IBD Treatment

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LTS3

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Sometimes the receptionist is just that and has no background / experience / knowledge of veterinary medicine :dunno: Some vet offices do use vet techs to help with the front desk and answer phones but others do not.

How are you giving the B12 tablets? Crushing it up and mixing into food? Pill Pockets? Injectable B12 is a lot easier IMO and is readily absorbed while the tablets have to be digested first.

Kangaroo is one of the more unusual proteins out there but for some cats that's the only protein they can have without trigger some reaction. Chicken is often a no-no for IBD cats. Duck is usually ok but some IBD cats can't have any kind of poultry. My IBD cats will eat anything, even chicken which causes him to :barf:, but my other cat will not and is picky about brand so it's just easiest for me to feed the one raw brand in rabbit to both. I do keep freeze dried raw in various proteins on hand for my IBD cat's snacks. Here's a thread to some foods that are suitable for IBD cats:


It is hard to get a vet appointment these days :ohwell: Some vets are only taking emergency cases and may require you to call ahead first to give them a heads up. Others are still doing normal appointments but the availability is limited. Most have implemented procedures to keep everyone safe, usually sending staff out to the parking lot to bring the pet in to be seen and the owner has to wait outside the building.
 
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tahnyuh

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We're giving her the B12 with a little bit of dry food. She usually just eats the pill like it's another crunchie.
This B12 issue made me wonder... if her intestines are so thickened that she cannot absorb nutrients, will this impact the tablet medication we are giving her (prednisolone and cyproheptadine)? Asking the vet, but not feeling confident that she's well-versed in feline ibd.

I didn't realize chicken was so bad! In our desperate attempts to get her to eat something (anything) we have had to give her boiled chicken and hard food. I thought any food was better than no food.

I've been pretty focused on high-calorie foods because she's not eating/losing weight, but I know these can be high-carb. Just feel like I'm stuck between a rock and hard place.
 

Furballsmom

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I didn't realize chicken was so bad!
I don't know, but I think it depends on the cat? If your baby is tolerating it and will eat it, I'm not a vet but I think you're right, you need to feed what you can :).
 

LTS3

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Your cat must eat so feed chicken if you must but try to get her to eat other proteins. Some IBD ccats may be ok with chicken but many are not. You just have to keep track of what is fed and if your cat has a reaction to it. A bland-ish (few to no fillers) preferably canned food would be best. Rawz is a good brand but pricey.

If you're not all that comfortable with how the vet is treating the IBD, then do seek out a second opinion. You can also ask your vet to get a courtesy consult from a vet school.
 
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tahnyuh

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This might be the dumbest question ever, but what would a reaction look like? I can only think of vomiting.

I saw Rawz in the shop and very nearly got it! I was drawn to the fact that 100% of profits go to charity, but wanted to look into it as I hadn't heard of it before.
 

LTS3

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It varies. My cat's reaction ranges from very subtle (crouching because his tummy hurts) to vomiting (typically liquid but sometimes food depending on when he last ate) to a little more worrisome diarrhea. The Cornell Feline Health Center list these common IBD symptoms:

Common signs of feline IBD include vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, bloody stools, lethargy, and decreased appetite. These signs can vary in severity and frequency, and the predominant signs depend on which parts of the GI tract are affected. For example, if the stomach or higher areas of the small intestine are inflamed, the cat may experience chronic vomiting. Inflammation in the colon, in contrast, is more likely to cause diarrhea, with or without blood in the stool.

Rawz is a very good brand with few fillers. RAWZ | 100% Rendered Free Cat Food Depending on where you live, a can may cost as much as $2.99 for the 5.5 oz can 😮 You can ask more about the brand on the Nutrition forum.

 

kittenmittens84

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Pred is absolutely one of those medications that can have some concerning long term side effects (and the body becomes physically dependent on it after taking it for more than a week or so, so it needs to be tapered rather than stopped cold turkey!), but the therapeutic effects of the drug are so valuable for certain conditions that it’s worth the trade off. Namely, reducing inflammation. My IBD cat took prednisolone for a few weeks when he was first diagnosed, and then we tapered him off when we found a food that seemed to work well for him. He finally stopped having flare ups and diarrhea all the time when he started on Royal canin venison LID wet food, and after a year or two of that the vet said we were probably safe to move to natural balance LID if we wanted a less pricey food. He still eats that and rarely has gastro issues anymore.

Like other people said it’s perfectly ok to switch vets if you want, it sounds like your vet might be very scatterbrained? Or forgetful? Regardless of the reason, switching vets doesn’t have to mean starting over completely as offices can transfer records very easily. You can also always ask for a copy of things like blood tests if you want to keep them on file.
 
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tahnyuh

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3.5 days of prednisolone and cyproheptadine now.. and she's eating for the second day in a row! Soo happy! Looking up calorie calculators to get the numbers just right for weight gain.

I also got the ultrasound report this evening and am *trying* to make arrangements with a specialist.

And also got a weird email response from another vet at my regular clinic in response to my question about the B12... but didn't answer my question at all.

But mostly good news. Thank you for checking in :blush:
 

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This thread has been so helpful to me--my 1-year-old is in her first few days of Prednisone after having constant, stinky diarrhea for most of her 12 months.

My 5 year old is almost 2/3 through his course after licking most of his belly fur off...

I've also been in your shoes with kitties who passed. What if you found a specialist at a MedVet (if your city has one) or perhaps ask yur vet if she knows one. A specialist would work hand in hand with your current vet to ensure your cat has the best possible care and a vet she already knows and trusts. A vet who is a professional will not be offended if they are asked to work collaboratively with another vet who specializes in your cat's specific condition.
 

ameliashuman

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I switched vets because of a gut instinct something was wrong with my car despite the vet saying it was just allergies. He was a good vet, I have nothing bad to say about him, he just misdiagnosed this time. I do not regret switching, if you have doubts, it is worth getting a second opinion. Know it's hard in these days, but its good to trust your instincts.

We were using pred and the b12 injections those really helped. He also ate the b12 tablets because he loved them (there was a time when he had to hospitalize him due severe dehydration and he still would eat those tablets. Vet said he would just pee out extra and wasn't likely absorbing it anyways) Yes there are side effects for pred, but side effects have to be weighed against the impact of the disease.

Initial diagnosis was IBD, but eventually we think lymphoma but did test. Salon had chronic kidney disease
 
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tahnyuh

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Hey - just thought I'd give an upset. We went to an internal medicine specialist today who did another ultrasound. He said he saw tumors and was 90% sure it was high-grade intestinal lymphoma :-(

We're waiting on the official test results to come back, but now need to think about whether or not chemo is worth it. He said she would probably only live 3-6 months :-(

She is eating (although less), plays with us (although less) and doesn't really seem that uncomfortable. So it's hard to really grasp the severity of it.

Obviously, my husband and I are heartbroken. She's basically our only child.
 
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tahnyuh

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Meant to type update** not upset. Guess you can figure out how I'm feeling from that slip, though...
 

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I am so sorry. It is so painful but I was grateful for the few months we had with Neil after we concluded it was lymphoma. Our vet was great for giving us pain medicine, appetite stimulant, iv fluids, and the b12 injection. We also used wipes to help him clean and stay comfortable. We started bringing him outside and he seemed to get a lot of comfort from being in the sun and it gave us comfort to share that with him. I read these forums frequently, it often broke my heart but I also found comfortable in hearing other people's experiences and it helped me feel more informed. My heart goes out to you.
 
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tahnyuh

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For anyone that was following the thread... it was indeed high-grade intestinal lymphoma. We tried three types of chemo without results before the last-resort CCNU. To everyone's surprise, the lymph nodes and tumors shrunk, and it hasn't negatively affected anything else (like her liver). She seems pretty happy and we're happy to have more time with her - even if it means daily SQ injections and coaxing her to eat every 30 minutes.

I am SO GLAD we went for a second opinion. Not only is our new vet super direct and clear, but I'm confident that he's making good decisions and giving us good advice. And I do think our original (neighborhood) vet screwed up.
 

fionasmom

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I just stumbled onto this thread and am glad to hear that you have had success with your baby. I completely second your decision to find a new vet. Can't tell you how many times I have done that for my pets.
 
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