Hi everyone,
It has been awhile since I last posted on these forums, but I desperately need help once again. My cat was diagnosed with either IBD or small cell lymphoma about 2.5 years ago after a few weeks of ultrasounds, vet appointments, not eating, vomiting, and diarrhea (see my previous posts for all the info on that- we chose not to do a biopsy since she wasn't a good candidate for chemo anyways). Since her diagnosis, she has been on Prednisolone and has had a remarkable recovery- she gained back a bunch of weight, had an awesome appetite, and no health issues since then until now. I take her to the vet every 6 months for a full exam & checkup, as well as blood work once a year, and nothing has shown up to indicate any other serious problems. Her last appointment was last Tuesday (June 2) and they found nothing alarming- but, her weight has been dropping slightly over the past year (she is about 1 lb less right now that she was a year ago). The vet wasn't concerned since I told her that her appetite is still great, but she did encourage me to feed her a little more, which she has been, until now.
This Tuesday (June 9) she suddenly did not seem interested in her food at all (normally she is waking me up at 6am demanding it). I thought she may just be being a little picky, or sick of her food since she has been eating the same kind for the past 2 years, so I tried giving her a different kind & she did eat a bit of it. Yesterday, however, she ate even less, & later in the day she didn't seem interested in the different food either. The only thing she would eat was canned chicken, so I gave her a bit of that. Last evening she had a horrible bout of diarrhea & vomited quite a bit, but ate a bit of the chicken later in the night. Today, she only ate a little bit of food off my hand (just enough to give her the meds), & a little bit of the canned chicken, but otherwise she seems completely disinterested in food. She hasn't vomited today but I can tell that she is struggling with defecating- she goes to her litterbox frequently, strains to poop, and only a bit of diarrhea comes out. She seems very lethargic & is just laying around in cozy spots, though she still seems alert & enjoys pets/cuddles.
I called my vet today & they said they'll try to call me back later today to discuss, since she was just at the vet last week. Otherwise, I booked an appointment as soon as I could get in, which is tomorrow at 10:30am.
I just really want to get some advice, or see if anyone has been through something similar. I know that we're extremely lucky that the Pred has worked this long for her, but the sudden 180 in how she is acting is really alarming to me.
Additional Info -
Name: Yoshi
Age: 13
Gender: Spayed female
Medication: Prednisolone tablets (5mg, 1/4 of a tablet twice a day), vitamin B12 injection once per month (0.25mL)
Diagnosis: Irritable bowel disease OR small cell lymphoma
Food: Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Energy canned food (one can per day), plus greenies
It has been awhile since I last posted on these forums, but I desperately need help once again. My cat was diagnosed with either IBD or small cell lymphoma about 2.5 years ago after a few weeks of ultrasounds, vet appointments, not eating, vomiting, and diarrhea (see my previous posts for all the info on that- we chose not to do a biopsy since she wasn't a good candidate for chemo anyways). Since her diagnosis, she has been on Prednisolone and has had a remarkable recovery- she gained back a bunch of weight, had an awesome appetite, and no health issues since then until now. I take her to the vet every 6 months for a full exam & checkup, as well as blood work once a year, and nothing has shown up to indicate any other serious problems. Her last appointment was last Tuesday (June 2) and they found nothing alarming- but, her weight has been dropping slightly over the past year (she is about 1 lb less right now that she was a year ago). The vet wasn't concerned since I told her that her appetite is still great, but she did encourage me to feed her a little more, which she has been, until now.
This Tuesday (June 9) she suddenly did not seem interested in her food at all (normally she is waking me up at 6am demanding it). I thought she may just be being a little picky, or sick of her food since she has been eating the same kind for the past 2 years, so I tried giving her a different kind & she did eat a bit of it. Yesterday, however, she ate even less, & later in the day she didn't seem interested in the different food either. The only thing she would eat was canned chicken, so I gave her a bit of that. Last evening she had a horrible bout of diarrhea & vomited quite a bit, but ate a bit of the chicken later in the night. Today, she only ate a little bit of food off my hand (just enough to give her the meds), & a little bit of the canned chicken, but otherwise she seems completely disinterested in food. She hasn't vomited today but I can tell that she is struggling with defecating- she goes to her litterbox frequently, strains to poop, and only a bit of diarrhea comes out. She seems very lethargic & is just laying around in cozy spots, though she still seems alert & enjoys pets/cuddles.
I called my vet today & they said they'll try to call me back later today to discuss, since she was just at the vet last week. Otherwise, I booked an appointment as soon as I could get in, which is tomorrow at 10:30am.
I just really want to get some advice, or see if anyone has been through something similar. I know that we're extremely lucky that the Pred has worked this long for her, but the sudden 180 in how she is acting is really alarming to me.
Additional Info -
Name: Yoshi
Age: 13
Gender: Spayed female
Medication: Prednisolone tablets (5mg, 1/4 of a tablet twice a day), vitamin B12 injection once per month (0.25mL)
Diagnosis: Irritable bowel disease OR small cell lymphoma
Food: Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Energy canned food (one can per day), plus greenies
