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jlr1070

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Aug 30, 2016
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hi,
I want to thank you for your informative story as it has helped me get started with healing my own cat, but I still have a lot of questions, which I hope that you can shed some light on. How long did you do the slippery elm before you noticed an improvement.

I cannot get allergy tests done and I'm limited with what foods I can find here in Denmark, but I did find some dry duck, and some semi raw duck with pheasant, that I am waiting to arrive. In the meantime I continue to feed him some good quality fish and the hypoallergenic food from the vets (neither of which I think are helping). I have also started him on probiotics, edible clay and colostrum, the latter of which I think may be key in healing his gut. I just don't have a sense of how long I have to wait to see improvements. He is still losing weight, but he is no longer throwing up bile in the mornings and his poo is not as bloody so I see those as small steps in the right direction.

The vet has done poop and full blood work and nothing is standing out as problematic. I am uncertain if I want to do the biopsy of his intestines to see if this is indeed IBD or perhaps cancer but he is only three years old so I think cancer is unlikely although not unheard of. It bugs me so much that that insurance will pay for the expensive invasive surgery but not for an allergy test, as they see it as too alternative and not proven.

I have three cats in total and two small boys so I don't have much time or money to deal with this, but I don't want to pass him onto someone else who doesn't have half the wisdom in natural healing that I have and I certainly don't want him to suffer. It's hard to know how much pain he might be in. It seemed like you were at this for a long time before you saw results, but it wasn't entirely clear. Any more info would be really helpful. Many thanks!




An admin recommended that I share our IBS story, so here goes!

My husband and I took over the care of Miss Kitty (now 14) when she was around 5 years old. At the time, she was very overweight, being fed low-quality food, had tooth issues, and had not been bathed, had her ears cleaned, or visited a vet in almost 4 years. She was an absolute love bug and very, very loved but living with my grandmother who did not have the money or know-how to properly care for a sphynx. We adopted Miss Kitty when my grandmother passed- also without knowledge of the breed.

We got her bathed and cleaned up, had her shots at the vet, and got her settled in very quickly. We then started to notice a pattern of vomiting about 3 months in. It started with once or twice a week and quickly became once a day with loose stools. Back to the vet we went. Blood work at the time showed an infection, likely from her teeth. We got that taken care of with antibiotics and a cleaning, but the vomiting persisted. One week with vomiting one to four times per day and then two weeks without anything. It was a terrible cycle with no real cause we could find.

The vet concluded that she was probably suffering from IBS, but we never did any testing because I believe it is too invasive for what the test could tell us. Thickening of her intestines was confirmed by radiograph. And so began years of constantly researching diets, changing foods, and trying to find something that works for her. Unfortunately, one of the hallmarks of IBS kitties is that they will suddenly stop eating something they have happily been eating for a long time and it is totally out of the blue. Each time this happens, it re-starts the cycle of research, trial, and error. We have found that any type of fish, turkey, rabbit, beef, and chicken set her off.

At the moment, she is eating Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free LID Duck dry and canned. We have found that grain free is one major key to success. Another is adding fiber. We had a lot of luck with canned pumpkin for a while, but eventually moved to a slippery elm bark "slime." The slime coats their system to reduce acid which was causing a lot of her vomiting. The fiber in the slime also makes her stools prize-worthy (most of the time.) The third key to our success is a very regular feeding schedule. We found that she will vomit from over-eating and drinking if we wait too long between feedings.

The problem is that IBS is a never-ending battle and is different for every cat. Our goal was to avoid steroids and over-testing and to get her on a diet that worked for her. I could go on and on about everything we tried that did not work for her- but as of writing today, everything is well-controlled. (knock on wood!) We take everything one day at a time.

Thanks for reading!
 

Yoda mom

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@jlr1070 , healing vibes sent for your boy- what is his name? I hope you can share a pic of him :)
I have an IBS kitty now - I started with a change of diet food trial ( the vet formula did not work for us either )

I decided to try a duck protein and no treats
I have been feeding her Fromm a Game Bird recipe - with duck protein
Game Bird Cat Food - Fromm Family Foods

I see you have duck on order :)

all paws crossed you have the same success with feeding duck -

It takes about 12 weeks to see fully if the diet food trial is working -

I did see immediate less vomitting the first day feeding Fromm duck
Within a couple of weeks her fur improved and happier kitty
It had been a year and she is so much better -
She looks great feels great -


I did the food trial first with the Duck protein and did not do all the allergy testing or invasive biopsy.
Slippery elm I have heard good results with too.

*only you and your vet can decide the best course of treatment for your kitties 'particular circumstances .
I always opt for least intrusive for myself and kitties which my vet and I agree on for our circumstances.

Not sure if they make a nutri cal high calorie supplement in different flavors


It appears your boy is showing improvement with no bile vomit amd better stools
This is great news! Stay positive !

Please keep us updated often amd hoe the duck /pheasant food you ordered is working for him -
there is duck amd quail too in Fromm Game bird recipe that worked for my kitty
There are several online reviews with success.

Do you have a holistic vet you can ask about the slippery elm to notice results?

So happy for the progress in the right direction !
Healing vibes amd prayers sent

** oh , I also did several smaller portioned feedings 3x a day - this really helped too
So,e members use an automatic feeder
My other kitties like the food too :)

((Hugs)) and positve vibes

Tammy
 

GoldHazel

Gold Lairian
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Messages
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@jlr1070 I truly hope you begin to see improvement soon.

When I first began seeing blood in the litter box and it continued, I thought the worst possible scenario and was convinced that I was going to have the vet tell me "biopsy" "exploratory surgery", etc. etc. But instead my vet tried his best to tell me it was all from diet! He was absolutely right and I know you have limited food choices where you live. But hopefully it can all be figured out sooner than later. It's difficult to see our babies suffering.

Personally, I recommend that you do NOT allow the vet to do a biopsy anytime soon.
 

jlr1070

Lairian
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
7
Points
2
Helps to firm poop up. I do not freak over wet poop like many do.

Was this missing some info? What firms up the poop? I am doing everything that was recommended so far on this forum. Started the pumpkin 5 days ago and continue with slippery elm. He is a bit better I think although still some blood in stool and it's still very loose, but no throw up. He is very skinny now and not putting on any weight though. He's a big boy and still unneutered so that may be hard to achieve. Thanks again!
 

GoldHazel

Gold Lairian
Notable Member
Joined
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Messages
12,086
Points
653
@jlr1070 pumpkin is the basic way to firm up poo. You can adjust the amount you give. How much exactly are you giving in a day?
Also, it's not going to necessarily work overnight.
 

jlr1070

Lairian
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
7
Points
2
An admin recommended that I share our IBS story, so here goes!

My husband and I took over the care of Miss Kitty (now 14) when she was around 5 years old. At the time, she was very overweight, being fed low-quality food, had tooth issues, and had not been bathed, had her ears cleaned, or visited a vet in almost 4 years. She was an absolute love bug and very, very loved but living with my grandmother who did not have the money or know-how to properly care for a sphynx. We adopted Miss Kitty when my grandmother passed- also without knowledge of the breed.

We got her bathed and cleaned up, had her shots at the vet, and got her settled in very quickly. We then started to notice a pattern of vomiting about 3 months in. It started with once or twice a week and quickly became once a day with loose stools. Back to the vet we went. Blood work at the time showed an infection, likely from her teeth. We got that taken care of with antibiotics and a cleaning, but the vomiting persisted. One week with vomiting one to four times per day and then two weeks without anything. It was a terrible cycle with no real cause we could find.

The vet concluded that she was probably suffering from IBS, but we never did any testing because I believe it is too invasive for what the test could tell us. Thickening of her intestines was confirmed by radiograph. And so began years of constantly researching diets, changing foods, and trying to find something that works for her. Unfortunately, one of the hallmarks of IBS kitties is that they will suddenly stop eating something they have happily been eating for a long time and it is totally out of the blue. Each time this happens, it re-starts the cycle of research, trial, and error. We have found that any type of fish, turkey, rabbit, beef, and chicken set her off.

At the moment, she is eating Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free LID Duck dry and canned. We have found that grain free is one major key to success. Another is adding fiber. We had a lot of luck with canned pumpkin for a while, but eventually moved to a slippery elm bark "slime." (More info about this here: Slippery Elm | Little Big Cat) The slime coats their system to reduce acid which was causing a lot of her vomiting. The fiber in the slime also makes her stools prize-worthy (most of the time.) The third key to our success is a very regular feeding schedule. We found that she will vomit from over-eating and drinking if we wait too long between feedings.

The problem is that IBS is a never-ending battle and is different for every cat. Our goal was to avoid steroids and over-testing and to get her on a diet that worked for her. I could go on and on about everything we tried that did not work for her- but as of writing today, everything is well-controlled. (knock on wood!) We take everything one day at a time.

Thanks for reading!

Hi Again,

I have more IBD questions. Turns out my cat'ss blood sample was not completely normal nApparently the numbers that would indicate an infection in the body were elevated. He still has loose poop but his poop was clear. Has anyone had this experience? Maybe IBD is still at the route of this. My vet doesn't seem competent enough and considering going elsewhere. Do you think it would be worth trying antibiotics? It could mess up the gut further. I have him on a betonite type edible clay, slippery elm, colostrum, pumpkin, grain free diet and probiotics which are helping him not vomit and less blood in stool but still poop is very loose and he has a lot of gas and remains very thin. Wondering what else could help differential diagnos IBD versus infection. Thanks for any info!
 

Yoda mom

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Messages
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@jlr1070 , I personally would get a second opinion with a vet you are confident with and can have a good working relationship with for the best care of your boy -

Many of our kitties do get antibiotics for various things - clavamox may not work so well for Sphynx breed -
We have seen Doxycycline amd Orbsx work well. Many give fortiflora sprinkled on food when giving antibiotics.

* Have you dropped off a stool sample to check for parasites ? Specifically Tritrichomonas and Giardia ?

I would definitely agree with a second vet opinion
The infection ineeds to be addresses ASAP with a vet

Healing positive vibes sent

Btw- what grain free food is he eating ?

Have you tred / asked vet about giving him a nutri-cal supplement ? ( may be online in your area )
Cat nutritional supplements: Nutri-Cal for cats
 

jlr1070

Lairian
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
7
Points
2
@jlr1070 , I personally would get a second opinion with a vet you are confident with and can have a good working relationship with for the best care of your boy -

Many of our kitties do get antibiotics for various things - clavamox may not work so well for Sphynx breed -
We have seen Doxycycline amd Orbsx work well. Many give fortiflora sprinkled on food when giving antibiotics.

* Have you dropped off a stool sample to check for parasites ? Specifically Tritrichomonas and Giardia ?

I would definitely agree with a second vet opinion
The infection ineeds to be addresses ASAP with a vet

Healing positive vibes sent

Btw- what grain free food is he eating ?

Have you tred / asked vet about giving him a nutri-cal supplement ? ( may be online in your area )
Cat nutritional supplements: Nutri-Cal for cats

Thanks for quick reply. My boy has had his poop check although the vet said some e.coli strains can go up and down and may not show up in poop. He's has loose poop for so long that I honk his gut is damaged and needs to heal. I am trying a duck and potato dry food from Nutro and a semi raw duck and pheasant from Natures Menu (what I can find in Europe). Every time I change his food though he has reacted.

Unfortunately I can't find a holistic get here so I have to settle on those that know little with regard to actually healing the gut bIts a journey for sure, but I don't want to ignore the possibility that an infection is what caused him to get much worse. Not sure where he could get it from though.

Thanks for tips on what antibiotics to use!
 

Yoda mom

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Messages
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@jlr1070 , please keep us updated often -
Let us know if you get him to see another vet

my IBS kitty does great on Fromm Game Bird recipe kibble .
I have found with my Pets that a Duck protein has worked well
And is my go to protein for allergies etc

Please let us know how the food is working for your boy

Looking forward to positve updates
 

GoldHazel

Gold Lairian
Notable Member
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Messages
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@jlr1070 if you are not close to feeling 100% confident with your vet, certainly trust your feelings and seek help elsewhere. Perhaps consider a specialist. As far as antibiotics, most probably Flagyl would be what would most likely be Rx'ed. I'm thinking positive thoughts for you and hopefully this gets under control asap. Please keep us updated. Best of luck.
 

Gillyb74

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Joined
Dec 31, 2012
Messages
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My 5yr old girl always had sloppy poo since was a kitten often with mucous or blood in it. She won't eat raw and I tried everything to settle her tummy. I lost my boy to hcm 12 weeks ago and it affected her really bad and became very unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting. Several vet visits later they ultrasounded her tummy and it showed bowel thickening and inflammation. They confirmed that almost diagnosis was inflammatory bowel disease - flare up caused by stress of losing her best friend. I opted out of more invasive procedure as didn't want to stress her out more. She had a short course of steroids and I spent several weeks trialling different biscuits for her. She is fussy and only likes certain wet food too. The past 4 weeks we have had fab progress with her poo- it's almost normal cat poo not sloppy and no blood. She is now having a mixture of James wellbeloved hypoallergenic biscuits and purina veterinary range biscuits for gastrointestinal probs - she loves them and it's helped so much. There are so many diff foods out there and I've finally found one that has settled her tummy and poo so fingers crossed she doesn't have another flare up - so trying to keep her as stress free as poss as don't want her on permanent steroids
 

Catzzzmeow

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@Gillyb74 I am so sorry to hear of your loss and the affect it is having on your other baby. Just wondering if you have Feliway diffusers? That might also help to calm your baby.

Patti
 

ZebbeBean

Lairian
Joined
Aug 6, 2016
Messages
4
Points
4
An admin recommended that I share our IBS story, so here goes!

My husband and I took over the care of Miss Kitty (now 14) when she was around 5 years old. At the time, she was very overweight, being fed low-quality food, had tooth issues, and had not been bathed, had her ears cleaned, or visited a vet in almost 4 years. She was an absolute love bug and very, very loved but living with my grandmother who did not have the money or know-how to properly care for a sphynx. We adopted Miss Kitty when my grandmother passed- also without knowledge of the breed.

We got her bathed and cleaned up, had her shots at the vet, and got her settled in very quickly. We then started to notice a pattern of vomiting about 3 months in. It started with once or twice a week and quickly became once a day with loose stools. Back to the vet we went. Blood work at the time showed an infection, likely from her teeth. We got that taken care of with antibiotics and a cleaning, but the vomiting persisted. One week with vomiting one to four times per day and then two weeks without anything. It was a terrible cycle with no real cause we could find.

The vet concluded that she was probably suffering from IBS, but we never did any testing because I believe it is too invasive for what the test could tell us. Thickening of her intestines was confirmed by radiograph. And so began years of constantly researching diets, changing foods, and trying to find something that works for her. Unfortunately, one of the hallmarks of IBS kitties is that they will suddenly stop eating something they have happily been eating for a long time and it is totally out of the blue. Each time this happens, it re-starts the cycle of research, trial, and error. We have found that any type of fish, turkey, rabbit, beef, and chicken set her off.

At the moment, she is eating Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free LID Duck dry and canned. We have found that grain free is one major key to success. Another is adding fiber. We had a lot of luck with canned pumpkin for a while, but eventually moved to a slippery elm bark "slime." (More info about this here: Slippery Elm | Little Big Cat) The slime coats their system to reduce acid which was causing a lot of her vomiting. The fiber in the slime also makes her stools prize-worthy (most of the time.) The third key to our success is a very regular feeding schedule. We found that she will vomit from over-eating and drinking if we wait too long between feedings.

The problem is that IBS is a never-ending battle and is different for every cat. Our goal was to avoid steroids and over-testing and to get her on a diet that worked for her. I could go on and on about everything we tried that did not work for her- but as of writing today, everything is well-controlled. (knock on wood!) We take everything one day at a time.

Thanks for reading!

My sweet 1-yr old sphynx boy has a similar history. Thickening of small intestine, loose stools, bloating from gas. We give him vitamin B shots for malabsorption issues, and he's on a special Rx hydrolized low protein diet because he can't tolerate regular cat food. Vet said IBS is a likely cause. He's a small boy and often lethargic, but a total love bug. I'm worried this will cut his life short, just want him to feel well.
 

Sundance

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Messages
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FYI, there is a really fabulous and knowledgeable group on Facebook to help cats with IBD, called IBDKitties. I usually find facebook extremely annoying -- lots of people who are pretty clueless giving non-helpful advice. The IBD group has a bunch of administrators who really ride herd on comments, and they will delete comments and mute people who are getting outside the very specific group guidelines designed to limit bad behavior and bad advice (I know because I was a moderator of the group for several years).

I can't give a link to the facebook group because it will only work if you are logged into Facebook. But just get into facebook and search on IBDKitties and it will come up. The group also has a website -- link below. Some useful articles there, but it's pretty static. IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
 

pussiette

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Is this it?

900DEBF5-F538-49FF-8C50-E7D38DE19202.jpeg
 
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