Advice on changing to IBD diet food??

My cat will be 13 at the end of this year and has recently been vomiting at least once a week. I took her to the vet a month ago and the doctor did bloodwork, which was perfect except that it showed signs she very likely has IBD (inflammatory bowel disorder). He started her on one shot to see if it was just an irritation, but lo and behold three weeks later she began puking again this week.

I just came home with some prescription diet food. Since she tends to eat dry food more, I decided to try dry food first to see if she would be accepting of it. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to get an admittedly picky eater to eat this new food which is much easier on her stomach? Her vet said to basically put a few kernels in and increase daily very slowly....

Any advice re: IBD and IBD treatment for cats in general would also be most welcome. I am new to this! Our goal is to eventually get her to the point she does not need the shot she is being given, but even lengthening the time between shots would be a positive.

What is the shot she is being given? Depending on what it is, your cat may be better off with a low dose of prednisolone.

As for diet, what is generally recommended for IBD cats is a novel protein, limited ingredient diet. The idea is to eliminate as many inflammation triggers as possible. This would include all grains, starchy vegetables, fish and usually chicken. Which prescription diet food did your vet give you? Honestly, I think that dry food is probably the worst type of food to be feeding an IBD cat. I would opt for an all canned or even better a home-prepared raw or cooked diet where you can control the ingredients and quality. A good resource is www.ibdkitties.net.

I'm sorry to hear this.  I have an 11 year old and 14 year old with IBD.  It's been a roller coaster to figure out what works for them but I'm happy to say they are both stable and doing well at this point.  

Ah--I see vball's post, saying some of the same things I was going to mention, including switching to wet food, and the link to ibdkitties.net, a great resource.  One of my kitties takes prednisolone, the other gets budesonide.  Another thing that has helped tremendously for mine is slippery elm bark.  It has controlled Jake's vomiting almost completely.  Here's one thread about it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/257544/slippery-elm-bark-and-grass-eating   One thing to remember is that it could interfere with absorption of nutrients or meds, so it should be given in between meals or 2 hours before any other meds.

I know exactly how you feel. The last few months I've been dealing with IBD in my 14 y/o. I switched her to Nature's Variety raw rabbit medallions and she's done great. She's off the steroids completely and can even have treats without them affecting her. She's allergic to a lot of things so the rabbit is what she does best on. If your kitty can eat beef or lamb, those formulas are much cheaper.

My now 15 yr old Main Coon was diagnosed with IBD last summer. I have used the same resources as stated above and my old guy has had good results with it.

Hi all, first of all thank you very much for the link!!! I will be looking into it today as it looks very helpful. Up until now this cat has been healthy in all ways except a single surgery when she ate something was wasn't supposed to and it got caught (cats!  ) when she was five, so it's new having to worry after her. Besides these problems, she really is very well off for her age (her bloodwork really was spotless besides the stuff indicating IBD), and I would like to keep it that way. 

The doctor gave us Hills prescription diet (i/d[emoji]174[/emoji] Feline Gastrointestinal Health), which I was told was easier to digest overall and might be easier on her stomach.

My problem really with wet food is I am very concerned she won't eat what she needs to with it. Even the 'normal' wet food we give her she basically licks the juice and is done with it, and she's already a fairly skinny cat (she has remained 8 pounds for the last 6 years) and am worried if she doesn't eat she will get too skinny. We have really tried every flavor and this cat snubs her nose at it as if I were offering her the worst food in the world (fancier/more expensive/higher quality included). It makes me miss my old cat sometimes, she would literally scarf down everything we put in front of her. I will look into Nature's Variety however I don't believe that was a brand we tried on her, and thank you for the link on the slippery elm bark!

As for the shots I believe I was told it was a depo-medrol shot, I know someone asked about that. I am heartened to hear people have found ways to balance things so their cats are living comfortably. It gives me hope we will figure things out as well.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade  will help you with transitioning to wet food and it may take some time.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals  will help if your kitty is used to free feeding kibble.

You are right to be concerned about your kitty eating enough.  Kitties who don't eat enough can get fatty liver disease.   The safe amount to avoid liver issues is 15 calories per pound of their ideal weight per day.

It may take awhile and some kitties will always eat some kibble.