Can Natural Balance LID replace Royal Canin for my cat's IBD?

Question

My vet diagnosed my 11 year old cat with IBD and put her on a RX diet of Royal Canine Select Protein and a steroid cream. I have 2 other cats and feeding them all the Royal Canine is out of my budget, and I haven't had much luck feeding them separately. I was comparing ingredients between the Royal Canine and Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet cat food and they appear to be almost identical. I ultimately will do whatever is best for Ethel, I just wanted to know if Natural Balance would work. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Female | spayed | 11 years old | 8 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

The ingredients do look similar however the protein sources are different so if Ethel has a reaction to certain proteins as a cause of her IBD, it could cause issues. IBD diets usually also utilize hydrolyzed proteins in addition to novel (different) protein sources to avoid the body's immune response to the protein thus eliminating symptoms. If the food is out of your price range, I would let your vet know, and that you are interested in this other food. They may recommend a trial period of the new food to see if Ethel remains symptom-free or may be able to point you to online retailers that carry prescription diets at a lower cost that are still safe for Ethel to eat.

Can Natural Balance LID replace Royal Canin for my cat's IBD?

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