IBD
- Thread starter Lizanne
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while I do not have experience with a cat and IBD, I did have a dog that had it and can share my experience with him although it may be different.
He was my american bulldog and had off and on vomiting and bloody/mucous stool since he was a puppy. We were constantly getting x-rays, blood work, medications and sent home to monitor. He once got so bad that he wasn't eating and still vomiting and having diarrhea that we again rushed him to the vet. They decided to do an abdominal ultrasound at this time. He was just shy of 2 yrs old when this happened. The ultrasound diagnosed either IBD or lymphoma. My options were to do an ultrasound guided biopsy and "maybe" get a diagnosis or take him to surgery to get a definitive diagnosis. My husband and I opted for abdominal surgical explore and biopsies. We needed to know what we were up against and how to best treat him. He was in the hospital recuperating for a few days while we waited for the biopsy results. They came back as IBD. We switched his food to a hydrolyzed protein prescription diet (hills z/d) and started him on steroids and flagyl (metronidazole) He couldn't tolerate prednisone so we had to get compounded budesonide to give to him. He lived happily for another 10 years after that whole experience. He did have a few flare ups but nothing too terrible.
I hope this helps you in some way.
He was my american bulldog and had off and on vomiting and bloody/mucous stool since he was a puppy. We were constantly getting x-rays, blood work, medications and sent home to monitor. He once got so bad that he wasn't eating and still vomiting and having diarrhea that we again rushed him to the vet. They decided to do an abdominal ultrasound at this time. He was just shy of 2 yrs old when this happened. The ultrasound diagnosed either IBD or lymphoma. My options were to do an ultrasound guided biopsy and "maybe" get a diagnosis or take him to surgery to get a definitive diagnosis. My husband and I opted for abdominal surgical explore and biopsies. We needed to know what we were up against and how to best treat him. He was in the hospital recuperating for a few days while we waited for the biopsy results. They came back as IBD. We switched his food to a hydrolyzed protein prescription diet (hills z/d) and started him on steroids and flagyl (metronidazole) He couldn't tolerate prednisone so we had to get compounded budesonide to give to him. He lived happily for another 10 years after that whole experience. He did have a few flare ups but nothing too terrible.
I hope this helps you in some way.
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No experience with IBD so only chime in to sent positive vibes your way.
The vet says it is the first thing on her radar as a diagnosed, followed by pancreatitis.
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Thank you so much.. My baby never seems to get a break. It makes me so
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Thank you for all the information. Yes it helps a LOT. It confirms what I have read and prepares me for my next steps.
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@Lizanne my Macie girl has IBD and I went thru so many food trials.
she has done amazing for years now on Nutrisource cat and kitten food in the blue bag.
(no recalls ) she has no more vomit or poo issues.
she does not need take any medications.
please keep us updated
sending positive vibes and head smooches
my sphynx love Nutrisource too. no tummy or poo issues either.
she has done amazing for years now on Nutrisource cat and kitten food in the blue bag.
(no recalls ) she has no more vomit or poo issues.
she does not need take any medications.
please keep us updated
sending positive vibes and head smooches
my sphynx love Nutrisource too. no tummy or poo issues either.
That sounds like my boy. He can be a stress case, especially if it has to do with our house, like 5 grandkids visiting, us being gone on vacation for 2 weeks etc. Before I rescued him he had gone through 4 homes before he was one years old. My poor lil guy. We've just thought this off and on soft serve poo was stress. Going to try and start by eliminating his dry food that he grazes on since it has 16.5% fat and only do the wet. I hate to not be able to have some dry out so that they have something in case I don't get home in time. Don't like to have to commit to being home at certain times just to do feedings, even though I'm home 95% of the time anyways. It's complicated since my other boy runs on the skinny side and needs the extra fatty food for grazing. My sick boy use to be thin too, but now he's gotten heavy and eats NON STOP, ever since I took them off and put them on canned with dry out 24/7
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Hi again. You only feed dry now? Do you feed any wet? If so what type?
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Molly has IBD and has been symptom free for a long time now. She is 7 years old. She can't eat red meat (does well on turkey and fish sometimes chicken or pork too). We have fed her raw since she was about 6 months old. She was diagnosed by ultrasound. S. Boulardii and Slippery Elm Bark were life savers when she would have a flare up. She also did short rounds of prednisolone in the beginning when she would have a flare up. PM me if you have questions
bmnicho
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We thought Rooster had IBD but after many food trials and tests (and a lot of stress b/c of his visible wasting), my vet ran a PCR for Tritrichomonas (this was several years ago with PCR was coming into the vet world) and bingo. The meds weren't fun for either of us (gloves required and dosing was a concern) but his recovery was amazing. I know there are some differing opinions out there around tritrich and treatments but for us it was a lifesaver. He's now 16 and enjoying his 'retirement' life of treats and sleeps.
Rooster is a rescue (backyard breeder dump) and had been in my home for several years when this all came about so it has always been a mystery to me as to if he had been recently exposed or if it had been lying in wait without obvious symptoms until triggering.
Rooster is a rescue (backyard breeder dump) and had been in my home for several years when this all came about so it has always been a mystery to me as to if he had been recently exposed or if it had been lying in wait without obvious symptoms until triggering.
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@Lizanne my dry food addict IBD kitty eats Nutrisource cat and kitten food.
she and my batman refuses any wet food.
the others eat Purina proplan urinary focus chicken wet food. started using with an adoptee that had a UTI..
so just continued it.. wasnt crazy about ingredients but they eat it up and no urinary issues since
she and my batman refuses any wet food.
the others eat Purina proplan urinary focus chicken wet food. started using with an adoptee that had a UTI..
so just continued it.. wasnt crazy about ingredients but they eat it up and no urinary issues since
That's very interesting. Thank you for the info. So far it's been a crazy ride. My other baby is getting skinny while we are trying to "fix" his brother. Nothing feels right about switching foods whenthey loved what they were eating. I've been going the novel protein route and so far they hate it. They also have my IBD boy on .04 of Flagyl 2 times per day. Food news is I haven't had to clean his poo butt for 4 days now
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Hi Yoda's Mom. Thank you for checking. My "IBD" guy is doing great. I'm 99% sure dry food for grazing was the problem. I can't say he's lost any weight, but he's not fat, just chubbier than we are use too, and I'd like him to lose 1 llb, 2 tops. My other sweetie is still alittle thinner than I'd like him to be, but he is only 2.5 years old, so weight gain will probably start after 3 anyways. They eat is out of house and home. At least 8 cans of wet food a day
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I'll bring up one other idea. I'm not usually a fan of kibble for 2 big reasons. #1 it's low on water and #2 it has them most fillers just because that's what it takes to make kibble. That said, if you have to feed kibble, look into a hydrolized kibble.
I would still give them canned food as much as you are able to. I have my cats on a feeding schedule and they eat when the food goes down. That way I can watch them. You see, if I tried to leave food out, one of them them would eat most of it, one would get her fair share, and the third one wouldn't get any.
Here is a good article
littlebigcat.com
This is taken from that article:
"IBD can be definitively diagnosed only by biopsy, either surgically or by endoscope. Both require general anesthesia, and both can be very costly. Endoscopy is less invasive, but its range is limited by its length and the curves in the digestive tract. It can take samples from the stomach, colon, and first part of the intestine only. However, if the usual treatments for IBD do not work for your cat, it may be necessary to proceed with a biopsy to rule out more serious conditions."
I would still give them canned food as much as you are able to. I have my cats on a feeding schedule and they eat when the food goes down. That way I can watch them. You see, if I tried to leave food out, one of them them would eat most of it, one would get her fair share, and the third one wouldn't get any.
Here is a good article
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Cats – Little Big Cat
littlebigcat.com
This is taken from that article:
"IBD can be definitively diagnosed only by biopsy, either surgically or by endoscope. Both require general anesthesia, and both can be very costly. Endoscopy is less invasive, but its range is limited by its length and the curves in the digestive tract. It can take samples from the stomach, colon, and first part of the intestine only. However, if the usual treatments for IBD do not work for your cat, it may be necessary to proceed with a biopsy to rule out more serious conditions."
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I am definitely not a fan of dry food.. An actual raw lover who got sick and tired of the vet's comments and when my one guy was figured for IBD, I didn't want to fight it anymore. I only had dry out for grazing but stopped under the advise of the vet and was advised to try novelty proteins and/or limited ingredient food. I opted for testing his stomach this way since I do not have the heart to put him through the trauma of surgery again (he had PU surgery).
I have full insurance that would cover it all , but after a lot of research I came to realize there is nothing they can do about it anyways if it is IBD, so I just treated it as if it were IBD, vs surgery. Not allowing dry and 1 month of flagyl and probiotics, it has all cleared up and he's been good for many months so far.. I just recently started adding in some raw again for my one baby but very limited for my IBD boy. Both my boys love their kibble, so I put a small amount out for just a couple hours a couple times a week. It's been a good balance and all have been doing really good.
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I have full insurance that would cover it all , but after a lot of research I came to realize there is nothing they can do about it anyways if it is IBD, so I just treated it as if it were IBD, vs surgery. Not allowing dry and 1 month of flagyl and probiotics, it has all cleared up and he's been good for many months so far.. I just recently started adding in some raw again for my one baby but very limited for my IBD boy. Both my boys love their kibble, so I put a small amount out for just a couple hours a couple times a week. It's been a good balance and all have been doing really good.
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@Lizanne thank you for the update... hugs and head smooches..
IBD bengal here so always like to know what foods/combinations are working for others
which kibble brand flavor and raw brand?
my IBD bengal is hooked on the nutrisource
I tried the stella and chewys new kibble, both flavors ...she won't touch it..
only two of the nakids sniffed it and ate a little , more of the chicken than the fish
IBD bengal here so always like to know what foods/combinations are working for others
which kibble brand flavor and raw brand?
my IBD bengal is hooked on the nutrisource
I tried the stella and chewys new kibble, both flavors ...she won't touch it..
only two of the nakids sniffed it and ate a little , more of the chicken than the fish