Just checking in again.  I, like lots of others, haven't been here often but have thought of all of you and your furkids.  Have had some medical issues with CJ, this time it's liver enzymes and all the resulting tests, so have spent lots of extra time with her. As much as I HATE doing this, because of her health I have stuck with the Eukanuba Prescription because it works for her and every time I try to change (even slowly) she gets sick again.  And, to be honest, it makes it hard to read about how bad the food is for her knowing that that's what I'm giving her. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I'm even backing away from Itchmo a bit because of all the recent awful news about what people are doing to animals.  I find myself totally depressed because I can't do anything about it!
So, just another friend checking in with why I haven't been posting much.
Hope you all are doing well and know that I keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I bought a bag of Cal Nat this afternoon and put down a bit next to the Eukanuba Prescription they're eating.  After rereading the ingredients list on the Euk, I could not believe that it was healthier for the cats with all of the grains, by-products and other @%$%$@$%!!!  CJ sniffed the Euk then sniffed the Cal Nat and proceeded to eat (with enthusiasm) the Cal Nat.  I will, of course, be very careful as I scoop it out, but I am so much more comfortable with the ingredients.

CJ has had a couple of rough days.  Her clinic vet has ordered another liver function test for Wednesday.  Don't know what's going on, but will need to see if she needs to have that addressed with a possible liver biopsy.  Apparently she had some inflammation when they did the biopsy during her abdominal surgery in May.  She also has bacteria in her urine so she starts an antibiotic tomorrow.  She tends to not do real well on antibiotics, so hope that this one works for her.  It's like this never ends and I cannot think about much else but CJ right now.  How do you folks with chronically ill pets cope with this over the long term?

Yep, she's the ARF/IBD girl.  I couldn't find the Eagle Pack around here so we're back to the Eukanuba Prescription.  We'll see if she gets to feeling better.  I know this has been a big deal (here at least) but when she gets sick she stops eating and we've had feeding tubes two different times and I don't even want to go there again.
Thanks for the response.

More head banging here!  CJ has started to do a lot of lip licking and grass eating which means the Wellness Healthy Weight is not settling well with her ~ I have put very little in with her regular food.  The only other food that has worked for her is the Cal Nat chicken and rice.  I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place here.  I don't like Eukanuba, but she seems to be doing well on it.  I don't trust Cal Nat, but she did well on that. Guess I'm off to return the bag of Wellness to the store. (Imagine the clerks at the store hate to see me coming . . .)

Phosphorus levels should be kept below 1 if at all possible. (That's dry matter basis)

CJ went for bloodwork which showed an elevated liver enzyme (but kidneys are functioning beautifully!) so they did an ultrasound.  Good news is that it looks identical to the one done before her surgery in May (with the exception of what is scar tissue from the surgery).  I have made a decision (and I'm sure my MSU vet is not going to be happy) to start the cats on Wellness Healthy Weight since it doesn't have all of the chemicals the Euk has and it has lower fat so that has to be easier on her liver.  We'll see if that makes a difference when we repeat the bloodwork.

I'm hoping that everyone here is still okay with Wellness ?

Sorry to be so slow in responding.  CJ has continued on the Eukanuba prescription diet because her vet doesn't want to change a thing until we figure out what's going on with the liver.  She has, in fact, gained a pound since her last recheck (CJ, not the vet!) which did not please the vet. All five of the cats are eating the Euk since they share dishes.  CJ goes back for more bloodwork next week so I'm hoping we get some answers.  She continues to eat, drink, and act quite normal.

The food situation is changing yet again.  CJ went in for her recheck bloodwork, and although she is acting fine, her liver enzymes are elevated.  Not sure what's going on with her ~  she had a liver biopsy when she had her surgery in May and it was clean.  I decided, at the urging of her internal med vet, to not change anything right now until we decide what's going on and where we go from here.  Since I just found this out today, I'm rather a mess!

Glad everyone else's catkids seem to be doing well.

Thanks ~ his eye still has some drainage but isn't closed like it has been.  Hopefully it is healing without the nasty ointment.  I hear ya about them being worth it!  At least if I spend my entire savings maybe medicaid will pick up my nursing home costs if I need one! 

Have decided to try Eagle Pack dry and Healthy Weight by Wellness.  Both are the lower phosphorus that CJ needs.  We'll see. I like the idea of mixing a couple so if one has a problem I can just switch to the other.  Thanks for all of your feedback.  She goes back to the vet for bloodwork on Thursday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get a good report. Otherwise, we might well be looking at yet another surgery to remove the damaged kidney.  Don't know if she can handle another major medical procedure.

I understand from an article on Itchmo that NB is doing in-house testing.  I'd feel a whole lot better if they were using an independent lab.  I'm still not convinced . . .

Just got back from the emergency vet who saw Jess last weekend.  They believe he likely had an allergic reaction to something in the triple antibiotic ointment he was getting.  (Fortunately, the ophthamology resident was there to see a dog who also came in with an eye problem!)  He's on a lubricant and still has the ecollar for a couple of days so he won't irritate the eye.  The cornea has healed.
The down side is that he gets very easily stressed and has a heart murmur.  By the time we got home he was open mouth breathing and it looked as if his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.  He's settled down now, but I think we'll have to schedule a cardiac recheck in the next few months, too.
Hope I don't have too many more cat emergencies since I am still paying for CJ's May - June hospitalization and surgery.  (And she goes back Thursday for recheck bloodwork andpossible ultrasound)
Guess I'm just very appreciative that I live near a wonderful vet teaching hospital! It's only money, right?

Thanks for your replies.  I took him back in and the eye stain showed a much smaller corneal ulcer, but he continues to squint more than I think he should.  I will take him back in the beginning of the week if it continues.  He's been on the triple antibiotic ointment for a week now.  I think that he has reirritated it because when I take the e-collar off for him to eat and drink, he quickly finds a spot to give himself a good cleaning, including his face! Guess I'll have to watch him more closely and get the collar back on sooner.

I wrote the company about the menadione and got the exact same email message in return.  If they can't answer my questions, then I figure I don't need to make that phone call to have them try and rationalize why they use toxic ingredients.  Easy decision for me ~ no go!