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The retching is back...

heather

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Sophie is starting to retch before eating her dry food again. :Frown: She wasn't doing it for almost a month and now its started again. I thought changing her food would stop this and it seems to temporarily but it's come back 3 times now. Dry foods I've had her on are: Felidae, Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit meal and Nature's Variety Prairie Lamb meal and Oatmeal.

I've posted about this issue before- sorry- but does anyone have any ideas? Think I should take her to the vet for this?

(What happens is I serve her the dry food, she smells it then retches once and proceeds to eat it. Nothing else happens and she goes to the bathroom fine too.)
 

nbolin

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Wow! Maybe she just decided she doesn't like the smell anymore? that is very odd. sorry I don't have an answer. I would say maybe just call the vet, and see if they might have some suggestions? I hope it goes away though :(
 

ckutkuhn7

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hmm really not sure Heather. I know if I smell something and it makes me gag I would not eat it. Sorry i'm not much help here but I do hope you find an answer. Good Luck!

If it were me - I'd call the vet just to pick his brain.
 

lemmysmommy

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I am sorry to hear about Sophie's retching. I hope that she just thinks that the food smells bad and that there is not something wrong with her. I would probably take her to the vet too. Keep us updated!
 

heather

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Thank you! In the past I thought maybe it was a chicken allergy and Sami mentioned maybe the food was too rich for her stomach. That's why I thought we were ok on the lamb/oatmeal. She was doing well for a while!

I did think about calling the vet. I just hope they don't say switch to Science Diet and that's it. I want to keep her on a grain free diet and I'm thinking of going to raw if I can't get a kibble she an like.

Strangest thing is she seems to be really enthusiastic about eating the NV lamb/oatmeal! This just started a few days ago but she does the retch every time.
 

PitRottMommy

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Sophie is starting to retch before eating her dry food again. :Frown: She wasn't doing it for almost a month and now its started again. I thought changing her food would stop this and it seems to temporarily but it's come back 3 times now. Dry foods I've had her on are: Felidae, Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit meal and Nature's Variety Prairie Lamb meal and Oatmeal.

I've posted about this issue before- sorry- but does anyone have any ideas? Think I should take her to the vet for this?

(What happens is I serve her the dry food, she smells it then retches once and proceeds to eat it. Nothing else happens and she goes to the bathroom fine too.)

I think it's time for a veterinary visit. Have you tried using any canned food or canned pumpkin during this time, Heather?

Lamb can sometimes be a bit too rich for some pets, too. On the other hand, retching continually regardless of what type of food we're using can also signal a problem with the pet. I'd schedule an appointment for her to be seen...not just a phone call. Nothing is better than a hands-on exam and a look-over by skilled eyeballs. Don't be surprised if your vet recommends labwork and radiographs, this would be the next step I would take if Sophie were my own cat.

Keep us posted!
 

wundrlust

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So sorry that you're baby is having a problem. I would definately be at the vet's door. Better to make sure there is nothing "organic" happening. I stopped giving my Nudies dry food. They strickly eat wet (Taste of the Wild) and Tikki to mix it up a bit. Going to look into Rad Cat Raw. Good luck and please let us know what you find out.
 

tessblack

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Yeah I would be a bit worried about it. Tux does something weird from time to time, sort of like that but not when he is at his food. He will be on my husband or I's chest and it is almost like he is trying to cough up a hair ball but nothing happens. I told the vet and they couldnot figure it out. He does not do it all the time just on occasion. Worried he may be licking all the furry things and has some stuff caught in his throat. Let me know what you find out.

tess
 

susi794

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That retching is what my cats do--my vet thinks it's from the herpes or the secondary URI due to the herpes.
 

tessblack

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That retching is what my cats do--my vet thinks it's from the herpes or the secondary URI due to the herpes.

Yeah it is weird because it is not all the time just occasionally but still worries me. Otherwise there is not problem with eating or anything else.
 

heather

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Thank you all for your advice. I will be making an appointment with the vet. Sophie does eat wet food and she has never had a problem with it. I have her on NV Lamb and Oatmeal Wet food (maybe a little redundant in flavor for her :Dizzy:) too. I only give her a little bit of dry food- less than a handful morning and night.

I kind of want to take a video of it to show the vet but I'm afraid they'll think I'm totally insane. :Dizzy::LOL: well I guess I am when it comes to Sophie. :Hysterical:
 

tessblack

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Thank you all for your advice. I will be making an appointment with the vet. Sophie does eat wet food and she has never had a problem with it. I have her on NV Lamb and Oatmeal Wet food (maybe a little redundant in flavor for her :Dizzy:) too. I only give her a little bit of dry food- less than a handful morning and night.

I kind of want to take a video of it to show the vet but I'm afraid they'll think I'm totally insane. :Dizzy::LOL: well I guess I am when it comes to Sophie. :Hysterical:

No your not insane. I have tried to get video of Tux but it usually happens in bed and there is no way to get to the camera. It is hard to explain to the vet because I am not even sure what he is doing. I would take video if I were you.
 

heather

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No your not insane. I have tried to get video of Tux but it usually happens in bed and there is no way to get to the camera. It is hard to explain to the vet because I am not even sure what he is doing. I would take video if I were you.

Thanks- I should be able to get it on camera since she always just does it once when she sticks her head in her bowl to eat it.

Strange part is she meows and meows to get it -retches - then gobbles it right up til its gone.
 

lemmysmommy

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Silly Sophie...it sounds like she just wants it soooo bad, but has to do her pre-food warm up. I hope that they can figure it out. I had to video tape my Min Pin having "seizure like activity", the vet of course was happy, but thought I was a little off my rocker. But, if you can't explain it like you want to, then let them see it....right!!:BigSmile:
 

susi794

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I made a video and took it to my vet--I wanted him to see it cuz they never seem to do anything in front of him and it's hard to explain. He'll probably think it's helpful to see and hear it.
 

ultra_stella

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I have her on NV Lamb and Oatmeal Wet food (maybe a little redundant in flavor for her :Dizzy:) too.

I have Stella on the NV Lamb Meal and Oatmeal Medley Kibbles and the same flavor in the wet food. I thought maybe this was a little redundant for Stella as well..lol

I really hope Sophie is okay. Poor baby girl! I think the video would be a great idea. Please let us know what the vet says.
 

heather

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Update:

Sophie went to the vet today. She got blood work done. I won't hear back til tomorrow or Thursday.

My vet is not sure what it could be since he would expect her to sneeze if it were allergies and have reactions after eating the food- not before. Since she only does the retching before dry food he thought it may be an allergy to the storage mites that get into dry food? :Badly::Badly::Badly: YUCK.

But he wants to rule out anything bad first with the blood work. If she continues to have issues with the dry food she may just need to have wet only and daily teeth brushing. :Surprise:
 

ckutkuhn7

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Update:

Sophie went to the vet today. She got blood work done. I won't hear back til tomorrow or Thursday.

My vet is not sure what it could be since he would expect her to sneeze if it were allergies and have reactions after eating the food- not before. Since she only does the retching before dry food he thought it may be an allergy to the storage mites that get into dry food? :Badly::Badly::Badly: YUCK.

But he wants to rule out anything bad first with the blood work. If she continues to have issues with the dry food she may just need to have wet only and daily teeth brushing. :Surprise:

eww storage mites?!?! I had no idea those existed. Is there anyway to prevent them? Does anyone else know more about these? Sounds yicky!:Dizzy:
 

heather

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eww storage mites?!?! I had no idea those existed. Is there anyway to prevent them? Does anyone else know more about these? Sounds yicky!:Dizzy:

I'm trying to research it now- I didnt know either. But my vet said its the only thing he can think of to explain why Sophie reacts to dry and not wet food. I guess they're also called grain mites. Still searching....:Sweat:

Here's an article about dog food: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...nel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum


Tips from: http://blogs.trb.com/features/lifestyle/pets/blog/2008/10/are_tiny_grain_mites_infesting_1.html

How can you control grain mites?
* Store pet foods in airtight containers. Don’t store food in garages, sheds or basements.
* Immediately throw bags away outside after the food has been put into a container.
* Don’t buy or use old or outdated food.
* Wash food dishes frequently in hot water and dry thoroughly.
* Buy only 30 days worth of food at a time.
* Don’t purchase food in bags with holes or tears.
* Avoid low quality food with a lot of debris in the bottom of the bag.
* Periodically check food and the area around where the food is stored for signs of mites: a recurring brown dust
 
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Mug-ys mumma

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Ewww! Mites??? :Dizzy: Glad I bought that airtight storage box now!!

Poor Sophie! I hope that get to the bottom of it pretty quick.

Big hugs

X
 

susi794

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I'd try raw if I were you--no grain, no mites, it's healthier, meat chunks and bones mean no daily tooth brushing by you, poop smells better.
 
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