Opinions on Hill's z/d dry?

I've had an ongoing problem with one of my two cats for about five years now - she has chronic rodent ulcer. In the beginning my vet's tried to get a culture, but they weren't able to get anything off it - they haven't tried since. Both my cats are 9 years old, the other one has never had health issues. Both cats are indoor-only cats. My vet wanted to treat them both for fleas, even though I've (and they) have never seen fleas on them, me, or in the house since I got them as kittens. I had to be forceful in declining the flea treatment, it made him a bit mad - but they never bite, scratch, etc. never has there been any flea dirt or other signs. I don't like the thought of putting chemicals on my cats that they don't need.

 Tired of Depo shots every 3 or 4 months (concerned about diabetes), we tried laser therapy, then tried Atopica which went over like a lead balloon - only two doses were given to her, the vomiting & stress of the dosing was so bad. Now my vet wants to try the Hill's. They say she has to have it exclusively for a minimum of 12 weeks. She wouldn't eat the wet food (both my cats hate pate style food) so we are doing the dry. On a side note, the cat with the ulcer also had two back-to-back bouts of cystitis recently, thought to be brought on by stress related to the repeated vet visits for laser treatment the first time, and to the Atopica dosing the second time. Since she never had cystitis before, my vet feels it's a once in a lifetime thing and the dry food is fine.

 I wanted to try Wysong food, but neither of my vets have ever heard of it. If she doesn't improve on the Hill's z/d after the 12 weeks, I may switch to Wysong yet. Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone had opinions on the Hill's dry z/d? Someone (maybe both) is vomiting nearly daily on it. I never see who is vomiting. Perhaps because it's new to them? They vomit a lot anyhow, I was giving them hairball preventative treats and that completely stopped it, but I can't while on the 12 week Hill's-only diet.

 A funny (but not to my cats) story about the new dry food; since it's so much easier to feed them both the same thing, I put both cats on it (talk about sticker shock). One cat is 9-1/2 lbs, one is 14 lbs. A 3/4 cup daily feeding is on the upper limit for the lighter cat, and 3/4 cup is on the lower side for the heavier cat. I decided it would be easiest for me to get a 3/4 cup measuring spoon and give them each 1/2 of that a day, times two. The two feedings will add up to their 3/4 cup total. That didn't work out well. They are always hungry on it. I ended up doing the split 3/4 cup servings 2, then 3, then 4, times a day! Finally I was up to 6 times a day, and I couldn't believe it. This lasted nearly two weeks. Finally, I took a good look at the measuring cup - I had grabbed the 1/8 cup, not the 3/4 cup! LOL I unwittingly put my cats on a diet!  lol. Mean mommy needs glasses...

z/d dry is not allergan-free, it's low allergan. If you cat has a problem with brewer's rice, it won't solve the problem.

LDG said:

z/d dry is not allergan-free, it's low allergan. If you cat has a problem with brewer's rice, it won't solve the problem.

Click to expand...

My poor Mario was on the z/d for a few months and it didn't stop her vomiting.  She's allergic to something(s) - just not really sure what yet.  Good luck with your babies.

LDG said:

z/d dry is not allergan-free, it's low allergan. If you cat has a problem with brewer's rice, it won't solve the problem.

Click to expand...

That's one of my problems with this experiment. I know I'm being cynical, but lately I just feel as if my vets are throwing any treatment they can my way, as long as it costs $$. He also was very excited to do allergy testing on her, saying they have a 98% success rate with dogs. When I mentioned that I'd read online that allergy testing isn't nearly as dependable in cats, and that my emergency vet had agreed with my online reading, he said "oh I don't know about that, we've never tested a cat before." Then he told me it was "a bit" expensive" and left it at that. I asked how much and he said $300. PLUS it consists of a series of shots to see what she might react to - on a cat that gets vet-visit stress caused cystitis! 

 I don't have the funds for that, and I wouldn't put her through it...

Brandy, the z/d is hopefully going to help her rodent ulcer - as for the vomiting, that seems to be something both cats do whenever. Most of it's hairball related I think, since the hairball remedy treats stop 99% of it. Now they get sick on the z/d 2 or so times a week so I hope that will improve.

I know this isn't a helpful comment, really, just something to consider... but if I were throwing up from what I was eating a couple of times a week, I'd want to eat something else. :heart3:

Have you consulted a different vet? Have you searched for a holistic vet? I don't remember (I'm sorry!) if I suggested this to you before or not. But Chumley's allergies, gingivitis, and rodent ulcers went away after diagnosis and treatment with a holistic vet. The only diet change she insisted upon was no kibble and wet food only. We'd started an elimination diet, got nowhere, then switched to z/d, and made no progress. It's much easier not having to worry about what I can and can't feed him. :nod: If you're in the States, you can search for one here: http://www.ahvma.org

Vibes for you and your baby.

I'm not too familiar with that condition nor that particular food z/d. But we did put our cat on a different Hills prescription food with high fibre and our cat did not get any better, and we also noticed that his behaviour got worse, stopped playing and starting acting very solitary. I am not fan of vet recommended food if its not necessary, it still surprises me that vets will recommend a food brand that is almost as bad as commercial diets and contains mostly fillers and poor quality meats. We feed high protein holistic brands and I have not looked back.

I looked up Atopica for my own interest and noticed that its an anti-inflammatory. Anti-inflammatories are meant hide the symptoms but not cure the problem. This can result in is internal damage, because the body is trying to expel something externally but the treatment is preventing that. It also contains titanium dioxide which is thought to be carcinogenic to humans.

One thing I would really suggest is to get a new vet. It does not sound like your vet has your cats best interest at heart. We didn't realize how horrible our vet was until moved and got a new one and we found out our cat was maldiagnosed. Even if you choose to stay with the same vet, at least get a second opinion, because pushing flea medication and the constant vaccines are both not healthy at all for cats.

All the best and I hope I helped!

I'm familiar with z/d and the science behind it. To do a true food trial your cat should only eat the z/d (no treats) for 100 days. If it works then great! The Wysongyou are referring to - is it the rx food for which you need a prescription or an otc food? I find Wysong to be hit and miss but I would try the rx food over any otc food. I don't know what the treatment for a rodent ulcer is but I do know that companies like Hills and Medi-cal are strict about how they manufacture their hypoallergenic foods. Medi-cal, for example, has their factory cleaned out in the weekends and only makes the hypo formulas on Mondays to avoid cross contamination. I'm not a huge fan of the rx foods if you are looking at ingredients only but you sometimes have to consider the final result. however, it is always good to do your own research and feed whaT you are comfortable with.