Question:
I recently read an article in our local newspaper about a woman's cat afflicted with irritable bowel disease. Like her cat, ours had been plagued with the same disease, having difficulty making bowel movements, almost daily vomiting and even weight loss. In addition to prednisone and metoclopramide, we tried prescription diets, even homemade. Our cat refused to consistently eat them or they did not have any positive effect on his symptoms.
When we finally tried Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance limited-ingredient cat food, our cat responded favorably. His bowel movements are regular and of a healthy consistency, vomiting has been reduced considerably, and he is back to his pre-disease weight. Please consider including this food on your Web site.
R.S., Shorewood, MN Apr 11, 2010
Answer:
This is one of a few reputable pet-food companies that seems to get the message. Many of the big pet-food-company therapeutic/prescription diets are still loaded with questionable human food, beverage-industry byproducts and various additives that were present in the original manufactured foods that made the animals sick in the first place. (For details, see "Not Fit For a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods," authored by three veterinarians, including yours truly.)
Cats and dogs are especially allergic to beef, corn and soy products, eggs and dairy products. Many cats are also allergic to seafood. Especially when chronic digestive problems develop that may be diagnosed as food allergy/hypersensitivity, colitis or inflammatory bowel disease, it is advisable to switch to a limited-ingredient food containing basic ingredients that the cat (or dog) has hopefully never eaten before. In addition, supplementing with probiotics, live yogurt or kefir to encourage growth of healthy intestinal bacteria is advisable.
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