Three senior cats with IBD

Hey everyone,

I have just been reading through this thread, as I am ALSO dealing with a IBD/pancreatitis kitty, Krissy.

I am simply amazed at how common IBD has become!! OMG what is up with that people??! Wow.......sure seems to me it MUST be the food, the quality/lack of quality in the protein, like take chicken for instance. You would think that chicken is easy, well tolerated, etc. so why would so many including mine, be having reactions?........the crap they give the chickens before slaughter? Sure makes me question things.

And where is the FDA in all this? Do they realize what is happening, and how drastically and quickly is becoming a common illness?

I anxiously await any information on IBS/IBD. I had two healthy cats until January of this year. I have previously posted on their issues with Wellness. One cat, Iggy, seems to be maintaining ok on Natures Variety Turkey though he still appears to have hard stools and i am experimenting with adding water to his food and will try pumpkin again - last time i gave him pumpkin he got diarrhea though I do not know if it was the pumpkin because at the same time my other cat Zoey also had diarrhea. Seems Zoey is the one with more issues now. She had been fine on Natures Variety Turkey LID for weeks and then started vomitting every meal. The vet suggested I change foods before we got aggressive in testing. She was moved to Petguard chicken with wheat germ and did well for a few weeks but now she still occasionally vomits and still gets soft stools from time to time.  I am not sure what is going on with her. Her weight and appetite are fine. I cannot relate her vomitting to anything. She was put on 1/2 pepcid AC tablet once a day and I still give her that and she also gets Provialble probiotics in her food one capsule once a day. 

Of course when she vomits I freak out as I do not know if this is the start of constant vomitting. When she does vomit it is within 5 minutes of eating and is often just after eating.  I am afraid of messing with her food but I do not know what is going on. The fact that she gets soft stools and occasional diarrhea is making me even more concerned. I keep delaying bringing her in for more tests since she threw up twice in two weeks and has been ok for a few days.. Cannot link the vomiting to anything and do not know if this is the beginning of IBD, a food sensitivity or what. They were both fine until both got violent runs on the same exact day in january after living on canned chicken wellness. They get no table scraps ever and no treats. 

It took weeks to get her off the Hills food my other vet had her on and now I do not know what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. In advance, thank you.

Erica, zoey and mr iggy.

Usually the best start is to stop all foods and offer ONLY chicken or turkey baby food for a few days, allow their insides a chance to settle down and stop reacting to everything.

Then begin offering slowly, a good, grain free, single protein food and watch for a reaction/not.

Chicken is a common problem with cats, mine as well.

While turkey is different for some cats, it might end up being a poultry related problem.

Try the baby food, then go with a completely different protein, rabbit or lamb, venison, duck.

Thank you. I am not sure what food to try at this point. The vet suggested I change brands of food entirely ruling out Nature's Variety. We had previously tried Natural Balance and both cats developed diarrhea that would not go away even after slow introduction of the food and trying over reveal days.  I tried two different flavors of natural balance with no luck.  Vet suggested Petguard since it was easy to digest even though it had grains. What other foods can I try other that Natural Balance and Natures Variety for single ingredient novel protein?  

Zoey has been ok for three days now, but i need another plan since this is the way the problems started on Natures Variety - she vomitted occasionally and then it was every times.  

In advance, thanks for your help.

Erica

Are we talking canned or dry?

VERY surprised the vet got you away from NV, which is very good quality food.

BOth cats have always eaten wet canned food except for when emergency vet put my cats on Hills when they were very sick in January.

As I may have said, both cats were on NV Turkey LID canned for several weeks and doing well. Zoey started vomitting every single meal and vet suggested before we got aggressive that I change food brands.  I had previously fed both cats Natural Balance LID in two different flavors with peas canned food and both had unrelenting diarrhea for days and i introduced each flavor over several days slowly with probiotics. So vet suggested Stella and Chewy which zoey would not eat and then he suggested Petguard canned chicken - it came in two flavors- with vegetables and the other with wheat germ. I started with Chicken with Wheat Germ and she was fine for several weeks and then I had occasional vomitting again and her stools were soft from time to time and she had diarrhea once.

Not sure what food to try at this point.  I could go back to NV duck (I have a case of it) but vet thought it could be more than flavor and it might be an ingredient so we moved away from NV LID entirely.

I do not know what to do. I am hoping this does not escalate and get worse…. She still gets the pepsid each morning and probiotics. I do not want to change anything because then i would not know what was causing the vomitting from time to time.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I had two healthy cats with no digestive issues until January and now I feel so bad for them…. I also just lost my third cat to cancer in June. It has been a rough year and I will do anything to make them well again.

Thanks again for any suggestions. 

Erica

My other cat, Iggy, remains on NV Turkey LID and he is the one with hard stools that I am bring to manage before moving to Metamucil.  He seems to be otherwise ok.  

The cats are separated when they eat so they do not share food and Iggy will not go near Petguard and i do not let zoey eat anything but her cat food No treats, no people food except for boiled chicken and baby food when they both had a bout of diarrhea about 2 weeks ago.  

This seems to be an ongoing issue and it is stressing me out eveytime I feed them I am worried about what will be. I want them to be healthy again and i just do not know what to do.

Thanks again.

Erica

You might benefit from reading my thread, I know it's long but there are some excellent advices there, regarding homemade food and a couple supplements to help.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/283203/...-lost-her-appetite-and-is-sleeping-constantly

Slippery elm and nexabiotic are 2 great supplements that can really help your kitties issues.

It might be the best option for your cats, to make their food and control what goes into it and what doesn't.

thank you so very much. i am heading to your post and will print it out.

Again, thank you.

zoey + iggy + erica

I hope your Krissy is doing better.

Thank you for the guidance -- I can see from just reading a bit of your posts you fully understand as do so many others on this board - how helpless we can feel when our cats get sick….Bac

Back to reading.

All my best,

Erica

My IBD cat has been doing well on Fancy Feast Classic Turkey and Giblets and Fancy Feast Classic Chopped Grill. He also enjoys Tiki Cat Puka Puka Luau chicken consume without the egg. He has pancreatitis and is now 14 yrs. old. Recently, I took him off of Denamarin and put him on a probiotic which seems to be helping his digestion. I also gave him Prednisonlone for several years until he became diabetic and then he was on Metronidazole and Pepcid for a while. Now, he is just on the probiotic and the above diet. He rarely has diarrhea but does have soft stool and recently he appears to be anemic so I too am going to look into a home made diet for him.
I hope you find a cat food that your cats will tolerate and enjoy!

I need to update Krissy's thread, pretty much the same, still frustrated with the whole food thing, she is so picky! You wouldn't think so as chunky as she is though! Jeez...

Hello,

Your vet is not well versed in this disease.

Click on the link I have enclosed! It gives MUCH information and a myriad of treatment plans (as each cats stage is different).

That food is NOT good. You should be cooking; duck, venison or rabbit! NO commercial foods whatsoever!

Here is your LINK:  

 http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/brochure_ibd.cfm

Carol  

MOD NOTE:  Please remember that raw and home-cooked diets can be dangerous if not done properly.  If you are considering feeding your cat raw or homecooked food, read this first:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/282314/recommending-a-homemade-diet-hold-your-horses

Carol Boldt the article you cite says nothing about the need for the cat owner to cook the food, just that novel proteins such as venison, duck can be tried. There is nothing that says this could not be canned novel protein. I agree that, unless someone is extremely well-versed on a cat's dietary needs, home-cooked meals may not help and in fact be detrimental. Also, I would suggest not using one single website or source as gospel- IBD is very complex and there are many many points of view on how to best treat it. There are many of us who for one reason or another are not able to or comfortable with serving our cats 100% home-cooked food. And that's OK!

I'm joining this blog a big late... How's your cat(s)??  I've been dealing with IBD with my senior cat as well.  His diet was changed years ago, but the past year and a half there's been a down turn.  The vet had him on flagyl and a cortisone.. He was pooping pudding as well, and is losing weight. He wasn't eating well so she also prescribed an appetite stimulant.   All that worked for a while.  In the mean time I had implemented some holistic treatment that had greatly helped firm up the pudding.  (Check out Vitality Science  http://www.vitalityscience.com/        Their customer service is wonderful.  Explore the site to see if it's something you could try.  They have a 'treatment resistant' program that I have my Wicket on.  He doesn't have normal poop, but it sure does beat the pudding.  I've since weaned him off the flagyl and cortisone, but thinking about re-ordering the cortisone as he just seems miserable.  My cat, like yours is too old to even bother biopsying.  He could have cancer as well.  I just want to help him stay comfortable in his late years.  It's been suggested I switch him from duck and pea protein, which he's been on for years, to venison, but he really doesn't care for the texture of the venison (Natural Balance).  I'm going to continue with the transition though.    

I still highly suggest visiting the Vitality Science Website though.  Nothing they have can hurt to try.  They're very good at returning e-mails and very informative if you call.  Good luck and looking forward to hearing how your cats are faring..

myrnafaye said:

I think we have to start questioning why so many cats have IBD.  I think it must be the food.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Myrnafaye, for bringing up the elephant in the room! Why are so many cats getting IBD?!Pet food companies are lying to us about touting how healthy their products are. Have you noticed they do not list the carbohydrates on their cans or bags? (Take a look!) Cats need ANIMAL protein but are getting their protein sources from plants, as it is cheaper for companies and they get better profits. This means that apples, potatoes, peas and other fruits are higher in carbs and should not be in their food.I am lucky none of my cats have IBD but my brother has a 12 yr old kitty with severe IBD. He's been to 4 different vets, has tried all kinds of drugs (Baytril, prednisolone, metrodonizole) and different herbs like slippery elm bark. Nothing has worked.His cat didn't like frozen raw but took to the freeze dried kind. Now he will eat a little frozen raw turkey mixed into the freeze dried food. He still has diarrhea but it's better and he doesn't go quite as often. He has also gained weight and feels better. His current vet has admitted the raw diet is helping him.Don't let your vet tell you what to feed him. Most vets get bonuses and kickbacks for pushing this prescription food on you!

My Obi has IBD.  He is now on NV rabbit, which is the closest I can come, in a canned formula, to what is natural to a cat.  It has no grains, no agar agar, carageenan or guar gum.. I dont think cats historically, from an evolutionary standpoint, have been munching on carageenan, guar gum, agar agar, corn, barley, etc.  It does have a few green peas in the formula.  Mittens is also on this food.

If we look at what happens in the food industry for humans, we see that we are being fed a great deal of foodstuffs that are very bad for us, high in sodium, and sugar,  Hence we have epidemics of diabetes, heart disease, etc.  I suspect the indidence of GI disease in humans is also high, but we have adapted - sort of.  So I see no reason not to think the same issues prevail in the cat food industry.

It is unfortunate, but ill health is profitable. 

I couldn't agree more! This is my gut feeling about it all as well, why is IBD SO prominent these days?

Look though at what is put into even the chicken we eat, and is in cat food.

Antibiotics, growth hormones, and God knows what else...............

Think back when cats ate only the prey they caught, do you think IBD was going on back then?

So this made me want to cook my cats food. Krissy is on turkey these days as she has IBD/pancreatitis and reacts to chicken and fish, so she eats Blue Buffalo Basics limited ingredient turkey/potato dry, and fancy feast classics turkey canned.

So I bought ground turkey, cooked it up, added U-stew, which is an all in one additive for home cooked meat diet for cats.

Well, it was a no-go. I do believe it's due to the bland taste of turkey though, since they would easily eat ground beef or steak, or roast beef.

So on to that next.

This is simple and easy to afford, and every few months rotated to a new meat source.

I'm still hoping I can get my girls eating this and only this in the near future. I LOVE knowing exactly what they are eating.

Good for you for your diligence. have you tried the Nature's Variety rabbit?  works for my 2!  there are different flavors, also - but I stick to rabbit as it is a novel protein.

I remember years ago I wanted to make my cats's food, and there was all this flap about how it is really hard to make sure your cats get their nutritional needs met. etc etc... well, is the pet food industry meeting the needs of our pets?? or just exploiting us?