irritable bowel flare ups

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and I hope you can help with some advice.  One of our kitties has had irritable bowel for many years.  We've had her on a daily regimen of probiotics (Proviable) and a variety of grain free canned food and grain free dry food. Every once in a while she has a flare up with running around (looking uncomfortable) and diarrhea (not watery, but very loose and smelly).  On this occasions, she tends not to use the box maybe because she can't get there in time. I have put her a regimen of Prednisone (per the vet) for 5 days and then a taper of every other day for 5 days which has been effective, but I don't like using the prednisone with all the potential side effects.  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has had this issue and what treatments have worked.  Thanks for your help!

I forgot to mention that Xena is an 11 year old American short hair (tuxedo markings) and has had IBS since about the age of 7.  She and her sibling, Gabby are rescue cats.  We got them when they were 9 weeks old.  We were feeding them Fancy Feast and Science Diet up until Xena's first diarrhea bout which was truly horrendous.  We had to keep her in the basement until the issue resolved (heartbreaking). Hope this additional information helps.

I'm sure finnlacey and others with experience will be along shortly.

In the meantime, this is a very helpful website if you're not already familiar: http://www.ibdkitties.net

IBD can be a difficult disease to manage. :rub: That said, many members have been able to take their kitties off of all meds, and have their kitties' IBD appear to resolve with no flare-ups when switching to a raw food diet. (Though keeping your kitty on probiotics is always a good idea). Many cats with IBD do much better with the less-processed food, and if you're in the U.S., there are usually a number of commercial frozen raw foods available. They're pretty much as easy to feed as canned food is. A current thread you might find helpful: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247230/raw-feeding-ibd-cat#post_3235235

And though it's a REALLY long thread, if you look just for Carolina's posts, you can track Bugsy's transition to raw - and he had a very severe case of IBD. This is that thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239771/...lucky-bugsy-and-hope-to-raw-challenges-galore

Vibes for you and your kitty!

Thanks so much! I'll check out the sites you recommended.

Hi there,

I would definitely switch off the dry food. It is very high in carbs and digests very slowly, so there is more time for the kibble to ferment in her intestines. This can definitely cause diarrhea like you described. I would consider a raw diet, or at least switching completely off of dry food.

I think it is also time for a vet visit, because the vet can provide medications such as metronidazole to slow the diarrhea when she has flare ups. It's a great thing that you have her on a probiotic, because that will help to regulate her good gut flora.

that all is okay, and like Laurie said, I'm sure finnlacey and others with more experience in this field will be along soon.

And by the way.....welcome to TCS!!!!!!

Hi Jen,

We've had the vet over to the house many times (she makes house calls! ) and she has prescribed flagyl which most of the time Xena won't even touch.  We've tried all the flavors the chewable form comes in to no avail.  The prednisone works wonders, but I know it's a nasty drug for humans and kitties.  I have both kitties on a low carb kibble...maybe it's not low enough.  I've been thinking about switching to a raw diet after reading finnlacey's post.  Today, Xena is better (i.e., not running around in distress.)  After her morning ritual of sitting on the porch for an hour, she and her sister are sleeping on the futon in the den, and she looks comfortable.  I didn't notice anything but urine in the litter boxes this morning when I scooped, but seems that she poops a little later in the day.  Will be making a trip to Urbanimal (a natural pet store nearby) later today to scope out what raw food they have available.  Thanks for your advice and your welcome to the site!

Cindy 

Metronadizole is flagyl.

Wow - I didn't even know they made it in a chewable form. :lol3: Xenamom, you must be able to pill Xena, as she takes the pred? Why not just get the flagyl in a regular pill and pill her? :dk:

Also, I know that what works for one IBD kitty might not work for another. But Carolina used to use a product called Diagel with Bugsy. (Sorry I'm chatting third party for her, but she's really time constrained with work right now). When there was a shortage of flagyl (metro) a few years ago, the vets (at least in our area) were told to prescribe the Diagel (which doesn't actually require a prescription) instead. It's a small syringe of a thick liquid (almost more like a paste) you just squirt into the pocket of their cheek. It usually only requires 2 (maybe 3) doses 12 hours apart. The individual doses are more expensive, but it has a wonderful track record in helping many kitties with diarrhea, and clearly works for some IBD kitties when there's an issue. (Carolina really had no choice but to try it at the time because of Bugsy's liver issues).

This is the product and where I order it: http://www.revivalanimal.com/DiaGel.html

Hi Laurie,
Yes, I know Flagyl is Metronadizole, and yes it comes in flavored chewables...liver, fish, chicken (kind of expensive). The chewables became difficult for my vet to get for a while so we went to pill form. I am unable to pill Xena (or should I say she is impossible when it comes to that), so I crush any meds she has to take. I tried crushing the flagyl and because it's so bitter tasting, she refused that too. The pred seems to have no taste, so she just gobbles that up with her wet food. Thanks for the info on Diagel. Perhaps I'll give that a try. It is kind of a guessing game isn't it?
Thanks again for your advice!
Cindy

didn't realize either that there were chewable flagyl. we used the tiny tabs.

http://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/items/metronidazole-gourmeds-chewable-tablets.html

http://www.svpmeds.net/metronidazole.html

Xenamom said:

Hi Laurie,
Yes, I know Flagyl is Metronadizole, and yes it comes in flavored chewables...liver, fish, chicken (kind of expensive). The chewables became difficult for my vet to get for a while so we went to pill form. I am unable to pill Xena (or should I say she is impossible when it comes to that), so I crush any meds she has to take. I tried crushing the flagyl and because it's so bitter tasting, she refused that too. The pred seems to have no taste, so she just gobbles that up with her wet food. Thanks for the info on Diagel. Perhaps I'll give that a try. It is kind of a guessing game isn't it?
Thanks again for your advice!
Cindy

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Well, if she's impossible to pill, then it might be difficult to squirt the diagel into the back of her cheek.

Have you ever considered trying a cat bag? For many, it makes things like meds, syringe feeding, trimming nails, etc. much less stressful for both kitty and mom/dad.

Also, have you tried this? To pill our kitties, we put a treat down in front of a wall or cabinet or something. While they eat it, I sit right behind them with my knees in a "V", my butt on my feet. Their natural tendency is to back up - this gives them nowhere to go. Hold her head steady, slightly tilted up with your non-dominant hand, already have the pill in your dominant hand. Push non-dominant hand forefinger in at the back of her jaw - that opens her mouth. Then use either a piller or your dominant hand forefinger to quickly pop the pill over the hump of her tongue. Then put down another treat.

If you haven't tried this, it can take a couple of tries to get used to it, and familiar with the method. But if you approach it quickly and with confidence, the cat is pretty much pilled before they even know something's happening. Sometimes your finger does get a little chomped, but mission accomplished. :lol3:

Putting it out there JUST in case....

Its really hard to give medicine to a cat.. if they are not willing to take the medicine.

So Garbo has been getting the Depo Medrol shot, when her gums around her teeth and smelly loose stools flares up.ot 

Garbo had a bad reaction to the Depo Medrol when she got her last injection.

Not sure if we are going to repeat that now.

The pro biotics has not helped much at all..

not sure what to do, but I do not want to have her put down..

Possibly looking for a new home for her.

My 6 year old short haired domestic tabby has had IBS for ever.  My vet has her on EN Feline (a dry food) and recommends sprinkling on FortaFlora digestive enzymes.  It's really expensive (both of them) so I back off on the enzyme when she's doing well.  I found it very interesting to read in this thread that the dry food is harder to digest and could be part of her problem.  Hummm...  She does, however, go for long periods of time without any diarhhea but when she does get a flare up then I do use the FortaFlora faithfully and within a few days her stool returns to normal.  I'm actually in the process of converting her to a more canned cat diet to see if that will help overall.  From what I've been reading and researching, it seems the better ones are grain free and Wellness makes some special entries that say grain free right on the can, that's the brand I'm going to stick with for a while and I hope I see improvement in Mitts.  Mag will eat anything and so far no ill effects, but she's only 6 months old and finally can get off the kitten formulas. 

Hi, not sure why I am only now seeing this thread.... My kitty Bugsy, which LDG mentions above, also has Ibd.... I had tried everything, all meds, all foods, all supplements you can think of, to no avail. I was pretty hopeless.... Until I tried RAW feeding. Bugsy got better immediately, and has been doing amazing ever since. He is off all meds. He is even off his stomatitis medicine- yep! 100%medication free for the very first time in his life.
I can't say raw will work for everyone, but for a cat with Ibd, it would be the very first thing I would do. Not even a question about it. 100%. It just might solve all these issues. In my case, the over-medicating got so bad, it affected his liver. Don't let it get there- all it did was damage, because, in the end, it didn't work.
Imho, instead of going on an endless route of medications, vet trips and procedures, or even considering to put your kitty down or finding another home, give a change of diet a chance. You might be surprise at how well your baby can do on a natural, species-appropriate diet.
Good luck!

Hi Carolina, Just curious...what type of food do you serve Bugsy? How often? Can you purchase raw food at a natural pet food store, or do you mix it up yourself? If you prepare yourself, how long can you keep in the fridge, etc. Glad Bugsy is doing so much better!!

Xenamom said:

Hi Carolina, Just curious...what type of food do you serve Bugsy? How often? Can you purchase raw food at a natural pet food store, or do you mix it up yourself? If you prepare yourself, how long can you keep in the fridge, etc. Glad Bugsy is doing so much better!!

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Hi, I just posted yesterday a summary of how I feed, my post is here http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247620/i-think-im-ready/60#post_3245037

Now I feed chunks of meat, supplemented.
I keep the meat in the freezer, packed in meal sizes, and defrost at the time of feeding - it is pretty easy, take minutes to defrost, serve and clean up.
I started with commercial foods though - the best food in the market, IMHO, especially for IBD, is Rad Cat, as it is easy to digest.
Chunks work beautifully though, my cats love, and it is cheap..... I do not grind the meat :nod:

Sorry Carolina... I must have missed your post. Went back and read it and others. Thanks for the info and advice!

Xenamom said:

Sorry Carolina... I must have missed your post. Went back and read it and others. Thanks for the info and advice!

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Oh, no need for apologies There are sooooooo many threads here on TCS - no way one can keep up with everything :nod:
I just figured I would post a link instead of retyping the entire thing again :lol3:

It has been wonderful for Bugsy, and for plenty of other kitties with IBD too..... Highly recommend it..... Hope you try it - it can save you tons of heartache!