Since anemia can be a persistent and deadly problem for felv+ cats,
the recent recall of some of the Nutro foods is disturbing to me. The
reason given for the recall is a problem with the amounts of zinc and
potassium. Apparently too much zinc leads to copper deficiency and
anemia, although this is not particularly common in cats. I started
reading about this condition literally a few hours before Denzel died,
because one of the symptoms of copper deficiency in black cats (he
originally was solid black) is that their fur turns rust colored - by
that time Denzel was almost looking like a tortie! I didn't follow up
with the vet about what I'd been reading because all the docs who were
treating Denzel were pretty sure his anemia had to be from hemobart.
(Nothing was detected under the microscope, but I understand that's
fairly common.)
I'm definitely feeling guilty because I actually got him some of the
Nutro soft food when he started to get sick that last time, because I
liked the ingredient list. Logically I know that a couple of pouches
wouldn't cause the whole problem, but now I wonder if some of his
other food may have had a similar problem, or if he got ahold of one
of the zinc pills my mom and I were both taking for cold season.
Anyway, my reason for posting this is to let others fighting the
dreaded anemia know that this is something to check with your vets
about; maybe copper supplementation can help prolong some kitties'
lives. (But do not supplement without a vet's guidance! Cats only need
a trace amount of copper!)
-Emily (I know, I read too much for my own good!)
Sent from my iPhone
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