Help! Food Options for a Terribly Allergic Cat?

addiesmom

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I'm new around here, but not new to cats ever. I found Addie tied up in a trash bag in a ditch and left for dead and I've been taking care of her ever since. At about six months her eyes started puffing up, and then it all went down hill. She's about a year and half old now. She has painfully inflamed feline acne, and terrible allergies. Most of which were centered in her face, until, I tried to go raw with the aid of TCfeline. It was a total hit flavor wise, and the swelling in her face was FINALLY going down. :( Alas, she freaked out and licked off all of the fur on her belly, paws and just everything. I switched from chicken to beef, with the same results. I am now feeding her Primal rabbit, which she loathes. She'd rather starve than even think about it. 

So after that very long winded intro, this is what I'm looking for.

Addie likes things with gravy, preferably flaked (that can be worked around). She likes things that smell STRONGLY.

However (and this list is sadly growing), it can't have eggs, peas, chicken(or turkey, maybe even most fowl), fish or grain. Peas knock most things off the market. I'm looking for a wet canned food until I can get the gumption to try raw again.

Lol, so is there anything left? :( My poor baby. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Wellness makes a Beef, Venison,&  Lamb.

Hounds and Gatos makes a Lamb.

Addiction makes some really unusual meat items, like Brushtail, Buffalo and Unagi, but on all of these, you'd need to double check the list of ingredients to make sure there are no peas or eggs.  I don't think there are, but could be mistaken.

Raw is definitely the way to go, but sound like you're in Canada (since you used TC Feline) and I know finding unusual proteins is more difficult up there, although you should be able to get Venison and Elk pretty readily, can't you?  One of mine can't eat either of those without upchucking immediately, but CAN eat beef.  Go figure.  Also, some gets that can't tolerate chicken do ok with ORGANIC chicken.
 
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addiesmom

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I'm U.S. based. TCfeline has a U.S. based branch, but it isn't the same recipe as the Canadian variety (the stuff here has egg, the Canadian version has branched off from it). Wellness was Addie's primary food brand for awhile, however, they sneak chicken into the darndest places. My father hunts though, but I haven't been able to pry some venison away from him just yet. :p

I'm hoping to get Addie a little more stabilized before I try raw again. The reason why I was attracted to TCfeline is that it turned into a sort of gravy that she adored. She's so picky that it makes things difficult, because she'd rather starve then eat things she doesn't like, which includes bone pieces.
 I'm hoping I can either do the research or find someone who can help me develop something for her that I can make at home.

Hounds and Gatos looks promising. Their lamb flavor does have duck liver in it, but their pork actually looks okay. Addiction has a few potentials, I just hope she responds well to veggies in her food. 

So for anyone who may be looking for the same thing, these are the potentials:

Hounds and Gatos - Pork

Addiction - Black Forest Rabbit (I'll try rabbit one more time), Wild Brushtail Dehydrated Raw, Hunter's Venison Stew

At least I have a couple leads. Thank you. :)
 

peaches08

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What about Dr. Pierson's recipe from WWW.cat info.org? I realize that it doesn't have the addictive gravy aspect, but I'm sure that other raw feeders can help with that. You'll need a grinder, but sometimes we have to do what we have to do. If needed, you can use a food processor for the meat and use egg shells for the calcium source. We can help you with that too.

Have you tried toppers? Sorry if I missed that you have.
 
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addiesmom

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I've looked into it, but there isn't a recipe listed for an alternative form of meat, that's the minor problem. The major ones are that it includes egg and fish oil. I'm fairly certain I can make a gravy to top it all off on my own. I'm just worried about changing the recipe too much and feeding her something that isn't balanced. In other words, I have buckets of research to do. :)

I'm also concerned at the bacteria possibility, because she may be going on immunosuppressants soon. Lol, that's why I'm looking for a basic canned option first, for back up. Sadly, her vets are not pro-raw, so it's hard for inquiring minds to figure out an approved diet. I live in a small town, so it isn't as simple as just going elsewhere. :(

So, I suppose on the raw front I'm looking for a recipe that excludes egg, uses bone powder, and has a substitute for fish oil. I'm also hunting for a source of grass fed meats, but I do have local options available. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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@LDG makes her own supplement (like TC Feline or Alnutrin) and uses bone powder, I believe.  She doesn't use a grinder because she orders her ground meats from Hare Today, but mostly feeds boneless meats with her own supplements sprinkled on top.  You could probably just compare her recipe to TCFeline and see what's different that  may cause theirs to thicken up a bit.  Anyway, LDG uses all varieties of meats.. She'll probably add her two cents soon, since I tagged her.
 

peaches08

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@LDG
makes her own supplement (like TC Feline or Alnutrin) and uses bone powder, I believe.  She doesn't use a grinder because she orders her ground meats from Hare Today, but mostly feeds boneless meats with her own supplements sprinkled on top.  You could probably just compare her recipe to TCFeline and see what's different that  may cause theirs to thicken up a bit.  Anyway, LDG uses all varieties of meats.. She'll probably add her two cents soon, since I tagged her.
She's also dealt with immune issues from chemotherapy and another kitty with FIV, so she could be loads of help here!
 
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addiesmom

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Great, the more information I can get my hands on the better. :) The thickening agent used in the American variety of TCFeline is xanthan gum, I believe. It's really easy to get your hands on at the store, if that doesn't work I was going to try using organic gelatin for a slightly thicker broth. Hare Today looks like a good option for meats, I have to look further into their sourcing though. The only reason I'm being a stickler about it is that I have a suspicion that if the animals are fed corn, then Addie will have a reaction. However, I'm willing to give just about anything a try at this point. Aside from the canned foods that I looked up last night, I'm going to try the grass fed beef and organic grass fed bison from my local store to start. Not all that once though, I want to know what's actually working. :) Just have to get this supplement stuff figured out. 
 

mschauer

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I'm fairly sure that if you contact Jim (the US manufacturer of TCFeline) he can provide an egg free version for you.

His email: [email protected]
 
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ldg

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OK, this isn't the kind of help you may want, but here's my :2cts:

We rescued an FIV+ kitty in 2010, Chumley. The poor boy had explosive diarrhea, and we worked with our traditional vets to try to figure out the problem. Obviously we did the antibiotics (metro) / diet route (we weren't feeding raw then). We tried the protein elimination, the limited ingredient, and then finally the hypoallergenic prescription food. We did get his stool to "just" diarrhea from the explosive diarrhea ;) - but then he began scratching himself, and he mowed his forelegs and his belly clean.

At that point we couldn't stand watching him suffer, and steroids or other immunosuppressants were not an option because of his FIV.

So we decided to look for a vet trained in Chinese Medicine. We searched http://www.ahvma.org and found one 45 minutes - an hour or so from us (depending on traffic).

Chumley was diagnosed from a Chinese Medicine standpoint and treated for his "extreme spleen Qi deficiency" and his "extreme Yin deficiency." Basically the mowing his abdomen and forelegs clean - from a Chinese perspective - is not allergies. Yes, it is an immune system dysfunction - but it's an energy imbalance, which, when treated, is then fixed. Basically, the mowing is because they're "too hot" (not as in fever).

Western Medicine is a life-saver, and helpful for so many things. But immune system dysfunction simply isn't one of them. Yes, removing the triggers that cause immune system hyperactivity will resolve the symptoms - but it doesn't actually solve the problem.

If there isn't a vet trained in Chinese Meds you can get to, or if you can't afford it, I would consider contacting Jim as mschauer suggested, and asking if the product can be formulated without egg.

If you have any questions about making the homemade supplement I use, please feel free to ask. :) Though - the diet I feed my cats does include egg yolks, and they're important for the choline content.

Oh - FYI, once the herbals the Chinese-trained vet prescribed kicked in, we could feed Chumley anything. We did switch to a raw diet - but that was after Chum was stabilized.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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