Three senior cats with IBD

[cliff conquest]

Sorry your kitties are going through this. My 12 year old boy Sniffy has struggled with IBD for the last year on and off. He had fallen off to a little under 6 lbs from his healthiest weight of a little over 10+ lbs as a result of hyperthyroidism and the IBD. There was a period where every day was an explosive liquid stool, sometimes in the box, sometimes on the floor.

Tried fortiflora/yogurt/pumpkin/slippery elm all with no luck. I tried a raw food diet that he ate, but didn't improve his digestion at all. As a side note, our oldest cat Kahlua who is 17 also took up the raw food readily, so I wouldn't necessarily write off that option. She spends most of her days in the master bedroom where I confined Sniffy due to his bathroom issues.

Best result I have gotten is from a depo-medrol shot vet gave him, combined with prednisone tabs to give him after the shot. It seemed like the shot reset his system or reduced the inflammation to a point where he could have at least semi-solid stools. SInce the first shot, he's had another shot (6 weeks later) when his symptoms returned. That was 4 weeks ago. I'm not sure whether that will work as long-term plan, but Sniffy was miserable and his quality of life was significantly comprised. Honestly our vet said we could do a biopsy, but they don't always get the pathology right.

As for what I am feeding him now, I have settled on limited ingredient venison and duck & pea from van patten, in a can. He seems to like it and he keeps it down.

Hope you and your feline family can find some resolution.

 

[wolvie29]

My kitten came down with ibd about 1 1/2 years ago, she lost half her body weight. I thought it was her heart and she does have an issue there. I tried all the normal routes until my vet tried b12 shots for 6 weeks, they did help and I also took her off all foods the have chicken, turkey or beef and I mean if any of theingredients were these she can't have it. I won't even get the meal by products. So I am always reading the ingredients and have found a few that she can have in cans and packets but only 2 brands of dry food. It's har dot keep all the cats on that food but I recentl had an older cat do the same thing. He's getting better too. Hope this might help anyone with ibd kitties.

 

[amycat1]

Why not try a holistic vet?   http://www.ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

My sister uses http://www.smithridge.com/srvc_docs.html  for her 13 yr old cat who has cancer.

Good luck with your kitties!  I hope they heal quickly.

 

[blueeyes]

Hi I'm going to look into this problem for you, and get a link you can find an alternative to what your vet told you.  perhaps your vet has recommended, an alternative I will let you know tomorrow.

blueeyes 

 

[blueeyes]

Hi I found this link for cat's with IBD.  I hope this site helps, put with the amount of post you have already received the chances are you have this link already.  AskAriel.com

blueeyes

 

[all8now]

I'm so sorry- this sounds completely awful for all of you!

The only advice I have to offer comes from my own 14-yo's medication.  He gets 2.5 mg predinose for probable IBD, and it's compounded into a soft tablet with chicken flavoring.  Your vet may know how to get hold of this, or should be able to find out- I get it from my vet, and it makes the meds so easy.  Kitty even likes the stuff!

 

[maggie101]

My cat  Josie with ibd  is taking fortiflora which has helped.She no longer goes on the floor 6x a day.I will mention the pill when she sees the IMD mon.She also had a seizure thursday. She also take prenisolone but it has increased her appetite too much.When I am eating on the couch she will stare down right at my food.If I push her away she will bite me-never done that before!

Laura

 

[maggie101]

My cat Josie has been on prednisolone once a day and a pack of Fortiflora once a day.Her weight has gained and she no longer goes on the floor since i started giving her the Fortiflora.She also has not had a b12 injection in over a month.I asked my internal medicine doc what is in the food I give her that could cause ibd.He said that eventually cats cannot digest meat  like chicken anymore which is why she is on a hypoallerginbic  diet.He said she does not need the b12 anymore and possibly decrease the dosage the next time I see him.

Laura

 

[lunabell]

Hello

I too am having trouble with my 12 year old boy. This year, he had two flares of pancreatitis (May and Oct). Previously he had one other flare a year or so ago. 

(Before I continue, he is on Budesonide 1 mg every day. I have subq Famotidine and Metoclopramide for when he's not feeling well, and some buprenorphine as needed. Also, weekly B12 shots again. He has slight renal insufficiency, and his liver and heart are a little abnormal, they think from the long-term steroid use. Nothing serious, yet)

His lungs looked a little different (he has been sneezing a bit though), and he had the usual inflamed pancreas/thickened intestines as during his previous ultrasound. Indicative of pancreatitis and either IBD or lymphoma. When we tried weaning him off the Budesonide back in June, due to a suggestion that it can make pancreatitis worse--my God, it was the worst month ever, for both of us. Vomitting all over the place, all the time, numerous trips to the ER vet and regular vet. Within 2 days of being back on the Budesonide, he started eating again and stopped vomitting.

During this latest flare, I was convinced to go see an internist, both by my vet and the ER vet. I didn't see any harm--a second or third opinion is always good. They did a follow-up ultrasound, a lot of lab work, and reviewed his xrays from the ER visit. Subsequently, they prescribed a 10-day course of Panacor for possible worms. I didn't start it because I didn't want to upset his stomach when he was finally eating again. I then received a call, saying there wasn't any evidence of worms, so that was good....and that he scored a 1 on the lab test for toxoplasmosis. Could be a false positive, but they suggested 30 days of twice-daily Clindamycin and then a recheck. I dutifully picked up the meds, along with some Fortiflora for the diarrhea I knew would come. Then I got online and saw that a level of greater than 64 on the IGM test is when meds are warranted. ??

So all of that is making me question their next suggestion. Switching him to Prednisolone (I do agree there, perhaps the Budesonide is not strong enough at this point), but they also want to put him on Leukoran. The are pushing for an endoscopy but there is no way I can afford the $5000 at this time.

My boy is the type of cat that literally gets depressed from all the visits to the vet, and being given pills/liquids (hence the subq meds I try to stick to). He will even have twitches and jerks and nightmares for a week after a traumatic overnight stay or something at the vets.

I don't want to be subjecting him to all these things, and for what? For something he may or may not have?

I'm thinking--switch to Prednisolone, try Fortiflora, and see how he does.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone. Typing it out helped me! I'm going to check out the IBD Kitties page, and I think make an appointment for ME to speak to my own vet about all this. Problem is, I'm not very eloquent in person. 

 

 

[maggie101]

My cat has IBD and is on 1 mil prednisolone and 1/2 mil at night.I give her 3 meals of z/d-hypoallerginic. Her second meal I add Fortiflora-whole pack-and 3rd meal The Missing Link. She is no longer vomitting 24/7 and dierrhea. I know the ingredients in z/d are gross but it works. I started giving her The Missing Link because I read it should give her more  energy. She's not sleeping on the floor anymore and is starting to get more interested in  toys.

Laura

 

[myrnafaye]

Hold on!  IS your cat (cats) on PREDNISOLONE of PREDNISONE?  this a big difference.  Cats need to be on the former and not the latter, they metabolize it better.  And what dose?? if you cat has a serious inflammation going on, and considering her age, I would not hesitate to put him on at least a maintenance dose of 5 mg. of PREDNiSOLONE.  NO dry food.  And try three smaller meals!  I would not give slippery elm bark with pred, as it can block absorption of nutrients.  My cat Obi had a rough spell during the late winter, spring and early summer; he is better now!  He still throws up hairballs and I am working on that still but I am pretty sure he does not have either IBD or lymphoma, as he has not lost weight, in fact has probably gained some with the three meals.  I feed him a rabbit diet (novel protein) made by Nature's Variety.  NO treats.    

 

[maggie101]

I don't know if this is true for pancreatitis-I'm am no doc-but IBD cannot be confirmed without an endoscopy. She is being treated for IBD because of her symptons and blood work and ultrasound(no endoscopy). So far it has worked. She's been on prednisolone for 3 months. Prednisolone has majorly increased her appitite. She wants to eat everything so watch out! 

lunch meat,bread,cheese,sundried tomatos,cheetos,chips,anything thats food-even a new litter I tried that smells edible,lettuce,cranberries,nuts,etc

good luck!

Laura

 

[catdelite15]

I have a house full of senior cats, have lost 5 in the last year.  One to diabetes, others with presumed cancer and others for unknown reasons.  Lab tests didn't really show cancer, it was always a guess.  I hate to say this, but when my cats start losing almost half their original weight and eat constantly, which they all did, I knew they are suffering and I really felt like I should  end their misery.  I always held out to the last second until the vet would say "it's time".  I rethink this over and over.  Why did I wait so long each time???

They looked terrible, had to eat and drink constantly to maintain their even lower weight, and you know they had to be in discomfort of some kind.  I hope I am stronger with the ones I have left and when they get to that point have enough courage to let them pass into a pain free dimension.  The medications only made them worse from my experience.  If all your efforts are not working,  and you have tried everything, and your cat is suffering and in pain, it may be time to discuss other options.   I have come to believe that we are doing the best for them when we let them die with dignity and release them from their pain.  I do have one cat with IBD that is only 10 years old, I just started her on chicken and rice only diet for awhile. Hopefully someone can find a quick cure for all cats with IBD.  I too will go to any lengths to help and save my cats, and know and appreciate how much care it does take.  But, I have just started questioning for myself if it is the right thing to do when they reach a very old age and are suffering.   Just a thought. I know I won't win friends with this one, but it is something I think about all the time.  I question what is right when they are going through so much.

 

[myrnafaye]

I think we have to start questioning why so many cats have IBD.  I think it must be the food.

 

[donotsurrender]

Hello,

I have never posted on this site, but I am wondering what the Cat Whisperer would say about changing/transitioning  your cats' diet to raw or at least a combination of raw, and a high quality wet food, like Wellness or one as good as that?

I cannot tell if you are feeding dry food, but if you are it is usually the direct cause of IBD.  Raw food is not some crazy idea; cats are obligate carnivores. That means they must eat meat  to live a healthy and long  life.

I will not go on a rant about this subject, only to say that I recently changed my cat Solo to a raw diet and the benefits are obvious. I wish that I had informed myself sooner. If you want to read about the subject of raw food you can go to...

..http://www.catnutrition.org/ibd.html

http://www.catnutrition.org

http://www.catinfo.org/


I have read and am continuing to read  about raw food. I can pretty much guarantee that you will be very interested in what you find on these sites.

My sincere good wishes to you that your cats get better.

Would cat lovers who feed raw diets please weigh in on the possibility of curing  or helping IBD with a raw diet.

Donotsurrender

 

[betsygee]

There was a recent thread about this very subject here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/286677/has-anyone-here-with-an-ibd-cat-ever-tried-holistic-treatment

Here's the post from the owner of TCS, @Anne, about it,  with several references:

IBD can be so frustrating. We actually have an article about that coming real soon, so I wanted to mention that IBD is really a general name for several diseases, each one involving a different type of while blood cell. Whether you choose a nutritional approach or not, it's important to work with a veterinarian you trust on this and not experiment on your own. Some of these cats can actually be compromised by switching to raw, especially untreated raw with a high pathogen load. Also, whether the cat is healthy or not, switching to raw/homemade diets is something to be done with care, and we have several articles about that by our talented @LDG.

We have an entire forum dedicated to raw and homemade diets, so please, if you wish you further discuss these feeding practices, the right place for it would be right there  

 -

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

Here are some links to articles on our site. Switching to a homemade/raw diet is a legitimate choice but we have seen cases where people thought it means nothing more than just providing some chicken breast or some other single source of raw meat to their cats. It is actually a tad bit more complicated than that 

 While it's not rocket science, once you prepare your cat's food at home, you do need to know what you're doing. With that in mind - 

Raw Feeding Cats: Types of Raw Diets & Feeding Options

Feeding Raw to Cats - Safety Concerns

Homemade Food for Cats: Consider Your Recipe!

Preparing Raw Cat Food At Home - Tools of the Trade

Raw Feeding Cats: Calcium and Bones

Raw Feeding for Cats: The Ingredients

Prey Model Raw: The Basics

 

[maggie101]

My cat was on Wellness Core chicken for 12 years. Her first sympton was vomitting all day-not hard to miss. My internal medicine doc said when cats get older they sometimes cannot digest foods like chicken. I have thought of feeding her raw food but am afraid I'll mess up in making it.  Thanks for the info! It was interesting. Now that she's better I plan on having the carpet cleaned!

 

[jeanniejayne]

I had a holistic vet until recently, and she made her own herbal tinctures.  She suggested EVO dry cat food (no grain) and yam & marshmallow (the plant - not the candy!) herbal tincture (stabilized in alcohol) for my cat Lydia.  I call it her cockctail. She gets a syringe with 0.4 ml BID,  only gets it when she starts vomiting, which is only a couple times a year now on EVO.  All my cats eat EVO. Expensive, but their coats are much nicer and teeth squeaky clean.  I bought a big bottle of the herbal cocktail, and it keeps a long time.  Lydia jumps up on the bed and open her mouth for it.  Smartest cat ever!   I miss my vet, but she is now teaching herbal Medicine to other vets, so that is some consolation.   

 

[katznbunz]

My 14 year old male cat was on prednisolone for years for IBD until he became diabetic. Fortunately, when he was slowly weaned off of the Prednisolone he was no longer diabetic and never received insulin. He was on metronidazole and Pepcid and Denamarin for a long time. Within the past several months I discontinued the Denamarin due to watching him eat grass and purposely throw up his Denamarin tablet. Now, the only thing he gets is .5 ml of B-12 injection monthly. The diet that has worked well for him is Fancy Feast Classic Turkey and Giblets and Fancy Feast Classic Chopped Grill. I started feeding him Tiki cat Puka Puka Luau chicken consume without the egg because he could eat it without any adverse effects ie. vomiting and diarrhea. I took him to a wholistic vet, recently, because he appeared to have a mild seizure and was walking in circles and he has been having some blood and mucous in his stool. She noticed his recent blood work had a high level of Eosinophil of 2980 and wants me to get another ultra sound. She also gave me an iron and vitamin supplement and a probiotic to try since he tested low in red blood cells 6.95. He hated the iron and vitamin supplement and threw up. He is tolerating the probiotic and I am thinking instead of another expensive ultra sound, he had one done last year, which indicated some intestinal wall thickening but no tumor masses, perhaps I should try a home made diet. So far he has tested positive for pancreatitis. Any thoughts on home made diets for IBD and pancreatitis cats would be appreciated.

 

[denice]

We have a forum dedicated to home made food both home cooked and raw http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food   There are several stickies at the top of the forum with general info.  I have an IBD kitty that is still tolerating the Pred but I know there may come a time where he will need to come off of it.  The diabetes does usually rectify itself after they are weaned off of the steroid.

Unfortunately what works for a kitty is different from one cat to another.  My kitty can't tolerate beef, never has been able to, and has developed a chicken allergy.  Many IBD kitties have issues with bone meal so you probably should stick with egg shell for the calcium.  If you go the premix route which is the easiest there are premixes that have egg shell rather than bone meal.