My cat has cystitis & fish allergy. Are there Rx food alternatives?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo. What a handsome boy! Pet nutrition is a confusing topic and the internet is filled with inaccurate information. I agree that high quality ingredients are important. However, it is equally important that these ingredients are combined appropriately and in the right proportions to give the best nutrition. For this reason, I support companies that have board certified veterinary nutritionists on staff and perform feeding trials in live animals as opposed to simple laboratory analysis. I like Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet. They are will have each have a variety of flavors and formulas that would be appropriate for him. I hope this information helps!

Without a full diagnosis of the actual health conditions it is almost impossible to advise on a suitable diet - kidney failure, urinary stones/crystals, urinary tract inflammation, incontinence and bladder tumours can all cause urinary tract symptoms in older cats and each require slightly different management - I recommend you contact your vet to discuss exactly what types of food are most likely to help Patches. When it comes to kidney and urinary issues however, high quality, specialist prescription diets are preferred as they are tailored to prevent progression and reduce severity of clinical signs and are worth the investment, even if you can only stick with them for 8-12weeks to allow stabilisation

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sage. Most over-the-counter foods are contaminated with ingredients not listed on the label. For example, if the diet lists the main ingredient as salmon, there could be small amounts of chicken in the food. This makes it very difficult if a patient has a food allergy. Prescription veterinary diets such as a hydrolyzed or a limited ingredient diet will be most successful for a food allergy. They are more expensive, but in the long run typically end up saving you money. If she is not constantly seeing her veterinarian for exams and medications due to skin disease, this will save you money. Hydrolyzed diets have the protein source chopped into such small pieces that the body's immune system does not recognize and react to it. Examples are Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Ultamino, Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets HA or Hills ZD. The same companies make limited ingredient diets with one protein and one carbohydrate source. It can be some trial and error to find the best food. I hope this information helps!

If Maze was previously diagnosed with food allergies and they don't seem to be better yet, then they were not adequately diagnosed. First, it can take several weeks for the allergy to go away after a diet change. So, if it's been less than six weeks after the diet was switched, then you'll need to wait a little longer before you know if it worked. Food allergies are due to certain proteins and they are usually animal proteins (beef, pork, dairy, etc.). To find the actual protein Maze was allergic to, you must have done an elimination trial. If there was not an elimination trial done, then you would be only guessing at the source of the allergies. One way I often bypass the elimination trial is by recommending a hydrolysed protein diet such as Hill's i/d. In these diets, the proteins are broken down, so there is minimal chance of them causing an allergy. This would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian though. In the meantime, you may consider starting a diet trial to see if that helps to relieve the problems Maze is having. Here is a link to a good article that explains how to do the diet: http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/ Keep in mind that your diet trial will cease to work if she is getting any treats or table scraps. Make sure that there is no possibility of this happening - especially if there are kids in the house. As always, it's recommended to do these things in consultation with your vet.

In mild cases, any wet food may be sufficient to keep the urine suitably dilute to prevent recurrence but i would recommend 6weeks of the specialist urinary wet food to stabilise and maximise recovery. If symptoms recur then i would recommend urinary food only thereafter

Your only option is to try another protein source that is easie to find or switching brands. Royal Canin makes a rabbit and pea formula and a venison and pea cat food for allergies. Hills does make the D/D in other variety such as salmon that you can also try. Unfortunately they are all expensive though

There are several types of food allergy. If you have not had any luck with the brands you have tried, I recommend to try a prescription brand made by Royal Canin called Ultamino. The protein is broken down to the amino acid level, thus it will not trigger an immune response. Basically you need to feed this diet for 8 to 12 weeks. During this time she cannot eat anything else. No treats, no canned food, nothing. At the end of the 8 to 12 weeks, if her skin is all cleared up, then you know it is food. If her skin is not cleared up, then it is not likely food and you should look into other causes. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!