Hello. I am hoping someone here can help me with some questions I have about food ingredients. My kitten, Echo, is now about 4 months old. His story is long and complicated, but the short version is that he has had persistent diarrhea since I took him in at 3 weeks old. After all the initial causes (parasites, worms, bacterial infections...) were taken care of and he actually seemed to be getting better, vaccines caused a relapse.
He's been on Royal Canin GI High Energy canned food mixed with pumpkin since he was weaned off KMR, and I almost had him off it and onto Nutro Natural Choice grain free canned kitten food (chosen for the very simple ingredients which are similar to the RC) when the vaccine reaction threw a wrench in it. He's now back on the RC plus pumpkin and probiotics, but my vet wants to try putting him on the dry version of the RC because it doesn't seem to be helping much, even though his fecal came back clear. However, I looked up the ingredients and I do not like them at all. Here's the list:
Chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, brown rice, Brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, powdered cellulose, natural flavors, egg product, dried plain beet pulp, potassium chloride, fish oil, sodium silico aluminate, grain distillers dried yeast, calcium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, DL-methionine, psyllium seed husk, salt, fructooligosaccharides, monosodium phosphate, vegetable oil, hydrolyzed yeast, taurine, choline chloride, L-lysine, magnesium oxide, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate], rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
What I want to know is if anyone can tell me which ingredients may actually be helpful for controlling diarrhea. I know the canned form contains carob bean gum, and carob is good for this issue, but I'm at a loss on the dry stuff. I do give him dry food while I'm at work, but it's Canidae Grain Free Pure Foundations kitten food, which I also chose for the very simple ingredients.
I hope someone will be able to help me with this. If there's some way I can try supplementing the Nutro with whatever actually useful ingredients are in the RC, I will be so much happier. Or even if I can find an alternative food that doesn't have such awful ingredients. I'm having a consultation with my vet tomorrow. Hopefully we can find another option.
Thank you in advance!
He's been on Royal Canin GI High Energy canned food mixed with pumpkin since he was weaned off KMR, and I almost had him off it and onto Nutro Natural Choice grain free canned kitten food (chosen for the very simple ingredients which are similar to the RC) when the vaccine reaction threw a wrench in it. He's now back on the RC plus pumpkin and probiotics, but my vet wants to try putting him on the dry version of the RC because it doesn't seem to be helping much, even though his fecal came back clear. However, I looked up the ingredients and I do not like them at all. Here's the list:
Chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, brown rice, Brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, powdered cellulose, natural flavors, egg product, dried plain beet pulp, potassium chloride, fish oil, sodium silico aluminate, grain distillers dried yeast, calcium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, DL-methionine, psyllium seed husk, salt, fructooligosaccharides, monosodium phosphate, vegetable oil, hydrolyzed yeast, taurine, choline chloride, L-lysine, magnesium oxide, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate], rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
What I want to know is if anyone can tell me which ingredients may actually be helpful for controlling diarrhea. I know the canned form contains carob bean gum, and carob is good for this issue, but I'm at a loss on the dry stuff. I do give him dry food while I'm at work, but it's Canidae Grain Free Pure Foundations kitten food, which I also chose for the very simple ingredients.
I hope someone will be able to help me with this. If there's some way I can try supplementing the Nutro with whatever actually useful ingredients are in the RC, I will be so much happier. Or even if I can find an alternative food that doesn't have such awful ingredients. I'm having a consultation with my vet tomorrow. Hopefully we can find another option.
Thank you in advance!
