colitis

[orionsmommy]

So, Orion went to the vet cuz yesterday he came running downstairs after a poo, and I noticed blood on his bottom, but it was very mucus-y. So, the vet said it was his anal sac, and expressed it (poor baby). He said that Orion has colitis from his food change (meow mix to nutro hairball formula), and tried to give him a pill (antibiotics), but Orion pretty much refused to take it.

Vet said that it will probably clear up on it's own, give it until Monday to see how he is, and keep him on the new food, as switching back would probably cause it to be worse. He's eating slightly less, but almost normal. He is walking around doing the 'sick lick' and was making little gags..but that has improved. He's also not hanging out in the tub acting sad anymore. I am worried though that he is still licking his chops all over the place, yanno? Vet also said his tummy felt fine, and all that

I was just wondering if anyone else has experiences with thier cats getting this? I know he's not feeling all that great, but he's playing normally and is only a little off. I really like our vet(s) and trust that his information is solid, but I'm a nervous cat mommy, and want to make sure I'm doing everything I can.

I also bought some stuff called the missing link, that is a food supplement that promotes good digestion and such. Anyone every heard of it? I'm not giving it to him, and if Orion goes back to the vet monday, I'm gonna take it with me, and see what he says.

SO, any words would make this overbearing kitty mommy happy. =)

Love,
Spring and Orion

 

[sandie]

Most vets use the term colitis to say there's been an upset either in the stomach or digestive tract. They can have blood in the stool for several reasons, but the less serious and more common are ingesting something rough or a string, stool being too hard to pass, infected anal glads, or coccidia. I would go with your vet as long as you feel he/she is making sure they cover all the bases.

 

[orionsmommy]

Orions a big eater of anything stringlike he can manage to scrounge up, so I was concerned about a blockage. The vet did say, though, that the stool had no overt blood, and there were no parasites, so that made me happy. So, the bloody mucusy junk was from the anal glands.

Those anal glands look like little pimples on thier bums, right?

Spring and Orion

 

[sandie]

Well, you cant actually see the anal glands unless they are VERY inflamed. They sit just inside, one on each side. Sometimes when they go to the bathroom and it's a very firm stool, it can irritate the glads, and you get a little blood.

 

[hell603]

i know it is scary to see blood for the first time - i almost had a panic attack. anyway, if it is collitis then the blood came from an irritation in the large colon - that's why the blood was bright red. my boy has collitis, we tried almost everything but i refused to give him cortison shots this early in life. a lot of the time collitis can be managed by additional fiber in the diet. i now have him on science diet for sensitive stomachs and I am adding psyllium to his wet food - so far so good - no irritation, no soft stool, no blood.

Hope this helps!

 

[orionsmommy]

Well, I started putting that Missing Link in his food..it has added fiber, and omega-3 and some other good stuff.

I havn't seen any more bloody stool, although he is still behaving a little sick, and last night was hacking like he was going to have a furball, and today brought up just a tiny amount of what looked like water with a little digested food.

Also, he just went to the litter box, and only made one tiny, rather smelly little poo. He usually (pardon my graphicness) puts quite a load in there at a sitting.

I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't try switching his food over to something else...maybe to the science diet.

Is it possible that he just can't tolerate the nutro?

I plan on updating the vet tommorow morning.

I hate seeing him walking around lickin his lips and whining to himself.

Love,
Spring and Orion

 

[hell603]

Well, My Loki certainly could not tolerate Nutro - that is why I put him on Science Diet for sensitive stomachs.

 

[hell603]

Orionsmom - how is he and what did the vet say?

 

[orionsmommy]

Well, the vet put him on the z/d food. It's pricey, but oh my gosh, Orion loves it!

You know how you're supposed to switch gradually? Well, that's pretty much out the window, because he eats around the old stuff to scarf up the new stuff. When he ate all the new in his dish the other night, he jumped on the counter, and dumped the new bag over to feast on what fell out!

He's peeing and pooing, but he did have a dirty butt last night and had to get a bath. So, we'll see in a few days how the poopies look as he adjusts to the new food.

I did notice he isn't scratching his ears as much, which is something he has done since he's been a baby..so now i'm wondering if he's always had a food sensitivity, and this new prescription stuff would have been a good idea from the get go...his poo has always been a little soft, just particularly bad with the hairball stuff. So, I definitely wonder now.

Things seem to be good now, and I'll let everyone know in a week or so how the adjustment has been.

Thanks and Love,
Spring and Orion