[Richo]

It's been determined that Barnaby has some form of food allergy. I've tried every alternative food under the sun but he still vomits once his Depo-Medrol wears off.

I hate to keep getting him this shot because it can cause organ problems. The first shot lasted 3 months, the 2nd 3.5 months but then the April shot only lasted 2 months and the June shot has worn off in a matter of a month. I would assume his body is developing some form of immunity to the medicine.

I guess the next step is determining if his allergies are to some additive in the food or just the protein in general.

As an experiment I am cooking some chicken right now which I am planning to blend along with the drippings into a paste. I don't think he will eat chunks as he has always been a finicky eater and never had any interest in human food other than tuna.

Has anyone else had any success pureeing meat with its gravy as a cat food?

 

[KatBudz]

What do you feed your cat, canned or kibble? What brand/brands do you feed him? Does he throw up right after eating or a few hours later? How long has this been going on?

 

[Richo]

The issues started back in the early fall from what I can remember. I had been feeding him Wellness chicken prior to that but began changing foods at the recommendation of the vet.

Lately I have been feeding him Natural Balance duck & green pea grain free kibble and venison & green pea canned. Also Evo/Innova canned venison. Last time the problems arose I switched him to strictly canned food but it didn't make a difference.

I guess this would be called a food intolerance rather than food allergies because he has no skin problems or itching.

His symptoms are fast breathing, wheezing as if he's trying to cough something up, and vomiting after eating. Sometimes it's immediately, other times hours after. He hasn't vomited as of yet, but the symptoms just started back up yesterday.

I did make a slurry of chicken and gravy with nothing else added and he seemed to lick at it but he ended up not eating it. Baxter, of course, had no problem eating it.

 

[KatBudz]

How old is he? Did you get bloodworm done on him to make sure everything's ok internally? Have there been any changes in your life that could upset him?

 

[Richo]

He's 12 years old. I did have blood work done on him when this first started and everything checked out OK.

Other than moving 20 months ago nothing else has changed in his life, and he seems to be fine with his new home.

I am starting to wonder if this is even related to food. The symptoms he is having are also some of the symptoms of heartworm. I don't know if he was checked for that back when blood work was done but I am going to bring that up to the vet. He is indoor only but I read that a mosquito can carry that and occasionally one gets inside the house.

 

[Nan]

It could be IBD. Have you tried the EVO 95% duck? Or will he eat raw?

I had a cat with IBD and generally the best thing was getting her onto a low dose every-other day of prednisone. She was able to eat the EVO 95% chicken/turkey (she was on the EVO 95% duck for a while, but decided she didn't like it for some reason) She would eat the dry Natural Balance duck/pea but didn't like the wet.

 

[Richo]

Some of his symptoms don't seem to match those of IBD. He has not had any diarrhea throughout this and although he does have minor weight loss I would attribute it to his inability to keep his food down. The fast breathing and coughing don't seem to be symptoms of IBD either and he has never been lethargic.

I am going to make a vet appointment as soon as I can get in.

 

[hoofmaiden]

First, cats w/ IBD often also react to canned grain-free food like EVO. Both Calvin and Conrad, my IBD cats, were in that category. Until we switched to raw we did not see an improvement.

This is b/c cooked proteins are very different from raw ones, and cats evolved to eat their protein raw.

I would consider switching to raw. Also consider supplementing with B12 (use a methylcobalamin preparation, not a cyanocobalamin one). 1000 mg daily for 2 weeks, then 1000 mg every third day for a month or so, then once a week for a few months, then discontinue. This while being on raw food, of course, or the B12 won't help (malapsorpbion problems like IBD result in very little absorptionof vitamins, particularly B12).

Most vets know very little about IBD and even less about raw feeding. My own vet pooh-poohed my suggestion that IBD might be causing Calvin's problems, and yet when I switched him to raw and started B12 his symptoms disappeared in weeks and he was in good weight and happy in no time. He never looked back. Ditto Conrad.

IMO IBD is one of the many ways Mother Nature has of saying, "Stop feeding my felines that way!!!"

 

[KatBudz]

Call your vet and ask if they checked for heart worm... coughing and rapid breathing are the main symptoms of heart worm. I would even get a recheck done just to be on the safe side IMHO.

Rule out the chance of HW first, then look into the food if the results are negative. Personally, I would not put the cat on any medications like prednisone, that would be the last resort.

Do you feed just duck and venison foods? Will he not eat other proteins?

 

[Richo]

Well I just got back from the vet. The vet seems to think that he has some form of allergic bronchitis. He listened to his lungs and they were not clear like they should be and a chest X-ray confirmed it.

They also took a blood and urine sample and they should be calling me with the results within a day.

I asked the vet about heartworm and he said that it's very uncommon around here and even more so with an indoor cat.

He will eat most foods you put in front of him, especially chicken, turkey & fish. I was actually surprised that he ate the venison because he wouldn't touch rabbit or lamb.

 

[KatBudz]

Oh... I didn't even consider a respiratory infection. Im glad you took him to the vet today. Keep updating

 

[Nyccat]

My cat had constant diarrhea for 5 months. I had her on the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck & Pea formula, then a prescription diet. Nothing worked. I started her on Nature's Variety raw lamb on Monday and within 24 hours the diarrhea completely stoped! It sounds like your cat has a food allergy (I think mine does as well) and I would consider switching to a raw diet to see if that helps.

Otherwise, you might want to find a canned cat food that does not have carreenan. The cat foods that you listed include this ingredient and lots of cats are allergic to it.

Good luck!!

 

[Richo]

Well the vet thought it was food allergies until I told him about the wet cough, and he said asthma also makes sense because he hasn't needed his shot as much during the winter months.

Is that what you are feeding your cat?

Nature's Variety: Instinct Raw Frozen Diets for Dogs and Cats | Nature's Variety

 

[Arianwen]

A small point but, if he does have an allergy, even a mall quality can set it off. Say you buy a chicken based food in gravy and other meat are in the gravy, he may be fine with chicken but the traces of another meat just in the gravy could trigger it. Thi isn't baed on cat experience but my own. This is a bit shameful since where I live there are more sheep than people but I am wildly allergic to sheep meat (lamb or mutton). If someone uses a spoon to get vegetables that has touched the meat first, it is often enough to make me vomit later. Jut in case tis is true of your cat, it might be worth considering making your own if you are wary of raw.

 

[Richo]

I wondered how much that would make a difference. I use the same spoon for both their foods, and the same cup as well. I always feed Barnaby his wet food first, then Baxter, and rinse the spoon afterward. However, if it's that strong an allergy, that may be enough.

Also, Baxter always leaves residue of his food in the dish and Barnaby ends up licking at it to some extent, which may also be enough to cause problems.

I don't see how the wet coughing and build up in his lungs would be tied in with food allergies but I guess it's worth a shot to take every precaution.