Strictly Wellness

[himimom1254]

I'm glad to hear that all is well 

[catmom5]

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.

[eternaljester81]

catmom5,
Has your kitty been eating Wellness?

[garypen]

catmom - I know that sudden weight loss can adversely affect  a cat's liver, as the liver processes the metabolized fat. I would guess that a high fat diet might be bad for the liver as well. But, that is just a guess. Obviously, your vet specialist knows better.

And thanks to all for your well wishes. Lucky says thank you. It's just something that happens with him now and then. If he was a human, it would have just been one of those days where he would call in sick.

[eternaljester81]

Garypen,
Is Lucky still doing well? All five of my cats have days where they obviously don't feel well, but it always alarms me and causes my nerves to go off when it happens. I wish we, as humans, could be as laid back about things as our little furry friends are. Also, I like your "call in sick" example; I've never thought of it that way.

[garypen]

Oh yeah. He's doing fine now. I really think it was just one of his "blah" days.

[catmom5]

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.

[eternaljester81]

Glad to hear CJ's feeling well. Keep us posted about her next bloodwork-up.

[eternaljester81]

Just to let you all know, I e-mail Wellness todayand asked about salmonella testing and so forth. Here's their reply:

"Dear Eric,

Thank you for writing Wellness and Old Mother Hubbard.

We test for a variety of microorganisms, and pay particular attention to those called
“pathogens”, which are organisms that can cause illness.  Salmonella is one of those
organisms.  Examples of others include but are not limited to:  E. Coli, Listeria
Monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus Aureus.

Of course, with the recent recalls we have expanded or regular testing procedures
to include all the new known contaminates to the industry, such as the melamine
and cyunaric acid.

Thanks again for contacting us."

[garypen]

Has Wellness mentioned what lab they use? I think there was some concern as to the lab that Natura uses. I was wondering if Wellness uses the same one.

[jenny]

Well, I have another food story.  Well, my IBD cat was very sick on canned Wellness so we now have him on Wellness Core and Innova canned (red label). That was in June that he got so sick. 

Well, I pulled a too fast food switch on my other cat to Merricks.  Just one meal and he was sick for a week and a half.  Three trips to the vet.  We learned how to do injections at home for all his meds as he is difficult to pill and vomited on some of the meds.  We also gave him fluids ourselves last Saturday.  He is now coming around.  What really kills me is that I knew better - but have been reading from a lot of people on an IBD forum that they switch all the time.  Poor kitty.  He will now stay on Wellness - although he is getting a small amount of Prescription i/d for now.  No more Merricks in my house.

[eternaljester81]

Has Wellness mentioned what lab they use? I think there was some concern as to the lab that Natura uses. I was wondering if Wellness uses the same one.

I don't know what lab they use. All I know is that they say on their site that they do in-house testing and independent third-party testing. Who that independent third-party is, I don't know.

To update, I e-mailed Wellness again to ask about the lab and was told that they are "not at liberty to discuss" who the independent lab is. So there you have it.

[eternaljester81]

With all the recent acetaminophen findings in pet food, I once again e-mailed Wellness to ask if acetaminophen is in their testing protocol. Here's the response:

"Dear Eric,

Thank you for writing Wellness and Old Mother Hubbard.

We have always tested our raw materials and foods for acetaminophen.

Thanks again for contacting us."

I just hope this is indeed true.

[TBOBINA]

Hi I am new to this forum, Im over at Itchmo too, just wondering if anyone had read the book by Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins?  I feed my cats Wellness canned only  (no dry) have been doing this since my one cat got struvite crystals a few months ago, but after reading this book Im not sure what to think,  I am doing the right thing by feeding only wet, but there is Potato in it(filler) and lots of vegies and fruit which she says is not needed by carnivores.  It is great that it is grain free, but maybe there is some other food out there that I have missed that may be better?  Any ideas, plus here in Canada I pay 2.49$ a 12 ounce can which can be expensive when my cats are 15 lbs because they need 8 ounces of food a day,  just thought I would try and get some feedback here.  Raw is not an option for me, Id like to but cant due to work scheduling and my one cat only has incissors teeth (no molars)

[jenny]

Hi Trobina.  Wellness does have lots of fruits/veggies but the protein is also high.  I think Dr Hodgkins book is confusing because she tells you to analyze the protein/carb/fat ratio but then goes on about the non-essential ingredients without telling you which is more important.  And she does put in a plug for the IVD diets such as peas and ___.  There are actually some reviews on itchmo about her book - myself and others are not overly impressed.  I think some of the information, such as what you highlight, is confusing for people that haven't done a lot of research.  I would say, if your cats seem healthy, don't have stomach issues with the fruits/veggies (my IBD cat does), then the food should be OK.  There is only currently one canned food that I am aware of that is meat with nothing but nutrients added - and that is By Nature.  My cats aren't a fan of it and it is higher in phosphorous  than Wellness.

Hey -  did you figure out the calories for your cats? I thought one of them was eating less than 8 ounces but can't remember for sure.  My 15 and 16 lb cats are only eating 6 oz per day.

Jenny