# Hill's Feline Z/D Diet



## sdk1406 (Jul 17, 2004)

My 10 yr. old Daisy has been licking the fur off her abdomen and spots on her legs and scratching her ears till they bleed for almost 5 years. Six months ago she was put on the Hill's Feline Z/D diet. I've noticed a slight improvement in some hair re-growth, but nothing really drastic. She still nips and licks like crazy. How long should it take for this diet to show any sign that it is working, since Daisy had this problem for half her life? Thank you.


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## Meowmie (Jun 4, 2005)

In my experience the itching can stop and hair can start to re-grow the minute you remove major allergens from the diet. 
If your cat has been on Hill's Z/D for 6 months and the condition hasn't cleared up yet (it should have a long time ago), it never will on this food.
The best thing you can do at this point is to change course and start experimenting with grain-free single protein canned diets such as Prairie for instance. There are other choices as well, but many veterinarians don’t like combinations that include peas for instance and recommend against such foods. 

Ingredients in Hill's Z/D:

Rice protein concentrate, brewers rice, hydrolyzed chicken liver, vegetable oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), hydrolyzed chicken, powdered cellulose, glyceryl monostearate, taurine, ethoxyquin (a preservative), minerals (calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, salt, calcium sulfate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, niacin, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement). 

Allergens in this food: 
Rice, brewer's rice, chicken liver, chicken, vegetable oil and the preservatives, cellulose.



> Hill's z/d low allergen (from the website) is unique in the world of cat foods because it has "an exclusive ingredient called Hill’s Hydrolyzed Protein System™, a unique protein that helps reduce the possibility of an adverse reaction to food.". It also features a single carbohydrate source - cats, like dogs, can be allergic to some of the carbohydrates used in many cat foods these days


If your cat is strongly allergic to the main ingredients in this food, rice, liver and chicken, the "hydrolyzed protein system" may not be enough to prevent reactions. Also, brewer's rice is an unwholesome by-product that should not be an ingredient in the diet when you are fighting allergies. 
Cellulose is another questionable ingredient that should not be part of the diet when you are fighting allergies.

At this point it might be helpful to do a comprehensive blood test to find out what your cat is actually allergic to. The labs test for a long list of environmental allergens as well as foods. 
There are only two or three labs in the country that do this kind of thorough testing, so your vet would have to send out the blood sample to one of them. (It takes about two weeks for the results to come back.)

In the meantime you might want to start feeding a single protein food that contains no grain whatsoever. Preferably a protein source your cat has never been exposed to before. Rabbit is the first choice of most (holistic) veterinarians, followed by venison, duck, lamb and turkey, depending on allergy test results and previous exposure to these protein sources. 

Since some cats are allergic to all grains, it’s wise to avoid them all when you seriously start fighting allergies. 

In addition to switching to a special diet, based on the allergy test results for environmental allergens, your vet can also start your cat on allergy shots in the fall after the pollen season is over. 

Also, you might want to consider finding a very good holistic vet in your area who is experienced in treating allergies and build up your cat’s immune system with a specially designed supplement regimen that will help your cat’s body fight allergens.
Holistic vets:
http://www.ahvma.org/referral/index.html

There is one more option for treating this problem, so please get this book for detailed information:
Alfred Plechner, DVM: Pets at Risk

Information about the book:
http://www.newsagepress.com/petsatrisk.html

In this situation you can do several things, and if you find the right veterinarian to help you, treatment will be successful.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

My cat had the exact same thing! All the vet wanted to do was give cortizone inj. and Hills. Poor kitty went around with no hair on his belly and no pantaloons (and sometimes a swollen lip from licking) for 6 years! Finally I started doing some reading! I put him on a lamb and rice high quality food (I tried cooking for him but he'd have non of it!) and added some digestive enzyimes, vit C and A,D& E (once a week) and it cleared up within a couple of weeks! I later switched him to Wellness and the allergies never came back. It may not be this easy for you. Allergies are a bear to figure out but the very best thing you can do, I think, is to find a good Holistic vet. Regular vet generally just don't know what to do when it comes to allergies. Good Luck!


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## Doeremi (Aug 21, 2004)

I considered Hill's Z/D but it's just full of corn...and preservatives. Yeah the vet thinks it's easy on the tummy..blah blah. I would suggest trying Nature's Variety canned and stick with one protein. Chicken is a top allergen according to Dr. Jean. I mean you're already paying high end anyway with Hills Z/D. I would buy online and use a coupon unless you can find it locally. www.petfooddirect.com - buy rabbit or duck and do a test trial. I tried Petguard and my guy couldn't do that because of the brewers yeast in it so I wouldn't recommend that brand. Your kitty is probably still allergic to something and it's probably the chicken is my guess or the corn in Z/D...If it were my cat I would get off of it ASAP. I know you are sick and tired of switching...believe me I've been there. But once you find the right food..man the relief!!!!! It takes the cat a bit for it to leave the system entirely from what I understand but if the offending food is in there you will definitely see the symptoms get worse or stay the same & not get better...so don't be afraid to change foods...


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## sdk1406 (Jul 17, 2004)

Thank you, all! We have Daisy's sister, too, and she is also suffering from the same type of skin allergies. It hasn't been as long as Daisy, but it's the same symptoms. We have 5 cats in total and they are all indoor and don't have fleas. I need to feed all 5 the same food. Hill's is very expensive, and I don't think it's working. I wouldn't mind the expense if I were seeing results. Daisy had gone the route of cortisone pills and antidepressants, too. I've also tried Natural Balance with venison and green peas. Once I switched vets and she told me that this Hill's would clear her up within 2-3 months, I thought I had found my miracle. But half a year has been too long. And I also think all 5 cats are gaining too much weight on the corn. Where can I find these other single-protein/one-grains foods? Pet stores or online? Again, thank you for all your help.


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## Meowmie (Jun 4, 2005)

Please check all the individually owned pet supply stores in your area first and try to pick up what you need right there. Go online only if you can't get what you need locally.


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