So...... IBD/Lymphoma isn't contagious.... right?

[Ocean Planet]

If you recently read this forum you've probably seen my other post about my Bengal having IBD/Lymphoma as of a month ago.

This sounds really dumb but those are not contagious, correct?

My other cat, a solid black domestic shorthair, who I adopted one year ago has started having 'soft serve' stool the past 3 weeks. No liquid; just mush. He still only goes once per day as well. I've also noticed a little tad of bright red blood sometimes mixed in there. I tried starting off with a simple thing of giving him some left-over Visbiome probiotic for 2 weeks but it hasn't done anything.

On 2/20 he had his yearly checkup and got his rabies & distemper (the mush started before this). They also tested his stool sample for parasites & giarda and both came back negative for any of that. The only other change in the household has been food. I've moved him to a dry royal canin weight control food to try to lose some weight. He was 15.5 pounds.

He just turned 4 or 5 last month (2 different years on his adoption papers). Isn't this kind of young to start having these issues?

Now I'm wondering if I should schedule an ultrasound in the near future to try to narrow this down early. I don't think the blood is just going to 'go away' with any probiotic? Or could a food change cause soft stool and blood? (He mostly eats dry food)

Man, if I have two cats at the same time with these diseases, this will be devastating.....

 

[FeebysOwner]

There might be a genetic factor regarding IBD/lymphoma, but nothing contagious about them that I know of. I think you are going to find the food might be the culprit, especially if you changed the food abruptly. Although food change issues tend to go away after a while, I would have thought that might have happened after 3 weeks. So, it may just be that this cat will not tolerate the RC weight control food.

I would either put him back on the food that he was eating before this started, or you could try using S. boulardii as probiotic which seems to help with diarrhea. It might not help with the blood though. This article discusses this probiotic from an IBD standpoint, but it applies to non-IBD cats too.
review_of_s_boulardii_studies_190209.pdf (rawfeedingforibdcats.org)

 

[Ocean Planet]

There might be a genetic factor regarding IBD/lymphoma, but nothing contagious about them that I know of. I think you are going to find the food might be the culprit, especially if you changed the food abruptly. Although food change issues tend to go away after a while, I would have thought that might have happened after 3 weeks. So, it may just be that this cat will not tolerate the RC weight control food.

I would either put him back on the food that he was eating before this started, or you could try using S. boulardii as probiotic which seems to help with diarrhea. It might not help with the blood though. This article discusses this probiotic from an IBD standpoint, but it applies to non-IBD cats too.
review_of_s_boulardii_studies_190209.pdf (rawfeedingforibdcats.org)

That's what I was thinking with the food too (that maybe it would be the cause but go away after a week). I may try the S. Bouldardii now as my other kitty reacted well to it and still takes a half capsule every day. (I was just trying to use up the Visbiome, ugh...).

I may try that the S/B for a week or two first. I'd hate to take him back to the vet to just ask questions, unless it is to move forward with an ultrasound.

Will update this journey as things go on.

 

[Ocean Planet]

Well, the Oncologist basically said the same thing that it is not contagious and also thinks that it is the food. The weight loss food had extra fiber and psyllium in it that can contribute turning it to mush. I've started transitioning back to the prior food this week. Although it doesn't explain the bits of blood. I think I'm going to have to make a vet appointment and start the discovery process. They'll probably have me try metronidazole first but I kind of have a bad feeling about this. He is doing what I call the 'famous IBD breadloaf for long hours in the middle of the floor" All my other IBD cats have done this.

The S. Boulardii isn't helping and I'm kind of surprised. It makes me sick to my stomach that it's possible that both of my kitties will have this terrible disease