Large Bowel Irritation

[tobytyler]

Okay, San Diego is not a tiny town, so how come we don't have any of the food you ladies men ion here? Someone mentioned BG - still don't know if that is a brand name or a type of food, and you mention Stella and Chewys - are you ladies getting these from the internet? Our pet stores (Petsmart and PetCo) don't stock any raw for cats - only dogs. Both stores are dog oriented, not much good nutrition in the cat section. And definitely no raw. Anyone here in Southern California who can recommend where to get these products?

I posted in your new thread on the raw forum.  Congratulations on looking into this diet

I was actually thinking when I posted that since you live in San Diego, you would have a whole plethora of choices and how lucky you were, lol.

You won't find raw diets at Petsmart/Petco though. 

You need to go to a good quality local place.  They are very dog oriented here in Colorado too.  I also sense more dog owners are feeding raw than cat owners.

The brands that I am currently using are Stella and Chewy's which is freeze dried and you rehydrate (98% raw) and Rad Cat, which is frozen in tubs and 100% raw.  I am buying Rad Cat by the case now and have a standing weekly order.  Rad Cat is very highly recommended by several TCS members.

I was going to one place that didn't get consistent deliveries so I checked out a place called 'Dogma'.  Very doggie place it turned out with only a small corner for cats.  They were carrying Stella and Chewy's and one frozen brand for cats.  They had a huge selection of raw for dogs.

Turned out they could get me just about anything I want, and they have several deliveries a week. And at a better price. Many of these places, believe it or not, are far cheaper than Petco.  I was paying almost $5 more per case on canned food from Petco than the local place, and my fountain was $20 more!

 

[tjcarst]

BG = Before Grain

 

[otto]

Before Grain is a good, low carb, canned food, but it does contain carrageenan. I would recommend avoiding any foods with carrageenan as this additive is known for causing intestinal inflammation.

 

[the_food_lady]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! HERSHEY ROSE was tested for Giardia and  Coccidia (negative) but not TF. She will be tested for that today. My vet did not consider it, you were absoultely right about that. She is also being started on Flagyl today. Doc thought she was already on it, but checked her chart and saw she was not. Just waiting for her to "do her thing" so I can rush it to the vet.

Many thanks,

Lei Ann

Excellent Lei Ann!!!   This is definitely a first step before concluding things are caused by food allergies and starting on a raw diet, considering she's feral and who knows what kind of life she had in the past.

A tip about Flagyl..................whether it's the liquid or the pill...............it is VERY VERY BITTER to cats and almost always when you give it to them, it will cause them to drool and foam at the mouth from the bitter taste and sadly a lot of Vets don't tell clients about this and then the client is horrified when they see their cat starting to drool and having this stringly clear saliva dripping down from their mouth after they've given the pill.   

When my kitten was on Flagyl, thankfully the vet clinic knew this so they would give us the liquid which I believe was specially compounded up and flavored.  It would STILL cause her to drool.....but I found that if i could get the syringe tip into her mouth and as far back in her mouth as possible, THEN SLOWLY squirt it into mouth............then immediately take a bit of canned food and scoop some into her mouth, she'd be fine.

OR.......if your Vet only gives the tablets...............I would consider getting yourself some Gelatin Capsules (aka "Gelcaps"), most health food stores sell them, or lots order online from www.iherb.com , they are very cheap, usually about 1000 gelcaps in a pack for about $5-$6.   They come in different sizes, you want to get the size that's small enough to fit the pill (or pill portion) into.   I believe most use Size #3.    Do a search on Google for:   cats medication gelcaps ............and you'll find lots of info on using gelcaps when giving cats bitter pills.   You just open up the gel cap, put the pill (pill portion) inside of it then put gel cap back together.   You need to lube up the outside a bit with margarine or even veggie/olive oil..........and then once you've pilled the cat you must slowly syringe 3-5 cc of water into their mouth to ensure it "goes down" and doesn't get stuck in their esophagus.   Not sure how difficult this will able be for a feral cat who doesn't like to be handled.    If nothing else, when you give the pill, get it into the back of the mouth as far as you can.

 

[ldg]

Excellent Lei Ann!!!   This is definitely a first step before concluding things are caused by food allergies and starting on a raw diet, considering she's feral and who knows what kind of life she had in the past.

.

VERY important to rule out all the potential nasties, and T. Foetus is NOT uncommon in kitties that have been out there on their own for some time. Good luck getting the needed poop sample and off to the vet!!!! (Of course, I still think a species-appropriate diet will be best for her and your vet-related expenses long term. ).
.

OR.......if your Vet only gives the tablets...............I would consider getting yourself some Gelatin Capsules (aka "Gelcaps"), most health food stores sell them, or lots order online from www.iherb.com , they are very cheap, usually about 1000 gelcaps in a pack for about $5-$6.   They come in different sizes, you want to get the size that's small enough to fit the pill (or pill portion) into.   I believe most use Size #3.    Do a search on Google for:   cats medication gelcaps ............and you'll find lots of info on using gelcaps when giving cats bitter pills.   You just open up the gel cap, put the pill (pill portion) inside of it then put gel cap back together.   You need to lube up the outside a bit with margarine or even veggie/olive oil..........and then once you've pilled the cat you must slowly syringe 3-5 cc of water into their mouth to ensure it "goes down" and doesn't get stuck in their esophagus.   Not sure how difficult this will able be for a feral cat who doesn't like to be handled.    If nothing else, when you give the pill, get it into the back of the mouth as far as you can.

.

Or, with any luck, she'd eat the gel covered pill in a treat, if she's a gulper... :cross:

 

[hersheys mom]

Yes, you're right. Flagyl caused her to foam and drool at the mouth. But the pill is the only way I can go. I crushed it and put it in her food. Now she won't go near any wet food, medicated or not. So I hid it inside a treat. One bite, now that trick is over. I am awaiting a call from the vet as to how to get her to eat it as it doesn't do anygood sitting in her food bowl. Hershey Rose is feral and not approachable, or the pill shooter would have been out 3 days ago. Will inquire about the liquid. Thank you.

 

[the_food_lady]

Yes, you're right. Flagyl caused her to foam and drool at the mouth. But the pill is the only way I can go. I crushed it and put it in her food. Now she won't go near any wet food, medicated or not. So I hid it inside a treat. One bite, now that trick is over. I am awaiting a call from the vet as to how to get her to eat it as it doesn't do anygood sitting in her food bowl. Hershey Rose is feral and not approachable, or the pill shooter would have been out 3 days ago. Will inquire about the liquid. Thank you.

You could ask Vet about whether there is a pharmacy in your area (or search yourself online) that specializes in Compounding of vet meds.   These are pharmacists with special training in making up pill meds into liquid.....and then flavoring them with flavors cats like/tolerate.   Also, they can make the liquid into a very high concentration so one is giving only a tiny amount (eg......a concentration where you're giving only say 0.1cc versus 1cc etc).   If you could get the liquid made up by a compounding pharmacy (do a search on google for:  compounding pharmacy veterinary medications california  (or specific name of major city around you) in such a concentration that you only have to give a tiny amount...and they could flavor it a lot...maybe you could try to squirt that liquid into the center of a pill pocket and she'd go for it?   I have had meds compounded up before and sometimes they'll actually use real tuna juice to flavor.   I'm sure a compounding pharmacy that's familiar with doing pet meds will be familiar with metronidazole.   Another thing............some meds they can compound up into a transdermal gel........that you just rub into the inner skin of the ear flap for it to absorb.   That way it's absorbed through the tiny vessels in the ear and no risk of any tummy upset from the med.

Does she have free roam of your house?   Do you have someone who can help you secure her with a big fluffy towel like a kitty  burrito and get meds into her that way?

I'd ask a compounding pharmacy if they have any tips for getting Metronidazole into an unapproachable cat....can they compound it such that it can really be disguised in food.

 

[ldg]

Lei-Ann did start a thread in the raw forum. A pet food store was located that has a very knowledgeable owner as re: cat and dog nutrition. In 2 days on the new diet, Hershey Rose no longer has diarrhea. She is pooping normally, and loves her food. :rub:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/251266/newbie-at-

Edited to add: she is no longer on ANY medication.