Rocko & his Puking - There has to be other options

(Background - He was just dxed with hyperthyroidism and a really bad UTI (No crystals, but he is on his third course of antibiotics.) He has a history of gorging himself and throwing up afterwards. Also hairballs.)

I have tried feeding him smaller amounts, and waiting a little bit between bites. I have tried this medicine that the vet gave, I forget the name of it but is lax something. That doesn't work. He was even on steroids for a couple of days because the vet thinks the antiinflammatory meds he was on gave him diarrhea (which he still has. not that bad but it still doesn't look like what it should look like.) That didn't work. He has gained some weight at his last vet visit and his thyroid is looking better. There has to be SOMETHING out there where he doesn't have to go through this!!! I am so paranoid that he will throw up his thyroid pill and not get the medication he needs. The vet said after an hour don't worry about giving him another dose if he throws up. But I am thinking he is throwing up his food sometimes. How is the thyroid pill not in there too? (I put it in a little bit of canned food.) He is on Iams Lamb & Rice and I am mixing his bag of dry food in with it which is also Iams. I know people on here like other brands, but the vet thinks he is fine on this. She did say we will evaluate if he needs to go on something else his next visit. There has to be something out there to help him. He is old. 13. He just needs to have a nice rest of his life and not throwing up every 2-3 days. Please any advice? He goes back in 2 weeks. Also my vet did mention that he could have antiflammatory bowel disease. Could that cause the vomiting too, I wonder.

Yes IBD could cause vomiting.  So could an allergy to corn, which is the second and third ingredient listed in Iams Lamb and Rice; Chicken byproducts is the first.  So could the drugs used to treat hyperthyroidism and UTIs.

It's hard to isolate just one cause.

You could try the boiled chicken and cooked rice diet; that usually settles stomachs, particularly if he is allergic to grain or an additive.  I would also give him a probiotic (mix it in the wet food) every day, look for one that has 10 billion active cell units.

PS:  if you're worried about your cat throwing up the drug--as I did with Ritz--here is something to think about:  if the drug(s) he is on is also used in humans, the drug can be compounded by a pharmacist into a flavored liquid. 

Was he throwing up before he started on the antibiotic for the UTI?  (other than from gorging himself?)  (certain antibiotics cause upset stomachs in some cats).  And IBD most definititely causes vomiting.  Hairballs can cause it too. 

IF he has IBD, he shouldn't be eating kibble.  Have you tried just feeding him canned food to see if that helps ease his vomiting.  If so, I would go strictly with that, especially since that's how you are getting him to take his thyroid pill,

Ritz's suggestion of giving him just chicken and rice for a few days is a good one.  It should clear up the diarrhea too .  Boil up a chicken breast (don't use any spices or anything), then use that broth to cook the white rice in.  Don't feed this to him for longer than one week, though, as this is not nutritionally complete.  And using a 10 billion active cell pro-biotic is an excellent idea!  I give my cats the same one I take...they each get one capsule mixed into their food once a day.  Here is what we take:
for your old guy

Yes, IBD can cause vomitting! My Polly has IBD. She did fine on a hypoallergenic rx diet, but I have switched both my cats to a food with no grains, fruits or veggie ingredients, and both cats do great on it.

Thank you all so much for your posts.

(Yes, he was throwing up before the antibiotics. (When I found out about his hyperthyroidism I started giving him can food and got the idea of doing what I have been doing to feed him - Giving him just a little bit at a time. So I know it's not just from the gorging.) Honestly, since past vets weren't concerned about it I wasn't worried. Now thinking about it though there is no reason why he had to go through that. He throwing up is NOT normal behavior. Bear vomits like once a month because of hairballs and Rocko vomits every 2-3 days it varies.)

I think I will buy that probotic. Will that have any benefit to Bear too? (He is on C/D, so I'm paranoid with whatever I give him.) I will stop feeding him the hard food too. Anything that will help ease his tummy. Also I was thinking of cat acid reflux. Is there such a thing? I have acid reflux myself, and I feel like I am going to vomit when I don't eat...I know the vet did mention something that could pertain to the acid in his tummy, but I don't really remember. Is there anything out there that could help if this contributes too to his vomiting? I will be mentioning all this to my vet to get her ideas too. I don't think the chicken and rice are necessary at the moment (because it seems the vomiting and diarrhea have calmed down just a bit - back to his normal thing), but I will get some and keep it on hand.

When he vomits, would food ease his tummy or should I hold off on food for an hour or two? Maybe, make the chicken and rice then?

Also regarding his UTI. I am so worried. Three courses of antibotics, really? I asked her if there was anything else I could do at home to help his UTI. She said start using spring water and I have been. (He drinks and pees a lot - his symptoms) Any other advice?

Probiotics are good for any cats, so giving it to your other cat should be AOK. 

If you suspect your guy has an over acidic stomach, then you can give him Pepcid A/C (must be A/C, not regular Pepcid).  1/4 tablet  is the norm.  But ask your Vet.  Usually if a cat has an over acidic stomach they will throw up just a white froth when their tummies are empty...they will not throw up food.  And I've found that they won't be hungry for about 1/2 hour afterwards, but I suppose it could vary by cat

As far as the UTI, I've heard that stress can actually bring that on, so if possible, try to keep him as stress free as possible.  And make sure he takes in lots of fluids.  Giving him only canned food will help, plus you can even add more water to his canned food if he isn't drinking enough.   I wonder about using Rescue Remedy or calming plug-ins or something like that on him.  Is he a nervous cat?  I've never had a cat get a UTI, so don't really have experience in that area...only what I've read

Ritz has stress induced UTIs.  Rescue Remedy helps, you can put it in food.  Feliway plug ins also helps.  Both are available much cheaper on Amazon than in pet stores.

What also helps is as mrsgreenjeans said canned food (water).

Also a stress free environment as much as possible so routine routine routine.  Yeah, easier said than done