Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck

blueyedgirl5946

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My cat came to me from the pet store with a serious diarrhea problem. They sent him home with me on their store brand dry food for sensitive stomachs. I switched his food to Green Pea and Duck dry food. HIs diarrhea problem stopped, but he kept gaining weight. With the vet's help, I have cut him back to 1/2 cup per day of this food, with the thoughts he would lose weight. After a month he was down to 14 pounds from 14 lbs. 3 ounces. Then after another three weeks he is back up to 14 lbs. 2 ounces.

Has anyone else fed this food to their cat and had this problem of weight gain?
 

LTS3

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Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck dry food has 410 calories per 8 oz (1 cup). Can you swtich from the Green Pea and Duck dry food to the canned version? The canned version has less calories and may keep your cat's tummy happier. Don't forget to excercise your cat with plenty of toys that promote active play :nod:

14 lbs to 14 lb 2 oz isn't a huge weight gain. I personally wouldn't focus on the amount of oz gained. Weight fluctutates slighly all the time, even in people. Just aim for a good weight in pounds and don't worry about the ounces .:scale:
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck dry food has 410 calories per 8 oz (1 cup). Can you swtich from the Green Pea and Duck dry food to the canned version? The canned version has less calories and may keep your cat's tummy happier. Don't forget to excercise your cat with plenty of toys that promote active play :nod:

14 lbs to 14 lb 2 oz isn't a huge weight gain. I personally wouldn't focus on the amount of oz gained. Weight fluctutates slighly all the time, even in people. Just aim for a good weight in pounds and don't worry about the ounces .:scale:
LTS3 LTS3 Have you fed this food to your cat?

I am well aware of the number of calories per can. When I first started with this food, my cat would eat some of the wet. Then he decided he was done, so I don't think the wet is an option.
 

oldgloryrags88

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LTS3 LTS3 Have you fed this food to your cat?

I am well aware of the number of calories per can. When I first started with this food, my cat would eat some of the wet. Then he decided he was done, so I don't think the wet is an option.

Sorry to barge in but I've fed this to my cats before. I don't anymore. I do the canned some times but not the dry food. LTS3 is right about it being very high in calories. :(
 

msserena

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the majority of dry food on the market is super high in carbs, carbs make kitties fat & throw their whole body balance off. Wet food should be fed instead of dry. I've only found two NB canned foods that are decent & under % carbs. Catatouille & Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken & Pumpkin Formula.

Maybe get a small can & see if kitty will eat either, if he does, get rid of the dry food! Feed it to a dog or put it outside for other animals.
 

manx

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My cat came to me from the pet store with a serious diarrhea problem. They sent him home with me on their store brand dry food for sensitive stomachs. I switched his food to Green Pea and Duck dry food. HIs diarrhea problem stopped, but he kept gaining weight. With the vet's help, I have cut him back to 1/2 cup per day of this food, with the thoughts he would lose weight. After a month he was down to 14 pounds from 14 lbs. 3 ounces. Then after another three weeks he is back up to 14 lbs. 2 ounces.

Has anyone else fed this food to their cat and had this problem of weight gain?

Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck dry food has 410 calories per 8 oz (1 cup). Can you swtich from the Green Pea and Duck dry food to the canned version? The canned version has less calories and may keep your cat's tummy happier. Don't forget to excercise your cat with plenty of toys that promote active play :nod:

14 lbs to 14 lb 2 oz isn't a huge weight gain. I personally wouldn't focus on the amount of oz gained. Weight fluctutates slighly all the time, even in people. Just aim for a good weight in pounds and don't worry about the ounces .:scale:
I'm quite sure they are talking about the Performatrin Ultra LID Green Pea and Duck kibble. They said the staff gave them a free sample bag. Performatrin Ultra is exclusive to PetValu, where I work, and I am familiar with these trial bags.

If that's the case, I advise you to switch foods. Performatrin Ultra LIDs all have the starch listed first in the ingredients :/

I would get your cat off dry entirely. I suggest an all wet diet, or mostly wet with some kibble. Don't bother with the Performatrin Ultra LID. The normal grain free kibble is ok but I dislike the LIDs.

Merrick makes a much better LID food, wet and dry. PetValu carries both. I recommend you try this food
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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msserena msserena The cat food my cat was sent home eating was a chicken based cat food. He was either allergic to the chicken or to the grains in the food. It is the Limited Ingredient Diet cat food that he is getting. He had such a diarrhea problem, that switching his food is going to be a last resort. So please no more suggestions on changing foods. Before I go that route, my cat will have some blood work done to make sure there is not a problem like thyroid or something else. Switching foods is going to be a last resort. :nod:

M manx The staff didn't give me any free Green Pea and Duck food. They sent him home with their store brand dried food for sensitive stomach. Read my first post again. I switched him over to the Limited Ingredient Diet, Green Pea and Duck.
 
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msserena

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I just hope you pay attention to what everyone on this thread has been saying, stop feeding dry food. That is the absolute WORST thing you could feed a cat, your cat, my cat, any cat. Research & learn.
 

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I'm quite sure they are talking about the Performatrin Ultra LID Green Pea and Duck kibble. They said the staff gave them a free sample bag. Performatrin Ultra is exclusive to PetValu, where I work, and I am familiar with these trial bags.

 
The subject for the thread is Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck which is a brand of dry food.. This is what the OP is currently feeding her cat after trying the vet provided sample of a different brand. The cat appears to be gaining weight on the Natural Balance dry food. A few ounces isn't worrisome IMO.

I've never used LID foods so I can't offer any thoughts on why the cat is gaining a few ounces on this particular food other than what has already been said. Some cats may just gain weight on a particular food
 

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An all wet food diet is not an option for everyone. Feed your cat(s) the best you can afford that they will eat. I feed mine a combination of Nutro Natural Choice Duck and Potato dry food and a different brand of wet food. It's not the same food you're using but seems to have some similar ingredients. Three of my cats are at their ideal weight, three are underweight, and one is overweight.

The overweight cat eats everything she can get her mouth on, even pushes the other cats away from their food if she can get away with it. Of the three underweight cats, one eats about half wet/half dry, one eats mostly wet with a few nibbles of dry, and the third eats mostly dry with a few nibbles of wet.

blueyedgirl5946 blueyedgirl5946 I'm not sure how helpful this is for you. I think a lot depends on the individual cat as much as on the food you're feeding. I do think that most dry food instructions tell you to feed more than is needed.

What is the target weight for your cat? Have you talked with your vet about how quickly he should be losing weight?
 

manx

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My apologies, I was half-asleep when I posted that and didn't see the title, only the description.
 

mani

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I just hope you pay attention to what everyone on this thread has been saying, stop feeding dry food. That is the absolute WORST thing you could feed a cat, your cat, my cat, any cat. Research & learn.
  @msserena I'm not sure this is a helpful comment  to a member who has been on the site for over 10 years and is really familiar with the wet vs dry debate. 


I can't offer advice myself as we're really limited in Australia.. I don't have access to any of the food you're all discussing.  But I'm with LTS.. Whilst it's really good to keep an eye on weight, I don't think a few ounces is too worrying.
 

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Abby has food allergies and yes, at one point I did feed this food to her along with the Natural Balance LID wet foods. I didn't have weight issues with her as if anything, she is too picky and it is a struggle to get her to eat. She will love a food for a while, then absolutely hate it. She will eat mostly dry for a while, then she decides she only wants canned food.

She's currently on mostly wet with a little dry mixed in. She's getting prescription dry from the vet. -

https://www.royalcanin.com/products...otein-adult-pr-dry-cat-food-8.8-lb-bag/762188

It's rabbit and green pea, although she has had the duck and venison version before as well. She seems to tolerate the prescription Royal Canin better than the Natural Balance.

I'm not sure how much that we help you, as every cat is different and what one tolerates another would get extremely ill on.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Snoop weighed 10.8 pounds when they had him at the shelter before we adopted him


He weiged 9.2 in January when we took him to the vet to be tested for parasites. The diarrhea was terrible. Explosive doesn't even describe it well.
March 21 he weighed 12.3
April 11 he weighed 12.9
I had slowly changed his food to the NB
6-28 he weighed 13.10 and the vet said cut his food to 1/2 cup. I did that, measuring with the regular 8 ounces cup
7-26 he weighed 14.3
8-12 he weighed 14 pounds. This is after I started measuring with the dry cup measure
Then this week he is back up to 14.2.

LTS3 LTS3
Now you can see that he hasn't gained just a few ounces. I think the recommended amount on the bag was apparently too much food and so part of he weight gain is my fault as I was feeding him according to the recommended amount.

[@]msserena[/@ ] I have had cats all my life and am past 70 years old. Some of them never had a taste of wet food and they lived to be 12 to 14 years old. Everybody has opinions. They are just not always right.. I am well aware that wet food might have some advantages, but it is not a cure all.


I have written this once, but feel the need to repeat it. When a check at the vet's office showed no parasites, I knew I had to find a solution and a quick one at that.
The food he was eating was the store version of a sensitive stomach food. It was chicken based and full of grains. At the time I made my decision, I decided that my best chance to get my cat feeling better was to feed him something I could be reasonably sure he never had before. That is why I chose the LID Natural Balance. I started out with some wet which he ate to begin with. But then he decided he didn't like it and he stopped eating it completely. So we continued on with the dry.

I am taking care of my cat with my veterinarian of many years. He has taken care of a good number of my cats. He has seen me bury four of them. I have seen him choked up and the tears in his wife's eyes in their office as I held them for that last shot. I love him and I would trust him forever with my cats. He has told me that changing my cats food considering the serious stomach problem he had should not be an option at this point. That is the advice I will take.
 
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jennyr

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I agree, blueyedgirl5946 blueyedgirl5946 that it is very easy to feed a cat too much kibble. My Wellington is diabetic and must lose some weight, though he is not obese. When the vet told me how much I should give him, I was shocked, I could not believe he could survive on what looked to me (and to him!) like a medium sized snack. But he is fine after three months and is losing weight, steadily and slowly. He still complains and several times has managed to get into the cupboard, but all in all we are winning, and his blood sugar count is within normal parameters now too.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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My vet told me that 12 pounds would be a good target weight for Snoop. He said feed him around 220 calories per day. I have been doing that measuring the kibble in a 1/4 cup dry measure cup. The recommended amount on the back was 2/3 to 3/4 cup, which was just way too much. That is why he kept gaining weight.

Today, I decided to try him again on the Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck wet food as I had several cans of that left from earlier this year when he was eating it. He has eaten one full can of that, which is 190 calories. I am thinking he can have a few pieces of kibble for a snack before bedtime now. I know he can eat this food without it affecting his stomach. My main goal is to get him stabilized with what he is eating so he doesn't keep gaining weight. I think we are there now. Hopefully his stomach will shrink with eating a lesser amount of calories.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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It has taken a while. I wanted to come here and report that when Snoop was weighed at the vet's office in March, he was at 12 lbs. 9 oz. He may be less than that now. My boy has an hourglass figure. He is still eating the Natural Balance LID Green Pea and Duck. He gets a dry meal in the morning and a wet one at night. My vet is adamant to leave him alone with his food. He suffered so much in the beginning. The picture I attached is a bit blurry, but I wanted to really get him from the top. Everyone please send some congrats to my precious boy.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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My Snoop has not been his normal self for a day or two. He has had soft poop and is refusing to eat his wet meal of Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck LID. He is holding out for all dry right now. I am watching his poop to make sure he doesn't get problems again. For now I am using a packet of Fort Flora sprinkled over the dry. I wonder if he got a lizard or something in the yard that upset his tummy.
 

mani

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It could be something like a lizard.. sometimes mine get hold of one and it usually creates that kind of symptom. Good that you're watching him closely, lovely boy. :)
 
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