doing better...science diet??

Hello,

My kitten Sage is doing better...she still has little blood in her stool but I had it tested and they said it was negative and gave me science diet i/d to put her on for awhile and then i'm switching her to science diet kitten...I think this will be better...

I just wish the blood in her stool would go away...but at least the bowel movements aren't as frequent and they seem a little harder...

I noticed some people were saying to not bother with science diet food....I had her on Tehni-cal and I think it was a cause of her problems...I think science diet seems good...

any comments....love to hear what people think!

thanks.

I'm so glad Sage is feeling better!

I too am glad to hear your kitty feels better! I am not a fan of Science diet - their non-prescription because of their use of by-products, BHA/BHT as preservatives, and more carbs than I like to see in one food. But I'm thumbs up on their prescription foods as they really can make a difference (I have one that as I've mentioned a number of times, would not be here if not for Hills Z/D).

I would ask your vet if there are several foods they recommend for transitioning to, if you wish to avoid by-products etc., let them know that is your criteria and see what they alternatively suggest.

I'm not a big fan of the regular SD food - too much grain, as far as I'm concerned - but the special diets do seem to help. In my experience, dogs and cats like the dry SD food, but aren't too fond of the regular canned stuff. Jamie gets the canned prescription "sensitive stomach" cat food, because it's available in small cans (a "must" for him), about once a week, and thus far we've nursed one dog and one cat with renal problems through with the help of the prescription food. IMO, the regular SD isn't really "premium" food, but better than the usual supermarket brands, and the "prescription diets" are worth trying.

Hello again,
thanks for your responses...I didn't open the science diet yet but the only other one they had was walthem's...is that better? What about medi-cal??

She will probably be on the hill's i/d food for a week and just that alone...i'm worried about the fact that she won't be getting nutrition from kitten food for that period...i've noticed she is quite tired and probably would rather the taste of kitten food...how do i transition her over ...do i start mixing the prescription with the kitten food....they say that takes away from the benefits of the prescription...

so confused...

what brand do you all recommend for her...i want to give her the best.

thanks,

I would use the I/D as your vet prescribed for the time period they wanted, then transition by a mix of the I/D you have left with the new food, gradually decreasing the I/D.

I would not add anything during the time your vet wants your kitten just on the I/D, since iyou are right I think that it would affect it's effectiveness.

If your vet does not feel your kitten has any special dietary needs once off I/D, just look for a kitten food that does not use BHA/BHT, lots of carbs (such as whole corn, soy, wheat flour, corn gluten meal as the protein source), look for a brand that has proteins listed as first ingredients (beef, lamb or chicken/turkey).

I am not as up on what brands are available to you in your country, but as a general recommendation - I like PetGuard, Felidae, Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care, Dick Van Patten's natural balance, California Natural Chicken and Rice. I will ask our TCS vet tech advisor, Dr. Doolittle, to read over this thread and comment, she is a fellow Canadian

hello,

thanks pat and alix!

that would be great if you could find out canandian brands i could look for...her stomach is very sensitive so i want a really good brand...

the other one i'm curious about is medi-cal,

i will start transitioning her over within the week, i don't like the fact she is missing all the protein etc. that kitten food provides...but i defitely won't mix it until i see the blood disappearing.

thanks again.

Hi there!

I would choose a new kitten food carefully. I like hills products, but I like Medi-cal better. The MC Developement formula is generally well recived by cats. The brands Pat mentioned are also good, I am not familiar with the natural "organic" diets but I trust her opinion. I used to feed Techni-cal and never had a problem with it. I also like Eukanuba and Nutro. Whatever you choose reed the ingredients list carefully- if you are dealing with a food allergy this is a good time to start paying attention to the types of proteins and starches in the foods you feed.
As Pat said- do the changeover very slowly and at the first sign of vomiting or diarrhea- just back up a few steps. If the new food is causing problems it is possible that she is allergic to something in it so you may need to look for special hypoallergenic diets. There are many available at vet clinics and pet stores.

I chose Nutro...and am switching her over from the i/d hills perscrip. but she doesn't seem to like the dry i/d anyway...only the canned...and i added some Nutro...and she just seems to eat a couple of pieces and gives up....she doesn't eat much but seems active and happy...she seems to want me to feed it to her...or she seems to only like canned food...but I want her to eat dry...i don't know what to do.