Hi! My 10 yr old cat Cody is losing a lot of weight and was vomiting daily and had diarrhea. We’ve been treating him with prednisone per our vet. He is now not eating much just starting today. I’ve tried everything to get him to eat more than a couple small bites. Our vet never said anything about a diet to feed him. I’m getting really scared that he is dying. I’m probably going to take him to a different vet. Anyone have experience with inflammatory bowel disease? Could it be something else? He hasn’t vomited yesterday or today, but I don’t think he’s eaten much either. Please help! He’s my baby. I just lost my dads 4 months ago, I can’t handle another loss.
Thanks,
Pat and my Cody
Inflammatory Bowel disease
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Mollycat
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Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
So worrying when they are so unwell isn't it. Did you get a definite diagnosis from a biopsy under anaesthetic or is it a differential diagnosis where it's most likely this because we have ruled out most things?
Steroids are the treatment of choice for IBD and the idea should be to stabilise on a high starting dose then very very gradually cut down until you reach the lowest dose that keeps the condition more or less under control. In that sense it's pain, it's like the various diseases humans get - colitis, IBS, Crohns, and so on - that you eventually learn to manage but never win with.
The main alternative that is very hard to tell apart from IBD except by a biopsy (and that's why I ask) is lymphoma. Luckily though, the treatment is the same steroids. I believe there might be some other options with lymphoma which are more intrusive and may or may not be especially effective or worthwhile but that is something to discuss with your vet. Also ask about any options for symptomatic relief - antinausea, poop-firming, and so on. Also ask about vitamin B preparations like Cobalaplex, and cat-specific (do NOT give human meds or supplements!) pre and probiotics.
My Ragdoll boy started aged about 11/12 ish with mild issues, at first he used to get a shot of vitamin B, then that stopped working so we moved up to a steroid shot when it flared up, then just before his 15th birthday he lost 800g in 6 days and we went onto regular steroids. We never knew which it was but for us it made no difference because I would not have put him through a load of invasive tests only for our treatment options to be very limited anyway. This is why you need a vet who will be really straight with you about your choices - don't settle for "I think we should try this or do that" but make sure you demand to know the chances of each of the options and don't be afraid to push with "what would you do if this was your cat" and "how long are we likely to have if we do this" and be prepared for tough answers, but knowledge is power and this is the power to make decisions for the best care you want.
As for diet, something he likes and enjoys eating that is nutritionally balanced, digestible, and high calorie. My Molly gets the odd bout of the dire rear and I keep some Digestive Care dry food which she has access to and chooses to eat sometimes rather than her usual dry. Also make sure your cat has access to the right kind of grass, keep a pot of cat grass if you can, he will eat it if/when he feels he needs it. From experience it's the long pieces that tend to make them sick so you can trim short bits and sprinkle them on his food or spend a few minutes hand feeding them to him if he will take it. The natural oils in grass held their digestive system.
Steroids are the treatment of choice for IBD and the idea should be to stabilise on a high starting dose then very very gradually cut down until you reach the lowest dose that keeps the condition more or less under control. In that sense it's pain, it's like the various diseases humans get - colitis, IBS, Crohns, and so on - that you eventually learn to manage but never win with.
The main alternative that is very hard to tell apart from IBD except by a biopsy (and that's why I ask) is lymphoma. Luckily though, the treatment is the same steroids. I believe there might be some other options with lymphoma which are more intrusive and may or may not be especially effective or worthwhile but that is something to discuss with your vet. Also ask about any options for symptomatic relief - antinausea, poop-firming, and so on. Also ask about vitamin B preparations like Cobalaplex, and cat-specific (do NOT give human meds or supplements!) pre and probiotics.
My Ragdoll boy started aged about 11/12 ish with mild issues, at first he used to get a shot of vitamin B, then that stopped working so we moved up to a steroid shot when it flared up, then just before his 15th birthday he lost 800g in 6 days and we went onto regular steroids. We never knew which it was but for us it made no difference because I would not have put him through a load of invasive tests only for our treatment options to be very limited anyway. This is why you need a vet who will be really straight with you about your choices - don't settle for "I think we should try this or do that" but make sure you demand to know the chances of each of the options and don't be afraid to push with "what would you do if this was your cat" and "how long are we likely to have if we do this" and be prepared for tough answers, but knowledge is power and this is the power to make decisions for the best care you want.
As for diet, something he likes and enjoys eating that is nutritionally balanced, digestible, and high calorie. My Molly gets the odd bout of the dire rear and I keep some Digestive Care dry food which she has access to and chooses to eat sometimes rather than her usual dry. Also make sure your cat has access to the right kind of grass, keep a pot of cat grass if you can, he will eat it if/when he feels he needs it. From experience it's the long pieces that tend to make them sick so you can trim short bits and sprinkle them on his food or spend a few minutes hand feeding them to him if he will take it. The natural oils in grass held their digestive system.
Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
Thank you for the suggestions. He has not had a biopsy. The vet just ruled other things out.
Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
Hi
I know your question was awhile back ..but wanted to post how I helped my cat in case it helps others in the future as ibs is such a common problem in cats and so hard to keep under control once they have it !
So my cat gypsy is 18 years old and has had chronic 9bs for about 5 years now …for awhile when she would have an attack I would give her one of her steroid pills and it would promptly go away which was great.. but towards the end of last year she had a massive ibs attack that nothing steroids nothing at all helped …she was pooing water no matter what she was fed or how much steroids she was on for months …it was at the point where the vets 4 x told me maybe I should put her to sleep…for me this was not an option and actually really angered me as gypsy still very much wanted to live as per her behaviour …and no way in hell was I killing her I would find a way to help her!
It was so bad every morning when I got up I was cleaning 5-6 puddles of diahrhea all over the house every single morning ..nice thing to wake up to ..the whole house stunk and nothing worked no foods no meds nothing.
She basically didn’t want to eat any of the foods from the pet store ..I tried every single brand every flavour and all she would eat is grilled chicken …but this would pass through her intact ….until I found these broths from dine …which is like a soup thing a melting soup they called it … along with probiotics I got for her and put in the melting soups ..
She was eating 15 of these soups a day…I would just keep putting them under her nose every 30 minutes for around 2 weeks and miraculously one day she was just better ! Just like that two weeks of the soups only with pro biotics and it allowed her bowels to cure from what seemed like an incurable illness ..
So she got better and was eating all kinds of things again all her regular foods until about a month ago where again another terrible attack came on and again the meds are not working and she didn’t want the soups that cured her last time ..and back onto the grilled chicken …so I was getting a. Bit scared like oh no tye solution from last time she won’t eat it …so again ..I have tried every food and flavour there is and she won’t eat any ..to the point where I was spending more on cat food than my rent and throwing it all out to boot ! She was in a heavy dose of steroids again and nothing was working ..but like last time gypsy was still very lively going out for long walks and still very much her usual self regardless …now if the animal is suffering and hiding I can understand putting them to sleep with a chronic problem like this where they may not get better and are suffering ..but when all indications are they still love life are not hiding away and want to live how could you ever give up on them no matter what ! You wouldn’t put a loved human down if they still wanted to live and there may yet be a solution so why is it different for a loved animal ! For me I would rather be shot than allow the vets to kill her pets are family and are not disposable their little lives are your responsibility and you must do everything you can to provide the best life for them ..they are no less valuable than us! Pet ownership to me is a hug e responsibility every bit as much as if I had a child…
So again I went back to researching and trying everything and anything I can think of and was getting nowhere until I found in the local Woolworths these packaged minced meat that are kangaroo meat organs and bone mince….I read the label …kangaroos are supposedly one of the leanest meats there is , very good for ibs right ..fat causes attacks …also with the organs and bone in there it would have all the vitamins minerals and the rest a cat would need..
I took this home tried it, she loved it and within a day her ibs went away and her stools were right back to healthy..within a week she has gained quite a bit of weight and looks amazing with a shiny coat and just looks so healthy again !
So for anyone out there that is struggling with ibs and your cat …try Open Paddock cat kangaroo mince ! It saved my cast life and she is healthier than she has been in years eating just that …2-3 portions of the mince a day !
I know how hard to deal with and distressing it is when your beloved kitty is suffering with chronic ibs and I’m sure most like me hate giving them those bloody steroids ! So I really hope this post helps some other cats out there to beat their chronic condition!
It makes sense the real diet of a cat is birds small mice other little animals ..their meat and organs ..so with this food that’s extremely low in fat it has organs bones the works and is very close to their diet in the wild !
I truly believe the reason so many cats have ibs is from the garbage that is put in pet foods ! It’s not natural it’s not how their diets should be and hence makes them sick with time! Probably why us humans all have chronic conditions from all the garbage in our foods…
For the record I only ever fed gypsy the most expensive and best cat foods! Look how sick she got eventually only to snap back to health the minute she got a diet close to a natural diet for cats !
I hope this post helps some cats and owners out there!
Cheers
Robert
I know your question was awhile back ..but wanted to post how I helped my cat in case it helps others in the future as ibs is such a common problem in cats and so hard to keep under control once they have it !
So my cat gypsy is 18 years old and has had chronic 9bs for about 5 years now …for awhile when she would have an attack I would give her one of her steroid pills and it would promptly go away which was great.. but towards the end of last year she had a massive ibs attack that nothing steroids nothing at all helped …she was pooing water no matter what she was fed or how much steroids she was on for months …it was at the point where the vets 4 x told me maybe I should put her to sleep…for me this was not an option and actually really angered me as gypsy still very much wanted to live as per her behaviour …and no way in hell was I killing her I would find a way to help her!
It was so bad every morning when I got up I was cleaning 5-6 puddles of diahrhea all over the house every single morning ..nice thing to wake up to ..the whole house stunk and nothing worked no foods no meds nothing.
She basically didn’t want to eat any of the foods from the pet store ..I tried every single brand every flavour and all she would eat is grilled chicken …but this would pass through her intact ….until I found these broths from dine …which is like a soup thing a melting soup they called it … along with probiotics I got for her and put in the melting soups ..
She was eating 15 of these soups a day…I would just keep putting them under her nose every 30 minutes for around 2 weeks and miraculously one day she was just better ! Just like that two weeks of the soups only with pro biotics and it allowed her bowels to cure from what seemed like an incurable illness ..
So she got better and was eating all kinds of things again all her regular foods until about a month ago where again another terrible attack came on and again the meds are not working and she didn’t want the soups that cured her last time ..and back onto the grilled chicken …so I was getting a. Bit scared like oh no tye solution from last time she won’t eat it …so again ..I have tried every food and flavour there is and she won’t eat any ..to the point where I was spending more on cat food than my rent and throwing it all out to boot ! She was in a heavy dose of steroids again and nothing was working ..but like last time gypsy was still very lively going out for long walks and still very much her usual self regardless …now if the animal is suffering and hiding I can understand putting them to sleep with a chronic problem like this where they may not get better and are suffering ..but when all indications are they still love life are not hiding away and want to live how could you ever give up on them no matter what ! You wouldn’t put a loved human down if they still wanted to live and there may yet be a solution so why is it different for a loved animal ! For me I would rather be shot than allow the vets to kill her pets are family and are not disposable their little lives are your responsibility and you must do everything you can to provide the best life for them ..they are no less valuable than us! Pet ownership to me is a hug e responsibility every bit as much as if I had a child…
So again I went back to researching and trying everything and anything I can think of and was getting nowhere until I found in the local Woolworths these packaged minced meat that are kangaroo meat organs and bone mince….I read the label …kangaroos are supposedly one of the leanest meats there is , very good for ibs right ..fat causes attacks …also with the organs and bone in there it would have all the vitamins minerals and the rest a cat would need..
I took this home tried it, she loved it and within a day her ibs went away and her stools were right back to healthy..within a week she has gained quite a bit of weight and looks amazing with a shiny coat and just looks so healthy again !
So for anyone out there that is struggling with ibs and your cat …try Open Paddock cat kangaroo mince ! It saved my cast life and she is healthier than she has been in years eating just that …2-3 portions of the mince a day !
I know how hard to deal with and distressing it is when your beloved kitty is suffering with chronic ibs and I’m sure most like me hate giving them those bloody steroids ! So I really hope this post helps some other cats out there to beat their chronic condition!
It makes sense the real diet of a cat is birds small mice other little animals ..their meat and organs ..so with this food that’s extremely low in fat it has organs bones the works and is very close to their diet in the wild !
I truly believe the reason so many cats have ibs is from the garbage that is put in pet foods ! It’s not natural it’s not how their diets should be and hence makes them sick with time! Probably why us humans all have chronic conditions from all the garbage in our foods…
For the record I only ever fed gypsy the most expensive and best cat foods! Look how sick she got eventually only to snap back to health the minute she got a diet close to a natural diet for cats !
I hope this post helps some cats and owners out there!
Cheers
Robert
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Mollycat
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Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
As much as we all wish there was a silver bullet to cure IBD or any other gut dysfunction, there isn't. Sadly IDB or lymphoma in cats can be managed with more or less success and with lots of ups and downs, but in the end we don't win, and giving false hope of a miracle cure just causes more pain and misery.
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fjm
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Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
I suspect the key to Gypsy's improvement may be in the single, novel protein. IBS and IBD are associated with food intolerances and commercial foods tend to contain the same few protein sources along with a wide range of other potential triggers (carrageenan, for example). If a cat's symptoms are due to an intolerance for any of these a balanced diet limited to a completely different protein source that does not include additives may lead to a considerable improvement, but it won't, of course, make much difference if something else is at the root of the problem. I hope Gypsy continues to do well on her new diet!
Re: Inflammatory Bowel disease
Molly: I’m sorry if i made it sound like this new food is a miracle cure for all cats with ibs /ibd !
While it has been a bit of a miracle for my cat and her situation I’m sure it is not the same for all cats and situations. I just wanted to put the word out that is has helped gypsy very much just in case others want to try ..I know I have spent hours and hours researching trying to find a way to help her and if I would have heard about this months ago would of tried it back then ..know what it’s like looking for anything and everything to try ..
So yeah I’m not claiming this is a miracle cure and will help all cats …just something someone can try if their cat is also I’ll with ibs …
I think it’s been about 4-5 weeks now and so far she has remained healthy fingers crossed ..actually we have run into some constipation issues lately …if it’s not one it’s the other right… I’m grateful very grateful I found this food for her as nothing at all was working I had tried just about every single food available …just in case it works for another cat it’s worth a try..
she is also on steroids , the animal version of prednisone I think it is ….I have been able to cut them down slowly now from one full tablet a day to a quarter of a tablet and all seems so far to be going good.
Only have had one day where she was sick but that was because she spat her at the time half a tablet out the day before and was in a withdrawal crisis from that which promptly got better with her next dose…I found half a tablet on the floor where I gave it to her the day before .. she may of spat out a few doses for all I know…I have a new method now where I make sure she has taken it.
She can be sneaky sometimes and pretend to swallow it hold it in her mouth then spit it out once I’m not around …. The vets told me this medication has to be stopped or reduced very very slowly and they can get quite sick with with I think it was an adrenal crisis if it’s suddenly stopped which seems to be what happened that day…
Im sure this food is not so easy to get from outside of Australia unfortunately ….…just seems to be good for cats because of its extremely lean status …also them grinding in the bones and organs makes it much better than the other pet food minces available here anyways which are just flesh no organs or bone and don’t have the vitamins and minerals from the other ingredients in the food.
Anyways not claiming a miracle cure here , just something to try if you are struggling to find a food for your cat with ibs like I was until I found this food…
While it has been a bit of a miracle for my cat and her situation I’m sure it is not the same for all cats and situations. I just wanted to put the word out that is has helped gypsy very much just in case others want to try ..I know I have spent hours and hours researching trying to find a way to help her and if I would have heard about this months ago would of tried it back then ..know what it’s like looking for anything and everything to try ..
So yeah I’m not claiming this is a miracle cure and will help all cats …just something someone can try if their cat is also I’ll with ibs …
I think it’s been about 4-5 weeks now and so far she has remained healthy fingers crossed ..actually we have run into some constipation issues lately …if it’s not one it’s the other right… I’m grateful very grateful I found this food for her as nothing at all was working I had tried just about every single food available …just in case it works for another cat it’s worth a try..
she is also on steroids , the animal version of prednisone I think it is ….I have been able to cut them down slowly now from one full tablet a day to a quarter of a tablet and all seems so far to be going good.
Only have had one day where she was sick but that was because she spat her at the time half a tablet out the day before and was in a withdrawal crisis from that which promptly got better with her next dose…I found half a tablet on the floor where I gave it to her the day before .. she may of spat out a few doses for all I know…I have a new method now where I make sure she has taken it.
She can be sneaky sometimes and pretend to swallow it hold it in her mouth then spit it out once I’m not around …. The vets told me this medication has to be stopped or reduced very very slowly and they can get quite sick with with I think it was an adrenal crisis if it’s suddenly stopped which seems to be what happened that day…
Im sure this food is not so easy to get from outside of Australia unfortunately ….…just seems to be good for cats because of its extremely lean status …also them grinding in the bones and organs makes it much better than the other pet food minces available here anyways which are just flesh no organs or bone and don’t have the vitamins and minerals from the other ingredients in the food.
Anyways not claiming a miracle cure here , just something to try if you are struggling to find a food for your cat with ibs like I was until I found this food…