Author Topic: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?  (Read 29728 times)

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Offline Pookie

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #75 on: June 30, 2018, 09:53:20 AM »
Quote
Not sure which way I will go if she should need help with constipation again, going forward.

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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #76 on: July 01, 2018, 07:08:37 AM »
Jennie had one of those foul soft poops this morning.  bangshead

Incidentally, it was mostly fur.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #77 on: July 08, 2018, 08:01:57 AM »
Jennie had a foul poop mostly liquid on Monday July 2, and an out of the litter box poop with fresh blood.

My reasoning went like this:  She has a wing on Sundays.  Either a wing tip, or a split wing middle (also called wingette).  She had had a wing tip on Sunday July 1st.

The wing of course has skin on it, and I've already established that Jennie can, for whatever reaosn, no longer handle skin.  Doh1

The fresh blood?  I don't really know, but I'm guessing she was also unable to digest the bone properly and it caused some scratching on ti's way out.

So that's it for Jennie, no more wings on Sunday.  I feel awful taking them away from her, she loves her wings so much.

So now she gets egg shell calcium on Sunday, like the other two (Sunday is prey model day here)

Incidentally, after that episode on Monday, all has been perfectly normal with her poops. A LOT of fur in them, and none of that awful odor, and no mucus or sloppy poops.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #78 on: July 14, 2018, 01:47:59 PM »
More bloody stool today.  Jennie will be going to the vet. I'll call Monday to make an appointment.  It won't be with my usual vet because I will need a late afternoon appointment and my vet doesn't work late afternoons.  I am fine with that and know what vet I want her to see. I don't know this vet's opinion on raw diets, but I guess I will find out.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #79 on: July 15, 2018, 07:18:31 PM »
I couldn't remember why I thought the slippery elm wasn't good for Jennie, so last night, with her supper meal I gave her 1/8 teaspoon.

This morning I was reminded.  When she gets SEB, her poop sticks.  To her, so she had to drag her butt all over everything to get it off.  There were, again some signs of fresh blood, but just two tiny drops in the litter box.  The smell ws so bad I had to dump the freshly filled litter boxes and throw away the litter mat.

The other day I remember reading a reference to cats with some anatomical problem where they can't squat properly to poop.  And a little bell went off...at thee time, but then I forgot about it until today.  Jennie is very private about pooping and never lets me watch her.  Only ONCE before have I actually seen her do it and it was the first time she pooped blood..it was about 4 months ago, and she was doing it just as I came home for lunch.  I am so glad I saw her, because I never would have known whose it was.  However, she was standing up to poop.  And then, the other day I happened to see her again in the box.  She had already pooped, but she was still straining a little bit, and again, she was standing up.

So..all this is coming together now, I don't know why I didn't think about it all before.  I don't remember where I read the reference to cats who can't squat to pass stool but I'm writing it all out now so I didn't forget about it.  There was a mention that x rays were needed to diagnose the problem.  I will see that Jennie gets her x rays.

Wait..was it in Dr Becker's article on megacolon?  I see Dee has posted it here, I read it a couple weeks ago. Let me see...

Yep there is is in the box of "causes": Unfortunately she doesn't go into much detail about it.

A neurologic or neuromuscular disease that prevents the cat from assuming the posture necessary for defecation

However she also mentions anal glands, and Jennie has ALWAYS had anal gland problems.

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #80 on: July 15, 2018, 08:46:04 PM »

However she also mentions anal glands, and Jennie has ALWAYS had anal gland problems.

You don't think she's gotten an infected gland, do you? Is that possibly something you couldn't see?
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #81 on: July 16, 2018, 05:16:56 AM »
I don't know Dee.  She last had her anal glands expressed on May 11. There isn't any outer swelling and she shows no tenderness or excessive licking to the area. There could be a tear inside I suppose, but if there was, wouldn't there be blood with every poop?

She had a normal poop this morning.  I video taped it much to her annoyance.  She squatted a little more than I saw her those times she was passing the bloody bits, but still not completely normal.  Trying to get a shot of when she's doing it standing, to show the vet.

Sometimes when she has a normal poop, later in the day she will have one of the nasty smelly ones.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #82 on: July 20, 2018, 05:42:45 PM »
It looks like Jennie may have developed an intolerance to chicken. She's been off chicken entirely for only 2 days, including the pre-mix Ezcomplete, which contains chicken liver. For a few days before that I was only reducing the amount of chicken, but she has been off the EZc pre-mix for almost a week now.

Last night, much to my annoyance I gave her a freeze friend chicken breast treat before I remembered. This morning she had once of those small slightly soft furry poops, no blood.  This evening she had a larger poop, full of fur, softer though, and some greenish mucus, and maybe a little surface blood.  I blame the chicken treat.

Stopping the chicken has shown some improvement but she needs time to heal of course. I'm looking into other pre-mixes for her, I would like to use Alnutrin but I don't know yet if egg shell calcium will also be a problem for her. Rad Cat, which she is currently getting more than usual of, also uses egg shell.

I've increased her RC meals, because her plain meat meals are not balanced.  I am adding egg shell calcium, and lamb pancreas glandular, and I have bought some frozen beef liver but have not yet cut it up.

She is also still on the egg yolk lecithin, again, I do not know if eggs and egg products are going to be an issue.

Last Sunday she had her usual raw yolk and actually had a good clean poop on Monday morning so time will tell.  IF chicken is her problem.

I have seen some improvement already since cutting back, then eliminating the chicken.   She's had some fresh blood in her stool, or rather, on the surface of her stool, not IN it.. Which has gotten less frequent when I stopped the chicken.

Since stopping reducing then stopping the chicken she's been having two or three poops a day, single pieces about an inch long, slightly soft, full of fur.

She is not straining to pass these poops. Since stopping the chicken they no longer smell foul. Slippery elm bark is not helpful to her as I mentioned earlier, it makes her stool very sticky and messy, and s.boulardii seems to make things slightly worse as well.

 I've got her on pork bone broth now too.

I am wondering if I ought to double her probiotic for a while, to help her body cope with the change in diet.  She's used to the pork and the beef, but not used to getting so much of it.

I do have an appointment with the vet for Jennie but not until July 30, 9 days away. I needed an after work appointment, is why the delay, and this is not my usual vet, though I have seen her a few times for emergency issues. I don't know her feelings on raw diets, but I am about to find out. :)

If she suddenly got worse of course I would take her right in.

Offline Lola

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #83 on: July 20, 2018, 08:05:48 PM »
My  2cents... change one thing at a time.  :)
You mentioned you feed an oz-ish of canned.  Tell the vet you feed some canned and some raw.  Keep the explanation simple, and see how the vet reacts.   :-\
« Last Edit: July 20, 2018, 11:50:56 PM by Lola »
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Offline Pookie

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #84 on: July 20, 2018, 10:26:22 PM »
IMO, I don't think it could hurt to increase the probiotic, even if it's just for a week or two.  In addition to the reasons you mentioned, it might help balance things in her gut.

As for the vet, you could just keep it super-simple and say you feed wet food, which technically is true.  Vet will assume you feed canned.
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Offline Lola

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #85 on: July 20, 2018, 11:51:40 PM »
IMO, I don't think it could hurt to increase the probiotic, even if it's just for a week or two.  In addition to the reasons you mentioned, it might help balance things in her gut.

As for the vet, you could just keep it super-simple and say you feed wet food, which technically is true.  Vet will assume you feed canned.

That's even better!!!

I THINK they only HAVE to know a pet is fed raw, when it comes to certain kind of blood work.  Pookie?   :)

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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #86 on: July 21, 2018, 06:59:05 AM »
Thanks but I'm sure it's in her records that she is raw fed. :)

Offline Lola

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #87 on: July 21, 2018, 09:33:40 AM »
Thanks but I'm sure it's in her records that she is raw fed. :)

Oh yeah... different vet, but same location.  Pesky records.
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #88 on: July 21, 2018, 09:40:50 AM »
Well, besides, I want to know this vet's views on raw feeding.  I NEED a pro raw vet, if I can find one, for at least Jennie and Queen Eva.  I don't think I can switch Mazy cat, she has such a hard time at the vet as it is.

Offline Pookie

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Re: Jennie developing an intolerance to beef?
« Reply #89 on: July 21, 2018, 09:56:42 AM »
I THINK they only HAVE to know a pet is fed raw, when it comes to certain kind of blood work.  Pookie?   :)

Not a clue, sorry.   :-\

Well, besides, I want to know this vet's views on raw feeding.  I NEED a pro raw vet, if I can find one, for at least Jennie and Queen Eva.  I don't think I can switch Mazy cat, she has such a hard time at the vet as it is.

Or at least one that's not "anti-raw/raw is evil."  Good luck!   fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed
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