Diahorrea/mucus/possible Ibd - And Not Much Help From The Vet!

[cifelliac]

I think I have to disagree with cifelliac regarding the dry food.. unless it is novel protein.. Dry food is notorious for having many added junk to it..

Wet food is much better for cats.

This was in regards to when they have diarrhea. In my year in the shelter system, when cats have diarrhea and we remove wet food generally the diarrhea stops.

Overall, yes, wet food is WAY better then dry food, but not when they are having loose stools. Once the problem is diagnosed I would recommend they introduce wet food again to the diet.

 

[cat princesses]

I agree with staying away from dry food, I firmly believe it caused my cat's CKD and also my other cat who is now diabetic is almost a non diabetic just from taking her off all dry food. I believe in an all wet food diet or raw.

 

[maggiedemi]

I agree with the others, I wouldn't take away wet food, not even for one day. My cats can't eat all dry food without getting very dehydrated and then the peeing problems start.

 

[alzycat]

Alzycat I'm really sorry to hear about your cat. How is she now, and how do you treat her? I will check with our vet about ultrasound - although I think they said she still has to have a general anaesthetic to have a scan, which I'm worried to put her through, especially as she seems happy in herself and is eating well etc. It's tricky because as you say I don't want to leave it until it becomes serious, but equally I don't want to put her through a procedure involving anaesthetic unless it's essential - I really worry about that! It's worrying either way really.

She is doing great now! We still don't know if it's IBD or Lymphoma but she wouldn't be able to do chemo anyway so I saw no point in doing the biopsy and putting her through that stress. She has been on Prednisolone, which is a steroid used to treat inflammation typically in IBD, since the beginning of January. It has worked wonders for her- she has gained over 2 pounds and is back at a healthy weight, she has a good appetite, no more diarrhea, no more vomiting (aside from a few random instances, but that is expected) and she is as playful and as happy as can be. She also gets B12 injections once per month, which have helped as well. We're not sure how much time she has left if it's lymphoma- diagnosis is typically around 6 months without chemo- but I'm just happy she's enjoying her life now and that I get more time with her.

Why would your cat need to be put under anesthetic for an ultrasound? Does she get stressed at the vet? My cat gets VERY stressed at the vet but they managed to do it without putting her under (the first time.. she had two ultrasounds and needed to be put under for the next one, but she was getting a LOT of tests done and was even more stressed). Maybe a sedative would be a better option so she just gets more calm but isn't completely knocked out?

Have you noticed any weight loss? That that the first big red flag with my cat- she was still eating fine, but we noticed she was becoming skin and bones. That can indicate IBD as the thickening of the intestines makes it so they can't absorb nutrients properly, even though they are still eating.