Best Hill's Prescription Diet for cat diagnosed with IBD?

[wakachewbaka]

Cat has been frequently vomiting for the past month. Took to the vet and they concluded it seems like IBD. He has no diarrhea just vomiting. The vet said I could try Hill's Prescription Diet (d/d,i/d, or GiBiome). Out of the three choices is one better or one that cats tend to like and eat more?

 

[wakachewbaka]

Also, cat has allergies, but not sure what's causing it. Has been diagnosed with eosinophilic granuloma complex.

 

[Margot Lane]

All I can tell you is my IBD cat hated Hill’s, and we use Farmina’s pumpkin and quail. Works like a charm. Every cat is different though so would encourage you to read through other IBD threads on this site. Would encourage you to stay away from anything dry, and anything that has grains in it, as that seems to cause flare ups.

 

[LTS3]

Cat has been frequently vomiting for the past month. Took to the vet and they concluded it seems like IBD. He has no diarrhea just vomiting. The vet said I could try Hill's Prescription Diet (d/d,i/d, or GiBiome). Out of the three choices is one better or one that cats tend to like and eat more?

Also, cat has allergies, but not sure what's causing it. Has been diagnosed with eosinophilic granuloma complex.

IMO, none of those Hills food. They are really poor quality foods. It's ok to disagree with the vet about food.

Here's some info on IBD:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

Did the vet do any tests to determine IBD? A biopsy is best but it's expensive so some people opt for an ultrasound instead.

Vomiting can be any number of things: food sensitivity, eating too fast, hairballs, going too long without food, etc.

You can seek out a second vet opinion. Sometimes another vet has more experience or is more willing to run tests to get to the bottom of an issue and treat it properly.

You can give diet a try to see if that helps any with either the vomiting or allergies. A bland-ish novel protein diet is ideal. The Rawz brand of food is often suggested. It's expensive so not really a brand you can feed every day unless money is not an issue. Other LID-type foods to try:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Koha
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Fresh & Natural Cat Food - Hound & Gatos

 

[wakachewbaka]

IMO, none of those Hills food. They are really poor quality foods. It's ok to disagree with the vet about food.

Here's some info on IBD:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

Did the vet do any tests to determine IBD? A biopsy is best but it's expensive so some people opt for an ultrasound instead.

Vomiting can be any number of things: food sensitivity, eating too fast, hairballs, going too long without food, etc.

You can seek out a second vet opinion. Sometimes another vet has more experience or is more willing to run tests to get to the bottom of an issue and treat it properly.

You can give diet a try to see if that helps any with either the vomiting or allergies. A bland-ish novel protein diet is ideal. The Rawz brand of food is often suggested. It's expensive so not really a brand you can feed every day unless money is not an issue. Other LID-type foods to try:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Koha
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Fresh & Natural Cat Food - Hound & Gatos

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...|PM|0|rBfYNcTb52ivxnPcri3CBm|78091|648966|0|0

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...alance-lid-green-pea-and-venison-dry-cat-food

So I think I pinned down a food to try between these two. What would you pick, would a cat be more likely to eat duck or venison? Thoughts on the two cat foods above.

 

[wakachewbaka]

Or should I be feeding cat strictly wet instead of dry for ibd? Wouldn't purely feeding wet be bad for their teeth though?

 

[wakachewbaka]

IMO, none of those Hills food. They are really poor quality foods. It's ok to disagree with the vet about food.

Here's some info on IBD:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

Did the vet do any tests to determine IBD? A biopsy is best but it's expensive so some people opt for an ultrasound instead.

Vomiting can be any number of things: food sensitivity, eating too fast, hairballs, going too long without food, etc.

You can seek out a second vet opinion. Sometimes another vet has more experience or is more willing to run tests to get to the bottom of an issue and treat it properly.

You can give diet a try to see if that helps any with either the vomiting or allergies. A bland-ish novel protein diet is ideal. The Rawz brand of food is often suggested. It's expensive so not really a brand you can feed every day unless money is not an issue. Other LID-type foods to try:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Koha
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Fresh & Natural Cat Food - Hound & Gatos

Also, found this?
INSTINCT Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food, 4.5-lb bag - Chewy.com

 

[LTS3]

Canned / wet food is best. Dry foods often contain ingredients that bother IBD cat tummies, even the limited ingredient ones.

Raw and home cooked are also options. Commercially available raw food, either freeze dried or frozen or dehydrated or air dried, can be fed if making raw from a recipe is not an option. There is a forum here on TCS with more info on raw and home cooked diets.

No type of food keeps teeth clean. Only regular home dental care through teeth brushing and other means will remove food particles and plaque off a cat's teeth, just like it does for your own teeth. Some cats may enjoy gnawing on a raw gizzard or small raw poultry wing bone for dental health purposes.

Duck is probably more acceptable to cats than a more gamey meat like venison. Some IBD cats are sensitive to chicken and may also be sensitive to all types of poultry. Rabbit is another novel protein you can look into.

 

[Margot Lane]

It is worth taking care of your cat’s teeth, esp. if nothing is wrong with them now. An ounce of prevention will save you an enormous bill later on.

 

[daftcat75]

Or should I be feeding cat strictly wet instead of dry for ibd? Wouldn't purely feeding wet be bad for their teeth though?

Dry food is likely worse for teeth than wet food. I'm not certain where this myth about kibble cleaning teeth came from. Probably a kibble manufacturer. But it is akin to trying to say eating hard cookies will keep your own teeth clean. It just doesn't compute. Wet food will be lower in carbohydrates which is what feeds mouth bacteria and higher in moisture which will keep more food off the teeth. If you're that concerned about his teeth, you can either take up brushing his teeth or have his teeth cleaned once a year.

In IBD, it's often the carbohydrates (or the gums/thickeners) that upset the apple cart. It's the proteins that get the blame. Eliminating dry food won't stuff the genie back in the bottle. But it will give the gut a better chance at healing. And it will give you both a better chance at figuring out which foods don't work for him.

If you can find them where you are, Rawz single protein pates will be the best IBD foods. The recipes are simple and clean and truly limited ingredients. I shake my head (and fist!) at foods that say "limited ingredient diet" on the label and then list about half a dozen ingredients that have no business being in cat food like cranberries, broccoli, peas, pea protein, additional oil, flaxseeds, "natural flavor" (which can be literally ANYTHING as long as it began its journey from a natural source), clay, additional proteins besides the labeled protein (e.g. pork in the rabbit recipe), etc, etc. Your truly limited ingredient food (whether the label says so or not) will be meat, moisture, organs, and supplements--hopefully in that order. Pumpkin or squash is the one fruit I will make an exception. Fenugreek seeds that are the natural gum used in Rawz pates are also an acceptable exception. Anything else just runs the risk of being an irritant or trigger.

If you're in North America, you can order Rawz online if you can't find it locally. I recommend turkey first as that's easiest to find when Rawz has their occasional shortages. Rabbit will probably do the trick. But it's the hardest of their flavors to keep in stock. You pretty much want to keep buying it every chance you can so that when it does go out of stock, you have a large war chest to fall back on until it comes back in stock again. Been there. Done that.

 

[Margot Lane]

100% agree w/ Daftcat, esp. the very last sentence. STOCK UP, if it works for your cat. I have not been brave enough to try the raw diet, but most everyone I’ve encountered who has owns a happy, healthy kitty. I know one neighbor with 7 cats on a raw diet who has not had to go to the vet once! She really works it b/c she says while she can afford their food, she can’t afford the vet bills. Lots of information here about it on this site, esp. from Daftcat.

 

[Sevilay28]

I, on the other hand, can't afford raw food (rabbit, deer etc) or rawz isn't there anyone here ''using prescription food''?
I started steroids today.

 

[LTS3]

Rawz is often suggested but it's not the only brand you can feed to an IBD cat. Just feed a food that has few fillers as possible. Many limited ingredient type diets are suitable but it really depends on the cat and what the food triggers for a flare up are. Some IBD cats can't handle peas / pea starch which is common in limited ingredient diets.

A commercial raw diet may be affordable. Rabbit and venison are probably the most novel proteins available. Freeze dried raw is shelf stable while frozen raw obviously needs freezer space which you may or may not have.

Some people find that making raw or home cooked from a recipe or by using a pre-mix such as EZComplete is cheaper than buying a commercial brand and you can use uncommon proteins like deer and alpaca if you wanted.

 

[Sevilay28]

Rawz is often suggested but it's not the only brand you can feed to an IBD cat. Just feed a food that has few fillers as possible. Many limited ingredient type diets are suitable but it really depends on the cat and what the food triggers for a flare up are. Some IBD cats can't handle peas / pea starch which is common in limited ingredient diets.

A commercial raw diet may be affordable. Rabbit and venison are probably the most novel proteins available. Freeze dried raw is shelf stable while frozen raw obviously needs freezer space which you may or may not have.

Some people find that making raw or home cooked from a recipe or by using a pre-mix such as EZComplete is cheaper than buying a commercial brand and you can use uncommon proteins like deer and alpaca if you wanted.

Everything is very expensive in Turkey, even when people think twice before buying meat, it is impossible for me to find rabbit.. And cant afford it.
You said pea protein, unfortunately it shows up in our new food... Damn
I'm crawling in despair. Everything is choking me. I started steroids. She looks so sluggish, I guess it's a side effect.

 

[stephanietx]

Duck is probably more acceptable to cats than a more gamey meat like venison. Some IBD cats are sensitive to chicken and may also be sensitive to all types of poultry. Rabbit is another novel protein you can look into.

None of my kitties like duck, but they go wild for venison and rabbit.