Cat BUN level high so switching food

[BonitaBaby]

I accidentally submitted an incomplete post (see above) and had to edit it. Please see the updated post if you haven't.

Yes, M missmimz , there are missing pieces. My cat's serious illness was most likely pancreatitis looking back. That's what the emergency hospital diagnosed my cat with. However, the vet specialist said it could be all kinds of things, including kidney disease and cancer. Perhaps my cat suffered some kidney damage when she was very ill and not eating or drinking and had to be hospitalized. It was very frustrating not getting a clear diagnosis.

My normal vet recommended lowering the protein level on the dry kibble when the BUN level was elevated instead of pushing wet food because she knows how picky my cat is and that I have to feed her dry kibble sometimes when she refuses wet. My vet is a very good vet and is not one of those who pushes dry kibble or Hill's Science Diet.

2. "Because just like humans, all cats bodies and tolerances levels to certain ingredients are made up differently. What may be good for your cat, may cause my cat to develop health issues, or vice versa. So its impossible to say a certain brand is a great food, that should be fed to ALL cats. Because not all healthy foods, are good for all cats.. despite the healthy ingredients. For example - I have 2 cats. Both fed the same thing their entire lives. One developed oxalate stones, the other didn't. Which means the food was bad for one, but not the other. Same thing for humans - we can eat the same exact food, and I can develop diabetes, and you don't. Or I could be a food expert, and say you should eat chicken and rice every single day of your life if you wish to live a long, healthy life. But you could be allergic to chicken and rice, so that makes my expert opinion null and void for you, right?! So no expert can lay out one brand and one flavor, and say its the best. Because the best is determined by whats best for YOUR cat and your cats body and nutritional needs. So basically, if your cat has no health issues - read the ingredients and make sure there's nothing bad such as by-products, corn gluten, etc etc, and base your decision on that."

I'll keep searching for good kibble and stay away from this site for a long time.

 

[missmimz]

I accidentally submitted an incomplete post (see above) and had to edit it. Please see the updated post if you haven't.

Yes, @missmimz, there are missing pieces. My cat's serious illness was most likely pancreatitis looking back. That's what the emergency hospital diagnosed my cat with. However, the vet specialist said it could be all kinds of things, including kidney disease and cancer. Perhaps my cat suffered some kidney damage when she was very ill and not eating or drinking and had to be hospitalized. It was very frustrating not getting a clear diagnosis.

My normal vet recommended lowering the protein level on the dry kibble when the BUN level was elevated instead of pushing wet food because she knows how picky my cat is and that I have to feed her dry kibble sometimes when she refuses wet. My vet is a very good vet and is not one of those who pushes dry kibble or Hill's Science Diet.

2. "Because just like humans, all cats bodies and tolerances levels to certain ingredients are made up differently. What may be good for your cat, may cause my cat to develop health issues, or vice versa. So its impossible to say a certain brand is a great food, that should be fed to ALL cats. Because not all healthy foods, are good for all cats.. despite the healthy ingredients. For example - I have 2 cats. Both fed the same thing their entire lives. One developed oxalate stones, the other didn't. Which means the food was bad for one, but not the other. Same thing for humans - we can eat the same exact food, and I can develop diabetes, and you don't. Or I could be a food expert, and say you should eat chicken and rice every single day of your life if you wish to live a long, healthy life. But you could be allergic to chicken and rice, so that makes my expert opinion null and void for you, right?! So no expert can lay out one brand and one flavor, and say its the best. Because the best is determined by whats best for YOUR cat and your cats body and nutritional needs. So basically, if your cat has no health issues - read the ingredients and make sure there's nothing bad such as by-products, corn gluten, etc etc, and base your decision on that."

I'll keep searching for good kibble and stay away from this site for a long time.

Indeed, all cats are different, and diet can't fix what they are genetically predisposed to. I hope you find the answers to what is going on with your cat and you're able to find a diet that works. I think everyone here can agree that when we comment we always have the best interests of the cats in mind. Best of luck. 

 

[kkoerner]

Some of these posts are very frustrating and I find I have to repeat myself again. I was and am looking to lower the protein in the dry kibble my cat was eating which was mostly Orijen at 40-41% (not 45%). I am really dipping down to probably more of the protein level most cat owners feed their cats. I've been searching for a good brand grain-free kibble at 30-35% protein and settled on Petcurean Now Fresh Adult which is grain-free and 33% protein and 31% carbs. I was hoping others knew of either a better kibble at the same levels or one with lower carbs.

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Ok...so in the beginning you mentioned that you fed both Orijen and Acana, and wanted to lower the protein to 30-35%.

So why not keep on feeding Acana then? It has less carbs than a lot of kibble, is a QUALITY protein source, AND Acana Grasslands is 35% protein. So it would seem that it should fit your stipulations....?

It's certainly better than the Petcurean, and with about the same protein and less carbs it's exactly what you just asked for....

 

[BonitaBaby]

I stopped reading this thread since it went OT from what I intended, which was to find a similar but better dry kibble. I stopped with the Acana because my cat got bored. Same with the Orijen. She constantly has gotten bored with food she used to love, both dry kibble and wet food, even with some rotation.

Anyway, I came on here to say that I just picked up a bag of Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain dry kibble with rabbit, chicken & turkey for my cat using a free up to 4.5 lbs bag with the PetSmart mailer that I received and happily discovered the kibble is small like the Petcurean kibble. It's also grain-free. I overlooked Blue Wilderness's kibble previously because I preferred buying Orijen or Acana for the $$, but if my cat is still eating Blue after the 4 lbs bag is all gone, I'll start buying Blue (until she gets tired of it).

Don't forget to use your FREE BAG coupon from PetSmart if you received one. No purchase necessary! How great is that!

Ok...so in the beginning you mentioned that you fed both Orijen and Acana, and wanted to lower the protein to 30-35%.

So why not keep on feeding Acana then? It has less carbs than a lot of kibble, is a QUALITY protein source, AND Acana Grasslands is 35% protein. So it would seem that it should fit your stipulations....?

It's certainly better than the Petcurean, and with about the same protein and less carbs it's exactly what you just asked for....

 

[BonitaBaby]

kkoerner , Also, I forgot I mentioned that I was looking for lower protein (but not completely low) that came in a SMALL kibble size since my baby was loving the small size of Petcurean kibble. The Acana is bigger-sized.

My cat is doing fine now (on Petcurean kibble) based on her last vet check-up, so I'm not looking for cat food that will keep her BUN levels or other levels normal.

As for my cat's pickiness, she got tired of the Petcurean after 2 bags, but I still had 2 large bags stocked up from when they were on sale for a great low price. She initially gained weight on the Petcurean and then, thankfully, lost some of it now that she eats less of it because she's tired of it. I alternate throwing in Orijen freeze-dried chicken treats and Feline Greenies Smartbites treats to supplement her kibble, but she's even bored of her treats now.