Digestive Issues & Heartburn

Hello,

My 3 year old male has also been extremely picky when it comes to food. He only eats his Science Diet formula for sensitive stomachs, water and that's it. The ONLY treat he'll eat is Parmesan cheese if I let him which isn't very often.

Anyways, every so often he gets into this puking routine where he just stops eating and then vomits due to not eating and I have to manually feed him cat milk, water (so he stay hydrated) and give him this heartburn medicine and a pill that makes his super hungry so he wants to eat. My question is, is there anything else I can give him for his heartburn rather than spending $30 on this tiny little bottle from the vet? I heard about Alkaseltzers (sry about the spelling) or what about Peptobismol?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Chrissy114

... is there anything else I can give him for his heartburn rather than spending $30 on this tiny little bottle from the vet?

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There are a number of stomach acid remedies you can read about here. Ignore the fact that the site is intended for cats who have kidney insufficiency.

Originally Posted by Chrissy114

...I heard about Alkaseltzers (sry about the spelling) or what about Peptobismol?...

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Absolutely NOT...NEVER! (The good thing is...you asked first!

Meantime, I'm wondering about this "stomach acid" diagnosis...the symptoms also sound like a hairball problem and also like a constipation problem. Both conditions result in the vomiting thing. And, if it really is stomach acid...what's causing it?

NO NO to alkaselters .... I also ask the ?? of how diagnoisis

I've taken him to the vet many times as he's had this problem in the past and he is healthy as can be. It seems to be that he has anxiety issues (we did adopt him from the animal shelter but he was pretty young). His dad, whom he loves a lot lol, has been away on business for just about 3 weeks now and I think Psych (my kitty's name) is starting to wonder if he's ever coming home. Since I've been home with him he was okay for the first 2 weeks but I think now he's had enough and wants his daddy. We've noticed that every time we leave for a weekend getaway or a camping trip he has this issue so then we need to work through it for a few days but I think this time is harder since it's just me and dad won't be home until the end of the week.

UPDATE:

Thanks BLAISE so much for all the info on stomach acid!! I also read that he might need a higher bowl which I just set up. I went out and bought him a new bag of food and he went straight for it and ate! The downside is that he puked some of it up about 20mins after so I'm hoping that doesn't discourage him to eat still, i'll keep working on it. It's some progress anyways.

My cat has ridiculous digestive issues. IBD, pancreatitis...you name it. He also eats random things. If there's a loose carpet fiber, he'll find it and eat it. He gets his steroid shot every 5-7 months or so for the IBD, which he's tolerated very well for the past couple of years.

Anyway, the vet said we can give him 5mg of pepcid (we cut a 10mg pill in half) to help with the acid and upset stomach. So when he's on an upturn and the vomiting starts to increase before steroid injections, I give him the pepcid about 30 minutes before he eats.

My grandma had one cat that would always get hiccups/burps/then throw up. I would always break my ranitidine (25mg) down into around 8ths - it would then break smaller and I'd use the smallest piece I could. That always seemed to make him feel a lot better and stopped the vomiting.

I'm surprised that Reglan is on that list... scary med there. Most people that have tried it will try anything else they can first, or even put up with their GI issues due to how bad the side effects are. I would not give that to a cat.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

...I'm surprised that Reglan is on that list... scary med there. Most people that have tried it will try anything else they can first, or even put up with their GI issues due to how bad the side effects are. I would not give that to a cat.

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If you notice in the description of Reglan on Helen's site possible side effects are discussed and references are provided to both Veterinary Partner and Pet Place, both of which have comprehensive info on potential side effects.

Originally Posted by BLAISE

If you notice in the description of Reglan on Helen's site possible side effects are discussed and references are provided to both Veterinary Partner and Pet Place, both of which have comprehensive info on potential side effects.

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Yes, I did read that.
It's a tough med that I wouldn't even want to take (and my motility issues can be very painful), no amount of listing side effects will change that fact. There are other alternatives not listed there that are used in people that have less side effects, I'm not sure how safe they would be for cats (one is an antibiotic) but it would be an avenue to explore with a vet before anyone resigns to using Reglan.

Don't give HUMAN meds to a cat or any animal unless directly advised to do so with amount(s) prescribed by a vet.

Some human meds have had formula changes and although may have not been harmful a few years ago can be very harmful now.

Just because something is on the internet that does not mean it is gospel.

^Just to let you know, in my case it was... around 10 years ago (doesn't seem that long!) and it was a family friend who actually suggested it it. She was a vet tech and had doubled checked with the vet she worked with if that would be ok.

My dad still has my grandmother's cat.

i have been doing some research the past week as i thought my cat had pancreatitus but i found out different but i did find some drugs that might work made for felines. i wanted to recommend them to the ER doctor for a treatment plan as he was getting none at the time. i have owned cats for 6 years they are almost brothers they are so close. one is on a death bed currently due to a blockage in the intestine..one doctor thought pancreatitus but he never had fever or previous signs..altho pancreatitus can be acute in felines so ive read.