Constant Vomiting

[tonim68]

My poor Jake is just about 10 years old and in general good health. However, he vomits alllll the time (God bless the Bissell Spot Bot). I have taken him to the vet and he says he's just fine... he's been poked and prodded and xray'd - there are no blockages, no fevers and he seems ok. Jake is quite lively - he does eat (or at least wants to); he drinks; his coat is shiny; he's happy (ears and tail up and lovey) and he's not hiding. But he's constantly vomiting. I have changed his food a couple times over the last couple months to no avail. In fact, I changed his food last night to the very expensive Blue Buffalo Basics Grain Free Turkey and Potato Recipe and he's thrown up at least a dozen times today. Tried feeding him wet food today too and he turned his nose up at it. Poor little guy wants to eat but each time he does, it just comes right back up. I'm at my wits end.

Oh and by the way, his brother Jake... 25 pounds and eats anything put in front of him. Rarely vomits.

I'm at a loss. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Please.

 

[simka]

Poor Jake, and poor you! Has your vet suggested any other tests?  He must be concerned. That's not good for his stomach and he could get dehydrated.

I'm assuming he's had a blood test to rule our infections, liver problems, etc. etc.

Can you ask the vet for anti-nausea medication? Cerenia is really good and comes in both injectable (subq - but it really stings!) and pill form. I've used it a number of times on my CRF foster and a few others and it's always worked right away. If there is absolutely nothing wrong with Jake perhaps stopping him vomitting via medication might re-set his systems.

Good luck!
 

 

[tonim68]

I feel so helpless. He just threw up three times AGAIN. Poor little guy. He's got nothing left. I'm taking him to a different vet tomorrow. This is ridiculous.

I hope to get some sort of resolution from someone new since the vet he's been going to since day one has come up with nothing. Neither of us can live like this. I want to cry.
 

 

[sugarcatmom]

Is he regurgitating undigested food, or vomiting up something more liquidy? When does he barf (right after he eats? all the time?)?

Have you tried any other canned foods? What about raw?

 

[princessesme]

I'm so sorry Jake is puking so much! I sure hope he feels better soon!

I agree with the above poster, Cerenia is really good for nausea. I have had them give it to them thru a shot so they could have immediate relief. Could it be some sort of sensitivity? Or allergies?

I also just wanted to add, when I fed Esme Blue Buffalo, she vomited a lot and I had to return it.

Do you have some combinations of brands and flavors for wet? I know some kitties can be very picky with wet.

We had a lot of issues with Naku vomiting, he ended up having an inflammed colon and once we switched him to an all wet diet (without poultry) he has stopped vomiting (2 months vomit free ) It took some trial with foods and flavors for ours.

Keep us all updated! Sending vibes for you and Jake!!!

 

[tonim68]

Most of the time its partially digested food... although since last night it's not digested at all. I guess he doesn't like the pricey blue buffalo (this stuff is supposed to be limited ingredient). He keeps going to the bowl to eat so I know he's hungry but he just throws it back up. His brother Elwood has no issue whatsoever. But poor Jake is just a puke machine. He's been like this for years (sometimes fine for weeks... then a mess for days) but lately he's just out of control.

I dont know if its sensitivity or allergies... which is why I've changed the food several times for him. Interesting that Blue Buffalo cause Esme to vomit. It's supposed to be very good. hmmm....

I've never tried raw... raw as in boiled chicken and rice, sort of thing????

I havent tried any other wet foods, yet. But I've had it... if I can get him in, tomorrow he's going to a new vet and I'm getting (yet more) different food. Thank God I can return the food he wont eat (who knew!)

I was crying tonight when he jumped on my lap! I don't know what else to do for my poor little guy. 

 

[simka]

Very, very glad you can go to another vet. We have all been there, feeling helpless and frustrated, wishing they could tell us how it hurts and when and why.
 

 

[alleygirl]

Poor kitty

It may be that he is allergic to the chicken and turkey and would do better on a limited ingredient food without those proteins. It could be anything in his food though if its an allergy.

I definitely agree to take him to another vet ASAP since he can do downhill very quickly not eating like that. They can give him something for the nausea to help settle his tummy while they figure out what is wrong with him.

Please update us when you know something. Sending lots of vibes his way

 

[tonim68]

Taking Jake to a new vet this afternoon. The first question I was asked was "has he ever been tested for allergies?" THIS is why I'm taking him to a new place. Poor little guy. Thank you all for your kind words and very very helpful advice. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

 

 

[ldg]

Well, testing for allergies in cats (according to my vets) is unreliable.

It sounds very much like he's developed sensitivities to something in the food. The best way to determine if this is the problem is a limited ingredient diet where you feed him one protein at a time, and a food with as few ingredients as possible. I don't know if you're feeding wet or dry or both. But Nature's Variety has single-ingredient canned food that include proteins you probably haven't been feeding him: rabbit, duck, venison. Or you can try JUST turkey. And they now have a limited-ingredient turkey dry food. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244224/nv-has-new-limited-ingredient-dry-food-no-chicken

I would also consider asking the vet about putting him on a raw diet with single protein sources. If he has IBS or IBD, or just food sensitivites, this may go a long way to helping resolve the problem (or resolving the problem altogether) as it gives you control and eliminates all additives (which are often a source of the problem).

Vibes for you and your boy.

 

[tonim68]

Just wanted to give and update... Took Jake to the new vet. After much poking and prodding; questions and discussion and samples of blood and urine - so far I know this: Jake has lost 5 pounds in the last 6 months (not good); there doesn't seem to be a blockage; tests came back good with the exception of what looks like the start of kidney disease (which is obviously unrelated to original issue, but will be addressed); additional tests will be done; dr is concerned about possible digestive/intestinal issues (will be looked into further); two shots were given to control sensitive tummy and I will follow up on Tuesday to see next steps. The shots have helped as Jake is eating a bit and keeping it down. He's still bright eyed and tail up but I can see he's not "himself". We're controlled for the next couple days and we'll follow up with the vet more next week.

Thank you everyone for your advise and support. You gave me a lot of good questions to ask the vet and I am so appreciative. Will keep you posted on how little Jake is doing.

PS. His brother Elwood is being very lovey to Jake, and Jake is actually letting him. Which is very unlike Jake which is another reason I know something is wrong.

 

[carolina]

Oh my... you really really should consider a raw diet....
There is a member here whose kitty was vomiting 5-10 times a day
After being on raw, has vomited once in months, and already gained the weight back he was supposed to gain.... The kitty was not doing good at all.... http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244455/our-kitties-on-raw-the-updates-thread#post_3205878 here is her transition to raw: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/242212/just-another-starting-raw-thread
I also have one with IBD, Raw pretty much saved him.
Just a though - it can be a turn point, some time make a HUGE difference - I am sure it is saving my kitty Bugsy

 

[tonim68]

Ok so now... what constitutes a "raw" diet?

 

[carolina]

Answering from my phone, so I can't really post links.... A raw diet means basically feeding the kitty a species appropriate diet- as an obligate carnivore, that means a diet based on raw meat, organs and bones. You can do that different ways, you can buy it ready, online or in good pet stores, ground and balanced, or, you can feed a diet that try to imitate a pray diet, with meats from the supermarket, or the butcher- which is what I do.
I started with commercial ground, now I feed chunks of meat. I do not feed bones, my cats get a calcium supplement.
Many of us feed raw here, and would be happy to help you....
Because there is nothing in the meat that The kitty can't digest, or that doesn't belong in his natural diet, there is nothing to cause inflammation.... The health benefits are tremmendous, especially for an Ibd kitty!
Will be back a little later with more info

 

[just mike]

I'm not sure immediately changing you cat's diet in mid stream is the way to go but not being a vet I'm not sure.  It would seem like the right thing to do but again, I just don't know.  My senior cat, Hoot is now developing the same issues you have described above.  Almost exactly except for one detail and that is the enormous hair balls she's puking up all of a sudden.  I tried the pumpkin routine and she won't touch it.  She's been to the vet 3 times this past week.  I have complete faith in my vet.  He's up on the current nutrition and he is heavily involved in dog and cat rescue groups.  So I trust him.  He also indicated allergy testing may not be all that accurate.  I'm giving her this stuff called Laxaide (I think that is how it is spelled) the vet gave me and it really is helping her.  It's expensive.  About $17 for a small tube of it.  I put it on her paws and she licks it off.  Next week we go on the maintenance with this stuff and see if it works.  So far, it seems to be really working.  I did ask the vet about a dietary change or a raw diet for her and he said not right now.  He wants to try to see if we can control this and do more testing before making that kind of a decision.  Just FWIW. 
 

 

[carolina]

Mike, I am sorry you are going through these issues.... The "not right now" approach made my Bugsy suffer a whole LOT, unnecessarily..... That, unfortunately, was my own fault, as I was the one who was against a raw diet.... not even my vet - he is all for it. He is 100% certain cats should be eating meat as carnivores. I work with 2 vets now, his regular vet, and I also took him to a holistic vet, to oversee his diet....
Neither here nor there, I know how you feel about raw..... I know how many vets feel..... And I have seen first hand the life-saving effects on a cat who is in trouble. So, if your baby doesn't make improvements, keep that in mind.... give it a try - you might be surprised how quickly it works!
For Bugsy, on his first day on 100% he was free of his diarrhea...... after 14 months of daily diarrhea.... of trying every single drug and treatment in the planet - to the point of trashing his liver.

So yes, when simply changing the diet for what your kitty is intended to eat.... meat! can improve their health that much..... why not? :dk:
Raw is not mystic.... is not something from out of this world.... it is what they are supposed to eat - which is why it works :nod:

The OP's cat has been like this for years, and has lost 5 lbs in the last 6 months.... "Right Now" seems the right time IMHO for a change of diet..... This is not good..... It is a lot of weight to loose, and way, way too long with this problem already.....

Anyways, to the OP - there is a lot of information here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

and here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/241623/raw-transition-resources-thread

Feel free to ask any questions, any questions at all.... The amount of information can be overwhelming, but it is not rocket science, I promise! :nod:

 

[ldg]

Ok so now... what constitutes a "raw" diet?

Here's a short discussion of why a raw diet: http://rawfedcats.org/feedingraw.htm
Here's another site worth giving a read (I linked to the section on IBD, but you can just scroll back up to start at the beginning): http://catinfo.org/#Inflammatory_Bowel_Disease_(IBD)

Dr. Pierson (DVM) (CatInfo.org) shares her recipe for ground. But here's a short discussion of a prey model raw diet: http://rawfedcats.org/nature.htm

And, of course, the easiest is simply buying raw frozen commercially prepared food. I expect there are a number of pet stores in and around Suffern. Local shops rather than chains tend to be the ones to carry commercial raw foods. The most widely distributed are Nature's Variety, Bravo (for the complete and balanced foods, you'd need Bravo Balanced), Stella & Chewy's (the frozen raw dog food is appropriate for cats, it has taurine added and is made of 95% meat/bones/organs and 5% "other stuff," like many commercial raw foods - the same as NV, in fact), and Primal. Feeding commercial raw is much like feeding canned food - only without all the additives (because the nutrition hasn't been cooked out of the food), the inappropriate protein sources (pea fiber, etc.) , and it doesn't need fiber, emulsifiers, or flavorings Just stick the portion you're going to feed in a baggie, dethaw it for a few minutes in cool water, and it's ready-to-go.

 

[dianev66]

One problem with processed foods is that it takes the body a long time to breakdown and digest the food.  As cats mature it becomes increasingly difficult for them to absorb protein from the years of their body having to work so hard to breakdown and absorb the processed foods. That is the reason for smelly cat boxes.  Cats on a raw diet have virtually no feces odor because they are absorbing the nutrients.  Cats have a very short digestive period and will often eliminate before their bodies are able to breakdown the food.  That is why you see many senior cats with muscle wasting or sarcopenia.  Also because sarcopenia seems to be linked to chronic renal failure in cats and it is believed that dry cat foods are the leading cause of CRF.  Since it sounds like your kitty may be in the early stages of renal failure I would get him off dry food immediately. No matter the quality of the dry food, dry food is not an appropriate diet for our pets and that includes dogs as well.  I would not wait to begin the raw diet and it sounds like it may be a bit of a challenge since your kitty doesn't like wet food but it can be done and the results are amazing. Also, I would recommend probiotics.

I feed Rad Cat and my cat loves it.  If you can find it locally or order it I think that would be your best bet to try and transition your cat to a raw diet.  I have tried several different raw foods and my cat won't touch them.  I use a small glass dish with a BPA free lid and run warm water in a bigger dish and sit the glass dish in there so the food isn't cold from the fridge.  Our cats original diet isn't frozen and some cats will reject the food simply because it is cold.

Once your cat is on a wet food or raw diet you can look at the BUN again since dehydration can cause an elevation in BUN.

So things to rule out as cause of vomiting:

lymphoma

renal failure

food allergies

environmental allergies

IBD

I would also do a chest x-ray if it hasn't been done already.  

 

[carolina]

I agree with Rad Cat 100% - IMHO the best commercial food, and best for transitioning kitties.....
Can be purchased online, btw....

 

[rafm]

I have a vomit kitty and the only thing we have found that works for him is to limit his intake. He is fed wet food 3x a day, about 1-2 oz at a time. He is given dry 'treats' a couple times a day (about 10-15 pieces). Anything more at a setting and he vomits. We are feeding EVO wet and dry and he has done remarkably well on it. I tried raw and he couldn't even eat an ounce at a time without vomiting. I don't know why he had such a difficult time with it but since he's gone on 100% EVO, he's done very well.

Has your kitty had his thyroid checked?