# Hills prescription diet alternative



## Pennyleigh17 (Dec 31, 2015)

Hi all,

My cat Dustin has been on a raw diet but has started vomiting up his food lately. I took him to the vet today to find out what was going on. Turns out he's developed a sensitive stomach. The vet has recommended I start feeding Dustin a Hills veterinary prescription diet i/d digestive care. I will try to attach photos of the can and ingredients list.

The prescribed food is pricey at $5 per can per day and I'm not too keen on the ingredients list since I don't know what alot of the ingredients are.

I was wondering if there is an alternative food I could feed him? Wether it be a pet shop/canned brand that would be sensitive and cheaper to feed or raw food that would be sensitive on his stomach.

Any information would be great, thank you.


----------



## Pennyleigh17 (Dec 31, 2015)

Here's a photo of the can


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Long story short, a normal vet is almost ALWAYS going to recommend a prescription diet, because, guess what, you can only get those prescription diets at the vet! Leading to $$$ for them - and many of the major vet schools are sponsored by Hills/Science Diet/Royal Canin, so young vet students are literally TAUGHT that these prescription foods are the best things ever (when sometimes they are not). 

I've seen some stories where some people here on CF have gotten holistic/more open-minded vets that have recommended raw diets (or other foods, not just blindly pushing the prescription diets), but every vet I have been to - including two "feline only" specialists, have tried to force me onto prescription diets.

One of the problems is that many cats have (or develop) grain allergies. I know this isn't the case with Dustin since you feed him raw, but it's something worth considering if you decided to go with your vet's advice - the i/d has rice, wheat flour, and corn starch, just to name a few.

Some cats develop allergies/sensitivities to a certain protein - e.g. chicken. The cat will have a reaction/upset stomach/etc whenever they eat chicken in any form, whether it's raw, canned, or kibble. 

Did you vary Dustin's protein when he was on the raw diet? What brand did you feed him (or did you use a homemade recipe)? If he mainly ate only one protein on the raw diet, you can try either a different protein raw diet (e.g. turkey or rabbit if he was eating chicken before) or try a limited-ingredient "novel" protein canned food, such a Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck or Venison.

I currently feed my cat raw and I vary her protein quite a bit - chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, rabbit, and venison. (I feed her Rad Cat.) I used to cycle in things like goat, mutton, llama, goose, and pheasant. She has never developed a specific protein allergy - although sometimes she does decide to get picky and doesn't want a certain type.

Also, how did the vet diagnose the "sensitive stomach"? Did he do an ultrasound, or only palpitate the abdomen? Did he test for parasites?

Also, is Dustin actually regurgitating his food - meaning, does he vomit almost immediately after eating with the food still intact and undigested, or does he vomit some time after eating, with the food partially digested?

Regurgitation and vomiting in cats are two different things, and are often caused by other health issues. I'm not saying your vet is wrong in his diagnosis, but just calling it a "sensitive stomach" isn't really helpful. Did he recommend any medication, prednisolone or anything, or did he think the prescription diet would do the whole trick?


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Vomiting after a meal may also be caused by some foreign "object" in the stomach the cat has swallowed that is not moving on. This happened recently with my kitty who vomited for two weeks. On Xrays and ultrasound the object couldn't be identified, it showed up very white and vet thought it could be metallic, aluminum foil or possibly Saran wrap. ....it eventually broke into smaller pieces and passed out, tho I never did see the pieces in the poop. I suspect he swallowed a piece of scrunched up foil that had been a cheese wrapper on one of those "Laughing Cow" triangular cheese pieces, as he goes bonkers whenever I eat them. Just my guess, but the vomiting has stopped.


----------



## Pennyleigh17 (Dec 31, 2015)

I've been feeding Dustin rabbit, hare, lamb, veal and beef meat and minces from a local shop dedicated to raw feeding for cats and dogs. It's homemade style, they just do the hard part for you and freeze it. On the odd occasion I'd feed him a half a can of a fancy feast classic variety when he would turn his nose up at raw. I'm wondering now if that could cause the vomiting although he doesn't vomit up the fancy feast. 

The vet didn't do an ultrasound but a physical examination. Dustin has no parasites. The vet said he could possibly have swallowed something but the fact he's been vomiting for a few months now and is showing no signs of blockaging and hes been toileting normally, not eating grass, has a very healthy coat, not underweight and overall seems to be a healthy cat they're not too worried. 

Dustin only vomits a few minutes after eating which is why the vet put it down to him having a sensitive stomach. No medication, they suggested a change of diet to find what works best for Dustin and recommended the prescription diet. I asked them if there was an alternative and they suggested any food labeled digestive/sensitive would be fine also. But I've had a look around at the pet shop and can only find Hills science diet, royal canin and pro plan focus to have a sensitive option.

So I'm a bit stuck with what to feed.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

It could also be an issue of temperature - if the meat is too cold some cats will bring it back up.

Also, many cats have a tougher time with 'dark' meats, my oldest Jitzu can't have anything darker than pork anymore. Try adding in chicken and turkey and see if those are brought up too.

I'd try an elimination diet of raw meats, to see if one of them is causing the issue. Pick a single thing (ideally one he hasn't been on much, chicken or turkey are easy choices), and feed ONLY that protein for 2 weeks - keeping the rest of your raw feeding plan balanced.

After two weeks try adding in one other protein, wait two more weeks on a diet of two things, then add another. Etc, etc. it's possible he's developed an allergy to either one specific thing, or to a family of meats (poultry, etc).

I'd really suggest trying to go at it from that point, than trying to switch to canned. Really, a raw diet is about a 'restricted ingredient' as you can get, and you'll know exactly what he's having. keeping a journal of his meals could also help you spot a pattern.


----------



## Pennyleigh17 (Dec 31, 2015)

Hm yeah I wonder if the temperature could be an issue. How do I feed raw meat so that it's not too cold? Is it safe to leave out of the fridge untill it's room temperature because I don't really want to heat it?


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

You can do a couple of things:

-Put a portion of the meat into a plastic Ziploc and float it in a sink/bowl of warm water for a few minutes
-Add warm water to the meat and mix (I do this to give my cat extra moisture in her diet)

I'm not entirely sure how safe it is to leave the meat out to come to room temperature - food safety guidelines for humans state never to thaw on the counter because of bacteria, but a cat's gut is geared to be tougher on bacteria than ours, so I dunno :{


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Pennyleigh17 said:


> Hm yeah I wonder if the temperature could be an issue. How do I feed raw meat so that it's not too cold? Is it safe to leave out of the fridge untill it's room temperature because I don't really want to heat it?


 If the food is already thawed (thaw in the fridge), then leaving it out to come up to room temp should be fine. It'll only take an hour or so for it to warm up to room temp.

That being said, 'best practice' for raw feeding is to feed meat at 'freshly killed mouse temp' - which requires one of the methods Lakota mentioned above.

In reality...I occasionally feed with a temp somewhere between semi-frozen, fridge temp, and water bowl warm if I've got time. Since my cats don't seem bothered by the temps I don't worry about it - but when I first started out it DID make a difference in if Jitzu kept her dinner down or not. That's why it was my first thought.



LakotaWolf said:


> I'm not entirely sure how safe it is to leave the meat out to come to room temperature - food safety guidelines for humans state never to thaw on the counter because of bacteria, but a cat's gut is geared to be tougher on bacteria than ours, so I dunno :{


If you're thawing it on the counter THAT is a no-no, if it's already completely thawed then allowing it to sit for an hour at room temperature is fine. Heck, even very good chefs (Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, etc) recommend bringing meat up to room temp before cooking it for PEOPLE. I'm sure it'll be fine for cats.

Also, keep in mind that if you've been feeding raw for a while (1 year +) and your cat is a healthy adult then their digestive system will be much heartier and more durable than if you've just switched to raw. My recommendations for long time feeders and newbies are different, because it takes time for your cat's digestive system to build that durability. Of course, all of that goes out the window if your cat is sick, immune compromised, etc.

Cats are made to eat raw meat, some do eat roadkill, scavenge, ect. No, it isn't their first preference, but they are made to handle more bacteria and gross-ness in their meat than we are - even once you factor in cooking. When I've been very broke I've bought meat that's on sale at the grocery store for the cats - stuff that I DEFINITELY wouldn't have eaten myself, but that the cats ate like champs (even Jitzu kept it down with no issues, but I wouldn't risk it anymore since she's become more sensitive in the past 2 years). TBH the boys actually like their meat a little 'ripe' on occasion.

TL;DR - warm it up in a Ziploc baggie with a warm water bath, or try room temperature after thawing thoroughly in the fridge. Both are perfectly safe as long as the meat remains covered. cats have pretty hardy digestive systems once they've been on raw for a WHILE and are adults.


----------



## Pennyleigh17 (Dec 31, 2015)

Thank you all so much for the advice so far. I'll try bringing up the temperature of his food and see if it helps.


----------



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

You can also try feeding him MUCH smaller portions as well (if the temperature changes don't help). Depending on your schedule, split a normal-sized meal of his into several small meals. Give him only a bite or two, then wait 15 minutes or so and see if he vomits.

I used to cat-sit for neighbors whose cats could NOT eat more than a bite or two of food at a time or they'd projectile vomit everywhere. I had to spend an hour feeding them one can of Fancy Feast XD (This was many moons ago when I was a kid, so I don't know if my neighbors ever took the cats to the vet to try and diagnose what their issue was.)

It's an annoying, slow process, but it's something else to try!


----------

