Ibd Advice

[IAcatlady]

My cat Harley is around 8 years old. Since last July, she has had chronic diarrhea. I have three other cats that have had diarrhea in the past but never like this. Her poop is total liquid and it will leak out her butt when she jumps or at times even when she just walking around. She does not vomit and in every other way is acting normal. Her first vet visit was a few days after it started. They put her on Flagyal and did a parasite test and an x ray. All came back normal. The metronidazole worked in that it made her poop not leak from her butt but it was still total liquid. I called the vet and they prescribed another round of medicine. It did the same thing. It made it a little better, however as soon as she was off it was worse than before she could not even make it to the litter box some of the time. We went back to the vet this time they did a blood test, a hyperthyroid test, and tested for more parasites. All were normal. The vet suggested one more round of metronidazole and put on Pancur just in case she had parasite they were seeing. Same result her diarrhea did not get better and a day after she was off it was worse than before. So back to the vet this time he gave her a shot of Depo Medrol. That worked, her poop was actually firm for the first time in months. This was around October. At that point the vet said she most likely had IBD however since I did not have a biopsy done he is not for sure. He put on Hills W/D food and Forti Flora. The vet put her on prednisolone 5 mg twice a day once the shot wore off. I gave her liquid, this never got her poop firm and it was very hard for me to give her medicine every day so since there was the shot option I went with that. At first, she needed the shot every 3 ½ weeks but then it went to where she needed it every 2 weeks, but now the shot does not help at all. Her poop is total liquid all the time. She is still on the W/D food and Forti Flora but it does not help. I had the vet test for tritrichomonas foetus just to make sure it was not that and I got the results yesterday and it was not I knew that chances were small that it would be that but I thought maybe that would be it.

The vet said yesterday he could put back on the prednisolone and either metronidazole or Chlorumbucil.

I am not really sure how to proceed from here. She hates getting pills, after a few days she hides every time I get up from a chair or anytime I come close to her. So giving her pills twice a day everyday just seems impossible. I need some advice. Is there a better food she should be eating? I tried raw but she would not touch it. I know Forti Flora is not the best probiotic for cats but I tried a human one with S. Boullari in and she wouldn’t eat in her food. I am very overwhelmed and I feel I am not being a very good ‘mom’ to my cat because I do not know how to help her. Also for those that have to give pills everyday how do you do it without them being scared of you?

I have posted on here before about her situation and got great responses but since there is new information I wanted to get input again. Thank you in advance to any advice.

 

[Heebeeweebee]

That's a tough situation. My cat passed recently, but suffered with IBD for the two years I had him. Sounds like the vet is doing everything that my vet also tried (metronidazole, high fiber prescription diet, steroids, probiotics). My cat had the same thing - something new would improve him, but it would never seem to last long. I have 3 suggestions for you to think about discussing with your vet, based on what you posted:

1) There's a chewable B12 vitamin that IBD cats can take, which helps them absorb more nutrients from the food. This won't stop the liquid poop, but it helps them in general.
2) If your cat doesn't take pills easily, there is a "treat" form of prednisolone - my cat loved the different flavors. It's more expensive, but easier to give.
3) Has your vet brought up the possibility that the IBD could have resulted in lymphoma? When my cat stopped responding to basically every IBD treatment, my vet mentioned that lymphoma was a possibility.

Good luck!! I know it's hard when there's poop everywhere and no one seems to have a solution.

 

[IAcatlady]

Thank you for your post. I'm very sorry for the loss of your cat.

I was not aware there was a 'treat' way to give prednisolone. I will ask the vet about that. The vet did say it could be lymphoma and the only way to tell the difference is a biopsy. I don't want to do that to her.

I'm sorry to ask this but I am trying to get a handle of how sick my cat is. She acts totally fine and is eating good she seems healthy except for the diarrhea. I guess I'm wondering what will eventually happen if the vet can't find a combination of medicine that works , like symptom wise. And how will I know she is getting sicker.

 

[duckpond]

I am sorry about your cat! Wishing you guys the best luck.

If you want to try something different, my son has a cat that sounds like yours. 2 years or so of meds, prescription foods, everything the vets could think to do, and nothing helped with her diarrhea. Finally out of desperation they just started feeding fancy feast classics. Nothing else. The beef, chicken and turkey. It actually worked. they have only fed this food for almost 2 years now, and as long as they stick to the ff classics she is fine. There was a time or two they tried other foods, to see if she could handle some other "better" foods. She cannot, just a day or two off the FF classics and the diarrhea is back. No idea if it will work for your cat, just something to try. maybe run it by your vet?

 

[Heebeeweebee]

The vet did say it could be lymphoma and the only way to tell the difference is a biopsy. I don't want to do that to her.
I'm sorry to ask this but I am trying to get a handle of how sick my cat is. She acts totally fine and is eating good she seems healthy except for the diarrhea. I guess I'm wondering what will eventually happen if the vet can't find a combination of medicine that works , like symptom wise. And how will I know she is getting sicker.

No problem, I'm happy to try to help. For a little more context on my situation - Charlie (my cat) was at least 14-15 years old, and I never did the biopsy to confirm (I agree, it seemed like a lot to put a cat through). Here are some of the things that were red flags to me as his IBD became unmanaged:

-Blood streaks in the liquid poop
-"Nothing working" - liquid poop no matter what I tried
-Vomiting
-Crying after going to the bathroom (pain)
-He would hunch his back a bit, which I guess they do when their stomach hurts
-Weight loss
-Refused to drink water
-Weakness, wanted to be left alone

One thing to keep an eye on for cats on prednisolone is the development of diabetes - if you notice her back feet are very low to the ground, or that she is having weakness in the back legs, it might be good to have her blood sugar checked.

If she's eating good and otherwise healthy/happy (and only 8 years old), I would still feel hopeful! If things get worse, you'll notice. I'm sure other people have had experience with this as well, and they can share what they saw with their own cats!

 

[Timmer]

Hi. I'm sorry for what you are going through and I understand your frustration and feeling helpless and probably a bit lonely. My Timmer was diagnosed with IBD in January and he passed away within two weeks after diagnosis. It was suspected as early as late November, but I did not have the colonoscopy and biopsy done until Jan. 10th because of the cost and part of it was denial on my part.

His situation was the opposite. His lower GI walls became so thickened he couldn't pass poop at all. He would go to the box and strain and strain. It was unbearable for me to watch. He had blood leaking from his butt and I would find drops if it around the house. I'd have to wipe his butt.

A couple of times I had to have him sedated and the stool worked out of him. Very sad time in my life and his little life. He was my soulmate, if you know what I mean.

He ate and drank fine up until the day he died. The prednisone will increase the appetite. He was a champ to give medication to and never gave me a problem at all, God bless him.

I didn't know they made prednisone treats too. See if you can get them. Prednisone is good stuff.
My experience was that the GI specialist and colonoscopy and biopsy ran us close to $4,000. And what did I learn from all that? Pretty much nothing new. I had a feeling when he first started pooping blood that this was not going to turn out well. And it didn't. I'm still paying off his medical bills.

Try some different foods for your cat. It may or may not help. I personally liked forti flora and it would help him out a lot when he did have bloody stools plus he didn't mind eating it. What about mixing a little white rice into your cat's food? That always bound mine up a bit when they get sick and it's gentle. You might see your cat start losing weight because with the stool passing so fast through the GI, the cat is not getting nutrition. I had to give Timmer B12 injections to help with that. And I also gave him chemotherapy at home. I didn't like doing that and it upset me and made me cry. In the end, he didn't respond to anything at all.

I'm so sorry.

My other kitty is very shy and I can't catch her even when she feels fine. I told our vet when I first got her that if she became ill, I wouldn't be able to treat her because of her shyness and being so skittish. There won't be any heroics or long term medications given to this one. He said "understood." It's just how it is. That probably doesn't comfort you or help you, but I want you to know you are being a good mom. Don't beat yourself up over this. When you start doing that, you aren't helping anyone. This is not your fault. A lot of parents would do far less. Your cat appreciates what you are doing too.

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

Metronidazole (flagyl) caused a liver problem for my cat. Clavamox low dose antibiotic helps. Can be on it long term. Try Budesonide steroid instead of prednisone. It does not affect other organs as much. You probably need to change food to a limited ingredient unique protein diet. If you get pet insurance it might help you pay for endoscopy to diagnose the problem. An internal medicine veterinarian is more expert in treating this condition. My kitty has had IBD for fifteen years and has managed flare ups ok. It is possible with proper diet and meds to have a happy kitty life.

 

[IAcatlady]

Hi. I'm sorry for what you are going through and I understand your frustration and feeling helpless and probably a bit lonely. My Timmer was diagnosed with IBD in January and he passed away within two weeks after diagnosis. It was suspected as early as late November, but I did not have the colonoscopy and biopsy done until Jan. 10th because of the cost and part of it was denial on my part.

His situation was the opposite. His lower GI walls became so thickened he couldn't pass poop at all. He would go to the box and strain and strain. It was unbearable for me to watch. He had blood leaking from his butt and I would find drops if it around the house. I'd have to wipe his butt.

A couple of times I had to have him sedated and the stool worked out of him. Very sad time in my life and his little life. He was my soulmate, if you know what I mean.

He ate and drank fine up until the day he died. The prednisone will increase the appetite. He was a champ to give medication to and never gave me a problem at all, God bless him.

I didn't know they made prednisone treats too. See if you can get them. Prednisone is good stuff.
My experience was that the GI specialist and colonoscopy and biopsy ran us close to $4,000. And what did I learn from all that? Pretty much nothing new. I had a feeling when he first started pooping blood that this was not going to turn out well. And it didn't. I'm still paying off his medical bills.

Try some different foods for your cat. It may or may not help. I personally liked forti flora and it would help him out a lot when he did have bloody stools plus he didn't mind eating it. What about mixing a little white rice into your cat's food? That always bound mine up a bit when they get sick and it's gentle. You might see your cat start losing weight because with the stool passing so fast through the GI, the cat is not getting nutrition. I had to give Timmer B12 injections to help with that. And I also gave him chemotherapy at home. I didn't like doing that and it upset me and made me cry. In the end, he didn't respond to anything at all.

I'm so sorry.

My other kitty is very shy and I can't catch her even when she feels fine. I told our vet when I first got her that if she became ill, I wouldn't be able to treat her because of her shyness and being so skittish. There won't be any heroics or long term medications given to this one. He said "understood." It's just how it is. That probably doesn't comfort you or help you, but I want you to know you are being a good mom. Don't beat yourself up over this. When you start doing that, you aren't helping anyone. This is not your fault. A lot of parents would do far less. Your cat appreciates what you are doing too.

I'm very sorry about your cat Timmer. Thank you for your kind words.

What was Timmers symptoms when it started ?

 

[IAcatlady]

Thank you everyone for your ideas and support. I really appreciate it .

 

[Timmer]

@AIcatlady Timmer's situation was odd. Back in early November, he caught a mouse in the house and ate it, then threw it up. I didn't know i had mice in the house (!!!), so that meant finding the entrance, which I did, and sealed it up. The next bowel movement he had was bloody. I suspected it might be "weird" but the blood shocked me. Everyone told me "oh, you're overreacting." OK.
The next BM he had was more blood. I called the vet and took Timmer in for blood work for parasites and other diseases and took in a stool sample. This was my insistance that this be done. The vet still didn't sound concerned, but then he didn't live with the cat. We put him on metronizadole and prednisone. The bleeding stopped but as soon as he was off the Prednisone it would come back. Things went downhill from there. By then it was mid December.

The vet believed that the mouse only accelerated the IBD. I think back to the past summer and I remember Tim having some very smelly poops. Really bad. He would meow loudly after each one but they looked OK. He was always an extremely vocal cat -- he was bengal -- so I didn't think a lot about it. I did notice it though, and...I did nothing. :-( The other thing in hindsight was that his stomach digestion was pretty loud and he had gas. That was it. Nothing else. No vomitting. He ate and drank just fine. Nothing else happened. His coat looked good. He was a good, strong healthy cat. Blood work was always great, weight was good but I will say this -- I took him in for a check up late October and he had lost 1.2 lbs. The vet said that would be something to keep an eye on, but even so, he was a solid 13 lbs. Within the months of December he lost another 1.5 lbs.
I still can't believe it.

 

[Sallysoo]

Joko, I am not sure about buying pet insurance with the kitty condition now. At least not in my area. Meaning if the pet insurance knows about the kitty condition, will be excluded in the coverage. Wouldn’t that?

Catlady, A year back my kitty had the chronic diarrhoea, ie liquid n blood poo, leaking from butt which I had to restrict his movement in the bathroom... medicine and prescription food helped some but after stopped, the diarrhoea returned. I was recommended from my local pet shop this lintbells yudigest plus. Initially when I described the condition, he thought I had a dog but he said cat can take that too. No harm trying. It works on the second dose, I was stunned!
It comes in two forms, powder in sachet form for instance result. Tablets form for maintenance. After the diarrhoea is fixed, Now my kitty is on one tablet once a 2-3 weeks. And also to my surprised, Initially I thought I need to crush the tablet as I let him smell it, he took the whole tablet into his mouth and happily crunching and eating it and then look at me for more ...;D

 

[LTS3]

These web sites have good information:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats

For pills, try using Pill Pockets or other pill dough. I use a bacon-flavored one. Wedgewood Pharmacy can compound most medicines. Take a look there to see what options your cat's medicines are available in. Your vet will call the prescription in.

I use this S. boulardii product: DrFormulas Nexabiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii Probiotics 10 Billion CFUs (Just S boulardii), Intestinal and Digestive Support Supplement, 60 Stomach Acid Resistant Probiotic Capsules My cat doesn't notice it at all in his food. I also give this regular probiotic: Ultimate Flora Extra Care Probiotic 50 Billion which he also doesn't notice in his food.

What kind of raw did you try before? A commercial brand or one you made yourself using a recipe? Some cats who won't eat raw will eat cooked food instead. That might be something you could look into. There are pre-mixes (vitamin /mineral supplements) that makes a home cooked diet super easy. You basically cook boneless skinless meat of your choice, add in the pre-mix and some water, stir to combine, portion out, and freeze.

One thing to keep an eye on for cats on prednisolone is the development of diabetes - if you notice her back feet are very low to the ground, or that she is having weakness in the back legs, it might be good to have her blood sugar checked.

Or just check the blood glucose levels at home yourself. I do that with my IBD cat but I also previously had a diabetic cat so testing blood glucose levels is a piece of cake for me. The prednisolone raises his blood glucose levels and he has diabetic-like symptoms such as increased drinking and peeing large amounts frequently. The vet recently decreased the pred dose to once a day which has helped with the diabetic-like symptoms but they're still on the slightly high side after each dose.

 

[IAcatlady]

Thank you for your response. I tried Natural Instinct raw rabbit. I will try that S. Boullardi you suggested. Maybe she won't notice that one. Thank you for your ideas.