4 year old newly dx with IBD

[PipsRoomate]

Pip is 4.5 years old and has had episodic diarrhea every once in awhile. We go to the vet, she gets fluids and tylan and fortiflora...all ends well. Rinse repeat another few months down the line. She's been strictly wet food her entire life.

Last month we finally got all the bloods and fecal tests done as she has had another episode. Vet diagnosed with IBD and allergies/intolerance to chicken. She was given R/C hydrolyzed dry (from Wellness Turkey wet). And told if her stools become liquid give her tylan twice a day.

Her stool has stayed loose in the last 3 weeks, so I called vet and tech suggested chicken and rice. It formed up her stools for 2 days but her allergies went out of control. So Vet called and said start Tylan. Fortiflora is out because something it in makes her itchy as all get out.

Two days of Tylan brings us to yesterday, she had 2 poops back to back cow patties...then ran down the stairs and had drips of mucus and liquid poo. To the Vet we went. Not dehydrated, just her poor bum is sore.

Shes been switched to Hills d/d dry. And given metro 2x a day (7 days) and prednisolone 2x (14 days) both in pill form. I'm a wreck, she's my little heart. Add in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I'm literally a mess.

So far she has not pooped since yesterday mornings episode, she's eating and drinking. Not as playful but to be expected.

I know dry food is bad, I will switch to something wet as soon as her tummy settles. I'm just so worried, I've had cats before but this one is my little furry heart.

 

[LTS3]

Here are two good web sites with info on treating IBD:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

www.ibdkitties.net

Feline IBD - Healing can happen!

Address the root cause of IBD in your cat. Treat inflammation and gut dysbiosis with proper tools to restore health, not just manage symptoms.

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

The animal digest in FortiFlora might be chicken which could be the reason for the itchy skin. If you're using FortiFlora as a probiotic, there are others you can use, even Human probiotics. The second link above has a good section on using probiotics.

I wonder why the vet tech suggested feeding chicken and rice when your cat has a known sensitivity to chicken.

Some IBD cats have sensitivities to all forms of poultry and random ingredients in commercial cat food. You just have to feed a bland single protein food. Rawz is a popular brand of canned food that has few fillers but it's pretty expensive, as much as $2.99 for a single 5.5 oz can, and there are few online retailers that sell it if no independent pet store in your area sells it. Where to Buy | RAWZ Short of that, there are limited ingredient brands of cat food available in both dry and canned that are more affordable. I personally feed my IBD cat a commercial raw cat food.

If giving the pills is tough, try these tricks:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – Cat Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

Pill Pockets contain chicken, even the fish flavored one. There are other pill doughs you can use that don't contain chicken. I use a bacon flavored one for my cat. Compounding pred and other medicines into liquid or chew treat or other form are options.

Some IBD cats might need several different medicines to help control the flare ups in the beginning. My cat was on Flagyl, Pepcid, Cerenia, two different antibiotics, and pred. He now only needs a short course of pred maybe two or three times a year depending on symptoms.

 

[verna davies]

Try s boulardii, I've had a lot of success stopping diarrhoea with my cats. I use this one. Half a capsule twice a day and you should see a difference in 4/5 days.

Jarrow Formulas Saccharomyces Boulardii Plus MOS Vegetarian Capsules, 180-Count: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

 

[PipsRoomate]

I've got the bacon pill wraps and she's gobbling up her pills no problems.

The vet tech wasn't the smartest and I shouldn't have listened, I know better...but I was at my wits end.

My biggest concern is her dying, she's only 4. And I feel like I'm failing her.

 

[PipsRoomate]

Try s boulardii, I've had a lot of success stopping diarrhoea with my cats. I use this one. Half a capsule twice a day and you should see a difference in 4/5 days.

Jarrow Formulas Saccharomyces Boulardii Plus MOS Vegetarian Capsules, 180-Count: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

I'm definitely going to get some asap

 

[LTS3]

IBD can be managed Feel free to seek out another vet for an opinion on your cat's IBD and symptoms. Am internal medicine vet is often more helpful than a regular vet.

The MOS in the Jarrow S. Boulardii is supposedly bitter tasting to cats and some cats won't touch it even if mixed into food. There are S. Boulardii products without MOS.

 

[PipsRoomate]

IBD can be managed Feel free to seek out another vet for an opinion on your cat's IBD and symptoms. Am internal medicine vet is often more helpful than a regular vet.

The MOS in the Jarrow S. Boulardii is supposedly bitter tasting to cats and some cats won't touch it even if mixed into food. There are S. Boulardii products without MOS.

I switched to a new vet yesterday and he helped a lot. I live next to a health food store so I'll take a walk over today to get some. Also called a specialist pet store for raw, so I'm researching. She's my heart and the best fur kid I've ever had, so I'm going to try and fight like heck for her

 

[verna davies]

Let us know how she is doing

 

[LTS3]

There's a raw and home cooked forum here on TCS if you need suggestions on commercial brands to feed, how to make from scratch, etc. Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

Lots of vets don't recommend raw or home cooked for various reasons but it's ok to ignore the vet and feed what you feel is best for your cat My vet wanted me to feed Hills Z/D junk but I declined and continued feeding my cat his commercial raw diet.

I have used this brand of S. Boulardii without the MOS: DrFormulas Nexabiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii Probiotics 10 Billion CFUs (Just S boulardii), 60 Stomach Acid Resistant Capsules For regular probiotics, I used this one: Extra Care Probiotic 50 Billion

 

[PipsRoomate]

What is the difference between the S

There's a raw and home cooked forum here on TCS if you need suggestions on commercial brands to feed, how to make from scratch, etc. Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

Lots of vets don't recommend raw or home cooked for various reasons but it's ok to ignore the vet and feed what you feel is best for your cat My vet wanted me to feed Hills Z/D junk but I declined and continued feeding my cat his commercial raw diet.

I have used this brand of S. Boulardii without the MOS: DrFormulas Nexabiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii Probiotics 10 Billion CFUs (Just S boulardii), 60 Stomach Acid Resistant Capsules For regular probiotics, I used this one: Extra Care Probiotic 50 Billion

What is the difference between the S Boulardii and regular one? Do I feed only SB during flare ups? Other one all the time?

 

[LTS3]

S. Boulardii isn't a probiotic. It's a yeast that has anti-inflammatory properties.

Probiotics help the good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract work.

There a lengthy article here about both supplements: https://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/probiotics-for-cats---why-and-which-ones.html

You can feed both at the same time regardless if your cat is having a flare up or not. If your cat is taking antibiotics for any reason (IBD related or not), give probiotics 2 hours or so after the antibiotics.