Natural option for prednisone -

marshmallow · May 18, 2014

My IBD cat is showing big signs of improvement and we'd like to start getting her off the pred. Wondering if anyone has had luck with natural forms of an anti-inflammatory for the gut and getting their ibd cats off of pred.

jdollprincess · May 18, 2014

I don't know of anything natural but my ibd cat is on a steroid called Budesonide every other day. Budesonide is a locally acting steroid that directly treats inflammation in the stomach and intestines without being fully absorbed into the bloodstream. It has a much lower risk of side effects then pred.

ldg · May 18, 2014

Yes. A natural protocol that is relieving many IBD cats of their need for any meds is

1) A home cooked or raw diet. If using commercial raw, Stella & Chewy's or Rad Cat are best
2) The probiotic Nexabiotic (it contains a specific yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii, I'll provide links to information about its many benefits for IBD. It also contains lactobaccillus and bifidobacterium, which are important for maintaining a healthy gut flora, one of the major issues in IBD)
3) Regular use of slippery elm bark powder, usually twice a day
4) Bone broth as a "treat" every few days.

In a review of Saccharomyces boulardii and its effects on gastrointestinal diseases, Zanello (2009) reported that S. boulardii has been described as a “biotherapeutic agent since several clinical trials displayed its beneficial effects in the prevention and the treatment of intestinal infections and in the maintenance of inflammatory bowel disease.”

Saccharomyces boulardii effects on gastrointestinal diseases (Zanello 2009) http://www.horizonpress.com/cimb/v/v11/47.pdf

Review article: anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of Saccharomyces boulardii (Pothoulakis 2009) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04102.x/pdf

Recent advances in Saccharomyces boulardii research (Im & Pothoulakis 2010) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Im+E.+2010+s.+boulardii

Efficacy and safety of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii for the prevention and therapy of gastrointestinal disorders (Kelesidis & Pothoulakis 2012) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/pdf/10.1177_1756283X11428502.pdf

Anti-inflammatory effects of Saccharomyces boulardii mediated by myeloid dendritic cells from patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (Thomas et al. 2011) http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/ajpgi/301/6/G1083.full.pdf

Here is a review of IBD and treatment at All Feline Hospital. Please note the discussion on commercial raw diet under "diet", under "treatment".

A common comment about IBD is how individual it is. We can point to "how individual IBD is in each cat," but there are very common issues: gut dysbiosis causing leaky gut and the associated problems with malabsorption and the inflammation that causes it. The homemade diet removes most (if not all) of the diet-based causes of inflammation. The probiotics, slippery elm, and bone broth address inflammation and help resolve the leaky gut. In the end, it is addressing the cause of the inflammation and leaky gut that is needed. And that is only managed through diet and restoring the healthy balance of bacteria in the gut - meaning repopulating the healthy bacteria, not continually killing off all the bacteria with antibiotics (like the flagyl so many vets throw at IBD). By reducing the causes of inflammation, many find they can reduce and eventually remove the pred.

Digestive enzymes and B12 shots are also good additions to a natural treatment protocol.

roguethecat · May 19, 2014

3) Regular use of slippery elm bark powder, usually twice a day

they really like the taste! I used to mix it into chicken broth (until I found out the Rogue can't digest cooked chicken, that is). He used to purr for it

...

very much unlike the oral antibiotics I have to force down his throat for 10 more days, he acts like it tastes like battery acid

goholistic · May 19, 2014

roguethecat said:
they really like the taste!

Lucky you! None of mine with touch their food with SEB in it. Maybe it depends on the brand/source.

I just wanted to add that I think a good quality source of omega-3s (i.e., fish oil that is high in EPA and DHA) is good for IBD since it has anti-inflammatory properties. Also, B12 injections can act as a mild appetite stimulant and help with nutrient absorption.

ldg · May 19, 2014

Yes, an omega 3! Finding one that doesn't cause a flare *can* be an issue.

roguethecat · May 19, 2014

Lucky you! None of mine with touch their food with SEB in it. Maybe it depends on the brand/source.

ah, I cheated

gave it to the Rogue in a syringe because I wanted to make sure it went into him. He did lick the empty syringe (and purr when swallowing), but didn't want it once it was in a bowl (would have been too easy!)

marshmallow · May 28, 2014

thanks for your replies. We are giving our cat SEB every day to help with nausea. I wasn't aware that it did the same as pred . . . .

She is currently having a flare up so we're not sure what is going on. Just when she was getting really good. She is dehydrated. And wouldn't eat again so we had to use a prescription appetite stimulate which makes her extremely spaced out. It does make her eat though. She, she is eating again and gaining weight back and has been off the appetite stim for a couple days.

ibd is a wild ride

goholistic · May 28, 2014

marshmallow said:
We are giving our cat SEB every day to help with nausea. I wasn't aware that it did the same as pred . . . .

Technically, it doesn't. There is no one true natural equivalent to pred. The suggestions given in this thread are holistic remedies that can help normalize/heal the gut and reduce symptoms of IBD.

I'm so sorry your kitty is flaring (right after you said she was doing so well?!). IBD is a rollercoaster. My Sebastian has chronic pancreatitis, and I always have to introduce or take away things extremely slow or it could set him off. Did you introduce or take away something from her regime since your first post?

zoneout · Jun 17, 2014

I absolutely agree with everything everyone has said . Especially that ibd is a roller-coaster.... worse than six-flags. My cat Precious was doing so well up until about a week ago. Her last flare-up was Feb, lost alot of weight. Then I used SEB and chicken broth and baby food to stabilize her. She stabilized then I put her on a raw food diet and she looked better than she ever had in her 13 years. I thought she was cured.... silly me. So about a week ago she hacked up a hairball (she was always prone to that). The day after that twice more. The vomit is alot of clear liquid at first , then after she gets dehydrated, the vomit is a little foam or bile. Shortly after that she badly seizures. I frantically syringe in Pedialyte to get her some relief but its a losing battle. She quickly degrades and so I have to take her to my crappy vet whose only purpose in life is to soak me dry, even after I tell her I have very little money. I have put in over $3000 already on tests. So today my vet tells me she wants to do $650 more of tests including xrays and an IV in the hospital. I lost it. I told her the cat doesnt have a broken leg. We took xrays in Feb that showed nothing. I said its classic cyclical IBD. She says she wanted to rule out other illnesess. I couldn`t believe it. So there are what - 100 or more possibilities? I could see there was no end in sight until she had every last penny of mine - or the cat dies. I told her no more tests - I want a prescription for prednisone. She relented and also gave the cat subcutaneous fluids.... $45 all told.

Gave Precious the first dose of Preds tonight and she is very lethargic. But at least the vomiting has stopped for now. But still have to syringe in baby food..... no appetite yet. How long on preds before there is improvement?

Thanks and God bless.

goholistic · Jun 18, 2014

@zoneout, I'm so sorry you're going through this with your cat Precious. Poor girl.

If you don't like your vet, is there another one you could go to? Is this the first time Precious has been on pred? Is it prednisone or prednisolone? I've been told that pred starts to work pretty quickly, so hopefully you'll see some improvement soon.

marshmallow · Jun 18, 2014

zoneout - I know what you are going through and feel for you. We had two cats. Our first one started throwing up alot and refused to eat. We put him through all kinds of tests which we now regret. It seemed like after every test or procedure we heard the same thing "well, we think it is ibd but we can't be sure as this procedure is not 100%". After putting him through that for a few months, he ended up dieing and we don't know what of. We swore to never do that again. Now, our older cat is having similar problems. We went to a different vet who said "well, it could be cancer or it could be gut disease (ibd). They require the same treatment so why go though all those tests". We liked that approach. That was a few years ago. She came back from that downturn and has been going up and down since then. Seems like it is every six months or so. I think about 6 months ago it was really, really bad. She just wasn't eating. We started giving her slippery elm syrup and chicken broth with digestive enzymes and pro/prebiotics. She slowly came back and we were amazed.

She still goes up and down, but the downs do not seem to be as bad - and her ups are much better. She is playing and running around and her muscle weakness has much improved. I credit all this to the enzymes and biotics. The pred only helps to keep the inflammation down, not cure it. During the last visit the vet gave her a steroid shot and encouraged us to keep her on her pred (one every other evening) and include a 1/2 of a 10mg pepcid with the pred. Oh, also b12 shot couple times a week. That combination seemed to work within a day. Oh, and a low fat diet until she got better and started eating. He wanted us to put her on that prescription food but we read the ingredients and decided against it. Instead we boiled chicken and rice and threw in some chx broth and did that for a week or so. Our cat won't eat any food other than kibble (dry) with her teeth for some odd reason so we had to put it all in a blender and make it so she can lick it up.

I truly feel there has to be a combination of medicines to alleviate the inflammation/pain along with more "natural" products to heal the gut as much as possible. Enzymes, biotics, slippery, elm bark (also full of nutrients if the cat isn't eating), B12 shots (that doesn't seem to both our cat at all), and some people give omegas and perhaps some vitamins/nutrients. We're trying not to do too much because we don't want her gut to be overwhelmed with too much to process.

Also, during her really bad down turn a while back, we gave her an appetite stimulant along with the steroid shot and pepcid. That makes her really hungry - but it also really zones her out so we only go there as a last result.

Best of luck.

zoneout · Jun 19, 2014

GoHolistic said:
@zoneout, I'm so sorry you're going through this with your cat Precious. Poor girl.

If you don't like your vet, is there another one you could go to? Is this the first time Precious has been on pred? Is it prednisone or prednisolone? I've been told that pred starts to work pretty quickly, so hopefully you'll see some improvement soon.

Thanks. Its helpful to talk to caring friends during these trying times.

About the vet.... you know the problem is I signed up for one of those annual Wellness plans at Banfield (they`re located in a lot of Petsmarts). That was $400 for the plan. So I feel locked into them at this point until it expires next Feb.

Yes - the first time on pred - and its Prednisone. 1.25mg twice a day. This is her second full day and I see no change whatsoever. The only change is that she is peeing like crazy. A side effect as I understand it. I pray I can keep up with enough syringed in fluids as she is peeing out.

When she walks she looks a little wobbly. She just lays in a corner most of the day.

Whenever she goes to the water dish she starts the vomiting impulse as soon as she lowers her head. I probably should find one of those raised dishes. I just gave her a pepcid thinking maybe its acid going to her throat when she puts her head down - causing the vomiting reaction - just guessing - I dont really know.

Thanks for the kind words. I do ask the angels to watch over her and help get her through this.

zoneout · Jun 19, 2014

marshmallow said:
She came back from that downturn and has been going up and down since then. Seems like it is every six months or so. I think about 6 months ago it was really, really bad. She just wasn't eating. We started giving her slippery elm syrup and chicken broth with digestive enzymes and pro/prebiotics. She slowly came back and we were amazed.

Click to expand...

Yup, its been a year of those ups and downs... seemingly the cycle is every 3 months. Same here... not eating... no appetite. I LOVE SLIPPERY ELM BARK. I think it is a great natural aid for digestive issues. I put a capsule full right into a jar of Gerbers turkey baby food (beechnut uses cornstarch - avoid) and then thin it out with some pedialite for electrolytes.

I credit all this to the enzymes and biotics. The pred only helps to keep the inflammation down, not cure it. During the last visit the vet gave her a steroid shot and encouraged us to keep her on her pred (one every other evening) and include a 1/2 of a 10mg pepcid with the pred. Oh, also b12 shot couple times a week. That combination seemed to work within a day. Oh, and a low fat diet until she got better and started eating. He wanted us to put her on that prescription food but we read the ingredients and decided against it.

Click to expand...

Hmm..I have to try more enzymes/biotics. The pepcid does seem to help when I use it. The prescription food is God-awful. It should be a crime to feed it.

Well, on the plus side she seems about the same as yesterday. Hiding behind the couch now as she got tired of all the food I was syringing. Hopefully tomorrow is better....

Thanks

cocheezie · Jun 19, 2014

Just put the water bowl on a couple of books you planned on getting rid of, or an old telephone book or two. This method of raising works for my cat, and the height can be adjusted easily.

zoneout · Jun 19, 2014

Unfortunately, my cat has a habit of pawing/clawing at her water dish before she decides to sip. They are so neurotic. This usually winds up with her splashing the water or worse - tipping it over if on a raised object.

I would likely have to find a 1-piece dish with a pedestal base and hopefully something that can be velcroed down.

jclark · Jun 20, 2014

I would just say don't be discourged if the suggestions do not work (I think IBD is more difficult vs IBS). Some cats do well off prednisone some do not. My cat does not do well when off prednislone (he's fed raw/HQ grain free, priobiotics, etc) as his vomiting and bloody stool will return within a few days of going off it. The key with prednisone/prednislone is to get the dose down to a minimium. My guy gets 1cc prednislone every other day. That's almost nothing.

Don't just stop the prednisone cold turkey.

FWIW my cat developed IBD while eating a hydrolyzed protein diet for most of his life. Go figure.

danthecatman · Jun 20, 2014

My cat has a 2 lower stomach growths one seems to have somewhat of a mass, did you guys and gals see this in your cats? She's only 3 and I'm really worried, we are taking lite Kiki in for a biopsy this weekend and I want to be prepared

goholistic · Jun 20, 2014

goholistic · Jun 20, 2014

danthecatman said:
My cat has a 2 lower stomach growths one seems to have somewhat of a mass, did you guys and gals see this in your cats? She's only 3 and I'm really worried, we are taking lite Kiki in for a biopsy this weekend and I want to be prepared

Hi @danthecatman. I'm sorry to hear about your cat's issues. There are members who have experience with cancer and/or masses, but they might not see this post. I would suggest that you create a new thread to ask your questions. That way we can all focus on Kiki in your own thread.

Natural option for prednisone -

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