What Food ??? Smh

[nikon71]

Ok little background

I have an overweight kitty (Tripod doesn't exercise much obviously) who also had crystals when he was a kitten. Was told he would be on a RX diet his whole life to managed it.

He has been on Hill R/D for nearly a decade. He has not had any crystals issues BUT I think he is developing a reaction to it. His ears are full of black gunk and he had hot spots on his butt. Saw the vet last wknd and got the ok to switch his food to Blue Buffalo RX food. Doesn't have all the junky grains/fillers. He seems to like the food but he is vomiting shortly after eating it. I need to find a food that is like the R/D minus all the junk.

A month prior i trialed him on Petcurrean Now Fresh. It has the lowest ash and the same minerals almost as the R/D his ears cleared up and hot spots went away. What scared me back onto the R/D was Rey was sitting in the box. I didn't want to chance crystals or a blockage.

Canned food is the way to go I know. Rey doesn't like anything but fancy feast and that stuff is just as bad as the R/D. He has had top of the line food hated it but loves the lower end foods. This cat is too picky!!! I want to give him my credit card and say here you go to Chewy...lol jk It just gets really frustrating trying to figure this all out and the vets are very limited when it comes to pet nutrition and they push those junky RX diets

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would NOT trust Feeby with my credit card to pick her food - she'd probably select some dog food or something - or better yet go next door to McDonalds for something with bacon.

Generally, when changing out food, you want to do it gradually. It might be that once there is a slower transition from R/D to Blue Buffalo RX he would stop throwing up. So, while that might mean delaying a recovery from his potential reaction to the R/D, it would give his digestive system a chance to tolerate the Blue Buffalo.

Does the vet agree with you that he might be getting some sort of allergy to the R/D? Did the vet suggest checking for any other possible causes to his new issues?

I don't know what the equivalent would be, but have you checked out another 'junky RX' (lol) food that is comparable to Hills, such as Royal Canin. Maybe even Purina? Another thing to consider, is looking for these same products in canned (wet) food vs. dry as well. Most of the canned foods are less calories than the dry, and of course, offer the benefit of more moisture. Again, anything you try will likely have to be done gradually - mixing "old" food with a little "new" and slowly reducing the "old" for more "new".

 

[nikon71]

LOL - Rey would probably go on Uber Eats and have pizza and wings delivered =)

See that's the thing. There was no transition period it was straight to the BB RX food. The Now Fresh I did slowly. 1/4 new and 3/4 RD for a few weeks. Unfortunately I had no RD left when we switched and asked for refill few weeks before the appt - I was told I had to come into the ofc before we will write another script.

Yeah the vet did agree it could be the protein in the RD causing the skin/ear issues. She was going to test run the BLue RX if the skin persisted we would have to go toward a hydrolzed diet. Then I brought up the question of his urinary issue how that could be effected and she said can foods. I said good luck with that he wont eat them.

I was digging around on Chewy and the only hydrolzed food with urinary support is Royal Cainin (aka doritos IMO)

I am waiting on vet to call back to see if we can get a script for the RD in.

 

[mizzely]

Fancy feast is actually not that bad of a food it's actually got less filler than Blue Buffalo.

Usually the first 5 ingredients make the bulk of the food.

For Fancy Feast Turkey Pate:

Turkey, Liver, Meat By-Products, Turkey Broth, Poultry Giblets, Artificial and Natural Flavors
Carb estimate: less than 1%


For Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken:

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Peas,
Carbs estimate: 26.7%

So fancy feast is essentially all meat products, where Blue Buffalo is a lot of vegetable binder.

Alternatives though that you could look at:

Sheba
Crave
Tiny Tiger
American Journey

 

[FeebysOwner]

If you do end up having to go to hydrolyzed food, I think I just saw some posts on here recently about that. So, when the time comes you might do a search on this site for that.

Would Rey go for some tiny bit of water added to his dry food, and then over time increase the water??

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We've had this question many, many times here

Possibly you will find something helpful in this thread: Best Food For Cat That Had Crystals

 

[nikon71]

Vet's office was no help. They said reach out to Royal Cainan, Purina and see whats available.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What a nice vet (NOT). Where do you live? Do you have PetSmart's, Petco's, etc? You can go into their stores and ask for help. Also, if you have a PetSmart like mine, you can get prescription food from them without having your cat seen by them (they do that for me at my store, anyway). You can also do searches for the type of food you are looking for on the internet. And, while you are out there on the internet, check and see what other vets are in your area (jk- but kind of not).

 

[nikon71]

mizzely

I been using this website to bypass all the grains, gluten, meat byproducts etc.
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

Rey has a sensitivity to something just not sure what it is. I will look at those brands you suggested =)

 

[nikon71]

mrsgreenjeens
Thanks thats is on reading list =)

We've had this question many, many times here

Possibly you will find something helpful in this thread: Best Food For Cat That Had Crystals

 

[mizzely]

I'm by no means an expert, and dealt with suspected allergies for awhile myself! It's hard to narrow stuff down. But if the vet said Blue Wilderness is fine, you'll likely have an easier time narrowing down problem proteins with wet food (in my limited experience).

 

[nikon71]

If you do end up having to go to hydrolyzed food, I think I just saw some posts on here recently about that. So, when the time comes you might do a search on this site for that.

Would Rey go for some tiny bit of water added to his dry food, and then over time increase the water??

Chewy rocks!!! They refunded my money on the Blue. I just don't know what to do. I could get a small bag of the RD. He never got sick on that. If the skin/ear stuff repeats then I think I would be looking at Royal Doritos(Jk)Hydrolzed it has the urinary support. Really frustrated with my vets ofc. We have been back and forth on food for awhile now. I guess as long as I feed him that keeps the vets pockets deep as im reaching for lint. GRRRR

 

[lisahe]

If Tripod likes Fancy Feast, another food you might try, nikon71 , is BFF's new Play line of pates, which are chicken-based and softer than FF but very appealing to our picky cat who loves the Feast.

Is Tripod the cat in your avatar? Is he a lynx mix? If so, I'm especially not surprised he's had issues with food sensitivities -- our vet told us Siamese (and mixes) tend to have digestive issues. And our lynx mix is very picky!

 

[FeebysOwner]

So, what combo of food have you decided on for now? R/D & Now Fresh?

 

[nikon71]

Thanks about the BFF. It's the same company that makes Weruva I think. I might grab a few cans of that. Like the Turkey or Duck to mix up his proteins to rule out the chicken being the allergy.

Rey is just a tabby. =) My friend has a Siamese and it's always barfing up something. Think it's like you said their digestive system.

If Tripod likes Fancy Feast, another food you might try, nikon71 , is BFF's new Play line of pates, which are chicken-based and softer than FF but very appealing to our picky cat who loves the Feast.

Is Tripod the cat in your avatar? Is he a lynx mix? If so, I'm especially not surprised he's had issues with food sensitivities -- our vet told us Siamese (and mixes) tend to have digestive issues. And our lynx mix is very picky!

 

[nikon71]

So, what combo of food have you decided on for now? R/D & Now Fresh?

Right now I am going to go back to the RD. As for the cans I am going to trial some BFF (Turkey/duck) and he likes the Pride By Instinct (Rabbit) but I heard they may be discontinuing that line. If all else fails going to order him a pizza lol jk =)

 

[nikon71]

Thinking about that some more. The RD will lead me back to ear issues and skin issues...ahhhh. I need a new vet

 

[lisahe]

Thanks about the BFF. It's the same company that makes Weruva I think. I might grab a few cans of that. Like the Turkey or Duck to mix up his proteins to rule out the chicken being the allergy.

Rey is just a tabby. =) My friend has a Siamese and it's always barfing up something. Think it's like you said their digestive system.

Those BFF/Weruva foods do have chicken, though. If you're looking for non-chicken foods, you might want to give Rawz canned foods a try: they're pates and they make chicken, duck, and beef. It's very good food, a bit pricy but very high quality and the kind of simple recipes that are good for a food trial.

I love tabbies, too, so Rey is more than okay with me! Sorry to hear about your friend's Siamese. We feed our cats only wet foods, no grains, no potatoes, no peas, no carrageenan, no lots of other things. It generally seems to keep them under control!

 

[lisahe]

Thinking about that some more. The RD will lead me back to ear issues and skin issues...ahhhh. I need a new vet

Do you happen to have a cat specialist nearby? I am so glad we have a cat-only vet for our two!

 

[nikon71]

Rawz looks great but pricey

I wish Rey ate only wet food. He is too used to the dry over the yrs. He is also very stubborn. (He gets that from me hehe jk) What doesn't make sense. He has urinary issues but feed him a dry diet??? Thankfully I am learning more on pet nutrition. Sounds like you have your fur babies on a good diet. =)

Those BFF/Weruva foods do have chicken, though. If you're looking for non-chicken foods, you might want to give Rawz canned foods a try: they're pates and they make chicken, duck, and beef. It's very good food, a bit pricy but very high quality and the kind of simple recipes that are good for a food trial.

I love tabbies, too, so Rey is more than okay with me! Sorry to hear about your friend's Siamese. We feed our cats only wet foods, no grains, no potatoes, no peas, no carrageenan, no lots of other things. It generally seems to keep them under control!