Officially Started Them on Raw!

[klag]

Hi, just read your whole thread and wanted to wish you luck in your transition and your fight against CRF.  My 16 year old boy is battling CRF too, and I know how draining it is - physically and emotionally to fight this terrible disease. I apologize if this has already been mentioned, but some of the symptoms you recently mentioned are symptoms of low potassium levels.  Without follow up blood testing you cannot give potassium supplementation, but renal food is high in potassium if you can get him to somehow eat it (Flortification?) and might help. 

http://www.felinecrf.org/potassium.htm

Me and my 5 are pulling for Sven.

 

[carolina]

Hi, just read your whole thread and wanted to wish you luck in your transition and your fight against CRF.  My 16 year old boy is battling CRF too, and I know how draining it is - physically and emotionally to fight this terrible disease. I apologize if this has already been mentioned, but some of the symptoms you recently mentioned are symptoms of low potassium levels.  Without follow up blood testing you cannot give potassium supplementation, but renal food is high in potassium if you can get him to somehow eat it (Flortification?) and might help. 

http://www.felinecrf.org/potassium.htm

Me and my 5 are pulling for Sven.

Oh, that's a good call! Vibes for the both of you

 

[feralvr]

Oh Sally We are here for you ALWAYS..... you can sob away anytime. Very difficult time it seems right now with Sven. It is so hard when they are getting so old and have multiple health issues going on. I know what you mean by not wanting to take him to the vet... :shame: so worried....... Sending along massive vibes today to Sven :rub: :rub: :rub: :rub: Hang in there, we are all pulling for Sven and you too.

Glad that in the raw department - the Lamb balls are a bit hit Callie and Darko and Stinkpot - yep - must have been that hairball holding him back.... :rug: Hope today is a great day for you and your babies :heart3:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

First of all, Klag, thank you so much for that info.  I would never have thought about that, but hopefully our Vet would have when I take him in tomorrow.  I'm going to have a complete blood workup done, along with that new heart blood test, just to know.  Last time he was there, his BP was ok, and I always check his back legs to see if he is walking on his hocks or not, but it's still worth checking.  (And he IS still just putting his front legs in the litter box and peeing outside of it.  I'll have to mention that to Dr. Christina.  I suppose he could be harboring a UTI, but wouldn't think he would even try to enter the box, would you?  I only find this on the slightly taller box though.  Hmmm)  He's still eating fairly well, so that's a good sign, I think.  When I say "fairly well", he doesn't eat anywhere near what the other cats eat, but compared to what he has been eating, it's better

, but he's  refusing all raw chunks now, and I'm afraid of mixing anything into his food, since he's very picky about eating period.  Good news though, he's now at least eating Weruva rather than Fancy Feast.  Plus that new Wysong Epigen for his dry.  Hey, not to change the subject again, but did you all know that Wysong actually says they have a raw dry food (kibble).  Can't recall the name, but it's in that link where someone sent the link on a review of the Epigen 90 (sorry, sidetracked again!)

Lunch, Dinner and bfast this morning had lamb

mixed into their foods, and everybody ate it all up  

 (well, the 3 younger ones).  So I've been increasing just a tad with each meal.  Probably only up to about a teaspoon because I don't want to rush it. I sing "Mary had a little lamb"

 to them while prepping, so they know what they're having.  Hey, I've got to do something to try to lift my spirits, and you know what...it helps

 .

Thank you all for your kind wishes. 

 

[feralvr]

:lol3: Marry Had A Little Lamb You got that right - sing your blues away :bigthumb: SO GLAD that Callie, Darko and Stinkpot are eating the Lamb so well for momma !!!!!!!!!!!!

Sven is eating well and liking the Weruva AND his new wonderful dry kibbles from Wysong. I just placed an order at my local natural pet food store for the Wysong Epigen 90. I can't wait to try it as I do use the dry EVO from time to time to complete a meal with a "fussy" :lol3: More vibes for Sven and his upcoming vet check and bloodwork.

 

[klag]

Plus that new Wysong Epigen for his dry.  Hey, not to change the subject again, but did you all know that Wysong actually says they have a raw dry food (kibble).  Can't recall the name, but it's in that link where someone sent the link on a review of the Epigen 90 (sorry, sidetracked again!)

I think your referring to the Wysong Nurture with Free Range Pheasant (raw freeze dried pheasant chunks added in with kibble).  I have it and my kibble eaters love it - they love the kibble and the pheasant chunks too.  It is very very low phosphorus, one of the lowest phosphorus non-prescription dry foods available (0.70 DMA) and therefore excellent for CRF.  It just so happens that the regular Epigen (not Epigen-90) is also listed on there with even lower phosphorus (0.60).  As a side note, I have the Epigen-90 too and the kibble eaters love it.

My CRF kitty never ate kibble at all his entire life.  He only ate "ultra-premium" canned food his whole life and still got CRF....

If you haven't already seen this - here is a link of all the phosphorus contents in dry foods.  Quite helpful:

http://www.felinecrf.org/dry_food_usa.htm

Same thing for canned foods.  Commercial raw foods and baby foods are listed in this link as well:

http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

EDIT:  I keep the above 2 links saved on my phone and every time I walk into a petfood store I pull it up and see what's on there

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Actually (I just googled that Wysong raw/dry food), it's called Archetype.  Very pricey stuff.  $16.99 for 7.5 OUNCES

  Guess it's actually been around for about 10 years,

Here is a link if anyone is interested:  http://www.wysong.net/products/monographs/ARCHETYPE2.pdf

OK, so today's  Raw report, so far.

Yesterday's lunch and dinner were a complete bust.  I think it was actually what was in the cans of food, rather than the lamb

.  These pernickity cats

.  .  Reason I say that was because this morning they ate with gusto, as I knew they would, simply because they love, love, love the Weruva Mideast Feast, and that was on the menu this a.m.  They are so strange.  This Mideast Feast is grilled Tilapia, yet the one flavor of Soulistic that they hate is their Tilapia, so I figured this one would not be popular.  Now looks like I'm going to need to reorder a case of if.  Do some cats not really like a variety when it comes to canned food?  Remember, my furbabies just recently were switched to canned from kibble, and they weren't used to a variety of kibble.  Maybe I really should just stick to what I know they like and quit trying different canned flavors too (just like now I am going to stick with lamb until they are eating it at 100% rather than switching the raw meat with every "patty" that I defrost.  Whatever...the good news is that they ate all the lamb that was mixed in with the bfast this morning

.  Wish they had at least picked out the lamb and eaten that yesterday at lunch and dinner...wouldn't THAT have been exciting ...I'm dreaming, I know!

On the Sven front...could not get an appt with his Vet until Wednesday!  She is usually available on the same day, but because it's allergy season, she's really booked up.  I'm kind of upset because I had steeled myself that today was the day, but on the other hand, this gives me a couple of more days with my guy, because deep down I really do think I will not be bringing him back home

.  Yesterday when I was trying to get him to eat "just a little more", he turned his back to me and just completely ignored me.  Nothing I did would make him ever acknowledge my presence, and normally he will "tell" me to go away

.  I honestly don't think he had the energy to tell me off.  And when we did his sub-q fluids later in the day when he went to go back upstairs he had to pause on the landing to rest and catch his breath

.  I so wanted to go to him and carry him the rest of the way, but I knew that if I started up those stairs, it would make him run up the rest of the way, so I didn't dare.  So...l will coddle him, cuddle him, dote on him, and try to make him eat (but not annoy him too much) and wait until his appt on Wednesday to see what Dr. Christina thinks.

In the meantime, the others will continue to get and enjoy their "Mary had a little lamb"

 

[feralvr]

Loads more of these for your dear sweet Sven :rub:. Will be thinking of him on Wednesday. :cross: and you of course

I really do think that some kitties just hate variety.... My cat's also LOVE the Mideast Feast and the Polynesian BBQ (sardine) - just love those two. IF you stick to the same canned food you just know they will devour on it's own and then when you add the raw meat into that, it makes it easier for them to accept. I found if I kept changing wet foods each meal (like I used to before raw) and they refused... I didn't know IF it was the raw they were refusing OR the wet they were refusing. It got very complicated. I would recommend sticking to one or two canned foods for your kitties. A couple that you know you can count on them eating and that they just love. It gets easier as we go along, doesn't it? When you figure out what will work for each kitty. Glad you had a good morning !!!!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It is done

.  Then there were three. I will do a tribute to Sven in "Crossing the Bridge" when I am up to it.  (Mods, please don't close this thread, as it is really about Raw).

On the raw front, we continue to plug along, increasing the amount of lamb being added to their food ever so slightly.  Most meals it gets consumed.  Sometimes it's hard to tell if it was eaten or not, because they never quite lick their bowls clean, but I think mostly it's being eaten up, with the help of Fortiflora, at times

., or in Stinkpot's case...Tripe

  Did I tell you I bought some of those Pure Bites along with some more WL chicken?   It was quite a bit cheaper at the store where I found the Wysong Epigen, so I got it.  Boy, it's not at all like the WLl!  It's kind of hit or miss if they'll eat it or not...sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Weird.  So I can't rely on it as a topper.  Oh well.  What kind of FD Chicken Livers are you all using?  WL?  I'm having a hard time finding those!

 

[feralvr]

OMG Sally.....sweetie...... I am so sorry about your Sven :sobbing: He had such a wonderful, beautiful life with you and your DH. I won't go on and on... just know you are in my prayers today. I am truly broken hearted for you tonight. You did right by Sven today - your love and his love will never die.... Hang in there, Sally, we are here for you and care deeply. :heart3: :heart2:

I order my Whole Life products from Amazon - best prices I think The cat's really DO love this stuff. AND guess what..... it has been working for me since I am out of Fortiflora for a few more days.

 

[ldg]

Oh Sally! I am SO SO sorry, sweetie. I know you suspected this was coming and was going to be the case, but it doesn't make it any easier to say good bye. :heart2:

 

[carolina]

Oh Sally Honey.... :grphug: I am so sorry for your loss sweetheart.....
There is nothing to say to make it easier..... it doesn't get easier...... but just know that we are here for you, and we do hold you close to our hearts :heart3:
I will be thinking of you tonight
RIP Sven , Fly free beautiful boy

As far as WL, The girls already posted links...... Here is the liver I am feeding the carnies - Bugsy decided to not eat liver tonight So everyone, except Lucky, got FD Chicken liver - they LOVE it Etta Says! Freeze Dry Chicken Liver Treats

I have absolutely no clue of how much to feed...... so... I just feed 3 treats per organ meal - sounds about right......
Hope was with Liver, and she does well with this..... I also bought the beef and the lamb liver; in case they didn't like the chicken..... Haven't tried those yet as they loved this so much!

 

[parsleysage]

Sally, I am so sorry to hear about Sven.  He took all your love with him when he went to the bridge.  

 

[brandy rowe]

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful lovely guy, that Svennie.  He is in a peaceful place now.  I'm sending you all my love and kisses and tears that are coming out right now! xoxoxo

 

[feralvr]

Hi Sally .... Thinking of you tonight..... Hope today went well with meals. I am sure Callie, Darko and Stinkpot are feeling a little sadness too. Sometimes, though, I think they just know before we even know that something is going to happen. You know?.... :heart2: Your on my mind :grphug:

 

[klag]

I'm so very sorry to hear about Sven. 

I sent you a PM

 

[carmina piranha]

I'm so sorry about Sven.  I hope you all cuddle each other to some comfort. 

 

[carolina]

just stopping by to send you more hugs and a bit more love your way Sally
We are here for you........ Know that, always

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Thank you all for your kind words.  We are still plugging along.  The remaining three are acting different, as to be expected.  Stinkpot and Darko got in a huge fight yesterday...had to throw a sheet over them to break them up.  That's only happened once before in 3 years!  But they were in the bathroom where Sven had missed the litterbox recently and were both really sniffing around, and somehow that started it.  I've got to pour some of my enzyme cleaner on that spot today, as well as clean out all the litter boxes,and wash Sven's bed,  to try to prevent anything further.  But last night, all three of them were on the bed with us, and that rarely happens too

.  And the strangest thing of all was, usually "the boys" are petrified when we have company and we never see them.  Last night we had company and Stinkpot never even left the room!  It was wonderful!  And Darko passed through a couple of times. 

Stinkpot has had a couple of 100% raw meals, but only because he didn't like what was on the menu yesterday, so I ended up feeding him S & C freeze dried salmon and chicken, added a couple of duck nuggets, and topped that with tripe

.  Hey, it's all raw (I guess that tripe crap (literally) from NM is raw...maybe not, but it was really just a topper to get his attention and to keep Darko OUT). 

We rec'd our large supply from PFD of the food they all like, so this morning everyone had NM lamb mixed in with their wet food. 

Boy, did I mess up!  I accidentally ordered a case of 10.5 oz cans vs 5.5 oz cans.  That's kind of a big screw up, since now I have to refridgerate 1/2 of the can every time rather than just being able to open a new can for each meal. 

I guess my mind was elsewhere when I placed my order on Monday

.  Oh well, nothing to be done for it.  We'll get by  by warming the leftovers in a bowl of warm water of something.  What an idiot!  (and this was two full cases

 

[feralvr]

Thank you all for your kind words.  We are still plugging along.  The remaining three are acting different, as to be expected.  Stinkpot and Darko got in a huge fight yesterday...had to throw a sheet over them to break them up.  That's only happened once before in 3 years!  But they were in the bathroom where Sven had missed the litterbox recently and were both really sniffing around, and somehow that started it.  I've got to pour some of my enzyme cleaner on that spot today, as well as clean out all the litter boxes,and wash Sven's bed,  to try to prevent anything further.  But last night, all three of them were on the bed with us, and that rarely happens too :9: .  And the strangest thing of all was, usually "the boys" are petrified when we have company and we never see them.  Last night we had company and Stinkpot never even left the room!  It was wonderful!  And Darko passed through a couple of times. 

Stinkpot has had a couple of 100% raw meals, but only because he didn't like what was on the menu yesterday, so I ended up feeding him S & C freeze dried salmon and chicken, added a couple of duck nuggets, and topped that with tripe :nausea: .  Hey, it's all raw (I guess that tripe crap (literally) from NM is raw...maybe not, but it was really just a topper to get his attention and to keep Darko OUT). 

We rec'd our large supply from PFD of the food they all like, so this morning everyone had NM lamb mixed in with their wet food. 

Boy, did I mess up!  I accidentally ordered a case of 10.5 oz cans vs 5.5 oz cans.  That's kind of a big screw up, since now I have to refridgerate 1/2 of the can every time rather than just being able to open a new can for each meal.  :doh3: :frusty: :frusty: :frusty: :frusty: I guess my mind was elsewhere when I placed my order on Monday .  Oh well, nothing to be done for it.  We'll get by  by warming the leftovers in a bowl of warm water of something.  What an idiot!  (and this was two full cases :doh3:

I am sure the days to come will be a bit unsettling with the cat's figuring out how to adjust to Sven being gone :shame: Hard on everyone :rub: :heart3: Pretty cool about Stinkpot hanging out with the company. I guess they are feeling a little insecure without Sven and need to stay close. Very telling with ALL three of them on your bed last night !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :nod:

YAY STINKPOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of course, that was a couple of 100% raw meals !!!!!!!!!!!!! That S&C freeze-dried raw is well liked over at my place too :bigthumb: The tripe :nausea: :sick: ..... maybe not so.....

AND :doh3: .... don't you hate that when you mess up on orders.... at least it was more and not less. It is SO true that the cat's want a fresh can. At least my fussies do. I just heat it in the microwave for about 5-6 seconds and mix it up. Brings out the smell again of the canned food. They think it is fresh - sometimes :lol3: