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IBD and Nausea

post #1 of 26
11/1/09 at 1:49pm
Thread Starter 
Whimsey, my IBD kitty is taking meds that have his diarrhea handled and his vomiting (Budesonide & Metronidazole). He seems to be developing a pattern where he will throw up once a week and them stop eating until some sort of intervetion happens. He didn't eat anything yesterday, but I'm managed to syringe some baby food into him today and he loves plain yogurt and he took some of that. A few moments ago, he ate a few mouthfuls of his usual raw food. He is on 1/4 tablet of Pepcid daily, but that doesn't seem to be handling what seems to be increasing nausea. He was briefly on Miratazapine which was very effective, but my vet didn't want him to be on it long term.

Can anyone recommend anything for nausea? I'm talking to my vet tomorrow, but wanted to see if anyone else has had experience with this.

The ironic thing is that he isn't losing weight. He is about 3 lbs overweight which makes him a prime candidate for Hepatic Lipidosis if he stops eating.
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post #2 of 26
11/1/09 at 2:28pm
You might ask your vet about an anti-nausea drug called metoclopramide, which we gave to one of our cats via injection because she was on chemo.

We have another cat who has IBD and she responded very well to prednisolone and an appetite stimulant (she lost more than 25% of her weight before the IBD was finally diagnosed; she was tiny to begin with). She's holding her own now, at age 15.

Good luck with Whimsey. I hope he's feeling better soon!
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post #3 of 26
11/1/09 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
Great suggestion, Brunnella! I'll ask my vet tomorrow.
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post #4 of 26
11/1/09 at 3:04pm
What is Whimsey eating? I have had several ibd animals and the best " medicine " I found was diet , also works for this human... Mine does make me nauseated at times and I look at what I have eaten in the last 24 hours
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post #5 of 26
11/1/09 at 3:27pm
Thread Starter 
Sharky,

He was doing great on RadCat a pre-packaged raw food diet. Now he wakes me up starving at 2-4:00 in the morning and when I put out food, looks uncomfortable and walks away. Arrghghghghgh!!!!!!!!!
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post #6 of 26
11/1/09 at 7:35pm
Thread Starter 
Thank God, my vet just called. The Cat Hospital in Campbell, California has a rule that if you leave a message any day including weekends, your vet will call you by 9:30 p.m. on the same day. She kept appologising because their answering machine didn't clearly record my phone number and it sounded like she was calling all of Sunnyvale trying to get me.

Today, I've been able to get six small feedingings into Whimsey, the latest and most successful was 1/2 can of Fancy Feast. I am going to drop him by tomorrow for fluids and B12 and she can weigh him. We discussed several potential anti-nausea meds to add to his protocol, but I want to research them more on the internet.

I joined the FAF (forced feeding) Yahoo group (along with the IDB, FPS, Lymphoma groups which I'd previously joined).

Thanks to all the TSCers words of encouragement. It is so nice not to be all alone!
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post #7 of 26
11/1/09 at 8:12pm
Wow you've been through a lot with Whimsey! What a great vet though, I hadn't heard of them before. I go to Pets Friend Animal Clinic in Sunnyvale, just off Central/N Wolfe and they've been awesome.

I don't know if he'll eat dry food, but we started Stumpy on Iams Intestinal Low Residue dry, and while I don't like the ingredient list too much, she stopped throwing up on it, and her behaviour changed for the better. We've since been trialling Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck Limited Ingredient Diet because the ingredient list is better, and she seems to be handling it ok, but I think she was better on the Iams.
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post #8 of 26
11/2/09 at 6:08pm
Thread Starter 
I got Whimsey to the vet at 7:00 a.m. this morning. They gave him fluids and a B12 injection which brightened him up to no end. He is back on Mirtazapine every three days for 2 weeks then 1-2 weeks off. He is eating!: clap:


And just because I could never leave well enough alone:

Several years ago Hissy (whom I hope realizes that this is all her fault) recommended a holistic remedy for a cat that had survived an attack by a coyote. This was the famous and amazing Sasha owned by Sashcat421 and it became apparent that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So I contacted the same group and will be trying, "Happy Tummy," and "Trauma Free," for Whimsey and "Bully Remedy," for Merlin who has a tendency to bully Whimsey. And last but not least, "Feral Cat Rehab," on my shy Magic. My gosh, the things we do for our children!
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post #9 of 26
11/2/09 at 6:18pm
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? In a cat? And something can be done about it? I wonder if that's why Smudge is still traumatised by Stumpy?

I will be picking your brains about that when we catch up
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post #10 of 26
11/2/09 at 6:30pm
Feral Cat Rehab? Where do I learn about this? I need some!
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post #11 of 26
11/2/09 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Goshdarnit! I had typed my reply and then it just vanished! Here's the short version:

Website: www.spiritessence.com

Phone: 877-85-SPIRIT

Source: Put together by a holistic vet.

Location: California
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post #12 of 26
11/2/09 at 6:53pm
Cool! Thank you! I need to take the "edge" off a feral kitten.
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post #13 of 26
11/3/09 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
So at my last posting, Whimsey started to eat and I thought (silly me) that we were out of the woods. So I get a bottle of baby meat down him at 4:00 a.m. this morning (heh, when he wants to eat, mom doesn't quibble about the time). I leave him about 1/4 cup of Radcat at 8:00 a.m. and go to work.

I come home at noon to check on him to find that he's eaten and thrown up the Rad cat, but he will eat another bottle of baby food and seems happy. I had shut him in my bedroom and thought that he'd be happy to have a nice Merlin free day so I can't blame Merlin.

My vet isn't in the office today, but I'm apparently going to receive a call from the head honcho tonight.

Tell me that it is either a full moon or that Mercury is in retrograde, and I'll believe you!
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post #14 of 26
11/3/09 at 5:10pm
Thread Starter 
Well, the head hocho just called and he wants to do another ultra sound to compare against the one that was done three months ago.

I don't know what to do. I can afford it. I sold my guitar this weekend for $600 so I can pay for it. Perhaps I should also request a complete blood panel at the same time? He pointed out that on the meds Whimsey should be reasonably stablized, but we can't seem to get to that point.

I don't know what to do.
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post #15 of 26
11/3/09 at 5:13pm
Oh man, that's tough What will the new ultrasound show you (or what does he hope it will show?)
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post #16 of 26
11/3/09 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, Sarah, that was fast!

I believe the vet is hoping to see some change between the two ultrasounds that would indicate what the real issue is.

I might as well mention that I did consult a pet psychic. She told me that before I got Whimsey at the age of 5, his elderly owner not only fed him the worse possible food, but would forget to feed him for days at a time. So she strongly felt that there was an emotional component here (i.e. the post traumatic stress disorder) and that he had a really fragile stomach. I've known since I've had him that he STILL (and this is four years later) gets absolutely FRANTIC when he gets hungry. I know in my heart that he still fears that he is going to starve. That is why I'd hoped that the homeopathic route might be helpful. Unfortunately, I won't get the stuff until Thursday. I asked her what he thought about his mommy. She said that Whimsey considers that he "OWNS" me. Nothing like knowing ones place in the world!

Actually this is helping me to think. My vet said that the ultra sound person is at the hospital every Wednesday, so it isn't like tomorrow is the only opportunity. So perhaps, I'll try the homeopathic remedies and see what happens. I stocked up on Hills A/D in case he stops eating again over a weekend.

My gosh, as a teenager my mom and I raised, trained and showed collies. We had four collies and four cats who got along great and we never ran into stuff like this!
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post #17 of 26
11/3/09 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by esrandall2000 View Post
Wow, Sarah, that was fast!

I believe the vet is hoping to see some change between the two ultrasounds that would indicate what the real issue is.

I might as well mention that I did consult a pet psychic. She told me that before I got Whimsey at the age of 5, his elderly owner not only fed him the worse possible food, but would forget to feed him for days at a time. So she strongly felt that there was an emotional component here (i.e. the post traumatic stress disorder) and that he had a really fragile stomach. I've known since I've had him that he STILL (and this is four years later) gets absolutely FRANTIC when he gets hungry. I know in my heart that he still fears that he is going to starve. That is why I'd hoped that the homeopathic route might be helpful. Unfortunately, I won't get the stuff until Thursday. I asked her what he thought about his mommy. She said that Whimsey considers that he "OWNS" me. Nothing like knowing ones place in the world!

Actually this is helping me to think. My vet said that the ultra sound person is at the hospital every Wednesday, so it isn't like tomorrow is the only opportunity. So perhaps, I'll try the homeopathic remedies and see what happens. I stocked up on Hills A/D in case he stops eating again over a weekend.

My gosh, as a teenager my mom and I raised, trained and showed collies. We had four collies and four cats who got along great and we never ran into stuff like this!
Many of us "older" ones or ones who have had animals our entire lives have noted a Increase in weird medical issues ... Part likely is modern medicine and part is that just like in humans : the polluted air, water and food is causeing issues in the animals

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post #18 of 26
11/3/09 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky View Post
Many of us "older" ones or ones who have had animals our entire lives have noted a Increase in weird medical issues ... Part likely is modern medicine and part is that just like in humans : the polluted air, water and food is causeing issues in the animals

Well said........
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post #19 of 26
11/3/09 at 7:35pm
Gee, what can an ultrasound show you about IBD to begin with? I didn't know that signs of it could be spotted. Our cat with IBD had an ultrasound to rule out a tumor, but when none were spotted, we didn't have more tests.

I'd stop feeding Whimsey any food he throws up. Even if it's high-quality food, if it doesn't agree with him, I'd stop it and try something else. I assume you've tried all the prescription foods for GI issues? There's Purina Veterinary EN, for example. I'm not a Purina fan, myself, and we might disagree with the ingredients, but if it does the job.... I agree with those who say that diet is key to the resolution of this cycle Whimsey is in.

In the other direction, have you talked to a holistic vet about slippery elm and other herbal remedies for an ailing digestive tract? And while this won't treat nausea directly, I wonder if probiotics would help. I doubt that the feline GI tract has the same flora as the human one, but if you have an open-minded vet, you might ask if there's been any research on this.

Both my vet and I have IBS, and I told her to try the probiotic Align, which worked really well for me. So I think I have a pro-probiotic vet now!

I realize now that we were lucky that our Snictoria's IBD settled down with the steroids and appetite stimulant alone. I hope Whimsey gets some relief very soon and I can't wait to hear how the holistic remedies work for you!
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post #20 of 26
11/3/09 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunnelina View Post

I'd stop feeding Whimsey any food he throws up. Even if it's high-quality food, if it doesn't agree with him, I'd stop it and try something else. ... I agree with those who say that diet is key to the resolution of this cycle Whimsey is in.
You know the saying of not being able to see the forest for the trees? I've been trying to force him to eat something that was successful previously, but no longer is. Thank you for making me think outside the box!
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post #21 of 26
11/3/09 at 7:55pm
Well, I think you're doing a terrific job already. If anyone can figure this one out, you can. It's clear that Whimsey chose the perfect human to own.
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post #22 of 26
11/8/09 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 
Since adding the homeopathics to my multi-cat household, the kitties and their ownee are much, much calmer. All the kitties and their ownee are sleeping much better!

Since adding slippery elm to Whimsey's regimen, he is has started eating by himself (no more hand feeding), he is sleeping better, seems happier, and is purring more.

Ownee is pleased (actually ownee is estatic, but since ownee is an accoutant, ownee is by nature on the conservative side)!

Whimsey has also stopped waking ownee up at 4:00 a.m. in the morning in favor of 6:00 a.m. which make ownee very happy.

No vomiting and no diahrrhea.

Ownee is VERY happy with both products and is considering adding some Omega 3 to Whimsey's diet, but doesn't want to rock the boat.
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post #23 of 26
11/8/09 at 2:46pm
This is great news! The idea of a newly calm cat household somewhere out there makes me optimistic.

You have me wondering what homeopathic treatments might help with this long-term virus my guys have been having, as well as the ringworm. I'm going to explore this, and surely it will be nicer than reading the side effects of the oral medicines we're going to be stuck with, too!

Since two cats have a calici or herpes virus, they can't have the antifungal baths and dips they need until they are better... and since they're carrying the virus, there's the chance the other two cats will catch it if their baths/dips freak them out and lower THEIR immune systems. So we're in a tough spot. And I have to see what else can be done to help treat the ringworm in the meantime. Homeopathic sounds good!

Calm.... imagine! Thanks for letting us know!
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post #24 of 26
11/8/09 at 4:12pm
I'm so glad to read of the improvements in Whimsey, Esrandall2000. That is good news indeed.

Here're some vibes that everything continues to improve:
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post #25 of 26
11/10/09 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
So if things go well for the rest of today and tomorrow, Whimsey will have gone an entire week without vomiting! The slippery elm bark and the homeopathics seem to be doing a great job.
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post #26 of 26
11/10/09 at 7:54pm
That's excellent news!

Many good vibes going Whimsey's way:

Why don't more vets learn about homepathic treatments? They make sense!

In local news, my 2 girls survived their first lime-sulfur dips at the groomer today and they smell like gunpowder! I'm still absorbing the fact that this will be a weekly thing for all 4 cats, for months. I dunno.... but I'm thrilled that no one recommended clipping them. If they had to have that, I was considering cutting off my hair in solidarity. Phew.
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