Change of Food/Feeding Amounts

MaineLove

MaineLove

Member Since 2015
@carfurby @Chris & China (GA) @julie & punkin (ga) @MrWorfMen's Mom @Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Squalliesmom @Squeaky and KT (GA) @Wendy&Neko
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Well, there goes our pet parents again, changing our food! Something has changed with our Wellness food. We have some serious hot spots going on and they want to see if that can be corrected. We've always been sensitive to food because we have skin allergies.

We are looking at Duck and Tuna from Nulo. The formula I have used for the amount of food is 13.5 X # of pounds + 70 = # of kcals needed. Therefore, our 14 lb Maine Coons need 259 kcals per day. Sound right? Any insights? Checked out Dr. Pierson's food chart and food has good stats. Thanks for any help you may lend. Best to all and healing for those in need, Kathe & Frank, The Girls, Coral and Joy
 
Kathe, your fur kids are absolutely GORGEOUS! I'm in love! So glad to know Coral is still in remission. :joyful:

Funny enough I am dealing with possibly a similar problem with my extra sweet girl (also in remission) and was looking at Nulo just yesterday. The only problem I see with Duck and Tuna is the tuna part. I don't want to feed fish too often for fear of mercury. I've recently been trying Hounds and Gato Lamb as well as their Trout and Duck with Menace for more unique proteins and trying to keep the Trout down to a couple of times per week. Unfortunately, my three fur kids seem to like the Duck and Trout more than the Lamb. I also tried the Hounds and Gato Pork but that brought on some vomiting from someone.... I think it was Menace.

Your calculation of calories should be 13.6 X ideal weight in lbs + 70 but that one point only makes 1 calorie difference in the calculation so yes you are correct. I don't think they'll suffer greatly by 1 calorie. :woot:
 
Give those pretty girls a kiss from me. :kiss:

If you can find Rawz food near you, they have turkey, rabbit and duck products with good quality ingredients. Hate it when manufacturers change ingredients. :mad:

As for feeding amounts, let the scale be your guide. The feeding formulas are starting places, but age and activity level of the cat will vary their needs. Neko at 14 lbs was fine with around 200-220 calories a day.
 
Hi Kathe and Frank. What a wonderful picture!

I bought some Nulo turkey & duck for Gus (our new civvie), but he wouldn't touch it. I smelled it and it had no smell at all! It looks good on paper, however. I'm thinking of trying it on him again.
I've been feeding RAWZ 95% chicken and chicken liver (this is what Rusty used to eat) and Gus likes it. RAWZ is only available through independent petfood stores. But you can also buy it online through their approved vendors. RAWZ gives 100% of their profits to charity.
I've also been feeding Natures Variety Instinct Original formula Chicken (95% chicken--5% plants). I don't like the idea of peas, carrots, blueberries, etc., but Gus likes the food. It smells really good.

Good luck with the allergies. Wellness changed their formulas almost a year ago. Rusty refused to eat it any more (it was his staple). There was a big discussion on the board last spring.

Hugs and scritches,
 
What flavors of Wellness were you feeding your gorgeous kitties? If you were feeding anything related to the Nulo flavors, it could still be a problem. I also don't know how similar duck is to other poultry if that's the source of the allergic response.

My only thought is whether you want to go the novel protein route. ZiwiPeak does have some novel protein flavors (e.g., venison) and doesn't have additives such as carrageenan in their food. Another option is a raw diet. You have control of the protein. You can get high quality mix-ins that provide all of the necessary supplements (e.g, FoodFurLife). This is what I've been doing for Gizmo. He eats ground pork or lamb that I get at the grocery store.

 
Wendy&Neko said:
Give those pretty girls a kiss from me. :kiss:

If you can find Rawz food near you, they have turkey, rabbit and duck products with good quality ingredients. Hate it when manufacturers change ingredients. :mad:

As for feeding amounts, let the scale be your guide. The feeding formulas are starting places, but age and activity level of the cat will vary their needs. Neko at 14 lbs was fine with around 200-220 calories a day.
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Wendy - Coral and Joy will receive your additional kisses, they are very loved. I will look for the Rawz. I investigated making their food, but gathering all the supplements scared me off. Best to you, Kathe
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
Good luck with the allergies. Wellness changed their formulas almost a year ago. Rusty refused to eat it any more (it was his staple). There was a big discussion on the board last spring.
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Ella - Thanks for the information. Think I will check out the Rawz. Haven't tried the Nulo yet. Had a few extra cans of Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey and they seem to get hot spots from that too. Best to you, Kathe
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
What flavors of Wellness were you feeding your gorgeous kitties? If you were feeding anything related to the Nulo flavors, it could still be a problem. I also don't know how similar duck is to other poultry if that's the source of the allergic response.

My only thought is whether you want to go the novel protein route. ZiwiPeak does have some novel protein flavors (e.g., venison) and doesn't have additives such as carrageenan in their food. Another option is a raw diet. You have control of the protein. You can get high quality mix-ins that provide all of the necessary supplements (e.g, FoodFurLife). This is what I've been doing for Gizmo. He eats ground pork or lamb that I get at the grocery store.
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Sienne - Was feeding Chicken Pate so the switch would be to something altogether different. Have made myself a comparison chart for ingredients so that will be helpful. I have looked into the raw diet. They do get chicken that I poach so if I did go to making food I would probably use chicken thighs as I think the reaction to the Chicken Pate is something to do with the other ingredients. Thanks for the tip on FoodFurLife, I was concerned as to how I would be able to put together all the supplement stuff. We have a great source locally for lamb so maybe that could be an option. Best to you, Kathe
 
Kathe --

I'm tagging @Marje and Gracie. She's done a great deal of research on food. There are a couple of things that are often in cat food (e.g., carrageenan) that are not especially desirable and have become associated with digestive issues.

If you think they aren't allergic to chicken, I've put chicken into the food processor or grinder (I have an attachment for my mixer) and made raw food. Of course, you can buy ground chicken at the market, as well. It might be worth trying an elimination diet -- start with a protein they have not been exposed to and see if the hot spots go away. Gradually add back other previously eaten proteins and see if the problem recurs.

Omega-3 may help if it's an allergic reaction. (Nordic Naturals is a reliable brand and they have a pet version where the dropper is calibrated for a pet dose.) My vet also suggested Zyrtec for allergy as well as a topical product. Here's what she advised when Gabby was licking her tummy to the point she was almost furless:
There is a product called Allerderm which is applied once weekly to the skin which can be quite helpful for itchy or dry skin. Additional fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, 200-250 mg daily, are often helpful, but may take up to 2 weeks to really have an effect. Antihistamines are often helpful—we seem to have the best success with Zyrtec, which is over-the-counter, or hydroxyzine which is a prescription medication.

We have Allerderm here, but you may be able to order it online. Zyrtec dosage is ½ of a 10 mg tablet by mouth (in food…) twice daily, or about every 12 hours, try for 7 days. Watch for drowsiness or restlessness, although side effects from Zyrtec are not likely or are very mild. Use plain Zyrtec, or cetirizine, only—no combo meds.
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I hope this helps.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
My vet also suggested Zyrtec for allergy as well as a topical product. Here's what she advised when Gabby was licking her tummy to the point she was almost furless:
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Thank you so much for including @Marje and Gracie I have given them Allerderm in the packet form on their food, also salmon oil and will start one or the other again. Zyrtec also helped Joy (Silver Torbie) but did make her restless and skittery. I use Hibiclens on a cotton ball directly on her spots, it has chlorhexidine gluconate which is an antiseptic.
When you make the raw food do you have a source that has a packet of the necessary supplements? Dr. Lisa Pierson's site refers you to iherbs site to purchase each ingredient separately so it seemed complicated in getting the right stuff and giving them the right amounts. Thanks again for helping, Kathe
 
The FoodFurLife web site sells everything you need for supplements in one package. Add it to meat with water, mix and measure out daily quantities for freezing. Very easy. A kitchen scale is hand. You can also cook the meat first, though not as ideal. Raw food really helps a lot of skin allergies. But you may have to experiment on the proteins that work.
 
I introduced the FoodFurLife EZ Complete with raw meat to Idjit about 3 months ago and he has responded wonderfully. It's a a slow transition process, to ensure no gastric upsets. I did go too fast with the introduction of one protein, which resulted in me chasing Idjit around trying to clean his poopy backside. (And you know how much fur there is in those fluffy pantaloons!) But we backtracked and all is well now. He has only refused pork meat, and he didn't like canned food with pork in it either.
I did read all the information on the website many times, and emailed the staff regarding a question I had. I got a detailed response that enabled me to make the final decision and try the diet. I do not regret it. Idjit does not have allergies however, and Wendy's advice is pertinent about finding the proteins that will work for those incredibly lovely girls.
 
Hi Kathe!

The girls look great and I’m glad to hear they are doing well except the food woes.

I also feed raw with Food Fur Life’s EZ Complete and my cats love it. To be honest, with all the research I’ve done, if I was forced into feeding canned, the only one I’d feed would be ZiwiPeak but that’s not even near as optimal as a balanced raw diet. RAWZ contains some chemicals, like ethylenediamine dihydroiodide which is “...an iodine supplement derived from ethylenediamine and hydroiodic acid. Known to cause allergic skin responses in humans. Industrial uses include glues, coolant oils, rubber latex, solvent, fungicides, textile lubricants, antifreeze solutions, electroplating solutions, and floor polish remover”. Sorry...not for my cats and they also don’t need dandelion greens.

Since you live in OR, you might want to try Soul’y Raw’s blends if you don’t want to make raw food. Their blends are based on the whole prey model but they also have ground boneless meats at a better price than I can get locally. I source many of my boneless ground meats from them to use with the EZC. I feed only novel proteins now even though my two kitties don’t have food issues: lamb, venison, elk, pork, bison, goat, but I will occasionally chop up raw turkey thighs for them (no bones). The wonderful owners at Soul’y Raw just did a custom order for me for ground goat. It was a bit more expensive but even with shipping was much less per pound than I pay locally, if I can get it.

The reason I like to use EZC over the Soul’y Raw blends is because it contains digestive enzymes and green lipped mussels for Omega 3s which you have to buy separately from the blends if you buy from the latter.

After Gracie crossed due to complications from IBD and lymphoma, I did a ton of food research and I firmly believe she got IBD, which evolved into lymphoma, from the foods I gave her that I thought were “premium”. I’ll never trust the commercial pet food industry again. I personally know the ladies who developed EZC and they’ve done their homework and consulted with the best feline nutritionists. They are extremely dedicated to pure supplements which aid all cats but especially IBD cats. BTW, I fed Gracie mostly Wellness until she was dx with IBD.

I often hear people say they can’t afford to feed balanced raw but, because it is so nutrient dense, they need less. Before I started feeding raw, Tobey ate 9 oz of canned a day. He eats 4 oz of balanced raw. My philosophy is “pay now and give a healthy diet or pay later for vets”.

Also, another resource you might like to read more about on food into,erwnces (not allergies) is Dr. Dodds’ Nutriscan. My vet and I have worked with Dr. Dodds in the past and she’s really great.

I also agree with Wendy on the calorie formula. It can be a starting place but I’ve found it, for my cats, to be way too many calories and they are really active cats. But ECID. I let the scale be our guide. With raw, most cats will need 2-3% of their weight in ounces in raw food. For example, Tobey weighs 12 lbs so:

12lbs x 16 oz = 192 oz x 2% = 3.84 oz of raw food/ day.
12 lbs x 16 oz = 192 x 3% = 5.76 ox raw/day

I weighed him, fed him 5 oz/day for a week and he gained so I slowly cut it back, weighing each week until he was stable at 4 oz/day.
 
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@Wendy&Neko @Idjit's mom @Marje and Gracie

Wow, Ladies, I am always blown away by the knowledge, response and care that are displayed on the board. First part of the process seems to be going well. We switched to Nulo Duck and Tuna. So far, the good thing, is that they have been eager to eat it! Yeah! Their hot spots seem to be slowing down. We have been giving them zyrtec, 1/4 of a tablet twice a day, that has stopped a lot of the itching , also applying medications to help the healing. I know that it takes a while to process through the old food. The poopies seem to be OK, no tummy upsets. They are beginning to return to their old habits. We covered the flea issue, because they do love to go out in the garden when it is not raining, which is often if you live in OR.
Marje - I copied your message and will review it and check out your recommendations. I'm on YouTube and have Gracie's video on my account, such a love.

Thanks again Ladies, really appreciate all your help, we're going to get through this! The girls give you a meow and probably a lick too! Hugs, Kathe
 
Thank you, Kathe :bighug::bighug::bighug: She was truly a once in a lifetime kitty.

Let me know anytime you have any question on what I wrote. Hope the girls will do well.
 
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