Is Hills I/D for gastrointestinal wet food? Do I need a script for it?
He ate a Tiki food last night. Whether he'll eat it again tonight is yet to be seen. I'm also referring to 'Nutro' food. This was the 1st food that he seemed to go for (Chicken w/Gravy). I thought I'd at least found something; but then in a few days, he turned away from it. I've tried other flavors of Nutro but he turns away.
Freeze dried meat treats are available at most pet stores and various places online. PureBites is a popular brand. Most poeple buy the PureBites for dogs because the bag is larger and the treats are easily broekn up into smaller pieces for a cat. You can take a look at Petco.com or Petsmart.com to see what brands they carry and then head out to the store to buy. A q uick look shows that both Petco and Petsmart carry PureBites. Independent pet stores will have those plus other brands of freeze dried meat treats.
Place the treats inside a plastic baggie and then crush. Less mess that way
There is both wet and dry in the Hills I/D (which is their gastrointestinal)l. I believe Royal Canin do a wet gastrointestinal too but not a dry. My cats seem to prefer the Hills wet though (in the stew anyway, not the regular cans of pate').
Well, here's hoping it goes over well. If he went for the chicken with duck, maybe he'd go for the chicken with turkey, too?
I do like to feed my cats a variety of food so they don't get sick of the same thing. In the past I fed Coony & Montana 3 brands/flavors of wet food that they both liked. I alternated each day. With Coony gone, Montana has become a big problem. It's like learning all over after 9 years. I'm going to buy those Pure Bites and sprinkle it over whatever food I serve. Tonight, I sprinkled a little crushed Purina Treats over the Tiki food and he ate it (I hope he doesn't throw up).
My cat was also diagnosed with IBD, or "likely" IBD, but nothing with formal tests. He did not have an ultrasound, but he did have a full blood panel including thyroid and urine cultures and everything came back normal (other than a slightly high-normal thyroid which my vet thinks is probably just his "normal" but we're monitoring it). My vet decided based off his symptoms and his positive response to slippery elm that it was IBD. She said its "common" especially for older cats (my guy is 13). At this point his symptoms are stable and have been for about 8 months.
Just because he threw it up doesn't mean its food that doesn't agree with him. With IBD cats they will sometimes throw up food that they don't have issues with. For example, my cat will throw up in AM if he goes too long without food (bile), or sometimes he will scarf and barf his food. This is food he eats regularly that he doesn't have issues with, but will sometimes vomit up. You can try and give him food again and see if he keeps it down this time. You could also give him a smaller meal and see if that helps. My cat needs small meals multiple times a day to avoid vomiting. You could also look into giving him slippery elm, which helps prevent my cat from both vomiting and then feeling nauseated.
Right, the nausea is pretty normal after vomiting, that's what i use SE for, it prevents the vomiting and the nausea. I would consider trying out slippery elm (SE). It's safe, although it would be best if you can do it under the supervision of your vet. I mix 1 tsp of SE with 1/2 a cup water and simmer on the stove until it thickens. I then give my guy 1/2 tsp before his morning meal. It can be mixed into food, or some cats like the taste and just eat it. My guy i have to give it to him via syringe. I think i already gave you the link about SE. You might want to do some research to find a new vet that's more qualified to deal with IBD. I've found that vet's that do some holistic treatments know more about this kind of stuff and support diet/supplements as treatment.
Tomorrow (when this vet is in) I'll see if she knows what Slippery Elm is if she doesn't see if she can refer me to a specialist. I do have your link but have not read it yet. What he will eat after vomiting are those treats! but he can't live on those. I feel so bad for him because I figure he's hungry so I give him what he wants. Chances are that Montana won't like the taste, but who knows. Unlike Coony was, he's finicky about everything. I've never had a problem giving my cats Petromalt (for hairballs) but Montana won't go near it. I've had 3 generations of cats and never had a cat with a digestive problem like this so I'm pretty much at a loss. I sincerely hope I can do something for him....
