IBD flareup

[guarua]

My cat, Pangur, has an IBD flareup. We have been trialing him on Instinct Rabbit LID but this morning he wanted to stay in bed instead of get his breakfast (very abnormal) and has been acting lethargic. I can get him to the vet at 5-6pm at the earliest (its 1pm) but I'm not sure what to do in the meantime. I did make him a cozy spot that he usually likes but he only wants to crouch down on the kitchen floor. I am very sure this is a flareup because it's exactly like his last one.
I also was wondering, are flareups usually only caused by more long-term diet? He snuck a bit of the other cats' fish dinner last night. I wonder if that is causing it or if it is the regular food, but it doesn't make sense to me that it would have such a severe effect in a matter of hours when this has never been the case with him before. He is very sneaky when it comes to stealing food.
I have had so much trouble googling information about flareups. 🥲

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Phoebe had a mild flare-up recently - no behaviour changes but runnier poos. She's been on RC Anallergenic food for about five or six years and does well on it, but will also pinch Daisy's food whenever she gets the chance. I doubt long-term food would be the cause, but that's just my guess. Have you spoken to your vet?

 

[FriendofFerals]

My cat, Pangur, has an IBD flareup. We have been trialing him on Instinct Rabbit LID but this morning he wanted to stay in bed instead of get his breakfast (very abnormal) and has been acting lethargic. I can get him to the vet at 5-6pm at the earliest (its 1pm) but I'm not sure what to do in the meantime. I did make him a cozy spot that he usually likes but he only wants to crouch down on the kitchen floor. I am very sure this is a flareup because it's exactly like his last one.
I also was wondering, are flareups usually only caused by more long-term diet? He snuck a bit of the other cats' fish dinner last night. I wonder if that is causing it or if it is the regular food, but it doesn't make sense to me that it would have such a severe effect in a matter of hours when this has never been the case with him before. He is very sneaky when it comes to stealing food.
I have had so much trouble googling information about flareups. 🥲

Does he have other allergies in general (dust, mold, pollen etc)? or asthma? Not sure where you are in the world, but in the Northern Hemisphere it's Autumn, and in the Southern it's Spring...allergies can trigger IBD flares. It happens every spring and fall with my IBD kitty. He's on prednisolone every other day but during flares the vet says to take it daily for 3 days and that helps calm things a bit.

I also have a sneaky stealer who wants all the food he shouldn't have. The other two cats have microchip feeders but he still horns in and steals foo that will trigger him. And the others NEED that same food for their own issues, so I can't win.

 

[guarua]

Phoebe had a mild flare-up recently - no behaviour changes but runnier poos. She's been on RC Anallergenic food for about five or six years and does well on it, but will also pinch Daisy's food whenever she gets the chance. I doubt long-term food would be the cause, but that's just my guess. Have you spoken to your vet?

I did just talk to my vet and they basically said they have no idea. They prescribed some duck food so I'm going to try duck for a while (KOHA) but I'm worried that he is allergic to peas or something. And I don't know if that is reasonable at all.

Does he have other allergies in general (dust, mold, pollen etc)? or asthma?

I don't think he has any other allergies, but it is hard to know.

He feels better already and was even trying to eat his old food after the vet visit. I just feel horrible that I don't know what to do to make sure he doesn't have another flareup. I'm going to change around the feeding so that there's no chance he can steal food and hopefully that helps at least a bit.

 

[stephanietx]

Many IBD kitties cannot tolerate chicken or many of the gums and carrageenan in canned cat foods. Koha is a great brand of food. Also, if they are sensitive to chicken, then they may also be sensitive to other fowl (duck and turkey). Also, it is very possible for your kitty to have a flare up after eating the other cat's food. Do you have meds on hand to handle the flare? We keep prednisolone, Zofran (ondansetron), Famotidine, Mirataz, and baby gas drops on hand to handle flare ups.

 

[FriendofFerals]

I just had to get a bottle of metronidazole for my old boy. His overall allergy flare started a month ago with recurrence of psychogenic alopecia and ripping his fur out on his chest, Interrupted that behavior with the soft cone (he's been on amytriptaline for a year) but then it progressed to breathing issues next. Asthma got to the point of albuterol daily without much benefit (and he's on prednisolone every other day normally).

Vet gave him Clavamox just in case of a URI and said go the steroids 3 days in a row. Marked improvement but now suddenly the IBS is flaring really bad with no change in diet. Koha, Rawz, low phos toppers with nothing in them....and yet he's been litterbox demolition derby for two days. With the weekend here and a holiday on Monday I called in for Metronidazole and am so happy he took it without puking. It's the only thing that will bring him out of a flare up. I just wish I knew what triggered it.

 

[guarua]

Many IBD kitties cannot tolerate chicken or many of the gums and carrageenan in canned cat foods. Koha is a great brand of food. Also, if they are sensitive to chicken, then they may also be sensitive to other fowl (duck and turkey). Also, it is very possible for your kitty to have a flare up after eating the other cat's food. Do you have meds on hand to handle the flare? We keep prednisolone, Zofran (ondansetron), Famotidine, Mirataz, and baby gas drops on hand to handle flare ups.

They gave us a prescription for Metronidazole which I should be able to renew whenever he's having a flareup. Appetite with him has never been much of an issue except during a really bad flareup thankfully.
I'm really hoping the duck works. Rabbit didn't work but I feel like it might have been related to the pea protein in the food. If duck doesn't work - I'm not sure what to try next. Venison?

 

[lisahe]

I have to be quick here but... For our IBD cat, so far it's been gums and other thickeners -- potato and agar-agar are 100% problems and xanthan and guar gums are very likely also problems -- that have caused the worst symptoms. There are other, vaguer, suspects like fish and tapioca... But I can say with certainty that potato and agar-agar have cased her worst problems.

Edwina also had a flareup a few weeks ago and (long-story-short here) I've finally taken guar gum out of her diet. Fortunately, I make homemade food and she's been enjoying Rawz, too, at least for now. She's also taken/taking Sucralfate, Pepcid, and Cerenia. We think other things have contributed: fall allergies are likely as well as her lifelong food anxieties, which we think we've alleviated somewhat by letting her have a bit more dry food with her wet food. (It's Dr. Elsey's so it's ultra low-carb with no fillers of any sort.) All this seems to be helping. Perha[s the most interesting thing is that we've noticed that she now -- suddenly -- seems to be less creaky. She's 11 and is running up the stairs again. (!!!) All we can figure is that some sort of inflammatory something has eased.

I'm not sure any of that is helpful, guarua but I hope Pangur starts to feel better soon!

 

[stephanietx]

They gave us a prescription for Metronidazole which I should be able to renew whenever he's having a flareup. Appetite with him has never been much of an issue except during a really bad flareup thankfully.
I'm really hoping the duck works. Rabbit didn't work but I feel like it might have been related to the pea protein in the food. If duck doesn't work - I'm not sure what to try next. Venison?

Metronidazole helps with diarrhea, but doesn't do anything to soothe the gut or intestines. Have you asked the vet for something to help with the gut and reduce inflammation?

We fed Instinct Venison (until he didn't want to eat it), Instinct Rabbit (not LID, until he didn't want to eat it), Ziwi Peak lamb, RAWZ duck pate, and turkey pate. Not everything all at the same time.

 

[guarua]

I have to be quick here but... For our IBD cat, so far it's been gums and other thickeners -- potato and agar-agar are 100% problems and xanthan and guar gums are very likely also problems -- that have caused the worst symptoms. There are other, vaguer, suspects like fish and tapioca... But I can say with certainty that potato and agar-agar have cased her worst problems.

Edwina also had a flareup a few weeks ago and (long-story-short here) I've finally taken guar gum out of her diet. Fortunately, I make homemade food and she's been enjoying Rawz, too, at least for now. She's also taken/taking Sucralfate, Pepcid, and Cerenia. We think other things have contributed: fall allergies are likely as well as her lifelong food anxieties, which we think we've alleviated somewhat by letting her have a bit more dry food with her wet food. (It's Dr. Elsey's so it's ultra low-carb with no fillers of any sort.) All this seems to be helping. Perha[s the most interesting thing is that we've noticed that she now -- suddenly -- seems to be less creaky. She's 11 and is running up the stairs again. (!!!) All we can figure is that some sort of inflammatory something has eased.

I'm not sure any of that is helpful, guarua but I hope Pangur starts to feel better soon!

That's great to know about gums! I will try Rawz my older IBD suspected cat - right now for Pangur I'm going to try the Koha, which has agar agar, but pretty low in the ingredients list. Fingers crossed it works, but if he starts to have diarrhea again, I'll try the Rawz for him too. I've heard that IBD is mostly caused by proteins but I've seen so many cats who are sensitive to gums. It's strange.

Metronidazole helps with diarrhea, but doesn't do anything to soothe the gut or intestines. Have you asked the vet for something to help with the gut and reduce inflammation?

We fed Instinct Venison (until he didn't want to eat it), Instinct Rabbit (not LID, until he didn't want to eat it), Ziwi Peak lamb, RAWZ duck pate, and turkey pate. Not everything all at the same time.

The vet didn't want to do any steroids or other medication, I was kind of annoyed they just sent us home with some crappy wet food and that medication. It *does* seem to be helping a little bit, but he's not fully back to his normal self. I'm hoping once we completely change his diet he will be better. I was looking at the ZIWI Peak lamb earlier and I'm going to put it on the list. I'm very thankful he's not a picky cat, my other cat who has issues has been super picky, and we have only been able to feed her stuff like Fancy Feast.

 

[stephanietx]

You can also try slippery elm bark syrup mixed into wet food to help calm tummy. If possible, look for another vet for a second opinion or a cat-only vet if there's one in your area.

This article might help you understand IBD a little better: IBD in Dogs & Cats Our vet gave us that to read when my guy was diagnosed. He also was on B12 injections and that really seemed to help him.

 

[lisahe]

I'm very much agreeing with stephanietx about slippery elm bark syrup: I give it to Edwina several times a day and it really helps settle her stomach. I'm fortunate that she likes it and will lap it up with just a little freeze-dried chicken.

That's great to know about gums! I will try Rawz my older IBD suspected cat - right now for Pangur I'm going to try the Koha, which has agar agar, but pretty low in the ingredients list. Fingers crossed it works, but if he starts to have diarrhea again, I'll try the Rawz for him too. I've heard that IBD is mostly caused by proteins but I've seen so many cats who are sensitive to gums. It's strange.

Watch carefully with any food that has agar-agar: that stuff made both our cats barf, even the one who almost never barfs at all! It took about three months of some brand (I forget what it was, not Koha, though) before the cats started vomiting. The thickeners are sneaky! I've read a fair bit about cursed gums and other thickeners and lots of them are known offenders for the digestive system in many mammals, including humans. The only foods with gums that any of us eat are a couple kinds of cat food that our much pickier cat will eat. Our vet also told us recently that it's primarily proteins that cause IBD... but for Edwina, who's a confirmed case, so far, anyway, it seems to be the thickeners. I wonder if part of the reason that proteins are seen as the problem is that lots of people go for the prescription diets for IBD... though some of those (this is wretched!) have carrageenan in them. The other thing is that IBD is a fairly general, catchall, kind of diagnosis, sort of a conglomeration. Even our cats' symptoms are rather different: Edwina's strictly a vomiter and it sounds like your cat (like our previous cat) specializes in diarrhea. And of course every cat reacts differently so every cat needs its own treatment plan.

 

[Robyn5678]

I am human and I have IBD. I try to avoid foods that are high in FODMAPS. I wonder if that would pertain to felines as well. Since they have shorter intestines I wonder if higher fodmap foods would cause issues.

Monash has a great app (for humans) if you ever wanted to look at it.

may be worth looking into.

 

[guarua]

You can also try slippery elm bark syrup mixed into wet food to help calm tummy. If possible, look for another vet for a second opinion or a cat-only vet if there's one in your area.

This article might help you understand IBD a little better: IBD in Dogs & Cats Our vet gave us that to read when my guy was diagnosed. He also was on B12 injections and that really seemed to help him.

Thanks so much for that article! It is so helpful. I'm realizing how much more complicated IBD is than I thought. We have never tried prebiotics so I'm going to ask my vet about them when I can.

I'm very much agreeing with stephanietx about slippery elm bark syrup: I give it to Edwina several times a day and it really helps settle her stomach. I'm fortunate that she likes it and will lap it up with just a little freeze-dried chicken.


Watch carefully with any food that has agar-agar: that stuff made both our cats barf, even the one who almost never barfs at all! It took about three months of some brand (I forget what it was, not Koha, though) before the cats started vomiting. The thickeners are sneaky! I've read a fair bit about cursed gums and other thickeners and lots of them are known offenders for the digestive system in many mammals, including humans. The only foods with gums that any of us eat are a couple kinds of cat food that our much pickier cat will eat. Our vet also told us recently that it's primarily proteins that cause IBD... but for Edwina, who's a confirmed case, so far, anyway, it seems to be the thickeners. I wonder if part of the reason that proteins are seen as the problem is that lots of people go for the prescription diets for IBD... though some of those (this is wretched!) have carrageenan in them. The other thing is that IBD is a fairly general, catchall, kind of diagnosis, sort of a conglomeration. Even our cats' symptoms are rather different: Edwina's strictly a vomiter and it sounds like your cat (like our previous cat) specializes in diarrhea. And of course every cat reacts differently so every cat needs its own treatment plan.

Usually he does a lot of vomiting. Lately his diarrhea has been *so* bad. He can stink up an entire floor with that stuff.
I guess I'll have to try RAWZ first. I'm $1300 down now after an ultrasound for my oldest cat though so I will have to wait a little bit. 🥲
He is kind of getting worse though and I can see it. He won't eat his food. Only a few bites and then he's done which is so unlike him. Normally he inhales everything even remotely edible.

 

[Astragal14]

He is kind of getting worse though and I can see it. He won't eat his food. Only a few bites and then he's done which is so unlike him. Normally he inhales everything even remotely edible.

One of my cats has IBD and this is what I would do in your situation (these are all things I've personally done with my cat):
1. Contact your vet about an appointment for a B12 injection. This will help with the diarrhea and IBD. It can also be a vet tech administered appointment, so you're not paying the hefty vet fee. It's around $18 at our vet. B12 gets depleted with diarrhea and B12 deficiencies don't show up in blood work for a while. My cat gets a B12 shot on a monthly basis for his IBD; we started with weekly, then bi-weekly, and now monthly for maintenance.
2. Also ask your vet for a prescription for Zofran (anti-nausea) and maybe Cerenia (anti-emetic). Metronidazole alone won't be enough. What you described about a few bites of food and he's done is probably nausea/food aversion; Zofran will help the most and Cerenia will help a little (Cerenia is more for vomiting but it does help settle their stomach and is also an anti-inflammatory).
3. Definitely add a probiotic for the duration of taking metronidazole plus one week. A good all-around probiotic to start with is Proviable DC (available at Amazon and Chewy). Some vet's offices carry a stronger version, Proviable Forte, which is literally just a double dose of Proviable DC. Be sure to separate the probiotic and metronidazole by 3-4 hours. We give our IBD cat a probiotic daily, so that's something to consider long term.
https://www.chewy.com/nutramax-proviable-probiotics/dp/101470

Rabbit didn't work but I feel like it might have been related to the pea protein in the food

My IBD cat is sensitive to gums, legumes, potatoes and all split potato products, and peas and all split pea products. By split, I mean the original ingredient was significantly modified to something else - potato protein, pea protein, pea fiber, etc. So you may be on to something if you're concerned about the peas.

 

[FriendofFerals]

I have to be quick here but... For our IBD cat, so far it's been gums and other thickeners -- potato and agar-agar are 100% problems and xanthan and guar gums are very likely also problems -- that have caused the worst symptoms. There are other, vaguer, suspects like fish and tapioca... But I can say with certainty that potato and agar-agar have cased her worst problems.

Edwina also had a flareup a few weeks ago and (long-story-short here) I've finally taken guar gum out of her diet. Fortunately, I make homemade food and she's been enjoying Rawz, too, at least for now. She's also taken/taking Sucralfate, Pepcid, and Cerenia. We think other things have contributed: fall allergies are likely as well as her lifelong food anxieties, which we think we've alleviated somewhat by letting her have a bit more dry food with her wet food. (It's Dr. Elsey's so it's ultra low-carb with no fillers of any sort.) All this seems to be helping. Perha[s the most interesting thing is that we've noticed that she now -- suddenly -- seems to be less creaky. She's 11 and is running up the stairs again. (!!!) All we can figure is that some sort of inflammatory something has eased.

I'm not sure any of that is helpful, guarua but I hope Pangur starts to feel better soon!

100% his problems are the gums, specifically carrageenan and guar gum. Not so much agar agar. I'm stumped as to why he flared because he's on RAWZ with no gums and Weruva Mideast Feast which has been fine so far...

 

[FriendofFerals]

I am human and I have IBD. I try to avoid foods that are high in FODMAPS. I wonder if that would pertain to felines as well. Since they have shorter intestines I wonder if higher fodmap foods would cause issues.

Monash has a great app (for humans) if you ever wanted to look at it.

may be worth looking into.

Oh, I know how you feel...IBD here too. I've tried my best to limit the FODMAPs for him but i think his issue is general inflammation triggered by additives. He also has environmental allergies, severe asthma, dermatitis, psychogenic alopecia and bad reactions to any topical flea medication (as of last year....out of the blue). His sensitivities are evolving with age and I can barely keep up. One month he's fine with a certain food, the next he's allergic and having firehose diarrhea.

 

[FriendofFerals]

Thanks so much for that article! It is so helpful. I'm realizing how much more complicated IBD is than I thought. We have never tried prebiotics so I'm going to ask my vet about them when I can.


Usually he does a lot of vomiting. Lately his diarrhea has been *so* bad. He can stink up an entire floor with that stuff.
I guess I'll have to try RAWZ first. I'm $1300 down now after an ultrasound for my oldest cat though so I will have to wait a little bit. 🥲
He is kind of getting worse though and I can see it. He won't eat his food. Only a few bites and then he's done which is so unlike him. Normally he inhales everything even remotely edible.

RAWZ chicken and egg packet has been working....but so expensive. Mine is CKD stage II also so I have to limit phosphorous as much as possible and most of the RAWZ is too high in dry matter phos.

 

[stephanietx]

Stress is a big factor in flares. How have things been in your home recently? Has there been a change in schedule or people in and out? Has the overall stress in your home been higher? My boy flared when I went back to work after being off for several months due to building closure, which was crazy because I'd gone to work every day of his life for the past 13 years, but this triggered him.

 

[lisahe]

How is your cat doing today, guarua ? I hope he's doing better and eating. Slippery elm bark syrup has been very helpful for us when Edwina wasn't eating and we couldn't get her to the vet. Then again, we're lucky she'll just lap the stuff up with a bit of freeze-dried chicken on top.

A few other random notes...

Stress is a big factor in flares.

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes! We see this with Edwina, too. Crazy though it sounds, the easiest stressor to track is the weather, including wind and barometric pressure, which has been taking huge swings in recent months. Rapid pressure changes and low pressure can cause problems for her. Head shaking is a sure sign that the pressure is affecting our cats.

100% his problems are the gums, specifically carrageenan and guar gum. Not so much agar agar. I'm stumped as to why he flared because he's on RAWZ with no gums and Weruva Mideast Feast which has been fine so far...

Well... in our experience, problems can come up at any time. It seems sudden to us but I suspect not to the cats! Every cat is different but the Rawz food has tapioca and the Weruva food has fish, potato, and xanthan gum so those are the suspects I'd look at.

Also! I'm glad Astragal14 mentioned B12 and probiotics! We're just starting with B12; today I'll be giving Edwina a shot of the stuff. She also gets probiotics, in Adored Beast's Feline Gut Soothe, a supplement that also includes anti-inflammatory herbs. It's a huge help for her. My biggest challenge is (back to stress here!) trying to get her on an anti-stress supplement, to ease her nerves since both our cats are anxious rescues. (I do have a new candidate but won't go into that!)