Suggestions for Limited Ingredient food for IBD/pancreatitis cat?

[cylon.descendant]

I'm having a lot of difficulty trying to find a new food for my cat, Smaug, who has pancreas issues and likely IBD.

With the guidance of his really amazing vet, I found a food that has been working really well for him: the KOHA Limited Ingredient Shredded Duck (wet). The duck hasn't caused flare-ups for him, and the LID Shredded formula has a lower fat content than a lot of other foods out there (it's not low low, but just more moderate compared to other foods). The moderate fat is a nice feature because, from what I've read, high fat content can worsen pancreas issues (it seems there is some debate about whether this is for sure the case with cats like it is for other species; I prefer to err on the side of caution though). The problem is that KOHA has just discontinued this formula in Canada, where I live . Their other formulas available in Canada use proteins that my cat reacts poorly too, and/or have a higher fat content (e.g., they have a duck pate, but it has higher fat than the Shredded formula and also includes green mussel which I'm not sure if my cat will tolerate).

Smaug seems to have issues with fish and likely chicken. I don't think I've tried beef for him before, so I'm not sure how he'd react to that. Turkey and rabbit are maybes. I did try turkey for a day somewhat recently and he happened to puke that day, so I just switched back to the duck to be safe (it was before KOHA discontinued it). I'd have to try out some turkey food for a bit longer to see more definitively if it does cause puking for him or if that was just a coincidence. Rabbit he can be a bit picky about eating, though at least so far I don't have reason to believe he has an intolerance to it. Duck is the one protein that I know seems to be a safe bet so far.

So, I'm trying to find a decent wet food that is Limited Ingredient (ideally only one protein source), possibly duck, not including fish or chicken, and has a moderate rather than high fat content. The less "filler" the better, too, to lessen the chance of something causing a flare-up.

Does such a food exist??????

 

[daftcat75]

Rawz is pretty much the gold standard for IBD/panc kitties. There are several single protein chicken- and fish-free foods to choose from. They are also free of gums and thickeners. Rawz is also expensive and difficult to find. Like quality vet care for IBD. But they will send you samples if you write them. Their duck flavor has salmon oil. My angel Krista couldn’t have salmon protein but she wasn’t reactive to salmon oil. Turkey first, then rabbit were the flavors that Krista did best on. I kept duck in reserve in case we had to cross off rabbit.
Where to Buy | RAWZ

 

[cylon.descendant]

Rawz is pretty much the gold standard for IBD/panc kitties. There are several single protein chicken- and fish-free foods to choose from. They are also free of gums and thickeners. Rawz is also expensive and difficult to find. Like quality vet care for IBD. But they will send you samples if you write them. Their duck flavor has salmon oil. My angel Krista couldn’t have salmon protein but she wasn’t reactive to salmon oil. Turkey first, then rabbit were the flavors that Krista did best on. I kept duck in reserve in case we had to cross off rabbit.
Where to Buy | RAWZ

Thank you so much for the suggestion! I have heard of Rawz but haven't seen it around and so haven't looked too far into it. I will do some more digging and see if I can get my hands on any here / order it in!

That is also really helpful to know that your kitty did okay with the salmon oil in spite of being intolerant of salmon meat. I've wondered whether fish oil was a no go considering Smaug's seafood issues, so it's good to know that there's a chance he may do okay with the oil still.

 

[daftcat75]

Thank you so much for the suggestion! I have heard of Rawz but haven't seen it around and so haven't looked too far into it. I will do some more digging and see if I can get my hands on any here / order it in!

That is also really helpful to know that your kitty did okay with the salmon oil in spite of being intolerant of salmon meat. I've wondered whether fish oil was a no go considering Smaug's seafood issues, so it's good to know that there's a chance he may do okay with the oil still.

He may or may not do well with the oil. It depends on how sensitive he is to the protein and how pure the oil they use. It would be best to stabilize him without the oil first and then slowly reintroduce it to see if he can tolerate it.

 

[cylon.descendant]

He may or may not do well with the oil. It depends on how sensitive he is to the protein and how pure the oil they use. It would be best to stabilize him without the oil first and then slowly reintroduce it to see if he can tolerate it.

Thanks - that makes sense. He has been stable and doing quite well for the past few months. Since the episode that led to us discovering his IBD and pancreas issues, he's been on gabapentin and I've been feeding him only the KOHA shredded duck, since he doesn't react poorly to that. I still have some cans of it left, but hopefully I can get my hands on the RAWZ food before I run out so I can do a smooth transition. I will definitely keep a close eye on him for any signs that the new food is causing a reaction. Crossing my fingers that the salmon oil doesn't cause issues, but also prepared to not be so lucky lol.

These sensitive little cats sure don't make things easy!