Need help with cat diagnosed with IBD and on Prednisolone

[Sillycat41]

I'm so depressed... feel like I'm running out of time trying to save my baby!!
Does any of this sound familiar? Would appreciate any suggestions.

⦁ Jengo is a 15 1/2 yr old silver Bengal... very intelligent.
⦁ Is trim and fit.. younger weight was 11#... current weight 9#.
⦁ Has always been active and walks/runs on a cat wheel and hour or two a day.
⦁ Has a nervous cat with super sensitive hearing... always alert to noises.
⦁ Has always been a fussy eater and only eats wet food.
⦁ Likes a variety of food... rarely eat more than 2 meals of the same flavor.
⦁ Has vomited clear foam for years but vet could never pin point the cause.
⦁ Can count the number of times he's vomited up food on on hand.
⦁ His symptoms don't fit most diagnosis since he doesn't vomit food and doesn't have diarrhea.
⦁ Last six months has been vomiting about twice a week.
* Seems like he vomits less if I feed him several small meals a day... about 7 or 8.

⦁ All the regular tests the vet ran were within normal range.
⦁ Vet order B12 injections after GI Cobal/Folate test showed low B12.
⦁ Vet put him on 2.5mg of Prednisolone twice a day and tapered it off to 2.5mg twice a week of IBD.
⦁ Don't want to put him thru a biopsy because of his age.
⦁ Seems agitated after taking Prednisolone.
⦁ Worried about the side effects of long term use of Prednisolone.
⦁ Some days he acts pretty normal... other days he sleeps most of the day.
⦁ Tried switching him to raw diet... no luck.
⦁ Also tried novel proteins... won't eat them.
I'm so stressed and worried... this is breaking my heart.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[LTS3]

Here are two good web sites with more info:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

www.ibdkitties.net

Feline IBD - Healing can happen!

Address the root cause of IBD in your cat. Treat inflammation and gut dysbiosis with proper tools to restore health, not just manage symptoms.

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

A raw diet isn't necessary. Many cats don't recognize raw meat as food. Some people have better luck with a home cooked diet. A bland-ish commercial canned food works for most people. What novel proteins have you tried? Most cats like beef and turkey. Rabbit and more unusual meat like venison can be hit or miss.

Most IBD cats need a short course of pred as needed. Diabetes-like symptoms is common while on a high dose of pred but those go away as the dose is tapered. Long term daily use can induce diabetes but that is a very manageable condition.

How are you giving the pred? The pills in a Pill Pocket? Pilling can cause many cats to be stressed out. Pred can be compounded into a transdermal gel and other forms for easier giving.

daftcat75

 

[Margot Lane]

Have you tried all novel proteins? Am in the same boat as you and mine is doing well on Farmina’s quail and pumpkin.

 

[Margot Lane]

Also my cat is 14 and did get the biopsy and very glad I did. I think actually it’s just (emotionally) harder on the owner than the cat.

 

[Sillycat41]

Thanks for the response. I have tried dozens of pricey canned foods... some he refused to eat, some he's eat initially but then would quit... rabbit was one.

Tried Pill Pockets... worked for a while but he's smart and started spitting the pill out. I did write to my vet about trying transdermal gel.

I'll have to explore that IBDKitties website... saw something that caught my eye about esophageal stricture. Sometime I wonder if he has trouble swallowing because he often only eats a tsp of wet food at a time... waits a while and then eats some more. It's almost like he has a sore throat or a swallowing problem. He sometimes turns his head a little too.

As for the RAW Feline IBD website, I have explored it before, but unfortunately his symptoms don't really fit what they talk about... doesn't vomit hairballs, doesn't have soft stools or diarrhea, won't eat raw meat or human grade cooked meat. Bought expensive probiotics but he won't eat food with it on top or mixed in. Won't eat prescription diets either. He seems to have nausea a lot as he licks his lips. He's recently had dental cleaning and no problems. I keep wondering if the IBD diagnosis even fits???

I do have some Cerenia pills for nausea but they don't seem to keep it at bay for very long. What are your thoughts on that?

Thanks for responding.

 

[Sillycat41]

Have you tried all novel proteins? Am in the same boat as you and mine is doing well on Farmina’s quail and pumpkin.

Also my cat is 14 and did get the biopsy and very glad I did. I think actually it’s just (emotionally) harder on the owner than the cat.

Yes, I've tried rabbit... he ate it a few times but wasn't enthused. Never heard of Farmoina's... will check it out. Thanks.
I'm afraid to put him thru a biopsy. Did that confirm the diagnosis for your cat??

 

[Sillycat41]

Here are two good web sites with more info:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

www.ibdkitties.net

Feline IBD - Healing can happen!

Address the root cause of IBD in your cat. Treat inflammation and gut dysbiosis with proper tools to restore health, not just manage symptoms.

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

A raw diet isn't necessary. Many cats don't recognize raw meat as food. Some people have better luck with a home cooked diet. A bland-ish commercial canned food works for most people. What novel proteins have you tried? Most cats like beef and turkey. Rabbit and more unusual meat like venison can be hit or miss.

Most IBD cats need a short course of pred as needed. Diabetes-like symptoms is common while on a high dose of pred but those go away as the dose is tapered. Long term daily use can induce diabetes but that is a very manageable condition.

How are you giving the pred? The pills in a Pill Pocket? Pilling can cause many cats to be stressed out. Pred can be compounded into a transdermal gel and other forms for easier giving.

daftcat75

I posted my reply in the wrong place. Not used to forums. :-(

 

[daftcat75]

Has he had an ultrasound? An ultrasound is non-invasive but it can be inconclusive. IBD and small cell lymphoma present the same way on the ultrasound. However, large cell lymphoma or inflammation/growth on other organs can only be visible on an ultrasound.

Clear vomit without food is stomach acid. The remedy for this is to feed smaller meals more often. Cats would naturally feed up to a dozen times a day if left to their own devices. Acid barfs are usually in the afternoon or early morning as their hunger and anticipation of meal times builds to a breaking point. You can use timed feeders to offer meals you aren't home or awake for. Wet food can go in those feeders and sit there for hours even without an ice pack. My favorite kind of timed feeders are the single clamshell design. It gives you the most flexibility of how many meals to set out and what schedule. And you can set these feeders out around the home if you really want to spark the hunter instinct in your cat. I also recommend getting them and deploying them in pairs. They don't fail to open very often (maybe two or three times out of a 1000+ uses.) But when the cost of a failure is an acid barf, a little redundancy is a fair price to pay.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT93YM2/?tag=thecatsite

The trouble with the biopsy is that it can indeed be hard on the cat. And if you have a cat that is already having trouble eating or gaining weight, it doesn't make sense to distress them further. It is also simply a snapshot in time. A negative for lymphoma today is only a negative for today. I wouldn't want to put a cat through repeated biopsies the next time his IBD flairs. The other trouble with the biopsy is that the treatment isn't that different whether you get a biopsy or not. Usually they treat with steroids under the assumption that it's IBD. If it doesn't respond to steroids, then it's generally on to a biopsy. If the biopsy is positive for cancer cells, then they add chemo on top of steroids. So why can't they just do an A-B treatment (try A first, then B, or pred first, then chemo) without distressing the cat and the wallet? You are not likely to miss it if it is cancer. The weight loss is dramatic and relentless and won't clear up with pred alone. For that reason, rather than putting him through a biopsy, I recommend picking up a baby scale and weighing him no more than once a week (for both of your sanity.)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QHK99CC/?tag=thecatsite

That is the one I have. I left it out in Krista's environment so it wasn't foreign, freaky, or scary to her. Once a week, I'd lure her onto it with a treat--maybe push her butt fully on the platform if needed--press the hold button and get a reading in a second or two. Not only is this less stress than the subtract your weight from you plus cat on a bathroom scale. It's also much more accurate. Bathroom scales are notoriously inaccurate and will have you worrying about whether the weight differences are the scale or the cat.

So yeah. Those are my recommendations.

1. An ultrasound if you haven't had one already
2. Smaller meals more frequently. Use timed feeders if you need to.
3. Monitor his weight. When he's consistently losing weight despite eating enough or more than enough calories, that's when it's time to discuss adding chemotherapy. I would recommend another ultrasound at this point to rule out other kinds of cancers (large cell or other organ involvement.) If, at this point, the ultrasound can rule out other organs and large cell lymphoma, the consistent weight loss would strongly suggest small cell lymphoma even without the biopsy.

Search my username to see other posts I've made about diet, medications, and other IBD/lymphoma topics.

 

[Margot Lane]

Biopsy did confirm diagnosis w/ cat…and perhaps more importantly, put my mind more at ease. i believe knowledge is power, and allows you to make better decisions for your cat, but, at least in my neck of the woods, it was not a cheap procedure. (After the biopsy he was JUST FINE, btw, to allay fears). I read somewhere that cats get most of their water from wet food, so it’s good you are sticking to wet. As far as lip licking, the only time my cat has ever done that was a reaction to lavender oil…since then I have gotten rid of any scented thing in the house, including littter. Well good luck, keep us posted, try not to be nervous. it’s important to take care of you too, so you can be there for Jengo.

 

[Margot Lane]

And as a PS definitely listen to Daftcat more than me! All I know is what was good for my cat in particular!!

 

[P+P's Meom]

S Sillycat41
⦁ Vet put him on 2.5mg of Prednisolone twice a day and tapered it off to 2.5mg twice a week of IBD.
. . . . .
⦁ Seems agitated after taking Prednisolone.
⦁ Worried about the side effects of long term use of Prednisolone.
. . . . .


Definitely discuss your concerns with prednisolone with your vet! But to me, it sounds like he's prescribing the lowest dose possible that will still be beneficial. It's a delicate balancing issue.

Prednisolone is a steroid. It winds you up, can make you feel anxious/agitated, or even angry. Another reason for the smallest dose possible.

Prednisolone is a huge help with inflammation issues - IBD being one. It's made a massive difference with my cat who has IBD and Pancreatitis!

 

[LTS3]

Tried Pill Pockets... worked for a while but he's smart and started spitting the pill out. I did write to my vet about trying transdermal gel.

Pilling tips:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

I use a bacon flavored pill dough for my cat's pred pills.

 

[waddle]

Have you tried freeze dried raw? My IBD kitty won’t eat canned food or frozen raw but she likes the rehydrated freeze dried raw.