Pet
Food
Review

Cat Foods for Sensitive digestion and skin

If your dog or cat has a prolonged or recurring period of digestive upset, or suffers from excessive itchy skin, is constantly licking paws red raw or has hot spots or balding patches due to excessive grooming you need to take veterinary advice as there might be an underlying medical condition, or parasites that are the cause of the problem - don't second guess because the health of your pet is at stake here!

Having said all that, and assuming that there is no underlying medical condition then the suggestion is probably going to be made that at some point of treatment your pet goes onto a veterinary prescription diet alongside maybe some medication to calm down the condition. That's good, because we don't like to see our pets suffer.

So you embrace the new regime taking home a bag of kibble and some cans of wet food. Once home, you donate the old food to a local shelter and start the new diet immediately.

There are two problems here with this system. The first being the sudden change in diet can actually cause diarrhea in sensitive pets and the second being that you did not bother to discard the old treats. You also did not buy any new treats that are allowed but that does not actually cause any other symptoms besides an upset pet!

You got that right? OK then, so things are going better. But once the condition has stabilised, what then? Are we faced with a life sentance of buying expensive veterinary only foods?

Well, there may be alternatives which offer a cheaper alternative and the same outcome, although as with humans, where symptoms persist simply must take professional advice.

Several companies produce foods which are aimed at the growing numbers of pets with food intolerance and allergies.

The best places to find information are the major online pet supermarkets. So check out Pet Supermarket and Pets at Homewebsites for information and what seem to be good prices

Changing pet foods

If you decide to change your pet's diet, veterinarians recommend you do it slowly. Rapid changes in diet can cause upset stomach and other problems. When changing pet food, start by mixing some of the new food in with your pet's regular food. Over the next three to five days, gradually increase the amount of new pet food. After this transition, your pet should be more adjusted to the new food.

Some nutritionists recommend putting a cat onto a home cooked diet for a while to let the body recover, and this could be a simple mix of cooked egg and well cooked rice, or substitute egg for cooked white fish. Try this for a week or so, and if things start to improve gradually introduce the new complete food. Long term home cooking for cats is tricky, getting the right combination of protein, oil, minerals and vitamins correct.