Lorelei's got a sick tummy...

rebochan

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Or at least that's what I think it is.

A little background. When the Science Diet started running low last week, I picked up a bag of Innova EVO Cat/Kitten dry food to get both kitties on a melamine-free diet. I originally planned to do it slowly, but then the kitties actually started to pick out the EVO kibbles and leave the Science Diet behind. So they went to 100% new food much faster.

After that, I noticed that Lorelei's stool had an incredibly foul odor, leading me to start scooping the box out more. But last night, I found an uncovered stool with blood on it O_O

I called the vet first thing this morning. They were initially able to squeeze me in for the afternoon, but they had an emergency surgery come in around 2:30 and had to put me as the first appointment tomorrow morning. They also suggested that the food change could have been the problem, but because there was blood popping up in other parts of the house (really scary!), they still wanted to check her out to be sure. They also said I should switch back to the Science Diet, but I'm afraid of jerking them from one food to another again. I'm so scared that I hurt my baby girl
 

white cat lover

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EVO is a very rich food. Some kitties do well on it, others do not. I could see bloody stools, stinky stools, & loose stools from it. When I was switching to it, I did so over a month & had no ill-effects.

My 2 cents is to not switch back to SD. Not only is it junk for food, but it'll probably make things worse for upset tummies.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

My 2 cents is to not switch back to SD. Not only is it junk for food, but it'll probably make things worse for upset tummies.
i had difficulty w/some loose stools when i switched to higher quality foods, too.
 
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rebochan

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Well, the vet gave Lorelei an antibiotic to treat Colitis, and as a precaution, she also got a deworm since she hadn't had that done before she came home (Carter already had). She took it all so well - she was really good about letting me hold her down for the thermometer, and took the pill syringe at the vet really well.

They were pretty sure it was the new food, and the vet was concerned about her kidneys if she stays on high-protein food. I'm not switching her back though - I like the new food, and she seems to be doing better and better, so I'll keep an eye on her with the new stuff. At this point, they both love to eat it, and I'm worried about making them both sick switching them to another food yet again.

Oh, and I successfully managed to not only get Lorelei to take a pill (had to wrap her in a towel to keep the flailing down), but also to clip all of Carter's front nails. Vet noticed a few tiny scabs and said it looked like someone was wrestling a lot. I'm amazed either one of my kitties wants anything to do with me today
 

icklemiss21

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As long as she drinks enough water her kidneys should be fine, but your vet knows your cat best so I would ask them why they are concerned. It could be a lack of knowledge on the food but there may also be a reason for it in the case of a specific cat.

The dewormer may upset her tummy for a few days too so don't be shocked at any loose stool etc
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by icklemiss21

As long as she drinks enough water her kidneys should be fine, but your vet knows your cat best so I would ask them why they are concerned. It could be a lack of knowledge on the food but there may also be a reason for it in the case of a specific cat.

The dewormer may upset her tummy for a few days too so don't be shocked at any loose stool etc
Interesting that you should mention this Eithne. When our vet heard we had switched our cats to Orijen, she also mentioned there could be a potential problem with their kidneys which actually sort of scared me a bit.

Maybe Sharky will weigh in on this with her comments - I'd certainly be interested.
 
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rebochan

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In Lorelei's case, this is only her second visit with this vet, and the woman phrased it as a statement about the health of cats in general as opposed to just Lorelei.

I was able to successfully pill her the first two days, but I failed horribly last night, it crumbled into bits in her mouth, and she started spitting up. I didn't try again after that. But I've noticed the stool is still loose and there's still bits of blood, so I'm wondering - should I just finish out the antibiotic? And is keeping her on the EVO still a good idea in light of this?
 

icklemiss21

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My vet mentioned it to me too. She recommends against high protein foods if you free feed unmeasured portions, if your cat doesn't drink water (mine are obsessed with water so got taken in for vet checks but seem to just like playing with it), and certain medical conditions.

The main concern with kidneys is the increased phosphorus in the foods. More meat generally means more phosphorus, but in wet foods this is coupled with more water to flush it out, in dry it is not.

After researching it myself, most of the studies that looked at kidney function with high protein diets were carried out on rats. When a study was done on dogs the results did not match any of the rat studies, and as far as I can see there are no cat studies to prove it either way. I spoke to my vet and she said that the only thing in her notes was the rat study and agreed that cat's kidneys function in a different manner to rats.

SHe said it can aggrevate (but not cause) CRF in cats, but the cat would need to have an existing kidney problem. So a cat with kidney problems can benefit from a low protein diet was basically turned into a high protein diet is bad for their kidneys.

My vet would however recommend that people who do not go to the vet regularly do not feed it because if the cat did have an existing kidney problem in the early stages, or you don't watch their water intake, the problems probably wouldn't be noticed until it is too late.
 
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rebochan

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I am hoping once their little stomachs calm down to try working more wet food into their diet. They only get a cup of dry food (split between the two bowls) each day, since that's the recommendation on the bag and they seriously don't eat any more than that. But they both drink like fish and I replace the water in the dishes whenever it gets low, which is at least twice a day.
 
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