Irritable bowel syndrome?

have any of you experienced IBS with your cat or dog or other pet?

if you don't know, my Meatloaf has been in and out of the vet the past 3 weeks because of chronic diarrhea and fever.

She's on antibiotics now and her poops are normal, however she can't control when or where she poops. The vet says that it is a possibility of IBS.

I'm worried a) is she going to die? and b) will I have enough money to take care of her?

Have any of you experienced it?

I'm really depressed. I just want her to get better.

Yes, 2 cats with IBS and IBD here... Hope and Bugsy.
Hope had a horrible, horrible time... What finally worked for her was Metronidazole for 10 days (well, she actually took many courses), Amforol to control diarrhea as needed (do NOT give it if your cat has Kidney disease!!!), prednisone for a month and then phasing out, and switching her to Hills Z/D.

I tried many diets before Hills Z/D - pretty much all choices available out there, but Hills was the only one she could take. She has been doing awesome since she has been on it, and hasn't had a flare since I put her on the diet - she is out of all meds.

Bugsy is also 1/2 on Hills z/d and 1/2 on an all fish diet, as he is also allergic to chicken, and he takes dialy meds to Stomatitis, which contains an immune modulator that helps with his IBD.

The first thing I would do is work with a vet that understands IBS/IBD, and change his diet - what is he eating now?

Metronidazole works wonders in the beginnig of the treatment, and so does pred. I am not a fan of pred for life, but if it is the only thing that works, then be it - it is definitely better than the symptoms!

Please do not let your baby go without treatment...
And yes, pred, diet, etc, is a very affordable treatment

Can't answer B for you, but if you've been using this vet for a while and they're decent (as in decent person) they should allow payments if necessary. Talk to them. And always be on time with your payments.

Originally Posted by Desirai

have any of you experienced IBS with your cat or dog or other pet?

if you don't know, my Meatloaf has been in and out of the vet the past 3 weeks because of chronic diarrhea and fever.

She's on antibiotics now and her poops are normal, however she can't control when or where she poops. The vet says that it is a possibility of IBS.

I'm worried a) is she going to die? and b) will I have enough money to take care of her?

Have any of you experienced it?

I'm really depressed. I just want her to get better.

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I currently have 2 with it ...

A= No it is a trying but manageable condition... Carolina is so correct about diet but the BIG issue is No two Ibs/ibd cats need the exact same one ... For me one gets wet food the other cannot handle it ... Some need no grain food ,others need with grain...

B= Once controlled this is not a expensive disorder

Franklin has IBD, rather than IBS. the only true method of diagnosing IBD is biopsy. I don;t believe true IBD can be managed through diet. Does Meatloaf have IBD or IBS?

Originally Posted by KyleW

Franklin has IBD, rather than IBS. the only true method of diagnosing IBD is biopsy. I don;t believe true IBD can be managed through diet. Does your cat have IBD or IBS?

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It truly can be as I have a biopsied cat that thru diet Alone... not to mention this is to date the 6 ibd/ibs( many vets use one or the other it is in reality just one thing or group of issues ) animals in my home... not to mention countless others that I have helped with the vet guidance...

Originally Posted by sharky

diet but the BIG issue is No two Ibs/ibd cats need the exact same one ... For me one gets wet food the other cannot handle it ... Some need no grain food ,others need with grain...

B= Once controlled this is not a expensive disorder

Click to expand...

Totally! Bugsy and Hope have completely different needs! Bugsy can deal with Z/D just fine, but Hope can not have Bugsy's fish diet at all...

It is totally a cat-specific diet here... Luckily Z/D works for both of mine, so I can have both of them on the same wet food with no problems!

And yes, the main expense you will have is going to be in the beginning, controlling the symptoms he is having now, and trying to figure out the best treatment path. Once that is done, maintaining him in good shape is not expensive. A lot of times IBS can be managed with diet alone... if you need to have him on pred., that is a very affordable medication.

Originally Posted by sharky

It truly can be as I have a biopsied cat that thru diet Alone... not to mention this is to date the 6 ibd/ibs( many vets use one or the other it is in reality just one thing or group of issues ) animals in my home... not to mention countless others that I have helped with the vet guidance...

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I respectfully disagree. IBD and IBS are not the same thing and are not interchangeable. Diet alone may alleviate IBD symptoms in the short run, but they will resurface. Each succeeding bout will be harder to combat. On the other hand, I am completely ignorant of IBS and its impact on cats.

Hi, thanks for everyone's replies.

It is encouraging to know that it can be controlled/treated.

She doesn't have a diagnosis, it's just "If this doesn't work, we will test for irritable bowel syndrome"

(off topic: right now I'm watching out my window and meatloaf is rolling in the sun. so beautiful <3 it's such a lovely day outside.)

Meatloaf is definitely feeling better now that she's been on probiotic for a week.

Well, the vet I go to definitely is a great person and doesn't charge much. Unlike the 'corporate' vet I went to before that charged me outrageous fees and taxes and did nothing for her

Originally Posted by KyleW

I respectfully disagree. IBD and IBS are not the same thing and are not interchangeable. Diet alone may alleviate IBD symptoms in the short run, but they will resurface. Each succeeding bout will be harder to combat. On the other hand, I am completely ignorant of IBS and its impact on cats.

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Honestly, and maybe others have this opinion too, I don't think there is very much IBS, if any, in cats. IMO it's all IBD, allergy, or underlying infection (parasite/bacterial/virus-immune).
I feel much the same for people, IBS is the diagnosis made when a doc runs out of ideas.

Originally Posted by Desirai

Hi, thanks for everyone's replies.

It is encouraging to know that it can be controlled/treated.

She doesn't have a diagnosis, it's just "If this doesn't work, we will test for irritable bowel syndrome"

(off topic: right now I'm watching out my window and meatloaf is rolling in the sun. so beautiful <3 it's such a lovely day outside.)

Meatloaf is definitely feeling better now that she's been on probiotic for a week.

Well, the vet I go to definitely is a great person and doesn't charge much. Unlike the 'corporate' vet I went to before that charged me outrageous fees and taxes and did nothing for her

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What is your vet doing in regards to his diet? Anything? What is he eating?

she is eating 9lives/friskies with fortiflora

Originally Posted by Desirai

she is eating 9lives/friskies with fortiflora

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Your first move needs to be to get away from cheap foods. At the very least get your kitty off of foods containing artificial flavors and dyes. You may not need to go with limited ingredient or something like Z/D, just something better.

ETA: Just to be honest, here. I feed a little friskies to Siri and my kittens (indoor cats) and the two I have outside - it doesn't bother them the slightest. But if Tomas (kitty with chicken issues/more sensitive to foods) steals any it's horrible! Bad bad gas and watery diarrhea.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Your first move needs to be to get away from cheap foods. At the very least get your kitty off of foods containing artificial flavors and dyes. You may not need to go with limited ingredient or something like Z/D, just something better.

ETA: Just to be honest, here. I feed a little friskies to Siri and my kittens (indoor cats) and the two I have outside - it doesn't bother them the slightest. But if Tomas (kitty with chicken issues/more sensitive to foods) steals any it's horrible! Bad bad gas and watery diarrhea.

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I bought her a bag of blue buffalo but she wouldn't eat it. :/

I wish I could get samples of foods because I don't have a lot of money but I'm trying to care for her the best I can

Do you have pet stores or a feed store? most will give you any samples they have..

From my experience the main triggers are Fish( unless your name is Bugsy ) , Wheat , corn , SOY and artificial colors and flavors... You can check the current diet and find all the main offenders

Ok, if your cat has IBS/IBD, your first move has to be changing the diet to a limmited ingredients diet. I highly recommend putting him on Hills Z/D - that IMHO will be that safest route. Leaving him an a diet with many ingredients, cheap or expensive, will never allow you to get to the bottom of this IMHO.
If your vet didn't change your cat's diet, I would be thinking this to be very strange. This is really the very first thing to do. Every time he eats, he will be putting his bowels through an inflammation process all over again if you don't do that.

^But how does one know this is even IBD/IBS? No biopsies have been done, it certainly doesn't sound like an elimination diet has been done, and likely very little diagnostics - especially since the vet hasn't pointed out the food issue. It could simply be that this cat can't tolerant friskies and 9lives - they have a lot of junk in them that perfectly healthy cats can't deal with (like soy). Right now IBS just sounds like guessing.

Originally Posted by Desirai

I wish I could get samples of foods because I don't have a lot of money but I'm trying to care for her the best I can

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Natural Balance is very good about sending people samples. From stories on here, people that ask usually end up with a box full.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^But how does one know this is even IBD/IBS? No biopsies have been done, it certainly doesn't sound like an elimination diet has been done, and likely very little diagnostics -...Right now IBS just sounds like guessing.

Natural Balance is very good about sending people samples. From stories on here, people that ask usually end up with a box full.

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I agree. Find out what is ailing meatloaf before trying to treat him. I spent two years chasing imaginary food allergies. Diagnose and then treat, not the other way around. As to Natural Balance, they are the only dry food I've ever seen samples for. My guys wouldn't eat it though. They do eat Natural Balance canned food exclusively, Chicken & Green Pea L.I.D..

Elimination diets will help if it is food allergies in there organic form....
Diet change when you are feeding foods commonly known to cause BOTH food allergies and Ibd would be a very reasonable first step.... I have dealt with this for so long the first vet who diagnosed on of my animals said use metamucil ... Thankfully more is known and understood today

Bloodwork would be first IMHO to ensure no infections , organ issues are found ...

What cleaners do you use in home?>

Biopsy is very $$$$$$ and not all vets do them in their office thus you may have to go to another vet( or a specialist depending where you live)... A gastroenteroligist would be a wonderful vet to see but alas many of us do not live close to one

Originally Posted by Desirai

I bought her a bag of blue buffalo but she wouldn't eat it. :/

I wish I could get samples of foods because I don't have a lot of money but I'm trying to care for her the best I can

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if you only knew what goes in cheap cat food i don't think you would be thinking that way, just be self aware what you are feeding your cat and give it a more quality of life for it's sake, i know cat food is not cheap but there are alternatives like making your own cat food from home instead of buying cheap cat food from the store.