I am in need of desperate help.

jamielol

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I have been to every vet in my city, no one can pin point exactly what is wrong.

My 15 year old cat, Stewie, has been in pain for around 8 months. It isn't something all the time, but he starts yowling and screaming, squatting to poop (with nothing coming out) and I've noticed his anus protrudes like he is straining and pushing.

I'd like to first state that he is not constipated. He poops easily and frequently. Every vet I've been to has ruled out megacolon, colitis, arthritis, cancer, and constipation. He has had blood work, x-rays, you name it.

Stewie has been on Wellness for about 5 months, maybe more. Before I put him on Wellness he had blood in his stools and they came out like soft serve ice cream, since he's been on it his stools have hardened and there is no more blood.

My vet said we should try a high in fiber cat food like "Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Fiber Response HF Dry Cat Food," but I have been told this is for constipation? I also read it's no where near Wellness's standards. Can anyone tell me if this may even help Stewie with his issue? 

Would you suggest something else? Do you know what Stewie's problem is? Anything will help...
 

luvmy4

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Are you positive he isn't straining to urinate?
 
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jamielol

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Yes. He pees just fine, doesn't make any vocalisation before or after urinating. 

He just pooped out some string-bean looking feces, but they weren't hard at all. They were dark, and he has dribbles of loose, bright red, blood coming from his anus. :( That has never happened before, so I wonder if he's just becoming constipated? Can constipation cause bleeding? He is eating and drinking normal.
 

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I am so sorry that Stewie has been suffering like that.

Have the vets suggested any possibilities for the intermittent straining and pain,  although he is also having regular normal bowel movements?   ( Is he having normal bowel movements the same days that you see him straining and crying? )

 You said "you name it" .  Does that mean he has had an abdominal ultrasound?  and was it done by someone who is very experienced at reading them?   Was nothing abnormal seen in the bowel? 

 What about  cobalamin and folate tests? 

What intestinal parasites has he been tested for?  

How is his weight ?  

 I would not hurry to put him on a lower quality, high carbohydrate high fiber dry food,  which would be so much less healthy in various other ways.  

 If it's thought that fiber would help I would rather just add fiber to a  more species appropriate wet food. 

I wonder if supplementation with probiotics would help? . 

 & you might  consider a raw diet,  which has helped a lot of cats with GI problems.    See catnutrition.org   or a vet's site catinfo.org,  and post on the nutrition section on this site. 

 Another thing is to try a novel protein diet,  in case he has developed a food sensitivity  ( like an allergic reaction)  to some kinds of food,  causing inflammation  that could be painful.

    You might try rabbit, venison or duck or lamb if he has not had it before.   For example Natures Variety Instinct or Natures Logic or Hounds n Gatos have some of those.  

I am just tossing out some ideas.   Someone else might  be able to give more advice.    I hope you can get it figured out soon. 
 

angels mommy

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I am so sorry that Stewie has been suffering like that.

Have the vets suggested any possibilities for the intermittent straining and pain,  although he is also having regular normal bowel movements?   ( Is he having normal bowel movements the same days that you see him straining and crying? )

 You said "you name it" .  Does that mean he has had an abdominal ultrasound?  and was it done by someone who is very experienced at reading them?   Was nothing abnormal seen in the bowel? 

 What about  cobalamin and folate tests? 

What intestinal parasites has he been tested for?  

How is his weight ?  

 I would not hurry to put him on a lower quality, high carbohydrate high fiber dry food,  which would be so much less healthy in various other ways.  

 If it's thought that fiber would help I would rather just add fiber to a  more species appropriate wet food. 

I wonder if supplementation with probiotics would help? . 

 & you might  consider a raw diet,  which has helped a lot of cats with GI problems.    See catnutrition.org   or a vet's site catinfo.org,  and post on the nutrition section on this site. 

 Another thing is to try a novel protein diet,  in case he has developed a food sensitivity  ( like an allergic reaction)  to some kinds of food,  causing inflammation  that could be painful.

    You might try rabbit, venison or duck or lamb if he has not had it before.   For example Natures Variety Instinct or Natures Logic or Hounds n Gatos have some of those.  

I am just tossing out some ideas.   Someone else might  be able to give more advice.    I hope you can get it figured out soon. 
I agree, & about the ultrasound. It's important to make sure there's nothing in there causing the pain. Also the blood could be from a broken blood vessel if he has been straining so much. 

I'm so sorry your Stewie is going through this. I can imagine how frustrating & heartbreaking it must be. Out of all the many vet's you have gone to, it seems someone would have found something. You may just have to get really persistent w/ which ever vet you think is the best, to be sure they are doing everything possible to help him.  I just hate that he is in pain.
 I wish you the best of luck, & will say a prayer that someone will

find the cause, so he can get the help he needs.  Keep us posted!
 
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jamielol

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I'm curious though, wouldn't an xray show anything in him causing pain like an ultrasound would?
 

ldg

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I'm curious though, wouldn't an xray show anything in him causing pain like an ultrasound would?
No, not at all, not even close. And with what could be upper GI bleeding, I would get an abdominal ultrasound done ASAP. My cat had bleeding ulcers. Those cannot be seen on x-ray, but they can be seen on ultrasound.
 
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jamielol

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No, not at all, not even close. And with what could be upper GI bleeding, I would get an abdominal ultrasound done ASAP. My cat had bleeding ulcers. Those cannot be seen on x-ray, but they can be seen on ultrasound.
What about a probe? The vet did some kind of thing with a digital camera they stick up Stew's anus to check out the colon. I'm wondering... since it's been ongoing for 8 months if it's just an allergy to food like someone mentioned? Could it really be something severe if he's had it for almost a year and hasn't died?
 
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maewkaew

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To make a broad generaliization,  radiographs ( x rays) are better at showing hard substances and ultrasound better at showing soft tissue.    Not that an x ray does not show organs   but not with as much detail and data  as a skilled, experienced veterinary radiologist/ ultrasonographer could get from doing an abdominal ultrasound.    Like LDG gave an example. 

 

( But this is not to say they were wrong to do an x ray.  For example  an x ray would have probably showed if your cat had swallowed a toy that was stuck in his intestines.) 

The probe was a good idea too but the thing about the U/s is it will show what is going on with more organs.  not just lower GI tract but upper ,  where it sounds like there may be bleeding ( black tarry stool implies bleeding in upper GI tract) ,  and shows if anything looks abnormal in surrounding organs like pancreas, liver, spleen. 

  Are you able to see ( or have you already seen) a board-certified internist?     If you are in the US or Canada  you could check on the website of the ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine;  they have a "Find a Specialist" page http://www.acvim.org/    and often these vets are working at vet schools or specialty hospitals where there are also board certified veterinary radiologists who are also skilled at ultrasound.   (They have their own certifying body  the ACVR, with  website and search.   http://www.acvr.org/public/search

 Other countries or regions would  no doubt have something similar.   for ex.  in Europe there is ECVIM 

 When I talked about  possibility of something like an allergic reaction to a type of food,  that doesn't mean that can't be very serious.     Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be very serious indeed,  but it can vary in severity,  and a cat might go along for quite a while with a chronic disease ,  generally not feeling so well,  with occasional attacks where it gets worse.  

If this were going on with my cat , an abdominal ultrasound is one of the first things I would have done.    also consider specific blood tests that relate to intestinal function. like cobalamin and folate. 
 
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jamielol

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I'll ask about that,

today he pooped and it was pure diarrhea, it looked grainy. 

No more blood either... 
 

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Did they check for parasites? Tapeworms and the like? Hope he feels better 
 
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jamielol

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I was going to ask about that, too. His poop all of a sudden is super gooey. Like a booger, it's diarrhea but you could  pick it up and it wouldn't fall apart, like it's in a packet of mucus? It's bright yellow and sandy.
 
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jamielol

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Does your kitty go outdoors?

What do you feed him?
He is indoor outdoor, but recently I only let him out for a few minutes or I sit with him in the grass.

He is on dry Wellness, but since having fed him what the vet suggested he seems very ill.
 

furbum

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I was going to ask about that, too. His poop all of a sudden is super gooey. Like a booger, it's diarrhea but you could  pick it up and it wouldn't fall apart, like it's in a packet of mucus? It's bright yellow and sandy.
I would collect a sample of this and bring it to the vet. They should run a lab test to determine if there are parasite eggs or might recognize it as something else..
 
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