Ibd Degrees?

We had the vet come out today to see two of our six. The good news- she's not hearing the heart murmur in our male cat. The bad news is that she thinks our Choo has IBD. She said she felt it was mild IBD. So my question is are there degrees of IBD? We always suspected IBD or IBS but as you know it's a diagnoses that comes out of ruling out other ailments; it has no specific test.

I read stuff online about IBD and it sounds fatal but my vet did not seem to act like this was a death sentence. The cat has symptoms regularly but not all the time so she wants to work on diet and does not feel she needs steroids. She recommends metroandizole (sp?) when the cat is symptomatic but we have not been able to get those pills into her- and we work at a cat shelter where we medicate unwilling cats- she's just not a good cat to pill. We have a lot of tricks up our sleeve but she outsmarts us. She is stronger than us and possibly smarter. She does't want pill pockets or treats. She only likes cat food. We have used this vet for years now and she's never ever recommended a prescription diet before whereas the vet practice we go to throw these diets at us like rice at an 80's wedding.


I really do trust this vet. We have a practice we go to and a mobile vet and I find I get the best care and information from the mobile vet. I don't feel we get the same level of care from the vet practice. So the vet we really trust wants me to try the cat on a prescription diet for now and that is science diet ID. If that fails we try higher fiber diets from brands like royal canin.

We tried a lot of foods with this cat because of her vomiting issues and now starting over playing with foods feels overwhelming. We are multi-cat- we have 6 so feeding one cat a different diet feels like a pipe dream but this is what we must do and of course we are worried for her.

But really what I want to know is are there degrees of IBD? Can diet really help? And beyond that how worried do we need to be?

Hi! Maybe these links below will help - can you obtain a chip activated feeder for her?

I don't know about degrees, or stages, of it. I believe diet and probiotics can help.

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Feline IBD

Hi. I don't have any experience with this, but I have read so many posts on this site about cats with IBD. So, I am very hopeful that some of them will soon see your post and offer you their first hand knowledge of it, and the diets they have tried with their cats.

Just be patient and while you wait - hang in there!

If it will help while you wait, you can look through some of the posts about it if you want: Search Results for Query: ibd | TheCatSite

I don't think there are "degrees" or "grades"of IBD, like how heat murmurs are graded one through six depending on severity. It's you either have IBD or you don't.

Metronidazole (Flagyl) is an antibiotic. It's somewhat helpful for IBD but won't control the inflammation. It has a nasty taste cats don't like. Since your cat won't take pills, you can get it compounded into a different form. Wedgewood Pharmacy has these available: https://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/search/metronidazole.html There's a topical gel option if something like flavored chew treats won't work.

IBD is typically treated with a combo of meds and diet. Over time, as the cat's condition improves, diet may be the only thing needed. It's been a year since my cat's IBD diagnosis and he has been managed with just non-prescription diet since last October He started with pred, Flagyl, Cerenia, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, omeprazole. Not all at once

Here are some articles with current treatments of IBD you can read and share with your vet:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0596/61c40db58ade75ce42d5c0837fce234420a2.pdf
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.864.4840&rep=rep1&type=pdf
http://www.dvm360storage.com/cvc/pr...al Medicine/Webb/Webb, Craig_IBD_Lymphoma.pdf

YES, there are degrees of IBD...and I have had cats with the full range...mild to severe. The degree of severity is determined by an ultrasound. A "mild" IBD may show a mild thickening of the muscalaris layer of the small or large intestine. A "moderate" IBD will show a moderate amount of thickening of the muscularis layer of the small or large intestine. A "severe" IBD will show an extensive degree of thickening of the intestines and/or severe fibrosis to sclerosis.

Uncontrolled IBD, whether mild or severe, can morph into Small Cell Lymphoma, as I have experienced.

Cats with IBD may also get Pancreatitis, Liver or Gall Bladder diseases as these organs are all intertwined.

The thickening of the intestinal tract is usually the result of inflammation caused by a food allergy. IBD is a chronic disease. It cannot be cured, but can be effectively managed.

If the IBD is caught very early and determined as "mild", a change in food eliminating the allergenic component may be all that is needed. This step alone, may halt the inflammatory process, however, much vigilance is required.

If the IBD has initially progressed beyond the mild stage, a steroid may be required to beat back the inflammation and halt further progression of the disease. The steroid is usually given in high dose initially and tapered back to the dosage which keeps the inflammation fully under control. I have a 17 year old cat at this stage on my lap as I type. She has been very well controlled for over three years.

Once IBD is determined to be "severe" upon ultrasound and symptoms, the cat is started on a high dose of steroid to try to beat back the inflammation as much as possible and KEEP it under control. Once the cat is stabilized, the steroid dosage can often be tapered back, but not eliminated.

As for your questions: yes, diet can help. A "Limited Ingredient" diet (one where the protein source is novel, or one that your cat has not built up allergic reaction to) can be of help. This could be rabbit, duck, kangaroo, or other unique protein sources. Also, no grains, gums, glutens, BPA's or carageenans in the food is helpful. Probiotics can be helpful too as can Vitamin B-12 shots.

As for how worried you need to be: like any chronic disease, you need to be constantly vigilant for any progression; changes in your cat's appetite, weight, energy levels, paying particular attention to any vomiting and/or changes in bowel habits. I would work very closely with your vet going forward.

A site I have found very helpful when coping with IBD is www.ibdkitties.net. It is a wealth of information.
All here who have been down the rocky road of IBD can be of help based upon personal experience.

We all wish Choo a long, high quality of life...which is indeed possible when IBD is well controlled.

You should not view this as a death sentence! It’s a chronic inflammation of the GI tract, and as babiesmom5 wrote, there are varying degrees of severity. Diet plays such a significant role in this condition that some cats are successfully treated through diet alone. There are also different types of IBD based on the predominant type of immune cells present, which is determined through biopsies.

Whoever told you that there are no specifics tests was not entirely correct, since the histopatholgy of GI biopsied tissue will show the presence of the inflammatory cells. The biopsy results along with other tests like ultrasound and bloodwork, and the symptoms, are how you get to a more definitive diagnosis. Without the biopsies, it is more of a diagnosis of exclusion. There is no one-time easy positive/negative test from stool, blood, etc.

Was Choo’s diagnosis based solely on the vomiting symptom?