Porsha's test results..

[Fran]

It's not great news.... The bowel biopsy shows she has a 'mild' inflammation of the small bowel which could be due to a number of things including food intolerance (and all the other possible causes have been ruled out already). The food allergy tests show that she is allergic to all meat chicken and turkey being her main allergen she is also allergic to Salmon and white fish and soyabean and corn. I will get a copy of the results myself which will highlight all the allergens but where do we go from here?? basically, Porsha cannot eat anything that she isn't allergic to The vet said that it is posible to treat the bowel inflammation with steroids but she is woried that in Porsha's case this will be counter-productive as it could set off all her respiratory problems again The vet has suggested that the only way forward is possibly and I can't remember the word she used but basically it would be a diet that is already quite digested as this would make it easier on her bowels. She is looking into what might be available diet wise and so am I. I could cook for her but the trouble is she is allergic to all meats and she can't live on veggies alone?
I'm gutted I was really hoping for a diagnosis and a treatment for her. Really don't know what to do from here and in true Porsha style...she has the runs tonight again too

[dandysmom]

Oh Fran, I'm so sorry; this is really distressing news... What in the world can the poor little girl eat; she can't survive on a vegetable diet! You must be just heartsick...do you think getting a second opinion would be any help; are there vets who specialize in severe food intolerance? I don't know what to say...just (((hugs))) to you all...

[Erin]

Oh fran im really sorry (((hugs))).i dont know what to say

[EmmaG]

Fran if she isn't allergic to veg I would strongly suggest that you DO look into a vegetarian diet for her but you will need to supply her with various additives. I have heard of people feeding their cats on a vegetarian diet before and the cats have been very healthy.

I am off to google a bit for you.

[yola]

That is not good news. I don't have any real suggestions but I'm certain there must be animal allergy specialists out there or people that have been through similar challenges that might be able to offer practical advice on how they dealt with this.

I've just done a quick (global) search on pet/cat/veterinary dieticians and there is minimal information which is a real shame.

[EmmaG]

Fran, this might help.

http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/in...view&FAQ_id=19

quote from the vegan society : -



"Unlike humans and dogs, cats cannot synthesize vitamin A from the carotene in plants. They also need a preformed source of arachidonic acid which most mammals synthesize from the plant fatty acid, linoleic acid. In addition, cats need a preformed source of taurine, an amino acid that they would usually obtain from flesh foods.



However, since Vitamin A, taurine and arachidonic acid are available in synthetic forms there is no reason why cats cannot be vegan. The Vegan Society imports Vegecat and Vegekit available to order online - veterinarian approved, animal free supplements formulated to provide (along with suggested home-made recipes) all the required nutrients for a healthy balanced diet for cats"

[Fran]

Thank you all x

Emma - thank you for the link, I am of now to have a look. I did wonder about a veggie diet but knew there would be supplements she would need. I knew about the Taurine but not about the vit A. She is such a fussy eater, I wonder if I could get her to eat a veggie diet but I have to look at all the options for her.

Eileen - I will ask the vet about a specialist when I speak to her next week

I need to wait on the full lab report to see just exactly what other allergens she has too. The vet just read me out the main ones, there were so many I would be intrested to find out the accuracy of these tests..

[dinahsmum]

Poor Porsha - what a list of 'donts'
However, Emma's vegan link is a start.
Also, I notice that potatoes and pasta weren't on the banned list, so they might form the bulk of any home cooked diet you give her (even if only occasionally as a break from processed).
What about oily fish - herring, whitebait etc - and shellfish?

Best of best wishes, as always

[Jac]

Oh Fran, you really have your work cut ou for you with this .
Poor Porsha I really did hope the news would be better.

[Fran]

Originally Posted by dinahsmum

What about oily fish - herring, whitebait etc - and shellfish?

The vet didn't mention those as an allergen but she only told me the main ones. She says I will get my own copy of the results so when I do I'll post up the full list and then I can plan from there on...