Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Question by ⓋUMIⓋ: Could I be making my cat sick?
Okay so I’ve spent about $ 2000 on my cat in the last week getting vet treatment for acute pancreatitis and irritable bowel syndrome. They weren’t sure at first what it was but that is what they think it is now.
They know all of my cats history and diet and don’t know what may have caused it but I’m afraid that the food I feed him has caused it.
He’s fed vegan pet food which has passed all feed trials and nutritional analysis but I read about how pancreatitis and IBS can be caused by high carb intake in cats and as it’s a vegan pet food it’s naturally high carb.
Thoughts?
The vet doesn’t think they’re linked but I’m not sure how much info a vet would know on diet/nutrition.
Yeah there is taurine; l-carnitine and all that stuff added in.
He’s beefed on this food for about 12 months now as well.
It’s just got me thinking that’s all…

Best answer:

Answer by bloomorningglory
That is an interesting question. I’m a vegetarian myself but won’t consider the thought for my cats since cats are carnivores. Cats on high grain diets are more prone to things like bladder crystals and urinary tract infections. Some cats do not respond well to grains and will have vomiting or diarrhea. Also note that taurine, an essential amino acid, is only found in meat. It would need to be added to the food or your cat will likely have liver/heart/vision problems. I assume if you read the ingredients/guaranteed analysis you’ll find it there but good thing to double check.

Other than that, there’s really no long term research on the effect of a vegan diet on a carnivore. What worries me most is the pet food trials last a number of weeks, not years, like they should. I could live for weeks on McDonalds, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for me, you know? At the end of the day I don’t think you’ll find strong evidence either way. It’s a good thing to consider and I highly recommend doing your own research. That way you will either end up feeling very comfortable with your food choice, or you will decide to switch it, but you can be confident in your choice whichever way you go. Don’t beat yourself up. Whether or not the diet could have caused the issues, you do what you think is best for your pet and no one can fault you for that.

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Question by alan s: names of companies making probiotics?

Best answer:

Answer by Jack Meoff
Natren’s Healthy Trinity is probably the best well-known– quality made, high number of bacteria per capsule, but only three strains of bacteria-This is a very expensive product for 60 caps-Don’t get me wrong I have bought it myself, i just think it’s a little too darn much $$$.

A better alternative is Enterobiotic Plus by Natural Creations. It contains 16 different strains of bacteria and one strain of a friendly yeast, Sacro. b.. It is a much better value for what you get versus price, but still it’s not cheap–about for a 60 cap bottle.

I also like Thorne Research, but they only produce the Sacro B. yeast and another product called latcobacillius sporogenes. These are sort of specialty items, so you have to know why you want them (i.e. rapid recolonization of the gut after antibiotic use)

I currently use something more general called Ultraflora Plus by metagenics. Another high quality product, high bacteria count, but still pricey .

Garden of life’s Primal defense is also recommended, though, i have never personally used the stuff.

Remember except for the Sacro. B. and lactobacillius sporonges, the good quality probiotic should be kept in the refrigerator for storage. Any probiotic product you see for sale that sits on the shelf unrefrigerated is probably half dead. Refrigeration costs more, but at least you know there’s at least a chance the bugs you’re buying are still alive.

Hope this helps

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Question by Loot P: should i serve my wife papers..her irritable bowel syndrome is making it hard to live?
OK..my wife is the bread winner and that’s ok with me. I stay home with our small kids. I do all the cooking and the laundry….when I wash clothes i find literal shyt cakes in her panty. She has this way of wrapping up her panty it will be compact, but I can’t understand why in the hell she would leave that for me to see. It’s not right. This has been going on for 6 months. Now I use latex gloves to do the laundry. If you see a man around town with bleach spots all over his clothes its me because I practically use up a gallon of bleack a week. I’m thinking about leaving her.

Best answer:

Answer by Todd P
Leave her.

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Question by IQ: Yogurt making question – I put the probiotics in too soon?
The probiotics went in too soon (around 115 or 120 degrees F). So I’m sure they’re dead, I’m trying to cool it in an ice bath now.
So, once it cools to the proper temp, is it okay for me to add more probiotics and make yogurt from it, or is it completely shot at this point?
If I can’t use it for yogurt, is it safe to still drink the milk with the dead probiotics in it?

Best answer:

Answer by B. Garni
If the temp was 115, then they probably aren’t dead. I always thought 120 was the “killing” temp for a yogurt culture. But, to be sure what I would do is to heat the milk to about 130 in order to be sure to kill off what you’ve added. And then I would add some more starter once the milk is at the proper temp. The dead starter shouldn’t have much affect, if any.

Good Luck!

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I got it too hot when I was incubating it. It was only for 5-10 minutes, but did I kill the good bacteria? Is it worthless now?