Acana gf fish or orijen regional red

[Ariana and Landry mom]

I am a 40 yr plus cat owner. But i have a 2yr old with constant ear infections. No mites just bacteria and lots...we are under vet care. Thinking of changing to a completely different brand of food, due to potential allergens.We are currently on gf Fromm chicken. Acana wild atlantic or Orijen regional red? GO! (And why you choose)

 

[MissClouseau]

If your cat is prone to food allergies, both Acana and Orijen may go poorly with her as both have a LONG ingredients list. It might be a better idea to try prescription hypoallergenic food first and see how it goes, as they have a much shorter ingredients list and typically dehydrolized protein. At least to temporarily check if there will be a change for the better about ears.

Both Acana and Orijen are good foods in my opinion if there is no issue that makes high protein digestion challenging. If you ever give cooked red meat and fish to your kitty, whatever she likes more, I would go with that one. Like my cat doesn't like red meat at all so when we need a change from poultry, I go with fish.

 

[Kieka]

I'd agree with the long list being an issue with both. My cats have sensitivity to poultry and until I fully figured out exactly what they had issue with I stuck to limited ingredient diets. Nature's Variety has a pretty decent one with rabbit limited ingredient, not a fan of the peas but when it comes to food sensitivities you go with the lesser evil sometimes.

I also do Go! Carnivore and Tiki Cat Born Carnivore which again have peas but again, best of worst choices. They have more ingredients though and when you are trying to figure out what your cats triggers are it is really a better idea to start out with single protein sources. Then slowly (like every month) introduce a different protein until you figure out which works and which doesn't. That's how I figured out that one boy can handle chicken and the other can't handle duck or turkey, so no poultry. We also can't do shellfish with one of mine but they are pretty good with everything else.

I've stayed away from Acana because the 20% fat content, everyone I know who has fed it ends up with fat content (my current mix is 19% and 15% so they balance out to around 17/18% between the three, I rotate to keep them from getting stuck on one). Orjien I have just never tried because it seems all the variations have had some poultry every time I've looked. If I remember right, both change formulas frequently citing resource adaption but that can be an issue for some cats if you don't regularly rotate and they lock on a food.

Which isn't to say you shouldn't do those. Depending on what you feed now, the sudden protein shift also could mess with things. Doing a middle step of something with protein halfway (and also limited ingredient to figure out what the triggers are) between your current and the Acana or Orjien would probably be worth it. Shoot, I'd do both in alternating months. Just transfer the food to a air tight container and when it's about a quarter empty start topping it off with the other brand and shake. Keep topping it with the other food until it's all other food, then switch and do the first food the next time there is space in the container. You get in a rotation of constantly switch between foods and your cat doesn't lock on a flavor so if formula changes or you have to change brands they go with it.

 

[MissClouseau]

I've stayed away from Acana because the 20% fat content, everyone I know who has fed it ends up with fat content

Was this maybe a typo?

 

[Kieka]

Was this maybe a typo?

Yeah, I meant that everyone I've known whose fed Acana has ended up with a fat cat.

 

[MissClouseau]

Yeah, I meant that everyone I've known whose fed Acana has ended up with a fat cat.

That's interesting, my experience is the opposite! My cat has been on Acana for over 2 years and always been in ideal weight. We changed her food to a prescription one temporarily in late April and she's currently slightly overweight. Similar experience with everyone I know personally.

 

[LTS3]

A LID brand of food might be an easier and cheaper way to do a food trial than prescription food which mostly contains junk quality ingredients. The Rawz brand (not raw food. It's dry and canned) isn't exactly LID but has a short list of ingredients and the food works well for many cats with food sensitivities. Other brands to try:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Grain Free Wet Recipes - NutriSource Pet Foods (not exactly an LID food but some of the canned are novel protein)

Chicken and grains and gums are common triggers of food sensitivities. Stick with a food trial for at least 13 weeks to see if the new food is helping or not. Treats are ok but should be the same protein as the food (example, duck based food so give freeze dried duck treats).

 

[mrw5641]

A Ariana and Landry mom I may suggest trying to see a veterinary dermatologist