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- Apr 20, 2016
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I'm not sure if this belongs in the food section or here. I know this is long, but I'm trying to cover the bases. I adopted my beloved Pikachu from the pound when he was about 5 months old. He wouldn't eat hardly anything, and for nearly two years he stayed very boney. Vet says blood looks good. He doesnt have worms. He seems to have been born with diabetes, although rare. He has sweet breath, a bad mouth, and drinks a lot. He's been like this since I got him. He has peripheral nerve damage I assume from diabetes, because he's only recently been able to jump up on things, but not confidently, thanks to a weak under-muscled rear.
I can't brush his teeth because his lips are so short that nothing fits in his little mouth. Unlike my other cats, I can't even stretch his lips enough to see his last molar in the light, and that's not from him resisting. He had gingivitis when I got him, and now has stage 2 peridontal. I've cracked calculus off, but this understandably scared him and isn't a solution.
He won't eat raw even if I hide a piece in his food, and I had him on Wild Calling canned for months after Evo added carrageenen to their cans. He hates canned and won't eat much. He grew skeletal on everything but Evo or Orijen dry food, which I hate to give, but he'd rather die than eat enough canned food. With those two dry foods he plays a little and feels better, and is an okay weight. I put lots of water in his food, hoping it will help his kidneys some.
Now he's started coughing at times. I'm concerned about asthma, because this is how one of my other cats started. Eliminating fish fixed it for the other cat, but how can I do this with Pikachu's food issue? I feed the cats in crates so they can't get steal each other's food. The low carb kibbles all have a fish protein I think. I'll have to research more. I'm willing to use a high meat dog food maybe - I have powdered taurine that I use for another cat who eats raw. I'd rather not feed kibble, and if the carbs are above ~24% he will be skeletal no matter how much he eats. I know a diet with carbs 0-10% can eliminate diabetes symptoms.
I love my little Pikachu so much, and the vets here are of almost no help. I have tried many and now basically do everything myself with heavy research since they let one of my kitties die by telling me she was okay when she wasn't. They just suggest a prescription diet for Pikachu which might even kill him. Any suggestions about food or teeth, considering I'd like to eliminate fish to see if his coughing stops?
I can't brush his teeth because his lips are so short that nothing fits in his little mouth. Unlike my other cats, I can't even stretch his lips enough to see his last molar in the light, and that's not from him resisting. He had gingivitis when I got him, and now has stage 2 peridontal. I've cracked calculus off, but this understandably scared him and isn't a solution.
He won't eat raw even if I hide a piece in his food, and I had him on Wild Calling canned for months after Evo added carrageenen to their cans. He hates canned and won't eat much. He grew skeletal on everything but Evo or Orijen dry food, which I hate to give, but he'd rather die than eat enough canned food. With those two dry foods he plays a little and feels better, and is an okay weight. I put lots of water in his food, hoping it will help his kidneys some.
Now he's started coughing at times. I'm concerned about asthma, because this is how one of my other cats started. Eliminating fish fixed it for the other cat, but how can I do this with Pikachu's food issue? I feed the cats in crates so they can't get steal each other's food. The low carb kibbles all have a fish protein I think. I'll have to research more. I'm willing to use a high meat dog food maybe - I have powdered taurine that I use for another cat who eats raw. I'd rather not feed kibble, and if the carbs are above ~24% he will be skeletal no matter how much he eats. I know a diet with carbs 0-10% can eliminate diabetes symptoms.
I love my little Pikachu so much, and the vets here are of almost no help. I have tried many and now basically do everything myself with heavy research since they let one of my kitties die by telling me she was okay when she wasn't. They just suggest a prescription diet for Pikachu which might even kill him. Any suggestions about food or teeth, considering I'd like to eliminate fish to see if his coughing stops?
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