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Old September 22nd, 2011, 06:38 PM
Deester Deester is offline
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Sub for Hills Science Diet I/D

Hi All, I'm new here and feeling a bit frustrated at the moment!
My 10 year old cat has been having some tests done due to vomiting and weight loss. He used to be 12 lbs and is now down to 7.
So far his blood tests have come back fairly normal; to make a long story short, I can either spend an additional $360 on tests (I've already spent $350) that may not tell us much more, or we can treat for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pancreatitis (she said the possibilities are those two or a slighter chance of intestinal cancer).
I've decided to go the route of treatment at the moment so he will go on meds, get 2 vitamin B12 shots over the next month and she wants him started in Hills I/D. My issue is that I don't like Hills products. I asked her if she could recommend something else or tell me what kinds of things I should look for in a food to help him. She told me she doesn't know of any other food other then the Hills.
So my question is, does anyone here know of a food that will be good for these issues that is better then the Hills?
I'm currently feeding him Taste of The Wild, it's mostly kibble but I've started adding in more wet as I've heard it's better for them.
Any advice would be great!
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Old September 22nd, 2011, 10:13 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Location: Calgary, AB
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I would definitely change your kitty's diet, but most assuredly not to a Hill's product. How do you feel about feeding raw? There are some good frozen commercial diets you can start with, and if that goes over well, perhaps you could make your own. It can be challenging to convert an older cat over to healthier food, but not impossible. In the meantime, work to eliminate all kibble from the equation, as that is the number one cause of digestive issues in cats. What wet food have you started feeding? I'd suggest for canned foods that you look at something with a novel protein source and no grains, along the lines of Evo 95% Venison or Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit.

The B12 injections are good, although they're typically used for chronic diarrhea cases more so than vomiting. What is your cat's stool like? What are the other meds that the vet is prescribing?

Here are some links for you to check out regarding diet and how to switch to a better food:
http://feline-nutrition.org/health/c...-bowel-disease
http://www.catnutrition.org/ibd.html
http://www.holisticat.com/rawrecipe.html
http://www.rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20f...%201-14-11.pdf
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Old September 23rd, 2011, 02:03 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Was there a urine test done as well?

Were the kidney values in the blood test in normal range?

Did the blood test include Thyroid T4?
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Old September 28th, 2011, 02:29 AM
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flipgirl4 flipgirl4 is offline
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I read the message boards on vin.com - since I work at a clinic I have access to the vets' boards. I usually read the ones regarding nutrition. A couple of vets have used Evo for cats with diarrhea because it is very digestible. I wonder if this would help your cat's vomiting. Im talking about the 95% formulas that Evo makes. Just a suggestion in terms of food.

Oops I just read sugarcatmom's post more carefully and she did suggest Evo. Sorry.
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