. It was negative but the lab said the test has a high rate of false negatives. What do you think of this?

I read through your other thread. Based on the info you've supplied, I would recommend you switch her to raw, along with a supplement like "Wysong Call of the Wild" to ensure a balanced diet and put her on "Kitty Bloom" to repair her intestinal tract
Feed only this diet for 2 months, then gradually start introducing small portions of royal canin Adult Fit 32.

Continue with about 70% of her diet being raw and the remaining 30% dry.

I have not heard of eggs being an issue for bengals, but I don't feed mine eggs.

Thanks for the infomation!

kai bengals · Jul 8, 2007

Originally Posted by mschauer

I specifically asked her to test for tri-trich. It was negative but the lab said the test has a high rate of false negatives. What do you think of this?

Well, I haven't heard about lots of false-negs. I'd go with the negative for now and assume she is bug free.

If you decide to go with the raw diet and she continues to have loose stools, it would then be wise to have her re-tested for tri-trich.

I have yet to see a case where raw diet did not clear up loose stools unless there is a parasite involved.

bengals and "sensitive digestion"

mschauer

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