Concerns about cat on C/D diet

[Draftmare]

Two weeks ago my cat had a medical emergency involving crystals blocking his urethra. Several vet trips and a cath later I now appear to have a healthy cat, thank goodness. The vet had me start him on the Science Diet C/D diet. This was a huge dietary change for my cat, he has been on grain-free foods since I have had him (four years now). I expected some digestive upset since we were switching him cold turkey, but I didn’t expect him to still be having what I would consider digestive upset still a week later. Vet seems unconcerned, but his poop is not at all formed, comes out exactly the same color as the food (bring orange), and has an almost sweet smell to it. It could honestly probably be mistaken for vomit. This cat use to be able to clear the house out when he went to the bathroom. Vet says that this is all normal for a cat on the C/D diet, but I am not so convinced that this is healthy for him either.

Am I just over thinking this? Anybody else with a cat on the C/D diet notice similar poops?

[Simkie]

That sounds terrible, and I would not be happy.

Wet or dry?

[Beckham03]

I have had 8 cats on cd for a few years and not had this issue. It may not agree with your cat. Maybe try Royal Canin SO?

[arapaloosa_lady]

No harm in switching to a different kidney diet. Ask your vet which other ones would be appropriate -you can order online easily.

[saje]

It sucks that the good brands of food are horrible for cats with urinary issues, and I really hate that a full analysis is hard to come by for most foods. I don’t care about ash content, I want to know the magnesium, potassium, & phosphorus levels because those are what’s important (the lower the better).

I’ve switched my boys to Pro-Plan’s urinary diet, I mix it 2:1 (or lately closer to 50:50) with, of all things Publix brand food in the black bag - it’s pretty good actually!

I also give everyone** a dollop of canned food every morning and the boys with the urinary issues get theirs made into soup. I’ve not (fingers crossed and knocking on wood) had a problem in several years this way.

**I have 10 cats currently and the morning canned snack lets me see everyone at least once a day so I can monitor attitude and appetite.

[Rain]

[QUOTE=saje;8444402]
I’ve switched my boys to Pro-Plan’s urinary diet.[/QUOTE]

Me too, especially since Friskies is no longer making their ‘urinary tract’ wet food.

Has anyone else tried Epakitin? It’s a dietary supplement. I started my kidney cat on it at age 15 and it has worked wonders. The vet wanted her on prescription meds and prescription food (which she refused to eat, in typical cat fashion). Epakitin was cheaper than the meds and requires no prescription. Her kidney function has been stable for 2 years and all her numbers are good. She is now 17+.
Here’s a link, in you’re interested:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B6C7GM/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687602&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000KKOMSG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DSZZGZYCJARWHWRDJ19

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=Simkie;8443934]
That sounds terrible, and I would not be happy.

Wet or dry?[/QUOTE]

It is their dry food. He refuses to eat wet food. Even when we mixed dry food in with the wet food he picked out the pieces of dry food and left the wet food. :no:

@Beckham03;8443938

I have had 8 cats on cd for a few years and not had this issue. It may not agree with your cat. Maybe try Royal Canin SO?

Going to hopefully try the Royal Canin. I still really hate the terrible ingredients that most of these foods have.

[SquishTheBunny]

Are his poops actually bad (diarrhea, bloody) or just different? Softer stool in cats is healthier than hard pellets, and color despends on the food not necessarily an indicator of health.

[CindyCRNA]

I hate Science Diet. All of it. Find anything else. This is a really good site for all sorts of kitty issues. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=CindyCRNA;8447779]
I hate Science Diet. All of it. Find anything else. This is a really good site for all sorts of kitty issues. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth[/QUOTE]

I have seen her website before. I decided to send her an email to see if she has any actual brand suggestions. All of the stuff I have been reading suggests wet food, but doesn’t give any actual suggestions on brands. I don’t want to risk making him sick again, both for his sake, and the $1700 vet bill that this episode generated. :no:

Most of these diets suggest wet food, which I am loath to do. Mostly because I work a mixture of first and second shifts, sometimes up to 12 hours, so feeding him at regular times of the day, twice a day is going to be hard.

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=SquishTheBunny;8447772]
Are his poops actually bad (diarrhea, bloody) or just different? Softer stool in cats is healthier than hard pellets, and color despends on the food not necessarily an indicator of health.[/QUOTE]

It is diarrhea. No form to it at all. Before the switch he had firmer, formed poop. Not super soft, but not super hard either I don’t think.

[SquishTheBunny]

I’d consider using something to treat the diarrhea. If he has actually had diarrhea straight for 2 weeks he is likely severely dehydrated and may need vet attention.

If the stool is just unformed, it’s possible an anti diarrhea medication could ease the transition for the food switch. Or, you could investigate other food options. Hills actually does the stone and crystal rsearch and testing labs and in all.honesty it is these foods that we see the best “care” for flutd…however if it is not agreeing with your cat, then there does need to be some change.

Also, is he on any medication ? Often antibiotics and some pain meds can cause diarrhea. If he received antibiotics in hospital something as simple as probiotics may help

[fordtraktor]

I use Nutro Max Cat with Chicken and Lamb. Mostly Wet and some dry. It is certified for UTI issues. I order it from Amazon, not that expensive. I know they have has a couple recalls but it is very hard to find a food my cats actually like that is UTI compliant and they love this brand.

[Ruth0552]

Well this is a prime example of why the grain-free diet doesn’t necessary fix all problems. There are all kinds of people out there claiming that a grain-free/corn-free/soy-free/raw diet will cure all pet ills. Ridiculous. Not everything works for every pet.

He should not have to live with diarrhea. It kinda sounds like you are being brushed off by the vet. Perhaps ask specifically if there is a medication to help with the diarrhea temporarily or if switching to Royal Canin SO is an option? Maybe a course of metronidazole to see if that helps and if it doesn’t try the RC SO?

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=SquishTheBunny;8453375]
I’d consider using something to treat the diarrhea. If he has actually had diarrhea straight for 2 weeks he is likely severely dehydrated and may need vet attention.

If the stool is just unformed, it’s possible an anti diarrhea medication could ease the transition for the food switch. Or, you could investigate other food options. Hills actually does the stone and crystal rsearch and testing labs and in all.honesty it is these foods that we see the best “care” for flutd…however if it is not agreeing with your cat, then there does need to be some change.

Also, is he on any medication ? Often antibiotics and some pain meds can cause diarrhea. If he received antibiotics in hospital something as simple as probiotics may help :)[/QUOTE]

He currently isn’t on any medications. I think there is another brand that also has a lot of research, going to talk to the vet about it. I wish these weren’t prescription only foods so it would be easier to do a bit of trying on my own.

@fordtraktor;8453505

I use Nutro Max Cat with Chicken and Lamb. Mostly Wet and some dry. It is certified for UTI issues. I order it from Amazon, not that expensive. I know they have has a couple recalls but it is very hard to find a food my cats actually like that is UTI compliant and they love this brand.

I will ask my vet about that brand and look in to it.

[QUOTE=Ruth0552;8453529]Well this is a prime example of why the grain-free diet doesn’t necessary fix all problems. There are all kinds of people out there claiming that a grain-free/corn-free/soy-free/raw diet will cure all pet ills. Ridiculous. Not everything works for every pet.

He should not have to live with diarrhea. It kinda sounds like you are being brushed off by the vet. Perhaps ask specifically if there is a medication to help with the diarrhea temporarily or if switching to Royal Canin SO is an option? Maybe a course of metronidazole to see if that helps and if it doesn’t try the RC SO?[/QUOTE]

Going to ask my vet about Royal Canin. He is still not having formed poops. Going to the vet on Wednesday, hope to get some answers.

[shiloh]

Poor kitty…poor you…That c/d stuff is expensive. I should know - I have two cats who can only have the canned variety at $50 a case.

Both my boys did the diarrhea thing on the c/d dry so may be switch him off that to canned? Or a mix? Also, my vet told me that with the kind of diagnosis my cat has (and yours, too it appears) that a UTI diet was like closing the barn door after the horse left.

To prevent diarrhea try some apple pectin tablets. I give my cats one or two of those depending on how big the cat is and they really work. Just a thought…

Hope your kitty gets better and your wallet doesn’t have to take a big hit.

[fordtraktor]

The Nutro Max Cat is not prescription. I saw no real benefit to the prescription diet. After my cat initially had crystals I had him in Science Diet briefly but he wouldn’t eat it, and his coat looked horrible. I switched him to the nonprescription food and he has been so much better. You can and should do the research yourself–then take what you find to the vet. Most are not that familiar with all the non scrip options out there. Mine wasn’t but blessed my plan once I found it. My cat has not had any more crystals and it has been more than a year.

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=shiloh;8457551]
Poor kitty…poor you…That c/d stuff is expensive. I should know - I have two cats who can only have the canned variety at $50 a case.

Both my boys did the diarrhea thing on the c/d dry so may be switch him off that to canned? Or a mix? Also, my vet told me that with the kind of diagnosis my cat has (and yours, too it appears) that a UTI diet was like closing the barn door after the horse left.

To prevent diarrhea try some apple pectin tablets. I give my cats one or two of those depending on how big the cat is and they really work. Just a thought…

Hope your kitty gets better and your wallet doesn’t have to take a big hit.[/QUOTE]

Well the good news is that he started having normal poos over the last two days, yeah!

Had to delay the vet appointment until next week. Hopefully we may not have to switch his food.

[ASBJumper]

[QUOTE=Ruth0552;8453529]
Well this is a prime example of why the grain-free diet doesn’t necessary fix all problems. There are all kinds of people out there claiming that a grain-free/corn-free/soy-free/raw diet will cure all pet ills. Ridiculous. Not everything works for every pet.

He should not have to live with diarrhea. It kinda sounds like you are being brushed off by the vet. Perhaps ask specifically if there is a medication to help with the diarrhea temporarily or if switching to Royal Canin SO is an option? Maybe a course of metronidazole to see if that helps and if it doesn’t try the RC SO?[/QUOTE]

sigh

Grain-free DRY food is like switching to frozen TV dinners versus McDonald’s. Is it marginally healthier? Yes - but still not healthy by any stretch. And dry food’s main problem is that it deprives cats of the much-needed moisture that should be in their food. Most don’t drink enough water naturally to compensate.

OP, glad to hear he’s on the mend, but since he’s still quite young, I would really try hard to switch him to at least a 50% wet diet, even if it means some tough love for a little while. Try adding tuna juice, grinding some kibble up and mixing it into the wet so he gets the taste he’s used to but can’t “pick anything out”… keep trying. And try different kinds - mine did not like Natural Balance, went off of EVO after a while, loved Wellness and are now doing great on a Canadian brand of grain-free canned called Performatrin. It’s soooooo much healthier for them to get a wet or raw diet. Good luck!

[bettyk]

I have a boy kitty that went critical with crystals in his urethra. Our vet told us to NEVER give him dry food no matter what the brand. We had him on the Royal Canin Rx wet food for a time but eventually switched to the Wellness wet food (no fish). That was easily five yrs. ago, and we’ve had no recurrence.