I found a leaflet about Nutro cat foods, there is one which is called "diet" or sth. This one, plus all the other Nutro foods for adult and indoor cats, have the sign for urinary health on them (they adjust the cat's urine PH). The pet shop near us only brings the Nutro gold holistic series, which is supposedly even better, but none of the bags has the urinary health symbol on them (they have the bone symbol, the heart symbol, etc., but not the urinary tract). My cat has had a serious problem with lower urinary tract disease. He is generally on a diet of foods that adjust the urine PH (royal canin light, Hill's c/d, etc.). I heard that Nutro holistic foods are much better, but will they do for his urinary tract health?
Please only answer if you have had similar experience and know for sure, because this is a serious health matter.
2007-07-17 19:50:09 · 2 answers · asked by cpinatsi 7 in Pets ➔ Cats
The prescription diets are generally better at adjusting pH than over the counter foods, as they have been clinically tested and designed for just that purpose. There is also a greater change in pH with a prescription food. The downside is you can't get a preservative-free, all natural prescription diet for urinary health. And C/D in particular can lead to obesity, because it's very high in fat. The reason it's high fat is because fat digestion produces acidic metabolites, which acidify the urine as they are filtered out of the bloodstream. And you have to use preservatives when there's a high fat content, or the food will spoil within a few days. You could have his urine pH tested after 2 weeks on Nutro to see if it's adequate, and a full urinalysis would check for crystals too. There are also medications that can acidify urine, although the medication is also not as effective as prescription food. Giving treats can also alter the urine pH and make any diet ineffective. Monitoring his urine on a regular basis is the best thing to do, regardless of diet, if you want to be sure everything is OK.
2007-07-17 20:08:36 · answer #1 · answered by lizzy 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
personally i dont like nutro foods, i think they are crap. however, you should be able to contact the company and find out what pH the foods will produce in your cats urine. depending on your cats particular problem sometimes you want it below 7 and sometimes above. for my cat, he has struvite crystals and has to be on a urinary acidifier (dl- methionine) because he cant eat urinary formula food (he has ibd). talk with your vet and find out all the info on prescription foods then compare them to other foods.
2007-07-17 20:01:05 · answer #2 · answered by bob © 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋