Cat with IBS? Help sought for diet and meds

[rj3301]

Hello All,

Our 15 year old DSH Tabby has had a ravenous appetite for about the last year.  She will eat constantly and yet she continuously loses weight.

Our vet suspects IBS but only bases this on blood work and her ravenous appetite and weight loss.

I have switched her to a grain free canned food with a little Pure Vita grain free dry cat food.

I have added Prozyme and a probiotic as well as glutamine as I have read that these can help.

She is on 5mg of prednisione every other day.

I was considering starting her on a course of Metronidazole but I am not sure if that would just cancel out the probiotic.

I am looking for some guidance to see if I have missed anything here.  I am not aware of any holistic vets in my area.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[momofmany]

I have a 9 year old that was just diagnosed with suspected IBD. Had the same diagnose with another cat a few years back when he started losing weight. Since the disease can't really be diagnosed without a surgical biopsy, I get the sense that vets put this label on an illness when a cat starts to lose weight and obvious things are ruled out with a blood test. Neither of mine had ravenous appetites and only my 9 year old had some vomiting. IBS usually has vomiting and/or diarrhea.

I'm not far enough along with her disease to help you much here. I'm still waiting on a call from my vet on the latest blood work. I haven't researched the right supplements until I get more information about the blood work. While her blood shows the markers for inflamation, it is also showing signs of being anemic. The second blood test was sent to a lab for a more comprehensive assessment. My vet was very concerned about the anemia, as IBD can be the start of a digestive cancer, and the blood work wasn't clear on which direction her disease is going right now. She is on pred for now.

I did seek a second opinion from a holistic vet in the area who suggested going to a raw diet or at least grain free food. I'm working on that transition now. He also doesn't really like steroid use, but realizes that there is a need to stay on it until the underlying cause of the disease is addressed (diet and stengthen immunity). It sounds like you are addressing both of these right now.

 

[finnlacey]

yes, I'm sure you mean IBD. IBS is irritable bowel syndrome which is easily controlled by diet change. Inflammatory bowel disease is much more serious and difficult to control. PureVita is not a favorite food choice of mine, I don't care for those ingredients even if they are grain free. Not all grain free foods are created equal.

 

[ldg]

At that age, I would want some imaging studies done, just to rule out cancer as a potential cause. Lymphoma does not always show up in the bloodwork - not until they're anemic, and it can exist prior to that point.

As Momofmany points out, her kitty's blood work at least showed markers for inflammation. Did your vet inform you of anything similar?

If your kitty has IBD, a change of diet (especially if to raw) can resolve the problem, often quickly - and you wouldn't need to treat with steroids long term. But if your kitty has cancer, then the pred is pretty much standard, and may help you not have to face any decisions regarding something like chemotherapy.

Vibes for you and your baby!

 

[finnlacey]

I hate to say this and please don't think I'm arguing with you, but I have a website for kitties with IBD and I have many case studies to prove that a raw diet does NOT always resolve the issues. It does sometimes, and please know that I am someone who will always recommend people try a raw diet because it does help in many cases and if they can do it, they should. But it does not work as often as people think. IBD is a trickster and changes very often and very quickly. The flora in the intestines is like an ever changing entity of it's own and diet, meds, even supplements have to be rotated every so often because they will usually stop working properly. As I said, I am all for a raw diet!! I really am, but I hear way too often that it was tried and did not help at all. I wish more than anyone that it was the answer or even the best option. I would scream it from the rooftops if that were the case. But it just isn't so.

 

[rj3301]

The vet said her blood work pointed to IBD but he wanted to rule out any food allergies.  He started her on Hill's z/d which she hated.  I have started giving her grain free canned (she never really cared for dry anyway).

Her blood work did show that she was slightly anemic.

 I really don't want to put her through anything too invasive at that this point in her life.

 

[finnlacey]

What was it specifically in the blood work that pointed to IBD? I only ask that because usually an ultrasound is at least needed to see if the intestines are inflamed and what parts. A lot of kitties hate the z/d. Have you considered trying Nature's Variety, Evo, Merrick, Wellness, etc.? There's a lot of better options than Purevita out there. What you could do is graduate from all canned and try some raw on the side and see if it does help her and if she likes it Just don't do raw and kibble within 12 hours of each other.

 

[carolina]

Raw might not be a cure for all IBD cats..... but sure it is something that IMHO is the best bet....
It gave Bugsy back his health, and frankly, I don't even like to think about of his future if I didn't change his diet to it. His results were pretty immediate.... And he was not in good shape before.
It helps many many cats with IBD or IBS. Some will continue to need medication..... but will need much less of it.
For Bugsy, no diet, no medication worked - nothing..... Raw did. He needs no medication, just probiotics.
There are other members here on TCS with the same results.... One is transitioning her cat right now, and already seeing great results....
Another, like Bugsy, completely got rid of all symptoms of IBD with a home made raw diet.

So... while it might not a be THE cure for IBD, to me, it seems to be the logical first step before trying anything drastic, drugs, steroid treatments, etc. If there is a chance that a change of diet will give you such results, I don't see why not trying it.... IMHO, a raw diet, along with whatever medication is needed IF needed is an IBD kitty's best bet....
My 2-cents FWIW

 

[finnlacey]

Right, I don't disagree with that if you read my post. I didn't contradict that statement, all I was saying is that it doesn't work for all cats. It does help many, many kitties but there are also many that I personally know that it doesn't help and can even make it worse. All I'm doing is giving both sides but I agree that it's worth a try. As I said in the above post. btw, I sent you a PM a week ago and never heard back from you Carolina.

 

[ldg]

I hate to say this and please don't think I'm arguing with you, but I have a website for kitties with IBD and I have many case studies to prove that a raw diet does NOT always resolve the issues. It does sometimes, and please know that I am someone who will always recommend people try a raw diet because it does help in many cases and if they can do it, they should. But it does not work as often as people think. IBD is a trickster and changes very often and very quickly. The flora in the intestines is like an ever changing entity of it's own and diet, meds, even supplements have to be rotated every so often because they will usually stop working properly. As I said, I am all for a raw diet!! I really am, but I hear way too often that it was tried and did not help at all. I wish more than anyone that it was the answer or even the best option. I would scream it from the rooftops if that were the case. But it just isn't so.

No, it's good to provide the further explanation. I just said it "can," but I have NO experience other than watching several kitties improve on raw, but no personal experience with IBD. Thank goodness. :cross:

The vet said her blood work pointed to IBD but he wanted to rule out any food allergies.  He started her on Hill's z/d which she hated.  I have started giving her grain free canned (she never really cared for dry anyway).

Her blood work did show that she was slightly anemic.

 I really don't want to put her through anything too invasive at that this point in her life.

An x-ray or ultrasound isn't invasive at all. Doesn't even require anesthesia (usually). If she's slightly anemic, I have to really wonder why your vet didn't want to have a "look see" to see if there are any tumors or something. That's how we found our Lazlo's cancer. He didn't feel well, was losing weight, and blood work showed he was anemic. The x-ray showed we needed an ultrasound, and then a biopsy (done by needle, not very invasive) confirmed his diagnosis. He's only 9, was a real trooper, and did great with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy in cats is VERY different than chemo in people. It's given at very different doses, so is usually not toxic, and many cats (and dogs) do not experience many side effects. And steroids keep the inflammation down, and an anti-nausea med and an appetite stimulant, if needed, helps them eat and put on weight.

 

[southpaw]

I'm going to echo those that say give raw a try.

My kitty was diagnosed with IBD a couple weeks ago. The symptoms have been there for the vast majority of his life (he is 10 years old), we just finally got sick of it and decided that maybe - just maybe - it really is abnormal for him to vomit so often. His bloodwork "indicated" he has IBD; and by that I basically mean, his bloodwork was perfect and didn't point to any other disease, so IBD was the only logical diagnosis based on that. His vet prescribed him an antibiotic, an anti-nausea med, B12 injections, and a prescription diet. He wouldn't eat the prescription diet. The medications did nothing. Based on the fact that he didn't respond to the medication, my vet was really starting to believe it had progressed to intestinal lymphoma. She really urged me to bring him to a referral practice for an endoscopy, but honestly the diagnostics on their own are way too expensive.. not to mention what the treatments would cost afterwards IF it were cancer. So we opted not to go that route. The vet didn't think a diet change was going to be enough at this point.

So, she prescribed me a different anti-nausea medication. And that same night, I started feeding him raw. And he hasn't vomited since (normally he would vomit at least once or twice a day). Now, it's only been one week so I don't want to jump for joy yet - it keeps nagging in the back of my mind that it might be a coincidence, that at any moment the vomiting could start back up. But at the moment he is doing much better than he has done in months, and I believe wholeheartedly the diet change helps... because I stopped giving him his anti-nausea meds, too, so I know they aren't a factor anymore.

I don't want it to sound like this is the miracle diet that will solve all your problems. I can't guarantee that, although I do think that most cats benefit from it, one way or another. I'm not sure that a canned or kibble diet is going to do it for her, I think for IBD kitties you really want to simplify things and cut out grains, cut down on carbs, cut out all the unnecessary ingredients that are added to food. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try raw, or even homecooked (you'd then just have to add back in supplements, since cooking kills the nutrients - but it still isn't full of junk). I would just tweak around with the diet first because that might really be all she needs.

I believe there is also evidence that carbs speed the growth of cancer, so even for kitties that receive that diagnosis I still think it is beneficial for them to go the raw route and be carb-less (or super low carb), so that the cancer is not being fed.

Just my $10 worth of advice! Good vibes and good luck for you and your kitty

 

[rj3301]

Thanks to all who have replied I have some really good ideas to try and see how they will help Momma.

I am going to introduce some raw into her diet and see how that helps.

I have put her on a grain free canned diet and have been adding some probiotic, digestive enzymes and some glutamine into her food.

I found this page on Holisticat.com

Does anyone see any issue with the supplements?

http://holisticat.com/ibd.html

 

[ldg]

I'm really sorry to be a nag here, but how does the vet explain the anemia? I really think that should not be ignored.

Lazlo had bleeding ulcers. Those were only detected by ultrasound. With proper treatment, (sulcralfate and pepcid a/c), the ulcers healed and the anemia was no longer a problem.

:dk:

 

[momofmany]

I'm really sorry to be a nag here, but how does the vet explain the anemia? I really think that should not be ignored.
Lazlo had bleeding ulcers. Those were only detected by ultrasound. With proper treatment, (sulcralfate and pepcid a/c), the ulcers healed and the anemia was no longer a problem.
:dk:

I mentioned earlier in this thread that we were waiting for more blood test results for my girl with suspected IBD. Those came back last night. The anemia was more pronounced and her blood work is now pointing to cancer, not IBD. We were able to see the change because we ran 2 different blood tests at 3 weeks apart. The marker which indicated IBD had not changed - its a generic marker for inflamation and coupled with weight loss and vomiting, points to IBD. The red blood cell count dropped quite a bit. She was starting to show signs of being anemic during the earlier tests and we also didn't make much note of it at that time.

So I have to agree with Laurie here. Don't ignore the anemia!