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Old October 31st, 2010, 01:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
The difference is not dramatic; and in fact, the difference seems to be getting gradually less and less noticeable.
This is good, means the Pred is doing it's job and seems like she is at a good level with her dosage & doesn't need it everyday.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
I'm assuming that phosphorous is the most dangerous substance for CRF. Unfortunately, it apparantly comes from protein, which is why CRF diets are low in protein? But then there's the conundrum: cats are obligate carnivores, so at what percentage-protein level does it change from a kindness to a cruelty?
Unless the blood tests show very high blood protein levels or the urinalysis shows protein leaking in the urine, protein amount in food it not really a big concern of mine, unless of course the food also has a very high phos content. I fed my CRF cat a raw diet for close to three years, she never once had high blood protein, nor did she have high blood phos levels and only twice did she have just tiny trace amounts of proteinuria early on in the diagnosis prior to switching to raw food.

To me the bigger issue with low protein diets is the muscle wasting that happens with CRF cats, they become weaker & more frail, loosing more & more weight. Once a chronically ill cat has lost muscle mass it's not easy to build it back up.

Yes phos is the main concern more so than protein, one thing to consider is the quality of the protein, higher quality will have lower phos levels.

Here's an interesting comparison:

Wellness Chicken canned first ingredient is chicken
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database 100g of chicken (all parts) meat only, stewed has 150mg of phosphorus.

Hills' k/d canned prescription renal diet first ingredient after water is pork liver
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database 100g of pork liver, cooked has 241mg of phosphorus

Obviously the manufactures don't give us the weight amounts or the cooking methods they use in their formulas but something to think about anyways.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
Me again... I now have a copy of Rosebud's lab work, from 6 months ago.
elevated values:
amylase = 1351
BUN = 49
creatinine = 2.9
all other values within normal range. And the vet didn't say anything about haematology results, so I assume she's okay with that.
Did the vet do a urinalysis? Specifically looking for the Urine Specific Gravity and protein in urine numbers.

Do you have the reference ranges for these numbers? When you post numbers could you please post the reference range from the lab as well, various labs may have machines calabrated differently so there may be significant differences between tests run by another lab.

Some info here on amylase, unless Rosebud is showing signs of pancreatitis, it's not uncommon for the increase on the bloodwork of a CRF kitty. If the value continues to increase or she shows signs of being sicker than her bun/cre values should correspond to, then it may be an issue to look into.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
Helen(?) form Tanya's website seems not entirely keen on Wellness, saying that it's acidifed, which is not that great for CRF cats. But it has otherwise excellent values, and...... it's in a pate form, which is the only form my kitty will eat!!!
If you are concerned about the cranberries/slight acidity of Wellness but Rosebud still likes it, you could just feed 1-2 times per week/month.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
Merricks won't work for me because of the "stew" formula (she will just lick up the water/gravy, and leave the solids), and same with Spot's Stew.
But maybe I could throw the contents of a can into a small blender, like a Magic Bullet thing, and try to pure' it.
You could try pureeing a chunky style food & see if she would eat it , but I would suggest buying a single can locally first rather than ordering a case & her not touching it . Also try crushing a krunchie on top, the smell will help her to recognize it as food.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
What about Wysong geriatric?
I've never fed Wysong food, though I'm not that thrilled with it because some are listed/labeled as not nutritionally complete & sometimes it can be difficult to assertain exactly which is/not based on their labels. If you look at the info on the page for canned Geriatrx it says it's "designed to fulfill the nutritional needs of aging cats", but when you read closer & also on the label of the can (available for viewing in pdf) it says "for supplemental feeding". Wysong defines supplemental feeding as "Meaning, to be fed as an adjunct to base diets and as a part of a feeding rotation. Wysong recommends no one food be fed exclusively." Because some foods are labeled not nutritionally complete and some are, it would be easy to mix up those that are & those that aren't. I would not use it as an exclusive diet, but maybe 1-2 times a week/month

You don't have to feed an exclusive diet of just one type/brand of food, it is good if you can have a couple in rotation so she isn't tired of it quickly & then refusing to eat. With CRF cats in particular if they start refusing a certain brand/flavour food you need to find an alternate pretty quick.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefties Rule View Post
I'm now in the process of weaning her off dry kibble. Tricky, because she has been on mostly kibble all her life.
If Rosebud is resisting the canned only you can crush a couple of krunchies & use that as a topping on her canned - smells like krunchies (cats eat based first on smell, then taste), until she's reliably eating canned only, it might also be the thing that gets her to try different textures/flavours.

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