Cat diagnosed with IBD - Appetite Issues

[Joey's mom]

I just paid $13.63 for a box of four Cerenia pills from the vet hospital's in-house pharmacy. $45 for two boxes is pricey

I don't think probiotics would help a cat's appetite, especially not if the tummy is inflamed and hurt and the cat is nauseous.

Many people say a sprinkle of FortiFlora over food will get inappatent cats to eat. You may want to try that.

You can get meds from Chewy but need a script from the vet. I bought the probiotic I mentioned from Amazon, without a script. There's also another online site that's more reasonable but a script is needed from the vet. Can't think of the name. But if nausea, which an animal can't tell us, is interring with eating then I think a probiotic should be included with Cerenia or some other nausea preventive medication. Your cat's IBD and perhaps swollen lymph nodes could also be the cause. The vet through palpitation can determine if the intestinal lymph nodes are swollen and I believe, unfortunately, the only way to help with that is a steroid injection. I am not a person to jump into steroids, however, if a cat is still displaying normal behavior and the only noticeable problem is loss of appetite then you need to do whatever it takes to get the cat to eat. I'm really so sorry your cat is ill, we all go through this, but I dealt with kidney disease, IBD with Joey and for 3 yrs he was fine. He didn't take in much food but he ate, some days more than others. Your cat might need subq fluids that's the norm for kidney disease and if you are able to handle your cat, if he's mellow, you can give the fluids at home. A friend of mine cat suffered with kidney disease she was able to give the fluids on a daily basis which saved a lot of money. I had to continually buy the bags and have the tech do it. I am surprised your vet didn't mention subq fluids.

 

[Joey's mom]

My cat also has moderate kidney disease.

After giving him some Pepcid AC and some Cerenia this morning he still wouldn't eat. He too is not a fan of pills, so I typically opt for liquid form for meds if available.

He ate some Bonita flakes and some baby food, but in very small quantities. He's drinking plenty of water, so that's good He appears to be going through some discomfort - sitting meatloaf style or hunched often times in unusual places. I placed a call with the vet this morning, so now I'm just waiting to hear back to discuss next steps.

Hi,
I just came across an article I researched for my Joey. Maybe it might be of help/interest to you. The site is
vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/research/cobalamin-information. It contains importance of B12. Cobalamin is the med name for B12

 

[Joey's mom]

Hi,
I just came across an article I researched for my Joey. Maybe it might be of help/interest to you. The site is
vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/research/cobalamin-information. It contains importance of B12. Cobalamin is the med name for B12

how's the cat doing. Is he still on Cerenia

 

[Joey's mom]

Its' solid. So I just spoke with the vet and he is fearing the worst since he didn't respond adequately to the Prednisolone. He said it's pretty common to see that initial improvement during those first two weeks of being on the drug, but then the poor appetite returns if it's something more than IBD. We're going to try some of the Martazipine to see if that at least can get his appetite going. This is certainly not what I wanted to hear, but lymphoma was certainly a possibility. Now I have to decide if we want to pursue other options/treatments. The vet was very candid and compassionate, so I appreciated his concern. He by no means said this fight was over, just that based on what I told him it sounds like something worse than IBD.

I don't think any cat likes his mouth forced open to administer pill. Even though meds were administered through a syringe or injector, Joey's mouth had to be forced open. If you can medicate your cat that's wonderful. Have you tried some boiled white meat chicken or chicken broth. If he's not eating, perhaps you can get him to take some goats milk, for nutrients.