Dry food alternative suggestions please!

Answered Aug 15, 2022

Originally Answered: Dry food alternative suggestions please!

Hello! This is my first post.
Could you please review Nulo freeze-dried chicken & salmon or turkey & duck? Same question for Stella and Chewy raw coated kibble as a dry food alternative (to be served dry not reconstituted)

I am trying to give my cats a dry food alternative, in between their wet meals, as they have always been free fed. I was thinking freeze-dried or air-dried would be a better option than typical dry. But I am having a hard time getting one that is a similar texture to regular dry kibble.

I tried Vital Essential Nibs but they were hard as glass, so kitty would swallow it (leaving it to expand in his tummy). I’m going to try ZIWI again, but kitty wasn’t liking the jerky texture. However, he’s gained weight so he needs a different approach. But my other kitty needs to gain, or at least maintain. I’m using really high protein, low carb, medium fat recommended by Catinfo.org for the wet food (Fussie Cat Premium) line…and a bit concerned it’s all tuna based, possibly adding too much mercury to their diets.

I thought about the high reviews here of Dr. Elsey’s dry, BUT recent 2022 Chewy reviews say the formula change has really effected the quality. i did use Orijen dry for a while, but I think there was a formula changed based on my kitties softening stool.

Any suggestions or reviews of the two mentioned above, Nulo and S.C. raw coated kibble would be appreciated.
Also, both kitty’s colons are prone to loose stool. So I try to go very slow with any changes.

Thank you! D

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Mallory Crusta

Answered Aug 16, 2022

Originally Answered: Dry food alternative suggestions please!

Hello there, Deb!

While I haven't used it myself, I think your best bet might be Bixbi's Rawbble, which is meant to be a sort of dry food-freeze-dried raw hybrid. With some coconut flour added, I get the impression that the pieces are a bit lighter and softer than those stone-solid pieces you're used to from Vital Essentials, and it seems they may also be a little more cohesive than a lot of these crumbly freeze-dried products that are meant for rehydration. The ingredient list looks solid, and though it hasn't received a ton of reviews yet, it does receive positive feedback from customers and cats.

The Nulo FreeStyle freeze-dried raw also looks like it could be a promising option with a similar texture and potential as a dry meal, though, again, I've not tried it directly and can't comment from experience on the texture. The ingredient list looks excellent, though, and again, it receives great customer reviews. I get the impression that it's on the crumbly side, and people generally aren't feeding it without rehydration, but the pieces are small enough to be fed as kibble, and I think it's worth a shot.

Regarding Stella & Chewy's raw-coated kibble, eh—I'm not a huge fan. It contains lentils and peas, which is suboptimal for multiple reasons. Most raw feeders want to minimize plant protein in their cats' food, not increase it. Besides, we still haven't reached a conclusion on why grain-free foods are associated with a higher risk of DCM in dogs, and there's a chance that legumes are a part of that problem. From my estimates, Stella & Chewy's raw-coated kibble is comparably high in carbohydrates, and I overall would not recommend it as the best cat food.

Hope this helps!

- Mallory

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Dry food alternative suggestions please!

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