Looking for a nutritionist

grinder_7

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We have a 13-year-old 6-pound (3 lbs underweight) cat that has IBD. We are combating the IBD and winning buy sprinkling fiber powder on her Authority and she now only has projectile vomits once every 2 weeks.


HOWEVER - We can not get her to gain weight. The food goes right through her. Her poops are huge and solid most of the time. (I mean HUGE


Is there anything we can add that will get her body to start digesting the food to get nourishment?

Thanks
Rod and Snickers
 

hell603

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Hi my Loki has IBD and i use psyllium for his fiber suppliment His poop is normal - not ectrodinarely hugh!

In case you want to give it a try - I use the GNC Fingerprints brand. It's very fine ground and my Loki dosen't mind it at all. Dosage depends on your kitty you probably have to tweek it.

Helen
 

hell603

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PS: psyllium slows down the transfer process thereby allowing the body to absorbe the nutrition from the food.
 

newtocats

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What does your vet say about the diet? Authority isn't bad, but maybe your kitty has an allergy to something in the food? I would consider a slow change to a super premium food such as chicken soup for the cat lovers soul, wellness, evolve, innova or felidae.
 
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grinder_7

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Authority is as good as Iams and Science Diet. Plus if my cat has food allergeys the better food might have SOMETHING in them that would go against the grain.

hmmmmmm

She eats a whole can in one sitting and goes around looking like a balloon! At the moment we're just happy she is keeping it down!
 

newtocats

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I agree with you that Authority is just as good as Science Diet and Iams, but there are a lot of people on here that question the quality of Science Diet and Iams...including myself.

Super premuium, all natural pet foods have lists of indredients of whole, natural foods. There is much more of a chance that a cat is allergic to something strange in a commercial brand food (such as Science diet, Authority or Iams) than in an all natural food that takes its protien and carbohydrate percentage from only a few sources.

Notice the difference:

Natural California Natural Chicken and Rice dry:
Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins and Minerals.

Iams Original Formula dry:
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Natural Chicken Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Inositol, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate.

Science Diet Chicken and Rice dry:
Ingredients
Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, corn meal, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken liver flavor, DL- methionine, taurine, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, minerals (potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, salt, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), rosemary extract, beta carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement


I don't have the listing for the Authority cat food, but I would really start comparing
that actual ingredients of what your car is eating. Things like "corn gluten meal" and "by-products" and "corn meal" and
corn grits" are things that you don't want to see. Here are some other recommendations too. I have used dry food to do the comparison, but the ingredients are very similiar to wet.

Innova dry cat food:
Ingredients
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Potatoes, Egg, Ground Barley, Chicken Fat, Rice, Herring, Sunflower Oil, Apples, Carrots, Whole Pasteurized Milk, Fish Oil, Garlic, Alfalfa Sprouts.


Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul:
Ingredients
Chicken, Salmon, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), oatmeal, whole grain white rice, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, turkey, duck, flaxseed, egg product, natural chicken flavor, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, kelp, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.



Good luck!
 

hell603

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would like to add one more which I feed Loki who also has IBD and it has been a gods sent:

Life's Abundance:

No corn or wheat
.No dairy
.No by-products
.No artificial colors or flavors
.No chemical preservatives added
.High quality chicken meal, egg, chicken liver meal,
herring meal and turkey meal, all derived from
human-grade processing plants
.Nutrient dense with vitamins, minerals, fats,
essential fatty acid and taurine
.Powerful antioxidants from patented grape seed
extract process
.Probiotics for a healthy digestive tract
.Highly digestible



INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E)), Dried Beet Pulp, Egg Product, Herring Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Chicken Liver Meal, Flax Seed Meal, Fish Oil, Turkey Meal, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Bifido bacterium bifidium fermentation product, Streptococcus faecium fermentation product, Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, Alfalfa Sprouts, Wheat Grass, D/L Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Ascorbic Acid, Grape Seed Extract, Rosemary, Vitamin E Supple-ment, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Citric Acid, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein, not less than .... 32.0%
Crude Fat, not less than ......... 21.0%
Crude Fiber, not more than ..... 3.0%
Moisture, not more than .......... 10.0%
Ash, not more than ................. 6.5


In case you are interested here is the website:


http://www.healthypetnet.com/product...lname=10031244
 
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grinder_7

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Did your cat get powerfull hungry after the IBD vomiting was under control? Is you appitite do to this?

Are you familier with Pet Smart and are there ultra hi quality cat food availiable there??

We need wet food because poor Snickers is missing teeth.

BTW - The fiber we give Snickers is 95% psyllium.
 

hell603

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Hi, he has the rarer symptoms of IBD - Bloody diarreah and not much vomiting. Therefore no real change in appetite.

There is one brand of wet food I really like and that is:

Old Mother Hubbard

However PETCO not Petsmart carries it.


Have you tried adding Petromalt or possibly even Kitten Glop? High in calories and nutrition.
 

newtocats

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Your best bet is to go to petfooddirect.com or another distruibuters website to look for super premium pet foods. Petsmart does carry one super premium pet food called "Blue Buffalo" but it is only in a dry formula.

http://www.mypethaven.com/healthy_pe...price_list.htm
http://www.preciouspets.org/healthyp...etproducts.htm
http://www2.shopping.com/xDN-Pets--p...t_food_express
http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
http://www.preciouspets.org/

All good ways to start...I would really start learning about the ingredients of pet food. It is something that has really become invaluable to me.
 

tuxedokitties

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Just an idea - I used to use Prozyme on my older cat's food - it provides enzymes to help aid digestion. It seemed to help her gain a little bit of weight. You can get it from most vets, or from some feed stores or online pet supply stores.

Also, has your vet checked her thyroid levels? Hyperthyroid is very common in older cats and can lead to weight loss in spite of good appetite, vomiting, and other problems. It would probably be a good idea to get her a geriatric workup at the vet, if you haven't done so recently.


Prozyme

feline hyperthyroidism
 
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grinder_7

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yup - thyroid is all A OK according to extensive (and costly) tests.
 
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grinder_7

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Picked up 6 cans of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul(CSCL).

69 cents for 5.5oz - not cheap (75 cents for 6oz equ) compared to 49 cents for 6.0oz of Authority but . . .

Snickers LOVED it and wanted more.

Talked to the vet about getting Prozyme and she said it was a good idea BUT - it's on back order for 2 weeks.

CSCL just LOOKS better that's for sure
 

tuxedokitties

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Glad the thyroid is o.k.
The tests are expensive, but if you can catch a problem early you can add years to the cat's life, so it's definitely worth it.

I've fed my cats Science Diet all their lives and they've done great with it, except for one kitty who always seems to have an upset stomach. I changed her over to the CSCL dry (can't find the cans here) and give her a couple of TBSP of Wellness canned every day w/ her Prozyme, and she's gone from vomiting 2-3x/day to maybe once every week or two.

I hope the food change & Prozyme does the trick for your girl.
 
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grinder_7

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The CSCL website has a list of all places that now sell it. I'm looking into buying it by the case if this does the job as the small place I found it did not have THAT much!

Snickers went from HUGE vomits 2-3 times a week . . REALLY messy - she would spray literally 2-3 feet of vomit!! to once every 2 weeks when she gets into mischeif and finds people food that does not agree.
 

newtocats

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I am so glad that she likes the chicken soup! It is seriously such a wonderful food and it is priced well compared to innova and wellness and the other super premium brands.

I really wish Charlie liked the Chicken soup canned...but he will only eat the dry.
 
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