Farmina Cat food Review

[@jessicaveylan4265]

I'm glad I found your video. I just forked out $1800 because my cat had a mucal plug. His kidneys were took a hit to start out with so the vet gave me a renal food. Now with his new numbers they say a urinary calm food. I had an excellent local pet food store recommend the Quinoa Urinary food. He loves it! My vet is now telling me he should be on a "urinary calm" food. The pet food store employee seems to think that the Quinoa Urinary will do the job just as well as opposed to switching to a vet prescribed specific food. I am hoping the Urinary Quina N & D will do the job.

[@AnimalDocRea]

If you like farmina they have a prescription version but the OTC quinoa is not likley to work. If your vet recommended a prescription I wouldn’t deviate from the recommendation. Obstruction is life threatening.

[@jessicaveylan4265]

​@AnimalDocRea thank you for actually answering! That is rare these days. I am looking into the urinary calm foods as we speak. Thank you! I will definitely be following and recommending your work and channel. 😊😊

[@UniQ77775]

I'm so glad you are reviewing Farmina for cats!! I have only fed my 3 cats wet food for their entire lives (10yo) They are experiencing mild kidney disease. Their SDMA looked good but the ultrasound confirmed it. My one girl is prone to urinary crystals and is strictly on hills C/D along with VetLife urinary management. My Vet doesn't feel at this time we need to drastically reduce their protein so I have them on the quinoa and prime line with the lower calcium and phosphorous levels. With the cost of living and the constant price increase with farmina it's making it impossible to keep up! I know adding some dry food would cut cost but I'm nervous about doing so. Would soaking it in water make a difference for hydration? Don't want to cause further issues and stress about their diet constantly:( I was thinking of only adding a 1/4 cup daily . Both you and Glen have been a wealth of information!!!

[@AnimalDocRea]

You may want to consider adding the purina hydrocare. It draws water into the cells and yes soaking is good.

[@UniQ77775]

@AnimalDocRea Do you freeze the dry food even after opening it or putting the entire bag in a sealed container enough to preserve it?Thank you for the advice already in the cart:)

[@AnimalDocRea]

@UniQ77775 it’s not freeze dried, it’s just in the freezer

[@UniQ77775]

@AnimalDocRea Sorry for the confusion. My question is, do I leave the bag of kibble in the freezer even after I open it ?

[@AnimalDocRea]

@UniQ77775 you would section off into smaller portions

[@edschulhof6303]

Another straight forward video. I love the charts. Just the facts! On Monday, we had a 4.4 earthquake. It was a reminder to have an earthquake preparedness kit.. We are supposed to have enough food and water for each pet to last at least 3 days. Which means, wait for it, kibble! The higher cost of Farmina, compared to Simply Nourish, is substantial. Especially since Nourish is even lower with calcium (0.7%) and phosphorus. (0.5%). As always, you are the best. Thank you for a cat food review. Happy Purrsday!

[@AnimalDocRea]

Glad you fared the earthquake well. You can freeze kibble so it lasts longer since you don’t use it as often and it’s just for emergency.

[@edschulhof6303]

@@AnimalDocRea Thank you. Glad you survived Debby. 4.4 isn't much, unless it's right under you! LOL I feed Panda and Colbie a little bit of kibble every so often, just so they stay used to it. Especially since Panda is prone to throwing up food she isn't used to.

[@AnimalDocRea]

@@edschulhof6303 Well here in Florida unless its a CAT 3 or higher, its not much either.

[@AshleyKarys]

Where is Simply Nourish from? I’ve never heard of that brand before.

[@edschulhof6303]

@@AshleyKarys It is PetSmart's own brand. Dr. Rea did a review of it 3 years ago. I checked recently, the nutrient levels are still the same.

[@richarade]

Thanks for the info! Any insights about the Spirulina line? Also, I still have questions about why the neutered categories get so low score, does this mean neutered cats should not eat less fat content but fewer portions of regular maintenance food?

[@AnimalDocRea]

I’m not sure why farmina chose to alter the parameters of the neutered category outside of the standards, you may have to reach out to them. Outside of calorie restriction, there is no separate ideal range between neutered adult and non-neutered.

[@christineanna4890]

I would like your opinion of the spirulina line as well.

[@Daygomadebrian]

Would hills be better than Farmina for kittens / cat food

[@AnimalDocRea]

Not necessarily, you’d have to do a side by side nutrient analysis.

[@Daygomadebrian]

@ based on the analysis you done of both foods what do u think?

[@dejantomic913]

Hills is not better then Farmina, composition of Hills kitten food is not so good, on second place is brewers rice, on third place is pea protein, cats are carnivores, rice and corn should not be in cat food because they would not eat it in nature, protein in cat food should come from an animal source and not from a vegetable source, it is also not stated how much animal protein is in the food, when they did not state that, they can put the majority of it as protein of plant origin, cats are carnivores, plant protein cannot be one of the main ingredients of food…

[@valentinapatino8215]

Hello Dr! I hope this message finds you well. I would greatly appreciate it if you could recommend a high-quality cat food for kidney care. My vet suggested Hill’s, but I’m looking for an alternative that not only supports kidney health but also uses top-quality ingredients. I value your expertise and would love to hear your opinion on other options that balance therapeutic benefits with premium ingredient standards. I was thinking about Farmina Vet Life Renal.

[@AnimalDocRea]

I’ve not been able to get nutrient numbers from their vet life line. I’ve used royal canin LP and purina NF. If your vet suggested hills, perhaps take that nutrient profile and see if the farmina one matches but make sure to use dry matter. Always check with your vet first though. I just had a renal case relapse because the owner stopped the prescription diet and fed homemade and I’m not sure if I can get her back. Diet is the only tool we have for renal disease and it’s not about the ingredients, it’s about a very specific nutrient profile and you want a diet has data to support it. Your vet likely chose a diet that fits the exact nutrient profile Your pet needs to manage its specific biochemical abnormalities. On that note, I don’t make recommendations to manage diseases and I would take reservation in taking advice from anyone who has not personally examined your pet and reviewed the file and lab work.

[@valentinapatino8215]

@@AnimalDocRea Thank you so much for your response! You are very kind!! Since leaving the comment, I’ve watched several of your videos and gained a much deeper understanding of the importance of a proper nutritional profile, especially in critical cases like kidney disease. Although my cat is currently showing only mild symptoms, I know how crucial it is to address the issue early on. I would like to know your thoughts on a natural, homemade diet for cats, prepared under the supervision of a clinical nutrition specialist and a veterinarian . Once again, I truly appreciate your advice and support. I’ve already subscribed to your channel and look forward to learning even more from your content! 💗

[@AnimalDocRea]

Your vet can likely put you in touch with. Board certified veterinary nutritionist that can help you formulate a home cooked diet specific to your pets needs. It may also be the case that it’s not possible to formulate such a specific diet at home. You can ask your vet for a referral or you can find one by searching on acvim.org

[@matthieuvendetta]

My cats are currently on Prime Lamb. One of them is getting too fat so I want to switch to something else. Unfortunately, the Quinoa isn't being sold here. Would the N-Lamb or the N-Quail be better?

[@AnimalDocRea]

With cats obesity is best managed by 1. Calorie restriction to approx 200-300 kcal per day and this can often be augmented feeding an all canned diet as the water content feighns satiety. I’m not sure if either of the diets you mentioned would necessarily be any better than the other. I usually tell clients to do an honest calorie audit before changing diets.

[@matthieuvendetta]

@ thanks for the quick reply!

[@AnimalDocRea]

@matthieuvendetta I do what I can 😻

[@PerseRos285]

Did they recently change their compositions? I see totally different nutrition values now

[@AnimalDocRea]

Not that I’m aware of

[@mayrarivera6937]

How can I become a member? I’m a subscriber but is not letting me watch some videos

[@AnimalDocRea]

Join this channel kzbin.info/door/BE79xtb_i2bjHa-7G4rXCQjoin

[@JelsaCovelli]

First and foremost, CATS DO NOT NEED NOR DO THEY PROPERLY PROCESS GRAINS. They are obligate Carnivores meaning they MUST have primarily muscle meat and would never need a carbohydrate in order to survive let alone thrive. Anyone that would say a grain inclusive product is great for your cat is just trying to sell you something.

[@AnimalDocRea]

Thanks for your comment. Two things to reconsider 1. “Obligate carnivore” had a different meaning than what you may have been taught. You can watch this video: Cats are obligate carnivores #animalnutrition kzbin.infosMx0yksZ0Rg?feature=share also read the chapter in the text small animal clinical nutrition related to this topic for more concrete information. They 100% can utilize grain. 2. Also, grains are used to provide protein while keeping the mineral content low, this is why many high protein foods that are grain free have dangerously high minerals. I’m sorry you feel people are just trying to sell you food, but I’m only trying to re-educate pet owners from all the marketing misinformation. My channel is free so I’m not selling you anything.

[@dejantomic913]

@@JelsaCovelli so, cat in wild eat corn from field ?

[@AnimalDocRea]

@dejantomic913 cat’s In the wild don’t benefit from nutrition science and die at young ages.

[@cshatat8367]

Thanks for this video! I have a question about Carnitine descriptions. On Hill's website for example it lists one of the cat foods as having 16.4ppm Carnitine. Is there a way to convert this into mg? I don't understand what ppm means as a consumer.

[@AnimalDocRea]

Would depend on what you are trying to deduce from the number, because those units are not measuring the same thing. It’s non essential amino acid so the amount in the food has little usefulness as the body will convert or create its own in unknown quantities. If we feel a pet needs this AA as a supplement, we would dose it separate from the diet in mg/kg Wich is specific to the pet.

[@iraklikharadze]

So weird that neutered options got such low scores in the chart, even tho by looking at it there's not much of a difference except the fiber content. My cat just got 1 year old, he is a white Persian. I've started by feeding him N&D Prime Kitten, he did pretty well on it. Once I got him neutered at 7 months old, my vet recommended to move to the neutered option, so I got him a bag of N&D neutered Pumpkin-Lamb. He did veeeery well on it. Once he emptied the bag I decided to try the neutered Ocean-herring, I thought it would be good for his fur etc. I regret that decision so bad right now.... his tearing got so bad, and got some weird burnt like wound on his upper lip on the inside, then it came out to be eosinophilic granuloma aka "rodent ulcer" and vet put him on steroids and hypoallergenic food for 2 weeks. His ulcer is almost gone, eyes are sooo much better, very minimal tearing. Now I'm super confused about what to feed him(plus neutered options getting such low scores), should I go back to neutered pumpkin and lamb? since he did well on it? or I've been thinking about trying the tropical selection-lamb(since its very budget friendly), but I'm kind of traumatized now about trying the new recipes lol... (he also had Giardia long time ago) so that means he has IBD right? and transferring to new recipes is a little scary to me... Please I will take any advice from you and thank you so much for making these videos, I think you're the only one who goes into such details. ❤

[@AnimalDocRea]

Can’t he stay on the hypoallergenic?

[@iraklikharadze]

@@AnimalDocRea Thing is that when the ulcer was small and before we knew what it was exactly, they did the blood tests and eosinophils were high, they gave him dewormer and put him on just hypoallergenic (I got the Vetlife Ultrahypo), it didn't help at all. After like 3 weeks when it was visibly obvious that it was the rodent ulcer then we added the steroids and only that helped. So hypoallergenic doesn't look like a solution, tearing will still be the problem I think... Also in my country, Georgia (the country), good pet food options are quite limited...

[@AnimalDocRea]

Welcome from Georgia, how amazing the internet reach is! Yes I’m familiar with eosinophilia complex. Sometimes ssteroids or immune modulation with medications like cyclosporine are all that works.

[@ChristineClark-ft8tq]

Would love a video comparing/explaining commercial weight diets. Pro plan weight management vs Sd perfect weight vs Iams healthy weight etc :) are commercial weight management diets even necessary or effective?

[@AnimalDocRea]

Not necessary, yes effective if used properly

[@KellyP-o1d]

Is it possible to do a review on the pate cat food?

[@UntilWeRich]

💙😀 Great videos.

[@AnimalDocRea]

Thank you! 😃

[@tamarafox1585]

Thank you for the info. I tried the ancestral grains for Moses, my hairless cat, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Is food you know that it is good food, but pricey! I just receive, over the course of three days, new wet and dry food for my two cats. One is 12 year’s old and the other is two. My older is talking to her new food ( in measured doses) really well. My younger one, Moses, giving me a run for my money. He and Gracie were both getting Nutro Salmon and wild rice and now he will be getting the adult Hill’s Science Diet one year plus and Gracie getting the Hill’s Science Diet 11 years plus. Same goes for the wet food. But I think he is really going to be fighting me tooth and nail on this one for a while. It will be a battle of the wills. LOL

[@edschulhof6303]

Off topic, maybe out of your purr-view? A video on home cleaning products that are safe and those that are dangerous to dogs and cats, purr-haps? Happy Mewsday!

[@AnimalDocRea]

I’m not sure I would be able to do a video on this as I usually just advise people to follow all lable instructions for safety with pets. There is no general rule per se. When properly used and diluted to manufacture specifications most products labeled for use around pets are safe.

[@edschulhof6303]

@@AnimalDocRea Thank you. Purr-fect answer!