Author Topic: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets  (Read 2478 times)

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Offline Lola

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Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« on: March 06, 2012, 10:06:26 AM »
I switch around brands and flavors a lot.  I always stick to grain free brands.  Even though some say feeding different foods/flavors shouldn't upset any of the felines' tummies...it is the only thing I can think of that sometimes does.  
Should I be adding something to their meals?  A supplement of some sort?

One barfs up any brand of beef.
One will often skip meals that contain anything turkey.
Some will eat anything, but have loose (not runny) stools.
Once in a while, two will spit up (doesn't seem to be a full-fledged barf) several hours after meals.  Doesn't seem to matter what brand or flavor.
For the most part, chicken and turkey are the main meats.  I'm afraid to add another, at this point.

When the felines were fully transitioned to wet (years ago), I fed several flavors of one brand.  It was smoooothe sailing. We also had less felines back then.  With all the risks involved with feeding one brand, I reallllly don't want to go back to that.  

I can't seem to find 3 different brands and proteins...where all goes well all the time.
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2012, 10:16:48 AM »
How often do you rotate them?  Maybe there's a correlation? Just my  2cents but maybe take it down to 2 foods, just to see how that goes?

The different brands most likely add different things, and perhaps "clash" (?)...

  
 grouphug
« Last Edit: March 06, 2012, 10:19:41 AM by CarnivorousCritter »

Offline Shadow

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2012, 12:35:55 PM »
When I am feeding the different flavours of Wellness grain free I do not add a supplement, but when I use a different brand that is when I use this.
http://www.amazon.com/Holistic-Select-Transition-Digestive-Remedies/dp/B000VSZSBC
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2012, 12:44:08 PM »
Quote
I can't seem to find 3 different brands and proteins...where all goes well all the time.

Is it even possible?  I have one who will eat anything, and can. She never has ANY problems, with the exception of constipation, which has been solved with pumpkin.  Some foods, fed too often (Weruva, Soulistic and Nature's Variety) seem to give her extra constipation trouble, but I keep those less than once a week in her rotation for that reason. When the NV is gone I won't be buying it again.

Then, I have one who doesn't vomit or have constipation, but she has so little interest in food at all that I despair sometimes.  I guess I'm doing okay with her, she never seems to lose any weight, though she is extremely slender.  She is not a big cat and weighs 7 pounds.

And of course you know my struvite girl who has been unable to handle any variety at all.  I don't know if that will ever change, nor do I know how much of it to blame on years of c/d kibble. I just have to pray that the food she is on is not lacking in anything, and never has a recall.

I didn't mean to make this about me, sorry about that.  I guess I am just trying to illustrate that there is no one answer for a multitude of cats, unless you are the type who doesn't care about things like this.  The type, of which I am sure we all know many, who dumps a bag of "whatever is on sale" in a dish, tops it off once in awhile, doesn't think twice about it, doesn't notice what goes into the litter box and thinks finding piles of vomit is normal.

But, back to the topic, I have two who eat a variety of brands and proteins, rotated daily, if not every meal, who have no problems at all, and one who cannot eat ANY of the foods they eat, can only eat one food.

No, that's not what I wanted to say.  The only way to narrow it down is to keep a cat journal.  You list every cat.  What you feed them, what time you fed them, and the results as far as what each does in the litter box, or vomits.

Then after you've been keeping records for a while, you go back over everything, looking for patterns. Hopefully, you find common denominators, so you know which cat can eat such and such and which cat needs to avoid it. And so on.

That's the only thing that works for me, anyway.  Of course I have only 3 now, but I did it with four too.  I know you have more than that, so it will be a bigger challenge.

Offline Lola

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2012, 04:27:33 PM »
How often do you rotate them?  Maybe there's a correlation? Just my  2cents but maybe take it down to 2 foods, just to see how that goes?

The different brands most likely add different things, and perhaps "clash" (?)...

  
 grouphug

Normally, every meal is a different brand.  (I'm major paranoid about sticking to one brand.  I MAY have to get over it for a bit though.  :) )
At one time, all was well with two (or three) brands.  I also only bought food that came in 13 oz-ish cans.  Pretty much had limited options.
More felines, needed more food.  "Opened up" to buying all sizes of food. Didn't want refrigerated left overs. That also allowed more brand options.  Which I thought was a good thing.  (I think I got "hung" up on posts where people said they feed a bazillion brands to a bunch of kitties and have no issues.  Maybe I need to just assume they lucked out.  ??)
I also got into trying many brands because...Learn something about a food, remove it, replace with something else.
 
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Offline Lola

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2012, 04:35:02 PM »
When I am feeding the different flavours of Wellness grain free I do not add a supplement, but when I use a different brand that is when I use this.
http://www.amazon.com/Holistic-Select-Transition-Digestive-Remedies/dp/B000VSZSBC

I hate to name brands, but...Wellness is the one brand that works for allllllll the felines (except the beef flavor).  They all love it.  They all eat it.  No barf.  No loose stools.  No eye booger.  No nothing.  Smooooooothe sailing!   Bumpurr1

I have the Holistic Solution Supplement (pink bottle).  Can't remember now why I bought it.  I could dig through posts on here and find out...

I think I will go with CC's idea...stick to two brands for a while.   And your idea...add Holistic Transition to the non-Wellness foods.  Let you know after I read MC's post.   ;D
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Offline Lola

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2012, 06:01:59 PM »
Is it even possible?  
Doesn't seem to be.  *sigh*
Quote
I have one who will eat anything, and can. She never has ANY problems, with the exception of constipation, which has been solved with pumpkin.  

Only have one (out of 7) that can and will eat anything...no issues of any kind.  
Quote

Some foods, fed too often (Weruva, Soulistic and Nature's Variety) seem to give her extra constipation trouble, but I keep those less than once a week in her rotation for that reason. When the NV is gone I won't be buying it again.
For the majority, Weruva and Soulistic are a good choice.  I SEEM to have to feed more (than other brands) for the majority to be full though.  I usually save those two brands for when there are two meals closer together, than normal.  
NV was removed...don't remember the reason now.
Quote
Then, I have one who doesn't vomit or have constipation, but she has so little interest in food at all that I despair sometimes.  I guess I'm doing okay with her, she never seems to lose any weight, though she is extremely slender.  She is not a big cat and weighs 7 pounds.
We have a pretty slender one also.  She tends to have "favorite" foods, so I do keep an eye on her.  Make sure she eats at least twice a day.
Quote
And of course you know my struvite girl who has been unable to handle any variety at all.  I don't know if that will ever change, nor do I know how much of it to blame on years of c/d kibble. I just have to pray that the food she is on is not lacking in anything, and never has a recall.
I can totally understand being worried about feeding one food.  What more can you do?  You are sorta up against a wall, at this point.  No one can say that you haven't tried!!
Quote
I didn't mean to make this about me, sorry about that.  
You haven't.  NO reason to apologize for anything!!  I sooooooo appreciate you sharing examples and experience.  
Quote
I guess I am just trying to illustrate that there is no one answer for a multitude of cats, unless you are the type who doesn't care about things like this.  The type, of which I am sure we all know many, who dumps a bag of "whatever is on sale" in a dish, tops it off once in awhile, doesn't think twice about it, doesn't notice what goes into the litter box and thinks finding piles of vomit is normal.
Good point!   Bumpurr1  
Quote
But, back to the topic, I have two who eat a variety of brands and proteins, rotated daily, if not every meal, who have no problems at all, and one who cannot eat ANY of the foods they eat, can only eat one food.

No, that's not what I wanted to say.  The only way to narrow it down is to keep a cat journal.  You list every cat.  What you feed them, what time you fed them, and the results as far as what each does in the litter box, or vomits.

Then after you've been keeping records for a while, you go back over everything, looking for patterns. Hopefully, you find common denominators, so you know which cat can eat such and such and which cat needs to avoid it. And so on.

That's the only thing that works for me, anyway.  Of course I have only 3 now, but I did it with four too.  I know you have more than that, so it will be a bigger challenge.

I think I will get a journal.  Even if I miss a detail here and there, some details have got to be better than none...Or me trying to go off of memory.
Thanks....again.  Thank you all!   HeadButt
« Last Edit: March 06, 2012, 08:48:30 PM by Lola, Reason: spelling »
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Offline Lola

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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Canned Food - Tummy Upsets
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2012, 08:33:12 PM »

PS
I think I'm going to order this for ME: 
http://www.amazon.com/Thundershirt-Anxiety-Treatment-Large-Heather/dp/B0028QK6EY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331081689&sr=8-1


If only it was that easy!  funny2

By the way Weruva and Soulistic are very low in calories.  I use them to feed my one girl when she has had a brand that is extra HIGH in calories (such as the Nature's Variety or Wellness), to balance them out.

Weruva nine livers is only 84 calories for  a 5.5 ounce can.  Soulistic Good Karma chicken is 94 for 5.5 oz.

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