Not bouncing back from IBD flare up

[snugglecat]

I took Peaches in Monday because she was not feeling well and had thrown up a couple times last week. She was given a vitamin B injection and some more Cerenia but she doesn't seem to be bouncing back as fast as she usually does. I did make a big mistake and missed 2 months of the vitamin B injections.......didn't have the money. She usually feels much better the next day and seems really hungry after having the injection. I can't get her to eat much so I have only gotten half of her medication down.

I have tried all the canned foods she normally eats and she just takes a couple licks and walks away. She gets 1/8 cup of dry food a day and she has only taken a couple bites since yesterday. I even went out and bought a can of Fancy Feast because she loves it but can't have that very often because it  will constipate her. Again she just took a couple licks and walked away. Any suggestions on how to get her to eat something?

I do have a call into the vet.

 

[peaches08]

Can she absorb any oral vitamin B12?  I wonder if that will help between injections.

When Grey (RIP) wouldn't eat, I had to sit with a plastic spoon and spoon feed her.  In the end I had to syringe feed her.  She had CRF, not IBS.  Wish I could be of more help.

 

[that guy]

My guy had a bout of this last night and today and until it settles down there is not a lot you can do. First off, if you don't have the money for B12 is this because you are having vet do it or do you do it yourself? I give my guy sub-q's daily and every week I give him a B12 shot and it is done at home. If you are having the vet do then save yourself some money and do it at home. You can get the B12 syringes from them or probably even a pharmacist. This is very important for her because if her B12 runs down she will run down with it. I would also check for hydration, if she becomes dehydrated she will not want to eat and this can be an issue with IBD cats because their bodies may not absorb food or water properly depending on their situation.

Food can be a hard thing because their bodies are telling them they don't need to eat and it is hard to get around this. I counted not long ago and I have about 17 different types of food and because he is IBD there is no dry, it is all wet. When my guy is not eating I just keep trying food and if this fails I fall back to human food such as cooked chicken or pork which he will usually eat some of. You can try baby food which my guy used to eat but makes sure it is all meat. When my guy originally came down with IBD my vet also gave me some drugs that chemically fools them to eat and it usually lasts about 3 days so this is an option.

 

[myrnafaye]

Is Peaches on prednisone??

 

[snugglecat]

I do have the vet give her the injections. The vet did offer to show me how to give them but I suffer from anxiety and the thought of giving this to Peaches sends me into a panic attack. We also talked about maybe trying a steroid but she usually bounces right back after having a vitamin B injection. She also is very hungry a couple weeks after having it done so not sure why it does not seem to be working this time.

I have tried baby food and she will not touch it even when she is feeling good. She is a very picky girl and will only eat two different kinds of wet food so it has always been a struggle to find something she will eat on a good day let alone bad days.

Do you know the name of the drugs that fools them to eat? The vet has never brought that up, she just told me it could take a couple days for her tummy to settle. I just tried feeding her again and she actually ate most of it so I guess I am expecting to much to soon.

 

[that guy]

That's great news that she is eating again, my guy started eating this afternoon and only took one type of food. I am sorry, I don't remember the name of the drug but it was in pill form. You should try practising on an orange or something to get used to poking her and then have the vet walk you through it. Peaches would much rather you do it and you do save a fair bit by doing it yourself. I stick sharp things into my cat more times that I can remember and rarely does he even notice. When you give a cat an injection you do it in an area where they don't feel so there is no stress on the cat and I don't get reactions. You can probably do 2 - 4 for what your vet charges for a single so it is an easy way to save. If this will not work then do it with a team, you keep the head occupied by petting it and then have someone else do the injection which will keep her stress free.

Hopefully she keeps eating and bounces back and stays stable for a while.

 

[myrnafaye]

Snugglecat, I agree with That Guy.  VItamin B12 injections are very inexpensive if you give them yourself.  It is VERY EASY to learn.  And right, Peaches will not feel a thing.  I learned to give a diabetic cat injections.  You could even practice on a stuffed animal.  Peaches will be much less stressed if you could learn this - as opposed to the stress of taking her to the vet.  You will not hurt her.

I know of 3 drugs that stimulate appetite in a cat.  Valium, otherwise known as alprazolam, was used once on one of my cats, although I dont know if it is still used.  Mirtazapine (Remeron), I think also can be used but these are both sedating; and cyproheptadine, and antihistamine.

If Peaches does not bounce back after B12, I would consider a short course of 2.5 mg prednisolone, and then a gradual taper.  This is a very low dose and will make  her feel better.

Sometimes fluids help, also. 

 

[snugglecat]

Thank you for taking the time to help. She does seem much better since she got some food in her. She is up and about and sitting in front of the back patio door. I think I will have the vet show me how to do the injection and make sure I can handle it. I don't have a car so getting getting Peaches to the vet is another issue, this would help if I could do it at home. The vet Peaches sees is a very caring understanding lady and she is willing to help me save money, she knows I struggle. Actually compared to flareups in the past this seems like a mild one. I just worry when I can't get her to eat.

 

[that guy]

Doing it at home is easy and the first time I did it I actually watched some youtube videos on how to do it. The first few times are the hardest and after that it gets easier and easier. If you have any concerns about her moving then search for the 'chip clip' method for cats which basically puts them in pause mode. There are a number of things that can put your cat in an IBD attack from stress and vet vists are one of them so it is good to avoid it if you can. You should look at a raw diets which are good for your cat and if you make it yourself I believe it is cheaper than regular cat food and much better. I tried my cat on it and even with probiotics he had a bad reaction to it and had lots of stomach\acid issues so I had to stop feeding them to him. Check the hydration when you get a chance, her eyes should be glossy and her mouth should not be dry.

 

[zoneout]

Do you need a scrip to get the B12 injections at a pharmacy?

 

[myrnafaye]

No, I think you get them from  the vet.  The B12 is already pre-measured in the syringes.  Snugglecat, I am glad you decided you can take on the injections!  good for you!  Once you do it a couple of times, you will be a pro and will wonder why you thought you could not do it. 

 

[snugglecat]

I just remembered even if I did do the injections she still has to go see the vet once a month to have her anal glands expressed. I usually have her get the injection at the same time. I will talk to the vet next time we go in. She is doing much better today so I am happy about that.

 

[that guy]

I don't think you need to go to the vet for this but this is where I get mine, check with your local pharmacy to be sure. I just buy it by the bottle and fill the syringes as needed. My guy is up to once a week now and it is very easy to do just make sure to change the needles after extracting the fluid if the syringes are not pre-filled and throw them away after each injection.

 

[zoneout]

 
I don't think you need to go to the vet for this but this is where I get mine, check with your local pharmacy to be sure. I just buy it by the bottle and fill the syringes as needed. My guy is up to once a week now and it is very easy to do just make sure to change the needles after extracting the fluid if the syringes are not pre-filled and throw them away after each injection.

OK, yep you can get it anywhere but just need a scrip from the vet.

http://www.lambertvetsupply.com/Vitamin-B-12-Injectable-Rx_p_3750.html

 

[zoneout]

 
Can she absorb any oral vitamin B12?  I wonder if that will help between injections.

Seems like oral B12 is of little use.   I found this snippet on ibdkitties.com

It states that for dosing in cats, no good data is available and oral 
treatment is unlikely to be of much benefit in malabsorption states (e.g. pancreatic disease interfering with the 
production and release of pancreatic IF). This is why injections are used instead of pills. Injections will bypass 
the stomach and go straight to the liver but the pills will have a long way to get there, will break down a lot 
sooner and not have nearly the same affect.  www.petplace.com/drug-library/vitamin-b12/page1.aspx
 

 

[zoneout]

 
Doing it at home is easy and the first time I did it I actually watched some youtube videos on how to do it. The first few times are the hardest and after that it gets easier and easier. If you have any concerns about her moving then search for the 'chip clip' method for cats which basically puts them in pause mode. There are a number of things that can put your cat in an IBD attack from stress and vet vists are one of them so it is good to avoid it if you can. You should look at a raw diets which are good for your cat and if you make it yourself I believe it is cheaper than regular cat food and much better. I tried my cat on it and even with probiotics he had a bad reaction to it and had lots of stomach\acid issues so I had to stop feeding them to him. Check the hydration when you get a chance, her eyes should be glossy and her mouth should not be dry.

This is why I

  this site.   I actually have gotten MUCH more useful info here than from my good-for-nothing vets.   Took my cat to 3 different vets (an older seasoned generalist, a younger one not far removed from school, and an internal specialist with solid experience - all at different practices.)   Not a one of them even mentioned B12 for my cat that was having bad IBD symptoms.     Not one.   But they were quick to suggest multiple xrays and ultrasounds at $350 a pop.   

Thanks for sharing your knowledge about B12 in this thread everyone.   I had no idea how beneficial it could be.    Who knows, my cat might still be alive had I learned about this earlier.

Just googling I came upon this that helped me to understand its importance (it`s an easy read)  http://www.ibdkitties.net/B12.html

Thanks again and good luck to all

Z

 

[peaches08]

 
Seems like oral B12 is of little use.   I found this snippet on ibdkitties.com

It states that for dosing in cats, no good data is available and oral 
treatment is unlikely to be of much benefit in malabsorption states (e.g. pancreatic disease interfering with the 
production and release of pancreatic IF). This is why injections are used instead of pills. Injections will bypass 
the stomach and go straight to the liver but the pills will have a long way to get there, will break down a lot 
sooner and not have nearly the same affect.  www.petplace.com/drug-library/vitamin-b12/page1.aspx
 

I'm familiar with intrinsic factor and B12, but is that what this cat's problem is?  I have IBS and have to take extra B vitamins orally because of it. 

Hopefully the OP has found a solution.

 

[snugglecat]

Peaches is feeling much better today. I even heard her playing with her toy mouse early this morning. She did throw up a hair ball but that is when she started to feel even better and playing. She is now eating her food like she normally does.

Usually when she has a flareup she gets constipated, stops eating and dehydrated. This time she was just not eating and not feeling well so really this was just a small and easy one to get over. Sometimes we end up at the vet 2 or 3 times getting fluids and getting her to go poop. I will make sure she gets her B12 injections from now on. The vet and I discussed maybe her getting one twice a month so we will see.

 
Is Peaches on prednisone??

She is not on prednisone right now but the vet and I have discussed this and maybe trying it at some point.

 

[zoneout]

If it gets to that point make sure your vet gives you prednisolone - not prednisone. The words are used interchangeably unfortunately which causes confusion. Prednisolone has better bio-availability for cats.

 

[snugglecat]

I guess I spoke to soon, she is not eating much because now I think she is constipated. I thought maybe we would get through this without her getting constipated but no such luck. She gets Miralax twice a day with water added to her canned food but we still go through these flareups every few months or so. I have stopped her small amount of dry food and have been adding more water to her food so I hope this helps.

The thing that frustrates me with Peaches is she can still have bowel movements every day but be constipated. The only reason I know she is having issues is she keeps going to the littler box and trying to go. She finally went a little and then finished her canned food.

Any suggestions besides continue with the miralax that would help her? I can't find a ride to the vet until some time next week.