I posted a couple of months ago about Bodhi's ingestion of packing paper. Here is a recap: the week after ingesting packing paper, Bodhi's appetite declined more and more and so I brought her for an emergency visit at a local animal hospital where an X-ray showed something in her stomach, despite having eaten more than 8 hours earlier. Appetite continued to decline but ultrasound done, while fully fasted, three days later, showed no obstruction. Bodhi eventually pulverized and disintegrated the paper and got it out of her system.
Her appetite fluctuated up and down since then, and I started giving her canned food since it was cooked and may have been easier on her digestive system. I felt though that she still was not eating as much as she should...she hardly was gaining any body weight.
On December 10, I had a session with a very gifted Animal Communicator, after waiting for several weeks to get that opening--I've had sessions with her in the past about my two previous cats, and she provided a lot of detailed information that confirmed that the communications were indeed valid. Bodhi let me know that she wondered why I stopped giving her raw food (needless to say, she was put back on a raw diet the following day) and she said that she eats when she feels like it and that she was not so keen in eating because it was just too much for her and too much change.
Major lessons learned: As I got ready to feed her raw food, I was of the understanding that I had to rotate poultry and red meat for her diet to be balanced and complete. So one meal was chicken, the other meal was rabbit and the next meal turkey, and then for the next meal it was rabbit again and so on (I did not feel comfortable feeding beef to my kitten so stuck to just one red meat source; apparently, lamb too can be hard for a kitten to digest). Now I have learned that this rotation of meals did not go well for Bodhi because she preferred consistency...in hind sight, I should have mixed poultry and red meat for each meal ...
Also, by "too much" I think she meant too many supplements. Either taste-wise or energy-wise, she picked up on what I was adding to her food and that too was putting her off. Lesson learned: NO supplements for kittens to be added to the meal...better way to go...
More recently, I was adding turkey bone broth to her food bowl, and sensed that this was not well tolerated by Bodhi, and sure enough, after checking the ingredients, I found that "cinnamon" can irritate a cat's stomach...so why for goodness sake manufacturers of dog and cat food products would put this on the market for cats is beyond me...
On December 12, I finally had my visit with a local holistic veterinarian (I had to wait 6 weeks for an opening), who himself recommended that I give Bodhi only one protein source. His understanding is that each time a meal contains a different protein source the microbiome has to readjust and so by sticking to one protein source, the microbiome will be much more stable and that will help Bodhi's body to be receptive to take in food. I went along with this idea, especially given Bodhi's own preference for consistency. Adding psyllium to her meals to empty her bowels every day, I was told, would also help clear the way for more food to be taken in. Not wanting to feed her beef, we settled on me giving her raw turkey at every meal time.
Major concern: By not rotating protein sources, I am concerned that Bodhi's diet is not balanced and complete. So, I asked the veterinarian about this and he recommended: Rx Essentials for Cats by Rx Vitamins
Here is the list of ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon contains:
250 IU Vitamin A (as palmitate)
25 mg Spirulina (blue-green algae)
10 mg Milk Thistle
50 mg L-Taurine
25 mg Calcium
20 mg Vitamin C
5 mg L-Methionine
5 mg Gamma linolenic acid (GLA)
5 mg Pantothenic Acid (calcium pantothenate)
50 IU Vitamin D
5 IU Vitamin E
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) 2 mg
2 mg Vitamin B-2
2 mg Vitamin B3 (niacinamide)
2 mg Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)
250 mcg Potassium
25 mcg Kelp (iodine source)
2 mcg Folic Acid
2 mcg Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin)
2 mcg Biotin
1 mg PABA
1 mg Magnesium
1 mg Zinc
1 mcg Selenium
Base Ingredients:
Defatted/Desiccated beef liver
Maltodextrin
Beflora (soy and FOS complex)
Unrefined molasses crystals
Issue:
I have for many weeks now stopped adding supplements to her food, but for the past month I have been adding this vitamin mix. A gifted clairvoyant has told me very recently that this vitamin mix too is not well tolerated by Bodhi.
Bodhi has become so wary of her food, and what I was putting in it, that I have to hand feed her most of the time to get her to eat. Now, all I'm feeding her is raw turkey with some additions from the manufacturer (see list of ingredients below), which she seems okay with, plus a bit of psyllium and probiotics mixed in and nothing else. At times, she eats by herself although apprehensively, and at other times I hand feed her, hoping that with time she will feel reassured that the food will stay as it without anything else being added to it such that she will be comfortable to eat on her own.
But this means that her meals are unlikely balanced and complete. In the past, I had been giving her psyllium with the probiotics mixed in with a Churu treat for kittens, separate from her meal, and she just loved it. I stopped doing that out of concern she would just want to eat the treat and refuse to eat her regular food...but maybe that will not be the case and I could do both. Any thoughts about this?
So, if this works, then I was thinking of adding a vitamin mix to the psyllium/probiotic ball covered in Churu treat, twice a day. How does this sound? But I'm wondering if I should still give the Rx Essentials for Cats or would there be another mix that would be better and available in Canada,?
Another option may be the Alnutrin mix to add to raw meat with bones for kittens:
Ingredients: Egg yolk powder, taurine, iodized salt, vitamin E, iron amino acid chelate, copper citrate, manganese amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, vitamin B1.
I would be adding this mix to the following meal:
Double ground turkey and turkey bones, heart, liver; botanical blend of seeds, roots and grasses consisting of: dandelion leaves, lemon grass, parsley, burdock root, oat straw, kelp, Omega 3 old water, cold pressed fish oil (18 DHA, 12 EPA)
If going with the Alnutrin mix, this would mean, according to the instructions, giving her 1 g per day, or if given twice a day, adding 0.5 gram of this mix to 1/4 tsp of psyllium and 1/8 tsp probiotics, with just enough water to turn it into a gel ball that I would then cover up with Churu treat and give after her meal. If following the instructions, the 0.5 gram would have to be added to 7.5 ml of water, but in this case I would only be using 2.5 ml of water ... would this still be okay?
Would there be another mix to consider?
Additionally, I am giving her, each day, one air-dried blue mussel that I rehydrate, as source of manganese and omega-3. I have been and still am giving Bodhi freeze-dried chicken liver and heart for extra nutrients...apparently liver is rich in iron and heart is a good source of taurine ... but not sure what quantity would be sufficient ...
I would greatly appreciate guidance. Anything @Dr. Jean Hofve ; @Dr. Jeff ; @Dr. Christina have to recommend would be so welcomed at this time.
Joanne
Her appetite fluctuated up and down since then, and I started giving her canned food since it was cooked and may have been easier on her digestive system. I felt though that she still was not eating as much as she should...she hardly was gaining any body weight.
On December 10, I had a session with a very gifted Animal Communicator, after waiting for several weeks to get that opening--I've had sessions with her in the past about my two previous cats, and she provided a lot of detailed information that confirmed that the communications were indeed valid. Bodhi let me know that she wondered why I stopped giving her raw food (needless to say, she was put back on a raw diet the following day) and she said that she eats when she feels like it and that she was not so keen in eating because it was just too much for her and too much change.
Major lessons learned: As I got ready to feed her raw food, I was of the understanding that I had to rotate poultry and red meat for her diet to be balanced and complete. So one meal was chicken, the other meal was rabbit and the next meal turkey, and then for the next meal it was rabbit again and so on (I did not feel comfortable feeding beef to my kitten so stuck to just one red meat source; apparently, lamb too can be hard for a kitten to digest). Now I have learned that this rotation of meals did not go well for Bodhi because she preferred consistency...in hind sight, I should have mixed poultry and red meat for each meal ...
Also, by "too much" I think she meant too many supplements. Either taste-wise or energy-wise, she picked up on what I was adding to her food and that too was putting her off. Lesson learned: NO supplements for kittens to be added to the meal...better way to go...
More recently, I was adding turkey bone broth to her food bowl, and sensed that this was not well tolerated by Bodhi, and sure enough, after checking the ingredients, I found that "cinnamon" can irritate a cat's stomach...so why for goodness sake manufacturers of dog and cat food products would put this on the market for cats is beyond me...
On December 12, I finally had my visit with a local holistic veterinarian (I had to wait 6 weeks for an opening), who himself recommended that I give Bodhi only one protein source. His understanding is that each time a meal contains a different protein source the microbiome has to readjust and so by sticking to one protein source, the microbiome will be much more stable and that will help Bodhi's body to be receptive to take in food. I went along with this idea, especially given Bodhi's own preference for consistency. Adding psyllium to her meals to empty her bowels every day, I was told, would also help clear the way for more food to be taken in. Not wanting to feed her beef, we settled on me giving her raw turkey at every meal time.
Major concern: By not rotating protein sources, I am concerned that Bodhi's diet is not balanced and complete. So, I asked the veterinarian about this and he recommended: Rx Essentials for Cats by Rx Vitamins
Here is the list of ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon contains:
250 IU Vitamin A (as palmitate)
25 mg Spirulina (blue-green algae)
10 mg Milk Thistle
50 mg L-Taurine
25 mg Calcium
20 mg Vitamin C
5 mg L-Methionine
5 mg Gamma linolenic acid (GLA)
5 mg Pantothenic Acid (calcium pantothenate)
50 IU Vitamin D
5 IU Vitamin E
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) 2 mg
2 mg Vitamin B-2
2 mg Vitamin B3 (niacinamide)
2 mg Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)
250 mcg Potassium
25 mcg Kelp (iodine source)
2 mcg Folic Acid
2 mcg Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin)
2 mcg Biotin
1 mg PABA
1 mg Magnesium
1 mg Zinc
1 mcg Selenium
Base Ingredients:
Defatted/Desiccated beef liver
Maltodextrin
Beflora (soy and FOS complex)
Unrefined molasses crystals
Issue:
I have for many weeks now stopped adding supplements to her food, but for the past month I have been adding this vitamin mix. A gifted clairvoyant has told me very recently that this vitamin mix too is not well tolerated by Bodhi.
Bodhi has become so wary of her food, and what I was putting in it, that I have to hand feed her most of the time to get her to eat. Now, all I'm feeding her is raw turkey with some additions from the manufacturer (see list of ingredients below), which she seems okay with, plus a bit of psyllium and probiotics mixed in and nothing else. At times, she eats by herself although apprehensively, and at other times I hand feed her, hoping that with time she will feel reassured that the food will stay as it without anything else being added to it such that she will be comfortable to eat on her own.
But this means that her meals are unlikely balanced and complete. In the past, I had been giving her psyllium with the probiotics mixed in with a Churu treat for kittens, separate from her meal, and she just loved it. I stopped doing that out of concern she would just want to eat the treat and refuse to eat her regular food...but maybe that will not be the case and I could do both. Any thoughts about this?
So, if this works, then I was thinking of adding a vitamin mix to the psyllium/probiotic ball covered in Churu treat, twice a day. How does this sound? But I'm wondering if I should still give the Rx Essentials for Cats or would there be another mix that would be better and available in Canada,?
Another option may be the Alnutrin mix to add to raw meat with bones for kittens:
Ingredients: Egg yolk powder, taurine, iodized salt, vitamin E, iron amino acid chelate, copper citrate, manganese amino acid chelate, zinc oxide, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, vitamin B1.
I would be adding this mix to the following meal:
Double ground turkey and turkey bones, heart, liver; botanical blend of seeds, roots and grasses consisting of: dandelion leaves, lemon grass, parsley, burdock root, oat straw, kelp, Omega 3 old water, cold pressed fish oil (18 DHA, 12 EPA)
If going with the Alnutrin mix, this would mean, according to the instructions, giving her 1 g per day, or if given twice a day, adding 0.5 gram of this mix to 1/4 tsp of psyllium and 1/8 tsp probiotics, with just enough water to turn it into a gel ball that I would then cover up with Churu treat and give after her meal. If following the instructions, the 0.5 gram would have to be added to 7.5 ml of water, but in this case I would only be using 2.5 ml of water ... would this still be okay?
Would there be another mix to consider?
Additionally, I am giving her, each day, one air-dried blue mussel that I rehydrate, as source of manganese and omega-3. I have been and still am giving Bodhi freeze-dried chicken liver and heart for extra nutrients...apparently liver is rich in iron and heart is a good source of taurine ... but not sure what quantity would be sufficient ...
I would greatly appreciate guidance. Anything @Dr. Jean Hofve ; @Dr. Jeff ; @Dr. Christina have to recommend would be so welcomed at this time.
Joanne
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So, whatever food you pick, stay with it as long as she thrives, and don't load it up with "extras", right now, if ever.
