Dry Coat

bellediamond

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Hello,

My female Turkish Angora had 4 pretty kittens 6 weeks ago, but two, one of them especially now have a very dry coat. They seem to be healthy otherwise, lots of energy, great appetite, big smile. But it's a big contrast, since their two siblings have the silkiest and fluffiest fur ever. But the two little ones who came out last have very coarse hair, even though their mom grooms them regularly.

They are on a raw food diet while still nursing, and there is always water out, although they don't drink munch of it yet - they prefer mommy's milk


Not sure if this is temporary, and common in kittens, or if I should be adding some supplements to their already very healthy diet, or maybe use some kind of conditioner?? Don't have a lot of extra money hanging around to take them to the vet just for this, so any help would be appreciated..

Thanks in advance!

PS. Vets are RIDICULOUSLY expensive as I found out (they charged me $220 at the emergency clinic for 15 minute's work with no medication involved), and feline medication costs more than the human kind. Is this ethically correct??..
 

sharky

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Have the kittens seen a vet >>??

are you using a premade raw or making your own?? what are you using ie meat , organs, any supplements
 
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bellediamond

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I use premade raw, which includes (for the chicken) the breasts, legs, wings, heart, neck and liver. I do not add supplements, since they also munch on premium kibble, and they're still nursing.

The kittens only saw a vet when they were born, I didn't find it necessary to take them after, and as I mentioned - unfortunately I don't have the budget.. unless it is a necessity.
 

sharky

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I am a food "guru " but kittens are not a specialty ... it does seem odd to me that kittens still nursing would have this issue.... how much omega 6 and 3 does the dry food have?
 
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bellediamond

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Omega 6: 3.8
Omega 3: 0.9

Does this help? Thanks!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by BelleDiamond

Omega 6: 3.8
Omega 3: 0.9

Does this help? Thanks!
should be very adequate .... next ?? ( sorry will ask a lot at times
) ... the omega 6to 3 is 4 to 1 ( generally accepted is 10 to 1 down to 3 to 1 ) ... does the food have any grain? if so does it have barley , rye or oats??

I have had a few animals who needed omega 6 at 4.5 % minimum ( yes I had to supplement this )
 

goldenkitty45

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Agree with Sharky. Its odd that all kittens are eating the same and 2 have such dry coats. I would really take them in to the vet and see if there is an underlying cause.
 

sharky

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Quite familiar( used to feed it ) .. good food but I will highlight likely allergen culprit s which could be what is causing this issue in such a youngster ..

Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs,deboned turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfaMOST premiums ie the mid grade or higher have removed this one because of allergens , dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psylliumhard on gi tract and usually wheat based thus an allergen, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extractcan cause tummy issues, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.

http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products...gredients.aspx

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=140038

do you have any milk replacer >?? some will mix that in the water dish to entice ... do you know how to check for dehydration>?
 
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bellediamond

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Thanks. So than what would you recommend? In this case it is nearly impossible to find the perfect food - if not these ingredients, there will probably be others that may be tricky. Should I just keep them away from the dry?

How do you check for dehydration? That could be useful for both adult and kitten. Can I just use the regular milk replacer from a grocery store? They did drink some milk yesterday for the first time..
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by BelleDiamond

Thanks. So than what would you recommend? In this case it is nearly impossible to find the perfect food - if not these ingredients, there will probably be others that may be tricky. Should I just keep them away from the dry?

How do you check for dehydration? That could be useful for both adult and kitten. Can I just use the regular milk replacer from a grocery store? They did drink some milk yesterday for the first time..
MY motto NO such thing as one PERFECT food for every cat or kitten ...
Can you get Acana??orijens sister food , it is a simpler formulation( yes higher in carbs and more like a grain containing formula in % of protein and fat )If yes try the lamb formula I suggest this on the off chance chicken is causing issue...I know your feeding a pre done raw ( nothing wrong but some have "extras" that can cause issues ) do you have a link for it ?? ... California natural and Natural choice are two I often suggest as they are "simple " formulas with one meat , one grain and one accessory protein/carb

I would prefer a milk from a pet store as here the grocers have only hartz( a brand I try to avoid)_

Dehydration check

scruff neck and count time it take s for the "tent " to go down //// if it is nearly instant ie under 2 seconds kitty is hydrated ...
 

katgoddess

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It's odd that two of them from the same litter have good coats and two of them don't.

When my dog was on a pre-made raw diet, her skin turned super dry and flakey and she scratched 24/7. Every vet blamed it on allergies, but I found out later by myself that the food just did not contain enough fat even though I provided her a variety of different proteins.

Which pre-made brand are you using?

But again, it's weird that only two are having the skin problems.
 
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