Royal Canin PD vs. Natural Balance Ingredients....IBD, Urine Crystals, etc. :(

brandy rowe

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Oh dear - my problems with my little Mario have started to escalate!

***Now please keep in mind my ultimate goals is to put Mario on a raw food diet but at least get her eating wet food (Mario is a kibble addict with IBD)  I just am having a hard time getting there!***

So I took my little girl to the vet for an occasional cough this past Saturday, and they ran a few x-rays.  The vet didn't find anything and said it might be bronchial inflammation (which is kind of what I had suspected because of the pilling and her allergies)  She put my girl on antibiotics for a few days.  So far I haven't heard her cough at all.

But right now that's not quite what I'm concerned about.  The vet also took blood and urine tests because Mario was due.

She said Mario's blood sugar levels have gone up and are now in a pre-diabetic stage (222).  Mario has always had high blood sugar (200) but the vet said being on the pred might push her over the top.  She said diabetes starts in the high 200s (no idea what this means right now, but I plan on googling).

Currently Mario is on Natural Balance Duck and Pea for her IBD, and has been doing well on it - I've gotten her pred dosage down to 2.5m a day.  The vet is insistent that I start her on the Science Diet Duck limited ingredient diet. ::annoyed::  (of course she is - she gets paid for promoting that!)  I'm a little pissed that I have to cop out 40.00 more per bag, but in the end cost isn't a factor.  She wants me to try and lower the pred (which I am anyway) but I don't see what difference the Royal Canine is from the Natural Balance.  But at this point I don't really want to argue with the vet since I need her; I don't have a hollistic vet in my area (I live in the city and don't have a car).  So I'm willing to pay the 40.00 extra a bag to keep in her good graces.

BUT.....the vet said Mario is starting to get urine crystals.  She said we could mix some urine regulating food in with her kibble....but I told her Mario is allergic to chicken and the urine regulating foods all have chicken products in them! :(

So I NEED to switch her to the wet food.  So far it's taken ONE MONTH to actually get her to eat her kibble off of the same plate as the wet food.  My next step once she gets comfortable with that is to mix in tiny pieces of wet food masked in kibble powder.  I know this stubborn girl is going to need a lot of time for this transition. The problem is that I don't have that much time!  And switching her to a new kibble is going to set me back a week or so.

In one month exactly I'm going overseas for 10 days and if it weren't for that, I would put a feeding tube in her now.  But I feel that I can't subject her or the pet sitter to that!

Just looking for some thoughts......I know there are a few of you who have had to deal with similar kitty issues.  What are your thoughts on the ingredients of the Royal Canin vs. the Natural Balance? The vet swears the Royal Canin has more limited ingredients than the Natural Balance, but does this look like more limited to you???  Now she may have meant the wet food - which does look better but I can't afford to waist money on that expensive wet food now if I'm just going to be throwing it away.

Royal Canin PD:

Ground pea, duck by-product meal, pea protein, coprah oil, natural flavors, duck, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), calcium sulfate, soya oil, sodium bisulfate, monocalcium phosphate, DL-methionine, salt, taurine, choline chloride, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

Natural Balance Duck & Pea

Peas, Duck Meal, Duck, Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Methionine, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamim B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D Supplement, Folic acide (Vitamin B)

Thank you for your thoughts.

~B
 
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brandy rowe

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I'm a bit relieved.....I just called the vet office to ask about how much a feeding tube would cost and it must have alarmed one of the vets because she grabbed the phone from the vet tech.  (Not the one I spoke with earlier).  After telling her how freaked out I was with the blood sugar level increase and the urine crystals she said she herself probably wouldn't have told me that because it's not enough to be alarming.  (ok....I'm indifferent on that comment but anyway...)

I asked her if she thought I needed to switch foods and she wasn't too concerned about it - I just needed to feed my kitty the food she'll eat and if that means keeping her on the Natural Balance, that's fine.  This is a HUGE relief because switching her over would have been a huge step back in my wet food transition...not to mention a huge dent in my pocket with that expensive stuff....  She also said they don't put in feeding tubes unless the kitty is not eating at all and suggested I recheck her urine in a month.
 

ldg

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Well that is a relief. And yes, traveling always complicates things when you're in the middle of a transition.

You know... I'm wondering if you should bother with the transition to wet food at this point. If you ultimately want her eating raw for the IBD, maybe go the route Carolina did with Lucky - straight to raw. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239771/...lucky-bugsy-and-hope-to-raw-challenges-galore It took over a month of putting little dollops (0.25 oz) of raw on the plate with the kibbles - and the raw coated in something she LOVED. But since Mario is being so stubborn about even eating wet food, is it worth the effort to include that step in the process? :dk: There are two commercial raw foods that are boneless (recommended for cats with IBD): Rad Cat and Nature's Menu. Nature's Menu is pretty affordable, even with shipping charges. :nod:

I know she's allergic to chicken (though many people find that the protein itself is not the problem, if the cat is given raw chicken). But both also have lamb as an option. Just a thought....

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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brandy rowe

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Today i tried to lower Mario's pred within 12 hours she
I just purchased some Nature's Menu beef.  I do hope I can do as well as Carolina did!
 
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