Testimonial Interview #3: Michele Lillace & Princesse
About
Name: Michele Lillace
Cat: Princesse, 12 years old
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Currently Eating: Primal Nuggets, beef & salmon
Full Testimonial
"After spending thousands of dollars on tests, biopsies, medication and the like over the past decade, Monique and staff at Acadia Tail Blazers solved Princesse's blood-deep rashes: a raw diet free of bird! We are deeply grateful. The benefits to Princesse far outweigh the heightened cost of her new food, which is triple her past diet. Princesse's coat is restored with silky shine and her smile is back in her beautiful crystal-green eyes. THANK YOU! No more cone of shame, only happiness and freedom!"
Read below for Princesse's full story:
Interview
1. What are some of Princesse’s favourite activities?
Her and her brother had outdoor time for the first 8 years. When we started getting bobcats and coyotes more often, they remained indoor cats. She loves climbers, scratchers, looking out windows, bird and squirrel watching. She is very playful! She will find a small crumb, play hockey, toss it and keep herself entertained. She even knows a few tricks (tricks for treats) - sit, raise paw, rolls, and is currently working on play dead.
2. Does Princesse have any quirks?
If you leave something small (ie. little paperclip) on desk, she will hunt it down and take it off the desk to play. When guests are seated around the table/couch, she will visit everyone's lap, one by one. She's very sociable! Always greets us at the door and rolls over for belly rubs.
3. When/why did the first tests start?
Her and her brother were adopted as kittens (out of 4). From the beginning, she would get what looked like alopecia and was losing blocks of fur. At about 3 years old, she stopped eating only a few days before Christmas. We went for different opinions at several vets, but none saw any issues.
The decision was made for her to go for surgery but still, nothing was found. This resulted in over 2 months of rehab for her to learn to eat again. Initially she was being fed through a neck tube (esophagostomy tube) to ensure she was receiving nutrients. Eventually I was hand feeding her pellet by pellet. Finally, she was feeling great and everything looked good until she started getting rashes. We began trying different foods - avoiding corn, fillers, etc. She was scratching so much that she was giving herself scabs and open wounds. After already spending thousands between all vet bills and surgery, a biopsy was done that confirmed she had an allergy, but not to what. We tried vitamin B injections, steroids and for a small time we had her on supplements, but we didn't want to overload her body with extras as we tried to find the source of the allergy.
Fast forward about a year following the biopsy, I discovered Tail Blazers Acadia when walking by with a neighbour. The team there is wonderful, and we once again put on an investigative lens, they brainstormed with me for different products and proteins and eventually we decided to remove all bird. Once we got to Primal, we knew we had found the perfect match and these were the right ingredients. Now she is almost completely asymptomatic, her whole spirit and playfulness came back, and she now has a shiny, full coat again.”
Send your stories on how we have helped your pet to info@tailblazerspets.com