One of my cats (5 years old) has been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and put on prednisone, despite the fact that a biopsy has not been performed. She has always had an issue with chronic vomiting. It improved for a while (only occasional vomiting) when I took away possible allergens, such as corn, grains, wheat, and soy, but it came back with a vengeance again several months ago. Several treatments have been tried. The vet has said that IBD is difficult to diagnose in cats, even with a biopsy, and that the results could be inconclusive. The vet initially just tried treating the symptoms with Metaclopramide to stop the chronic vomiting and Laxatone for the frequent hairballs, which seemed to work for a while. However, the vomiting began to reoccur, and the Metaclopramide even seemed to trigger the vomiting in some instances. Also, she has continued to gradually lose weight. She has improved on the prednisone, and has not vomited in 3 weeks, but I still wonder if she truly has IBD or something else. The diagnosis seems to be based only on symptoms--vomiting, frequent hairballs, and weight loss. All of her bloodwork is normal, and she has no parasites. Her stomach x-ray revealed no foreign objects ingested, but the stomach walls were "slightly thick" according to the vet. I hate to put her on steroids for something that she might not have. Should I request a biopsy?
By the way, she has not had any diarrhea or loose stools--just vomiting. She had coccidiosis when she was a kitten (came from a shelter at about 8 weeks) and had loose stools for several months after she was clear of parasites, but it had cleared up with medication before she was six months old.
By the way, she has not had any diarrhea or loose stools--just vomiting. She had coccidiosis when she was a kitten (came from a shelter at about 8 weeks) and had loose stools for several months after she was clear of parasites, but it had cleared up with medication before she was six months old.