AboutMarie Peppers / Cat Food / NuVet Feline Formula. Expertise Hello, I would be glad to help on kitten and cat feeding. Need help with choosing a new cat food?
CAT food Reviews? I can also explain the good and bad of cat food ingredients.... Does your cat have troubles with digestion? Just ask me. Basic cat medical questions are welcome, too. Need help with supplements, vitamins or special diets, and recipes too - Cat food recipes...
Experience Licenses nurse of 18 years; pet nurse; pet nutritional expert; certificates in holistic meds; writer and publisher - pet health;
Organizations Pet Sitters LLC; Pet Hotel Owner Associates;
Publications Please visit my web site : WWW.APLUSPETCARE.COM
Education/Credentials Nurse and Medical licenses
Past/Present Clients TOO MANY TO LIST, upon request
Question Okay, just to warn you, this is going to be a long question...thanks in advance.
On Saturday morning, my husband and I discovered a tiny pile of vomit on our carpet right next to the litter box. It had some plant fragments in it and we realized that one or both of our cats bit off some Easter Lily leaves. A couple minutes later (after learning that lilies are very poisonous) I was calling the vet in a panic and rushing them both down for emergency treatment. The vet attempted to induce vomiting on them both, but nothing came up. She started them both on an IV and gave them fluids continuously until Monday morning.
One huge vet bill later (like more than we make in three months...went on the credit card...), both the kids are home and acting normal. They haven't eaten much since they've been home. I know that's a sign of kidney damage, but they have no other symptoms (no increased thirst/peeing, no lethargy or other behavior differences) and the vet discharged them from the hospital with a clear bill of health. Could it be that they just aren't eating much because of the traumatic weekend they had? They aren't completely without appetite- they still take treats and eat a little food, but not their whole bowl.
Also, while at the vet on Saturday, the doc discovered my girl kitty has crystals in her urine (her brother doesn't). Obviously, the crystals weren't as much of a concern to the vet as the lily poisoning at the moment, but now that the immediate poisoning threat is over, I'm concerned about the urine crystals. I've been feeding them a store brand dry food (terrible, I know, but we're struggling finacially ourselves and we're on food stamps, the cats can't eat more expensive food than we are...)
I know canned food is healthier for them, so we got some for them and they refuse to touch it. I mixed it with their normal dry food, and they sniffed it and licked it a couple times, but that's about it. So I put down a bowl with just their regular dry food in it, and they've eaten it a little. I wonder if they are refusing the wet food because they don't like it or if it's because they don't have an appetite? Both? Please help!
I was also wondering if you know of any easy ways to make cat food at home (we can use our food stamps for meat- so homemade food would definately be cheaper for us...we would have to cut back on our own food, but it's worth it for the kids...) How would you recommend transitioning from a junky dry food to a homemade food? Raw meat creeps me out (it's the bacteria...I'm a vegetarian and I don't allow my husband to put raw meat in my fridge...only cooked and frozen), so I would have to make everything cooked from frozen meat. My mom makes her dogs' food at home and uses frozen chicken legs and canned/frozen veggies with supplements and just puts everything together in a roasting pan and bakes it and de-bones the meat after it's cooked. Would something like that be good for cats? These are my first kitties so I'm very clueless (obviously.) Please help! Thanks!
Answer Oh Boy!!!!- I wonder if you kids could have been treated at home with Activated Charcoal! If they did not eat too much of the plant, I bet you could have done this at home .... OH, WELL...
Do some research into this and have the Supplement on hand: YOU can get this at any Health food store or vitamin store.
I will address the Food problem below:
Activated Charcoal From the SPCA site: re-print
Activated charcoal adsorbs a chemical or toxicant and facilitates its excretion via the feces. It basically acts like a magnet, attracting and holding the toxicant to its surface so that it passes through the gastrointestinal tract without being absorbed by the body. It is administered when an animal ingests organic poisons, chemicals or bacterial toxins or if enterohepatic recirculation of metabolized toxicants can occur. Enterohepatic recirculation occurs with some compounds that are metabolized in the liver. The metabolites are emptied in the bile and are reabsorbed in the intestines, which would allow for a persistent pharmacological effect. The recommended dose of activated charcoal for all species of animals is 1-3 gm/kg body weight. Repeated doses of activated charcoal every 4-8 hours at half the original dose may be indicated when enterohepatic recirculation occurs.
Activated charcoal can be given orally with a large syringe or with a stomach tube. In symptomatic or uncooperative animals, anesthesia may be needed. A cuffed endotracheal tube should be used in the sedated or clinically depressed animal to prevent aspiration.
Activated charcoal should not be given to animals that have ingested caustic materials. These materials are not absorbed systemically, and the charcoal may make it more difficult to see oral and esophageal burns. Other chemicals that are not effectively absorbed by activated charcoal include ethanol, methanol, fertilizer, fluoride, petroleum distillates, most heavy metals, iodides, nitrate, nitrites, sodium chloride, and chlorate.
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Ok, they are not eating because they have been through hell.... Sorry, no other way to say it..
Try cooking up some dark and white meat chicken ----
Here are a few recipes you can try:
Feline Feeding Formula:
Meat 98% ( Pick one meat and Cook lightly)/ CATS need meat....
ground raw turkey
ground raw chicken
raw or cooked seafood (taurine does not cook out of seafood)
tuna in water (occasionally, not daily)
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Grain 1%:
Oatmeal, oatbran, rice, barley (grind into flour in blender or food processor)
only feed grain occasionally ( NOT needed too often)
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Vegetables 1%:
puréed, juiced, raw or steamed -- NOT needed too often...
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A MUST if you home cook is NuVET CAT supplement Vitamins each day - JUST 1/2 teaspoon per cat per day / mixed into some nice freshly cooked meat....YUM YUM
Also, add some pure canned pumpkin - 1 teaspoon every Other day per cat - to help stools....and fur balls...
NuVET - is low cost and will Keep the vet away...
Also, wet food / cooked cat food and add some water....Will keep the urine crystals down...NUVET will help to get rid of the urine crystals, too.
NuVET sells CAT dosages in a 30 count bottle for 19.00 or a 90 count for 55.00(?)
So, if you want the 30 count you need to call because I don't believe they have the 30 count on the web site:
1-800-474-7044 ( tell them you want the 30 of NuVET Feline )
...... http://www.nuvet.com/81098 ( use my name : marie peppers as your vet referral / )
Ask for the 15% off program .... Auto ship gives everyone 15% off.
BEST wishes....
Keep me posted
Marie Peppers LPN MA
mtnmom@gci.net
