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My cat shits her little pants when I pull out her glucosamine treats. They're intended for senior cats with arthritis but I assume they can't be harmful to younger cats, maybe even helpful? Zuke's Hip Action (also available on amazon)
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Feb 11, 2014 17:24
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Can anyone recommend a good dog supplement/multivitamin that doesn't have garlic? Or is the amount of garlic in the average supplement nothing to worry about? Or should I not bother with supplements at all? (It's just that I've been restricting my dog's food a bit since she's overweight and I want to be sure she's still getting all her vitamins...)
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Feb 11, 2014 19:40
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I've posted in the cat megathread about my buddy, Oreohead, before. He was diagnosed with IBD several months ago ("presumptive" IBD - no biopsy). I'm going crazy trying to find the right balance of meds to help him. I've been reading that raw diets have been extremely useful for a lot of people with IBD cats; however, I have neither the training nor the time to make him food myself. It seems there are a few options for commercially prepared raw diets now - a store near me carries Rad Cat, Natural Pet Pantry, Nature's Variety, and Primal. Has anyone tried these? Thoughts? My vet is at the point of suggesting an endoscopy and even brought up "fecal transplant," which sounds way more awful than just a diet change, if possible.
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Feb 12, 2014 01:47
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My cat had IBD and a pinch of Konsyl fiber with water once a day worked wonders. For him the type if food didn't make much difference.
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Feb 12, 2014 04:30
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I've got a skinny dog problem with my rottweiler. Any views on fattening him up would be welcome. The vet told us he's underweight. We increased his kibble (Taste of the Wild) to a little less than double the previous amount (which was more than the recommended dose) and both before and after we've kept an eye on his older brother to make sure there is no kibble thieving. He craps more, but still looks too skinny. He does eat very fast, so much so he gets hiccup/burps after each meal. We've switched to feeding him his meals in two halves, particularly as we're worried about him developing bloat. He gets two meals a day and 2 - 3x half hour walks in the park every day. On weekends, it's usually an hour each walk and at least one jogging session. He's stupidly happy all the time and not showing any signs of stress. His older brother is not bullying him. He's ~2 years old (rescue dog, so no exact birthdate) and he's always been skinny. It was only when we relocated to New York recently that we had a vet telling us he's underweight. Genetic test results claim he's 100% rottie. Any suggestions on fattening him up?
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Feb 12, 2014 05:17
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Post pics of him showing his current body condItion.
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Feb 12, 2014 06:08
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Superconsndar posted:Post pics of him showing his current body condItion. Seconding this- some vets are so used to giant fat rear end dogs, they can't tell when a dog is healthy/ in shape.
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Feb 12, 2014 14:59
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Canned tripe is usually a nice option, maybe not so much for the owners due to the smell, but it's quite calorie rich and nutritious. I made one dog fat over the winter by giving him lots of peanut butter Kongs while I was trying to watch hockey...
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Feb 12, 2014 17:14
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I'll post a satin ball recipe but I wanna see dat dog's weight first
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Feb 12, 2014 17:27
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HelloSailorSign posted:What is the allergy to? If you don't know the exact cause, which Temptation flavor was it? I don't know the exact ingredient which caused it, but the vet said that it's occasionally the cause. When the fur fell out in patches the only change we had made in the previous months was adding cat treats to his diet. When we stopped feeding him temptations, his bald patches grew back within 2-3 weeks. This was the temptations tuna flavor.
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Feb 13, 2014 03:45
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Totally Normal posted:I don't know the exact ingredient which caused it, but the vet said that it's occasionally the cause. When the fur fell out in patches the only change we had made in the previous months was adding cat treats to his diet. When we stopped feeding him temptations, his bald patches grew back within 2-3 weeks. That's a pretty good correlation, and for food allergies, that's sometimes the best we get. For any new treat, just make sure it doesn't contain chicken, corn, rice, or wheat (protein ingredients of the treats). Oddly enough, the tuna variety has merely "tuna flavor" which may or may not actually contain tuna protein. Unfortunately, there are "meat" categories which could be any number of other sources. If your cat's current diet already has any of the four ingredients above and you're not seeing reaction, then they're probably not sensitive to that ingredient and the list of "what are we sensitive to" decreases.
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Feb 13, 2014 07:52
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oddeye posted:I made one dog fat over the winter by giving him lots of peanut butter Kongs while I was trying to watch hockey... oddeye - If my dogs could understand English, they would be worshipping you as a deity right now. At the very least, as some sort of demi-god. They have enjoyed peanut butter on rice crackers for the last two nights. And they would be cursing my wife as the devil incarnate if they could understand that her fretting ways led to her dumping the peanut butter down the rubbish chute. Unfortunately, they are incapable of comprehending either language or causation. The rottweiler continues to be a mummy's boy despite her treacherous ways (she adopted him and he made his first bond with her). For those wanting slightly emaciated dog shots for diagnosis, here's some shots. If at first they are too big, click on them twice more for reasonable sized shots.        This rottweiler is neutered, if that impacts the diagnosis. (edit) Dog is around 2 years old, weights around 35kg/77lbs.(/edit) (edit2) For tail docking condemners - we didn't dock, the dog rescue centre rescued him that way. I'd prefer he had a tail so we could read his mood better and could see when he's wagging his arse off in excitement.(/edit) Pyramid Scheme fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Feb 14, 2014 |
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Feb 14, 2014 05:04
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Yeah that's definitely too skinny. You want a little body fat on the animal just in case of an unexpected illness. The dog has been thoroughly examined by a vet? Has been treated for parasites? This is getting a little out of my expertise but what about thyroid? Sometimes a probiotic helps the dog absorb the nutrients from a food instead of it just running through the system. Also I would check into getting a higher fat dog food. Maybe something in a 30 protein, 20 fat. Also grain free is not necessarily the bees knees. Some dogs benefit from that extra carb source.
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Feb 15, 2014 02:39
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When did you nearly double his food intake? If that was a while ago and he's not gaining, this isn't a problem a little peanut butter is going to fix. I would try a completely different food (different protein source and different brand) because sometimes foods don't agree with certain animals for no obvious reason, and also talk to your vet again. My own dog was underweight for a while (eating about 1600 calories per day according to the bag), and when I switched to a totally different food, he gained 10 lbs in about 2 weeks (eating about 900 calories per day according to the bag). 
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Feb 15, 2014 03:31
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Yeah he's skinny. Here's a link to a post containing the Satin Ball recipe I use http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3408341&pagenumber=8&perpage=40#post399901458 Works really well assuming there's not some weird underlying medical poo poo.
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Feb 15, 2014 04:36
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Crooked Booty posted:My own dog was underweight for a while (eating about 1600 calories per day according to the bag), and when I switched to a totally different food, he gained 10 lbs in about 2 weeks (eating about 900 calories per day according to the bag). It's not a mystery, you're a vet student, your pets will have strange medical problems.
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Feb 15, 2014 07:36
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Thanks all for the advice. I'll try changing his food as well as supplemental snacks and the occasional satin ball.
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Feb 15, 2014 07:58
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We have 2 cats, one is a bit over a year and one about 8 months. A while ago, my wife and I decided to go healthy/grain-free and tried feeding the older one Blue Buffalo Wilderness and he started having violent diarrhea attacks every week or two--he couldn't make it to the litter box and was defecating all over the place, getting disoriented (had to walk around the edges of the apartment to find his way to the litter box), and very scared. Needless to say, not a good experience. I called Blue Buffalo and the rep told me that not all cats can handle high levels of protein and maybe we should just switch to a "normal indoor" brand and not Blue. I figured if the company is discouraging use of their own product I should take their advice, and we bounced back to a mix of Purina One wet and dry as a "safe" option that didn't cause any stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Has anyone experienced this level of stomach upset before? My wife and I know we're not feeding our cats the best food in the world, but we're worried about getting either one of them sick. Are there natural, grain-free foods that aren't as crazy as Blue Buffalo Wilderness that we could try? We were thinking of Wellness Core but aren't really sure if it differs from Blue Wilderness in a significant enough way that would help us out.
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Mar 2, 2014 23:50
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Quick question. I'm getting a Cardigan Corgi pup, 15 weeks old, Thursday. She'll be kept intact until she's a year old at least, at recommendations by the breeder and by my own research, and we plan to keep her strong and busy. The breeder also breeds her dogs toward a little more bulk in the females. We want to put her in agility (if she takes to it) later, as well as bike rides and energy to spare for playing with the kitten and doing crazy tricks at home. The breeder goes for show lines, not working lines, and the pup won't be a total athlete, but I figure higher protein is probably better for her, yes? I've got 3 choices: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Puppy (36% protein, 16% fat), Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Chicken and Brown Rice Puppy (27% protein, 16% fat), and Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Puppy (32% protein, 16% fat, it's coming out later this month). Not going to go with Freedom or Basic unless she ends up with an issue, but she hasn't had any issues with the breeder's Diamond as-is. So higher protein for an intact, active, growing puppy, with intent on agility as an adult, or keep it at the low amount, or go in-between with the new stuff? I want her good and healthy, strong doesn't bother me, but I don't want her to end up weirdly formed or anything. Blue is my only option 'cause I work for them and get $40 a month discount on any bought Blue products, and that's uh, pretty significant, as that might be most of a month's worth of food. Hoping someone who knows nutrition can help me out, 'cause the internet ain't saying dick that I can find. Edit: Pretty sure she uses http://www.diamondpet.com/products/diamond/puppies/dry_food/puppy_formula/ as her current food, 31% protein 20% fat. So it seems either of the Wilderness ones would probably work well, unless 36/16 is a bad ratio for puppies. Culex fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 3, 2014 08:38
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Lethanialist posted:We have 2 cats, one is a bit over a year and one about 8 months. A while ago, my wife and I decided to go healthy/grain-free and tried feeding the older one Blue Buffalo Wilderness and he started having violent diarrhea attacks every week or two--he couldn't make it to the litter box and was defecating all over the place, getting disoriented (had to walk around the edges of the apartment to find his way to the litter box), and very scared. Needless to say, not a good experience.. For food, I would stick with the Purina because your cats are doing well on it. Normally if a cat does not tolerate high protein food (or an ingredient in the food), they'll consistently have diarrhea when they eat it - not just once every week or two - so that's weird. Being disoriented is much more concerning. Animals who are blind will often walk around the edges of rooms - do you think it's possible he was temporarily blind? There is a liver condition that can cause dogs and cats to have neurological abnormalities (like blindness, being disoriented, or seizures) after eating a high protein meal, but it's very rare in cats, and your story doesn't totally fit. Other than that, all I can figure is that the episodes of disorientation were unrelated to the food. In any case, you should talk to a veterinarian and not a Blue Buffalo rep about this, and if your cat ever exhibits signs of being disoriented again, proceed directly to the vet. That is extremely abnormal. Culex posted:Quick question. I'm getting a Cardigan Corgi pup, 15 weeks old, Thursday. I'd also encourage you to discuss when to spay her with your veterinarian because most dog breeders are loving insane and most crap on the internet is wrong.  ETA: *Okay, there are lots of bad ratios, but you should be fine as long as the food has an AAFCO statement saying it's formulated for growth or for all life stages (which will be true of any BB food labeled for puppies). Crooked Booty fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 3, 2014 21:37
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Crooked Booty posted:This is bizarre for multiple reasons. How soon after eating did he become disoriented, and how long did it last? Was it only once every week or two, like the diarrhea? Did you ever take him to the vet during these episodes? Has your cat ever had routine bloodwork done? We actually took him to a vet ER the first time, paid the $800 or so to be told "we don't know." We talked to our normal vet after and their suggestion was that the "LifeSource" bits in the Blue Buffalo are undercooked and our cat's stomach could be too sensitive to the bacteria. I don't think they did any extensive bloodwork to check his liver but said that he was extremely healthy otherwise. We triple-checked to make sure there were no poisonous substances exposed in the house or any foods (cat, human, or otherwise) being left out and couldn't really figure it out. We'll stick to Purina, I just feel like I'm feeding a child Hamburger Helper for dinner and it makes me feel a bit bad.
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Mar 4, 2014 00:18
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Lethanialist posted:We actually took him to a vet ER the first time, paid the $800 or so to be told "we don't know." We talked to our normal vet after and their suggestion was that the "LifeSource" bits in the Blue Buffalo are undercooked and our cat's stomach could be too sensitive to the bacteria. I don't think they did any extensive bloodwork to check his liver but said that he was extremely healthy otherwise. We triple-checked to make sure there were no poisonous substances exposed in the house or any foods (cat, human, or otherwise) being left out and couldn't really figure it out. I agree both that I think it's very strange that a food switch could cause that without it happening most of the time after the cat ate (and not every couple of weeks) AND that if your cats are doing well on it, it's perfectly fine to stick to Purina One. That being said, you could always try switching to a "better" food with similar protein levels to start out. For example, Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken has similar protein levels to the Purina One, but doesn't have any corn, wheat, or animal by-products. It does still have grain in it, but it's brown rice and barley. If you DO try this, you need to go really slow with the transition, carefully monitor the cat, and immediately stop feeding it the new food and take it to the vet if it shows any signs like you saw before.
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Mar 10, 2014 01:00
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Hi! I posted in the cat thread because I was too blind to see this thread. Here is my post and my question:jacido posted:
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Mar 15, 2014 01:53
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Ugh. Screw the diet food. Royal Canin is loaded with corn. Just pick a food that is high in protein and low in fat. BTW, that Orijen food is made for "Cat AND Kittens" meaning that it's going to be higher in fat content to be nutritional for kittens. Only buy cat food for adults. Your cat probably has diarrhea because it has a food allergy. Get a wet food with duck and only duck. Or only turkey. I don't really like that your cat food has so many different animal proteins in it, that's probably not too great for his digestive system. And again, he's probably allergic to something. A lot of people here like Wellness. Get the no grain variety "Adult" cat food. I myself feed "Spot's Stew" turkey and my cat with allergies does fine on it. Beware of those 95% protein canned foods. A lot of them are high in fat.
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Mar 15, 2014 02:50
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Maximusi posted:Ugh. Screw the diet food. Royal Canin is loaded with corn. Just pick a food that is high in protein and low in fat. BTW, that Orijen food is made for "Cat AND Kittens" meaning that it's going to be higher in fat content to be nutritional for kittens. Only buy cat food for adults. Your cat probably has diarrhea because it has a food allergy. Get a wet food with duck and only duck. Or only turkey. I don't really like that your cat food has so many different animal proteins in it, that's probably not too great for his digestive system. And again, he's probably allergic to something. A lot of people here like Wellness. Get the no grain variety "Adult" cat food. I myself feed "Spot's Stew" turkey and my cat with allergies does fine on it. Beware of those 95% protein canned foods. A lot of them are high in fat. Wow okay thank you! Stupid vet food... It is so yellow and light in colour it looked so wrong. Ugh! As for the orijen, the reason we stuck with the cat and kitten was because the adult only cat bag was just fish as the only meat (which now I have learned is good, thank you!!) And it stinks so effing bad but I will just get over that. I will check the local pet shop for wellness too, and for some wet duck food. I asked the vet about an allergy (because his poo is so much more lightly coloured than our other cats healthy looking coloured poop before the diet food) but he just totally shrugged it off. Grr! Anyways, thank you so so so much and I will try what you said!
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Mar 15, 2014 03:04
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Whoa whoa whoa, I'd trust your vet over some random opinion on the internet. A gazillion different things can cause diarrhea - if he has it after only eating wet food regardless of what type of wet food it is, I doubt it's an allergy. Have you ever tried mixing a tiny bit of wet food with his normal dry food? Does he still get diarrhea then? What wet foods have you tried? Royal Canin Satiety is a valid diet food, but I do personally prefer to go high protein and low carb for cats. That doesn't mean your vet is a bad vet for recommending it, as I'm sure it's worked for lots of cats even if it doesn't seem to be working for yours. Foods that meet requirements for cats and kittens generally have a higher caloric content than foods that are made just for cats, but not necessarily higher fat. Kittens don't have a higher requirement for fat than adult cats. Eating a variety of proteins isn't automatically bad for their digestive system. The only irritating thing is that it crosses off a lot of proteins that you could potentially use as a novel protein in case he did develop a food allergy, but that food has chicken, turkey, and some fish, which are all pretty common animal proteins in cat food anyway so it really shouldn't be a problem at all. Switching to a food with only turkey will not help him in this case because he is already on a food with turkey in it. Light-coloured poop is not a symptom of a food allergy. I would shrug that off too. Only look for a strict duck food if you are really sure you want to pursue a food allergy, which I do believe is pretty unlikely at this point. If you do want to try it, he has to ONLY have that one food for at least 8 weeks. And I mean only that food. He cannot have a single bite of anything else. Again, if his only symptom is that he gets diarrhea when you give him wet food, I really would not pursue food allergies at this point in time. Re: blood test, I would agree with your vet. He is a 2-year-old cat who is becoming quite fat - 99% of the time, this is because he's getting too many calories. If he was eating a lot and was losing weight, then absolutely he should get some blood work. A disease causing weight gain in a cat despite normal intake would be quite uncommon. What else does the cat eat? Does he get any treats? Any table scraps? Is the cup you use to measure his food a normal measuring cup?
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Mar 15, 2014 05:36
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It might be a food intolerance, and yes it makes your poop lighter (yellow). That is what happens when your feces travel quickly through your digestive tract. I suggested turkey because that is how you rule out things. By starting with one protein at a time. But cats generally tend to do just fine on duck. I had a cat who had diarrhea/yellow poop problems and that all disappeared once I found a food he tolerated. And yes, I tested him for everything. I used Natural Balance Duck Limited Ingredient Diet. That was the only thing my cat could tolerate. Have you even looked at the ingredients of that satiety diet food? They're awful: Chicken Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Tapioca, Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavour, Chicken Fa - See more at: http://www.royalcanin.ca/index.php/Veterinary-Products/Feline-Nutrition/Veterinary-Therapeutic-Formulas/Satiety-Support#sthash.3ILzM6cU.dpuf Cellulose? What the loving gently caress. This is a terrible, terrible food. Normally, I wouldn't say to get off your special diet food, but this is just a food to make him lose weight. You don't need a prescribed diet for that, Jesus. Also, about the fish food thing. A lot of people freak out over only fish diets for cats because they tend to be high in some nutrients and a lot of cats tend to have food intolerances for fish. You should check out the beginning of the pet nutrition megathread. Also, your vet sounds stupid. Go to another one and maybe bring a fecal sample so they can rule out other things. Edit: I'm tired Maximusi fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Mar 15, 2014 |
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Mar 15, 2014 09:02
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Well I don't trust my vet because he doesn't believe me that he isn't getting any other food and said to carry on with the food and the same amount. He said to me yes most cats lose weight off this food. Well that's great that most cats do, but mine isn't. So it isn't the right food for him. I have read the front page of this thread many of times before. That is exactly why I buy Orijen and it is the only food that my other cat, Bert, digests really well - no farting or cleaning loose poop off him. I wouldn't have tried a bag of food costing around $30 if it wasn't for this thread. It is super high protein and no grains. Originally, Gimli lost weight off that food instantly... but once we got the cats together he tapered off at about 16 pounds and bumping up to 19/20 pounds every now and then and back down. The only reason I brought up the colour of his poop was because at FIRST I thought maybe he wasn't absorbing something properly. Maybe he isn't digesting fats or whatever. I learned right away it wasn't anything to worry about, but I brought it up because that was what originally made me think maybe he has a problem which led to the vet visits etc. I don't believe that anymore, I was just saying that was what had led me to this point. Your questions are the same questions that my vet asked, and was really skeptical about what I was saying. "What else does the cat eat? Does he get any treats? Any table scraps? Is the cup you use to measure his food a normal measuring cup?" Only his food. Only his measured out, with an actual ml cup size food. He doesn't like human food, no treats, no table scrap. My boyfriend has been diligent about sweeping the floor because he thought maybe he gets at food from there, but I really doubt it. It's not like we are throwing our food on the ground when we are cooking. The vet tech was way more helpful than the vet, but she wasn't there yesterday and I had just the vet. He said over and over to make sure he is just getting his measured food and I said that is what he is only getting. I don't know what else to tell him, I don't understand why Gimli gained almost 20% in body weight on this special diet food plan. I'm switching back the chubbers to a high protein diet, but this time around back on the healthy food we are going to be just as strict as we were with the "diet" food. Watch him when he eats, and when he is done we'll put it in the cupboard. Absolutely zero treats, everything is measured, and no extra because little chubs is crying for food. We were 100% spot on for making sure he eats his daily required intake by the vet and nothing extra. But he never finished his portion he was allowed anyways. I came out of the vet thinking what the heck? I was skeptical of the food because I knew it was bad ingredients, but I was gonna give anything a shot. It didn't work and I expected the vet to be oh well lets try a different food or a different intake. Nothing. He asked me three times if he had access to Bert's food (no). He seemed like I was lying and said to keep up with the diet food and the same amount and said to bring him back again in two weeks. I just don't think it is working for him, and it bothers me the vet thinks I am some slack owner who doesn't really care or something. I'm gonna give what Maximusi said a go and try it out. If I am totally wrong then at least I can cross that off the board and try something else. Thank you though!
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Mar 15, 2014 12:48
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Your cat should be able to lose weight on either food. If he's not, he's eating too much. (Was your cat weighed on the same scale both times? I have a hard time imagining a cat gaining over 2kg in 2 weeks eating the amount you're talking about, so maybe there was an error somewhere?) If he gained eating 1.25c of the Royal Canin, that's like 275 kcals, so he needs way less than that. I'd probably try feeding around 200-225 kcal/day to start and see what happens. Orijen is in the ballpark of 500kcal/cup, so you're going to have a hard time getting to 200 with standard measuring cups. What I'd do is measure like 2/5 cup (or 6.5 tablespoons) of Orijen into a disposable cup and trim the cup down to only hold that amount. Then you can keep trimming the cup as needed if you need to reduce further. You may want to seriously consider buying a baby scale online so you can weigh him weekly. If you go that route let us know and we can help you figure out how much weight loss to shoot for each week.
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Mar 15, 2014 14:22
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I agree that the ingredients for most pet prescription foods are pretty crappy for cats (especially the dry foods), but that doesn't mean they don't generally work for their intended purpose and it doesn't mean they're a bad vet for recommending something they've had success with in the past even if I personally wouldn't recommend it myself. Yes, in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, they don't digest their food properly and their stools get very fatty and light in colour. In cats, not only is EPI extremely rare, but some of sort of intestinal disorder that causes malabsorption would make the cat lose weight, not gain weight. A malabsorptive disorder is not the only cause of light poop. Sometimes, animals just have light-coloured poop and it's normal for them. I honestly think fecal samples have very limited diagnostic value and we don't do them here a lot - if you think he has parasites, just deworm him instead, although again, a high parasite load would cause weight loss if anything, not weight gain. jacido, your vet asked multiple times because people will literally say, "No, he doesn't get any other food, I swear! ... Except for the two strips of bacon we give him every morning." He should believe you though when you insisted that you don't give him anything else, and I'm sorry that he didn't. At this point I would recommend switching back to Orijen as I personally believe it's a better food for kitties. He'll need to be eating much less of it, as Crooked has already pointed out. I'd also recommend some scheduled playtime every day so he can burn off some of those calories. What does he like playing with? Would he play with those food puzzle balls?
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Mar 15, 2014 17:31
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Crooked Booty posted:Your cat should be able to lose weight on either food. If he's not, he's eating too much. (Was your cat weighed on the same scale both times? I have a hard time imagining a cat gaining over 2kg in 2 weeks eating the amount you're talking about, so maybe there was an error somewhere?) He was weighed both times at the vet's office on their scale, so it is for real.  I will definitely measure out the Orijen like you say. And a baby scale is a fantastic idea! I put our scale on a certain spot on the floor that I'd use every week for now, I know it is not accurate weight but I figure I can get a ballpark estimate of what he is losing/gaining. Braki posted:I agree that the ingredients for most pet prescription foods are pretty crappy for cats (especially the dry foods), but that doesn't mean they don't generally work for their intended purpose and it doesn't mean they're a bad vet for recommending something they've had success with in the past even if I personally wouldn't recommend it myself. He is the laziest playtime kitty ever. He chases the laser pointer by just reaching for it, and he plays with other toys by destroying them hah, not really chasing. I will have to google this food puzzle ball, that definitely sounds like something he would be into! That cat is food motivated... Thank you again everyone for your help! I will update in a few weeks on progress or not progress.
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Mar 15, 2014 20:39
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Look up SlimCat - there are a lot of similar food toys too. Basically it's a little plastic ball with holes in it and you put the kibble in and he has to roll the ball around to get the food to drop out. You can feed him his meals in it and that way he really has to work for his food. I have a feeling once he starts slimming down a bit he'll be more active at playtime too.
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Mar 15, 2014 20:52
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Is there any reason why you haven't switched vets? If you don't trust what your vet is telling you and you feel he isn't listening to your concerns, then you should absolutely find someone you can trust.
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Mar 16, 2014 10:41
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Got the SlimCat ball thing! Gimli this morning was pretty much "what the gently caress is this thing and give me my food now".Konstantin posted:Is there any reason why you haven't switched vets? If you don't trust what your vet is telling you and you feel he isn't listening to your concerns, then you should absolutely find someone you can trust. We haven't switched vets yet because the last time we went is what confirmed to me that this vet sucks. We will go to a new vet next time for anything else. But I feel when it comes to weight loss, any vet would sell you their food on their shelves to make some extra money? If that's not the right assumption then I definitely apologize.
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Mar 16, 2014 13:14
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jacido posted:But I feel when it comes to weight loss, any vet would sell you their food on their shelves to make some extra money? If that's not the right assumption then I definitely apologize. That is definitely an incorrect assumption. I can't be the only vet that routinely recommends people simply feed the pet less food to get them to lose weight. If they need or want a weight loss diet to make the process easier, of course I'm going to recommend the ones we carry. Vets carry prescription foods as a service to the client--it is more convenient to get the recommended food at the time/place it was recommended, no?--and because they work for the conditions they are prescribed.
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Mar 16, 2014 15:03
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jacido posted:Got the SlimCat ball thing! Gimli this morning was pretty much "what the gently caress is this thing and give me my food now". If you look at the bag you showed its labeled "satiety" or something to that effect- its basically designed to make the cat feel full so they dont piss and moan at you for hours about how they are going to starve to death while being less heavy/fatty/ whatever. Vets aren't making poo poo loads of money off of selling you cat food.
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Mar 16, 2014 17:09
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The vet recommended that my mother get food for 'sensitive stomachs' (i.e. low residue) food for the family cat, who is 14 and constipated. He tends to prefer shredded foods over pate, and loves foods with gravy. Is there anything you can recommend? The Innova wet I feed my own cats doesn't fit the bill, and I am not sure what is out there that does.
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Mar 18, 2014 17:43
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jacido posted:Got the SlimCat ball thing! Gimli this morning was pretty much "what the gently caress is this thing and give me my food now". Are you starting with using the largest opening so that the cat gets the idea what it does? It also helps to show him/her by rolling it around infront of them while they are begging for food. Even my dunce cat figured out how to use it ha ha. After they figure it out you can go to the smaller holes. From my experience the cats will always prefer immediate satisfaction over having to work but they are still less whiney knowing they can still get something. Fun tip:I keep my slimcat in one of those disposable tin baking pans so kibbles don't get spread all over the place. Something plastic may be less noisy though.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:35
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One of my dogs has the most sensitive stomach ever. If he eats anything other than Boring Plain Dog Food (right now the dogs eat Blue Buffalo Wilderness and it sits ok), a real bone, or a bully stick he's spewing fluids from both ends for at least half a day. Rawhides are the worst, actual animal parts seem to do better but things like pork feet/ears don't necessarily make him puke but they do give him godawful gas. My question is, are there any good long lasting things he can chew on that won't upset his stomach and are also not horribly expensive? Bully sticks and actual bones/antlers are fine but they can get pretty expensive. I feel bad leaving him alone with nothing to do (and he'll find ways to keep himself busy if I don't give him something, usually in a destructive manner) but I also dislike coming home to various puddles of dog fluids on my carpet. Before anyone asks, yes he has seen a vet and they just told me to give him some Pepcid when his tummy is upset and to get him some low residue food when it gets particularly bad.
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Mar 21, 2014 03:36
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| # ? May 14, 2024 10:36 |
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Are there any premium brands that do research and testing the way say Hills, Royal Canin, Iams do? I don't see Iams wet for cats on the list in the OP. Where would that fit in?
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Mar 27, 2014 16:47
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