Hi, I came across your post on this site as I was searching cures and remedies for my cat. I can see your post was back in 2007, but I just want to see if you found a cure for your cat as it sounds like my cat has similar symptoms. Basically my cat is 3 years old and she has been having diarrhea for over 6 months now. I have taken her to multiple vets and specialists and did all sorts of tests, x-rays and ultra-sound. The vets didn't find any parasites and we treated her for pretty much all sorts of parasites if they do exist. The vets have ruled out cancer so basically its IBD which my cat's internal intestinal is very inflamed throughout. My vet bill has amassed to couple thousand dollars already and I cannot commit further to spending another couple thousand for biopsy and endoscopy. So now my cat is basically on a steroids and antibiotics medication daily and it doesn't seem to improve at all. Recently I noticed that my cat is licking her anus more than usual and that it looks red at times like it was inflamed and I can also hear more gas coming out too. My vets never did any sort of anal expression since my cat is very protective and sensitive about being touched back there. I do try to wipe my cat's anus gently often and she would let out meows here and there. I guess with number of times she has been having diarrhea daily, I am sure its causing her anus to leak too. I appreciate if you can give me any sort of advice or findings that you came across for your cat. Thanks.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Sick Cat Need Help
- Thread starter poppycat
- Start Date
The OP has not been on here for 5 years. If you post to old threads, chances are only one or two will still be posters. You need to start a new thread and ask your questions there.
Are you open to a feeding a raw diet?
My cat was like yours, but probably worst, as for longer.... All symptoms have been reversed from day one on a raw diet. No meds, no nothing. He has been doing amazing ever since. While before nothing else worked (and we can say we tried it all).
Cats with IBD often experience the same results......
Just "food for thought", no pun intended.....
If you are open, you might want to open a thread in the raw forum.......
My cat was like yours, but probably worst, as for longer.... All symptoms have been reversed from day one on a raw diet. No meds, no nothing. He has been doing amazing ever since. While before nothing else worked (and we can say we tried it all).
Cats with IBD often experience the same results......
Just "food for thought", no pun intended.....
If you are open, you might want to open a thread in the raw forum.......
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Hi, at this stage I am open to anything. Please tell me what kind and brand of raw food and where to buy these?
I took my cat to the Vet as I started noticing growth around the paw pads. I first found a dry bloodied growth next to one of the toe on the front paw. Then I started noticing little pimple like small growth forming on the hind leg paws too and now they are all like the first one I found with dried blood. The Vet told me my cat is very anemic since her paws are very pale and the results from the blood work just came back and she is indeed very low in RBC count. I don't know if this is a side effect from her medication. We have switched over to a compounded medication of Prednisone, Metronidazole, and Sulfasalzine. Additionally she is on Mirtazapine as appetite stimulant.
Diarrhea still continues and condition has not improved. I feed my cat boiled chicken, deli turkey, regular dry cat food as well as gravy wet cat food plus cat treats. Whatever she will want to eat. She is now about 7 pounds and lost probably half her weight since this all started 8 months ago.
I am very worried how long she can go on ... Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated.
I took my cat to the Vet as I started noticing growth around the paw pads. I first found a dry bloodied growth next to one of the toe on the front paw. Then I started noticing little pimple like small growth forming on the hind leg paws too and now they are all like the first one I found with dried blood. The Vet told me my cat is very anemic since her paws are very pale and the results from the blood work just came back and she is indeed very low in RBC count. I don't know if this is a side effect from her medication. We have switched over to a compounded medication of Prednisone, Metronidazole, and Sulfasalzine. Additionally she is on Mirtazapine as appetite stimulant.
Diarrhea still continues and condition has not improved. I feed my cat boiled chicken, deli turkey, regular dry cat food as well as gravy wet cat food plus cat treats. Whatever she will want to eat. She is now about 7 pounds and lost probably half her weight since this all started 8 months ago.
I am very worried how long she can go on ... Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated.
Oh I'm SO sorry your kitty is having these issues, poor baby!!! :rub:
Did the vet tell you anything about the growths with blood on her paw pads? Did the vet discuss with you anything about her blood work apart from the anemia? Are her platelettes normal (can she clot properly?) Is her reticulocyte count normal (meaning is her bone marrow working properly?) Is the anemia JUST the RBC - meaning it's from loss of blood? Do you know if she's bleeding internally? Is her diarrhea REALLY dark and kind of tarry? Or is it "just" bleeding from these growths on her paw pads? Was a skin scraping done on them? Do they KNOW this is a bacterial problem?
I'm wondering why she's on TWO antibiotics? This sounds to me like your vet is just blasting away in the dark, and I'm very, very worried about your baby's liver, especially if they've been throwing antibiotics at her for some time. Have you been seeing only the one vet, or have you gotten a second opinion from a different vet at a different practice?
Where do you live?
Metronidazole is an antibiotic (Flagyl) that kills internal parasites. If they've not found any, I don't know why she's on that. How long has she been on the Sulfasalzine?
And it sounds like they're not doing anything to treat these growths on her paw pads? :dk:
Where do you live?
If I were in your shoes, I would find a holistic vet if possible. You can search here: http://www.ahvma.org
We rescued a kitty that was a health mess a few years ago. Our traditional vets, who are VERY good, were not able to solve his explosive diarrhea. We decided to try alternative treatment. The very first thing the holistic vet did was walk through his diet. And she explained to us how commercial pet food diets often cause inflammation. Cats are obligate carnivores, and they are designed to eat small mammals - raw. Their bodies are geared for this, so much so that they have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates, they need a number of essential fats and vitamins preformed and directly from animal tissue, and they need very high levels of protein. Most commercial pet food diets have ingredients that can irritate their systems if they are already inflamed. She recommended we put our cat on a raw food diet. With this diet, we were able to stop using all the supplements previously prescribed for him.
Carolina's Bugsy experienced much the same thing as your kitty - only without this strange paw pad problem.
A raw diet is definitely not a cure all, but when Western Medicine fails us, often feeding a cat what it was designed to eat will work.
Now - for the anemia, I have a recommendation. If the reticulocytes are normal, this chinese herbal medicine may help - and quickly. Our cat, Lazlo, was diagnosed with cancer last year. He had a mass in his stomach, it was inoperable. He had bleeding ulcers related to it. We did opt for chemo, but he was anemic from the bleeding ulcers. Obviously we used traditional medicine to heal the ulcers, but to stop the bleeding quickly and boost his RBC, the holistic vet had us use a well known chinese herbal medicine, used frequently in humans and animals. It is called Yunnan Baiyao. This is the information on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan_Baiyao And this is where you can order it:
There is a small tea pill in the middle of the package. This is the "emergency stop bleeding" pill. Give that pill. The next day, give her one of the capsules. After that, give her one capsule every-other-day for a week, then move it to one pill every 3 days. This will help - but you need to understand why she's anemic and what the source of the problem is. If your vet did not do this, then at this point I would seriously consider a new vet.
Now - as to the IBD. Even if you don't want to feed her raw food (which it seems you're willing to try, and I hope you do!), you must provide her a diet that is very, very low in carbohydrates. Cats with IBD usually have a problem digesting carbohydrates - and she needs off the kibbles ASAP. :nod: Here is a study, published in 2004, that indicates that cats with IBD often do not properly digest carbs, they sit in the colon and ferment, so the cycle becomes circular: their gut flora is all out of whack, and the only way to break the cycle is to get rid of the carbohydrates and help your cat's good gut flora repopulate. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/8/2068S.full Unfortunately, at this point, their GI system is usually so inflamed that there are many ingredients in cat food that can cause problems.
To help promote the return of healthy gut flora, you need to get her on a probiotic ASAP. Please, do NOT use a pet probiotic. Get her a human probiotic - an acidophilus supplement (there will be other strains in there, but either acidophilus or bifidus are the important ones). She needs 10 billion CFU (active colony forming units). I use Natural Factors acidophilus+bifidus double-strength for my cats (and my husband and I!) daily:
If you are interested in exploring raw for her to see if it will help, please start a thread in the raw forum: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-feeding-for-cats
And if you want to read about Carolina's Bugsy, and his transition to raw, it is here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239771/...lucky-bugsy-and-hope-to-raw-challenges-galore
Many vibes for you and your baby!
OH! Another site you will find helpful: http://www.ibdkitties.net
Did the vet tell you anything about the growths with blood on her paw pads? Did the vet discuss with you anything about her blood work apart from the anemia? Are her platelettes normal (can she clot properly?) Is her reticulocyte count normal (meaning is her bone marrow working properly?) Is the anemia JUST the RBC - meaning it's from loss of blood? Do you know if she's bleeding internally? Is her diarrhea REALLY dark and kind of tarry? Or is it "just" bleeding from these growths on her paw pads? Was a skin scraping done on them? Do they KNOW this is a bacterial problem?
I'm wondering why she's on TWO antibiotics? This sounds to me like your vet is just blasting away in the dark, and I'm very, very worried about your baby's liver, especially if they've been throwing antibiotics at her for some time.
Have you been seeing only the one vet, or have you gotten a second opinion from a different vet at a different practice?Where do you live?
Metronidazole is an antibiotic (Flagyl) that kills internal parasites. If they've not found any, I don't know why she's on that. How long has she been on the Sulfasalzine?
And it sounds like they're not doing anything to treat these growths on her paw pads? :dk:
Where do you live?
If I were in your shoes, I would find a holistic vet if possible. You can search here: http://www.ahvma.org
We rescued a kitty that was a health mess a few years ago. Our traditional vets, who are VERY good, were not able to solve his explosive diarrhea. We decided to try alternative treatment. The very first thing the holistic vet did was walk through his diet. And she explained to us how commercial pet food diets often cause inflammation. Cats are obligate carnivores, and they are designed to eat small mammals - raw. Their bodies are geared for this, so much so that they have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates, they need a number of essential fats and vitamins preformed and directly from animal tissue, and they need very high levels of protein. Most commercial pet food diets have ingredients that can irritate their systems if they are already inflamed. She recommended we put our cat on a raw food diet. With this diet, we were able to stop using all the supplements previously prescribed for him.
Carolina's Bugsy experienced much the same thing as your kitty - only without this strange paw pad problem.
A raw diet is definitely not a cure all, but when Western Medicine fails us, often feeding a cat what it was designed to eat will work.
Now - for the anemia, I have a recommendation. If the reticulocytes are normal, this chinese herbal medicine may help - and quickly. Our cat, Lazlo, was diagnosed with cancer last year. He had a mass in his stomach, it was inoperable. He had bleeding ulcers related to it. We did opt for chemo, but he was anemic from the bleeding ulcers. Obviously we used traditional medicine to heal the ulcers, but to stop the bleeding quickly and boost his RBC, the holistic vet had us use a well known chinese herbal medicine, used frequently in humans and animals. It is called Yunnan Baiyao. This is the information on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan_Baiyao And this is where you can order it:
There is a small tea pill in the middle of the package. This is the "emergency stop bleeding" pill. Give that pill. The next day, give her one of the capsules. After that, give her one capsule every-other-day for a week, then move it to one pill every 3 days. This will help - but you need to understand why she's anemic and what the source of the problem is. If your vet did not do this, then at this point I would seriously consider a new vet.
Now - as to the IBD. Even if you don't want to feed her raw food (which it seems you're willing to try, and I hope you do!), you must provide her a diet that is very, very low in carbohydrates. Cats with IBD usually have a problem digesting carbohydrates - and she needs off the kibbles ASAP. :nod: Here is a study, published in 2004, that indicates that cats with IBD often do not properly digest carbs, they sit in the colon and ferment, so the cycle becomes circular: their gut flora is all out of whack, and the only way to break the cycle is to get rid of the carbohydrates and help your cat's good gut flora repopulate. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/8/2068S.full Unfortunately, at this point, their GI system is usually so inflamed that there are many ingredients in cat food that can cause problems.
To help promote the return of healthy gut flora, you need to get her on a probiotic ASAP. Please, do NOT use a pet probiotic. Get her a human probiotic - an acidophilus supplement (there will be other strains in there, but either acidophilus or bifidus are the important ones). She needs 10 billion CFU (active colony forming units). I use Natural Factors acidophilus+bifidus double-strength for my cats (and my husband and I!) daily:
If you are interested in exploring raw for her to see if it will help, please start a thread in the raw forum: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-feeding-for-cats
And if you want to read about Carolina's Bugsy, and his transition to raw, it is here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239771/...lucky-bugsy-and-hope-to-raw-challenges-galore
Many vibes for you and your baby!
OH! Another site you will find helpful: http://www.ibdkitties.net
Last edited:
I don't know where you are, or what pet food stores you have access to, but if you can locate Nature's Variety Instinct cans, they are single meat canned foods. They have limited ingredients. They have no carrageenan, which can be a further irritant, especially for kitties with IBD. They are high protein, low carb, and no grains. They do have peas and carrots - pick them out, they're whole, and there aren't many of them. She doesn't need those. This food will help get some much needed, proper nutrition into her while you figure out how to proceed. :heart2:
Hun in all honesty, being that those meds are not working, and that you are seeing potential side effects from it.... I would seriously go to another vet ASAP.
I can't and won't tell you to stop giving meds - but here is what I CAN tell you. Bugsy took the same meds - NOT together like you are doing.... and his liver got hit badly. As soon as we noticed that, ALL medications were immediately pulled by his vet - even his stomatitis medications, which were subclinical doses. He was allowed only probiotics and herbs, carefully, very carefully monitored.
Bugsy, even today, can not take a lot of medications.....
So, if you are not getting bennefits from these drugs.... I would strongly urge you to seek another vet with ALL tests ASAP. I do not understand why your kitty is taking Sulfasalazine and Metronidazole together, without seeing benefits, even after potetially having side effects.
The fact that your kitty has no appetite can be due to the liver - have the liver enzymes been tested?
I would not let that slide
I can't and won't tell you to stop giving meds - but here is what I CAN tell you. Bugsy took the same meds - NOT together like you are doing.... and his liver got hit badly. As soon as we noticed that, ALL medications were immediately pulled by his vet - even his stomatitis medications, which were subclinical doses. He was allowed only probiotics and herbs, carefully, very carefully monitored.
Bugsy, even today, can not take a lot of medications.....
So, if you are not getting bennefits from these drugs.... I would strongly urge you to seek another vet with ALL tests ASAP. I do not understand why your kitty is taking Sulfasalazine and Metronidazole together, without seeing benefits, even after potetially having side effects.
The fact that your kitty has no appetite can be due to the liver - have the liver enzymes been tested?
I would not let that slide
Last edited:
Just a thought but her vet might have kitty on metronidazole for the anti inflammatory use.
But I totally agree, another vet is the best idea. I have learned through my experiences that not all vets are the same, many younger vets have the latest information and education on new findings, etc.
Many older vets still use the old school methods to treat.
Not that they are bad or wrong, but things have come along way since back in their college days.
Just a thought....
But I totally agree, another vet is the best idea. I have learned through my experiences that not all vets are the same, many younger vets have the latest information and education on new findings, etc.
Many older vets still use the old school methods to treat.
Not that they are bad or wrong, but things have come along way since back in their college days.
Just a thought....
Oh, a few more ideas. We used the mirtazipine for Lazlo as an appetite stimulant. It worked generally quite well, but because of the cancer, he was also nauseous. He'd sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff at his food.
Does she act nauseous? Does she "bunch up" in a "meatloaf" position with her head a little down? Does she seem hungry, but not eat much? Have you noticed if you put a treat down for her, not in a dish, is there a little wet spot left behind if she eats it? (Is she drooling?). Does she lick her lips a lot or "smack" them at all? Any or all of these are signs or nausea. Has she stopped grooming as much as she normally does?
Is she eating more now that she's on the app stimulant? Does she seem more interested in food, but not eat much?
I ask, because at this point, she may need an anti-nausea medication. :dk:
There are some tricks you can use to interest her in her food. She may like strong smells. This is often the case with cats that have eaten mostly kibble. I would recommend dried liver. You can either pick some up at a pet shop, or this is a great one, that my cat that doesn't like liver loves:
The great thing about freeze dried meat treats and liver treats is that they are just plain meat or liver, NO additives, and they crumble into a powder easily, so can be powdered on top of the food you want her to eat, and it will help entice her into at least eating some, or licking off the top, and getting some food as she licks at the powdered treat. :nod:
This is another wonderful treat, that most cats love: Again, it powders very easily, and makes a great enticement topper.
Poor thing has lost so much weight.....
Oh - and since she likes the gravy in the cat food, and the Nature's Variety Instinct cans are a pate style food, I had the same thing - my cats loved gravy, not pate. So I turned the whole thing into gravy. :lol3: Put it in a mini blender, add a little warm water - and voila! It's ALL Gravy. Crush a little bit of kibble, or the freeze dried meat or liver treats, sprinkle it on there, and hopefully she'll dig in. :cross:
For the die-hard kibble addict, even though the ingredients are TERRIBLE (animal digest), an almost "can't lose" topper for food you want them to eat is Fortiflora. It is technically a probiotic (forget using it as a probiotic, you still need the human acidophilus supplement), but it is that ingredient we don't like - animal digest - that makes it SO attractive to cats that love kibble. Kibble is sprayed with the stuff (animal fat) to make it more appealing. The good news is that it usually takes very little fortiflora (if other toppers don't work, use it as a last resort). Just tear off a small corner, and "fluff" it over the food. It is a VERY fine powder, and you don't need much of it to get the smell on there. :nod: This is the stuff:
...hope these ideas help to get her eating more! :cross:
Does she act nauseous? Does she "bunch up" in a "meatloaf" position with her head a little down? Does she seem hungry, but not eat much? Have you noticed if you put a treat down for her, not in a dish, is there a little wet spot left behind if she eats it? (Is she drooling?). Does she lick her lips a lot or "smack" them at all? Any or all of these are signs or nausea. Has she stopped grooming as much as she normally does?
Is she eating more now that she's on the app stimulant? Does she seem more interested in food, but not eat much?
I ask, because at this point, she may need an anti-nausea medication. :dk:
There are some tricks you can use to interest her in her food. She may like strong smells. This is often the case with cats that have eaten mostly kibble. I would recommend dried liver. You can either pick some up at a pet shop, or this is a great one, that my cat that doesn't like liver loves:
The great thing about freeze dried meat treats and liver treats is that they are just plain meat or liver, NO additives, and they crumble into a powder easily, so can be powdered on top of the food you want her to eat, and it will help entice her into at least eating some, or licking off the top, and getting some food as she licks at the powdered treat. :nod:
This is another wonderful treat, that most cats love: Again, it powders very easily, and makes a great enticement topper.
Poor thing has lost so much weight.....
Oh - and since she likes the gravy in the cat food, and the Nature's Variety Instinct cans are a pate style food, I had the same thing - my cats loved gravy, not pate. So I turned the whole thing into gravy. :lol3: Put it in a mini blender, add a little warm water - and voila! It's ALL Gravy. Crush a little bit of kibble, or the freeze dried meat or liver treats, sprinkle it on there, and hopefully she'll dig in. :cross:
For the die-hard kibble addict, even though the ingredients are TERRIBLE (animal digest), an almost "can't lose" topper for food you want them to eat is Fortiflora. It is technically a probiotic (forget using it as a probiotic, you still need the human acidophilus supplement), but it is that ingredient we don't like - animal digest - that makes it SO attractive to cats that love kibble. Kibble is sprayed with the stuff (animal fat) to make it more appealing. The good news is that it usually takes very little fortiflora (if other toppers don't work, use it as a last resort). Just tear off a small corner, and "fluff" it over the food. It is a VERY fine powder, and you don't need much of it to get the smell on there. :nod: This is the stuff:
...hope these ideas help to get her eating more! :cross:
:nod: The same with the Sulfasalzine. But that's why I asked how long she's been on them.... because if her diarrhea hasn't resolved, they're not working. :dk: The metro didn't help Chum at all.Just a thought but her vet might have kitty on metronidazole for the anti inflammatory use.
But I totally agree, another vet is the best idea. I have learned through my experiences that not all vets are the same, many younger vets have the latest information and education on new findings, etc.
Many older vets still use the old school methods to treat.
Not that they are bad or wrong, but things have come along way since back in their college days.
Just a thought....
And if the PRED isn't stopping the inflammation enough to stop the diarrhea.....And you are absolutely right. This is "old school" treatment of IBD. If the vet hasn't been able to help in 8 months, and THIS is the last resort prior to exploratory surgery.... IMO, another vet is in order at a minimum, and preferably a D.V.M. trained in chinese medicine or nutrition, preferably both though nutrition would probably be a priority. :nod: And HOPEFULLY, like many kitties suffering from IBD, this can actually be resolved via diet alone. :cross:
Last edited:
I am aware of that - Sulfasalazine is for the same thing.... However both of them are still antibiotics, and both of them still have side effecs.... Particularly when used long term.... Can't imagine long term and together
Bottom line is, IMHO, when a drug is showing no benefits.... and only potential side effects.... Do you continue to use it :dk:
Albon, Metronidazole, Sulfasalazine..... All antibiotics with anti-inflamatory properties used on IBD management in kitties..... Metro is the most commonly used here. Sulfasalazine is the most commonly used in the UK. Albon is the third after the two previous one.....
Last edited:
:nod: The same with the Sulfasalzine. But that's why I asked how long she's been on them.... because if her diarrhea hasn't resolved, they're not working. :dk: The metro didn't help Chum at all.
And you are absolutely right. This is "old school" treatment of IBD. If the vet hasn't been able to help in 8 months, and THIS is the last resort prior to exploratory surgery.... IMO, another vet is in order at a minimum, and preferably a D.V.M. trained in chinese medicine or nutrition, preferably both though nutrition would probably be a priority. :nod: And HOPEFULLY, like many kitties suffering from IBD, this can actually be resolved via diet alone. :cross:
This is what I call "following protocol"..... That's why I think another vet is on order here..... One that can see outside of that protocol "box". Because this is not working.... :nod:
