Cerenia?

My cat has been vomiting several times a month. It was often bile in the morning or when he was hungry, but after switching to wet food it's been mostly clear liquid and small hairball. Vet prescribed Cerenia every other day in morning and pepcid at bedtime every day. I'd like to hear anyone here who has experience with Cerenia. Is it something that can be stopped some point or should be continued for a long term, and where do you usually get them? Seems like it's way more pricey from the vet than some of the online pet pharmacy. Any info is appreciated. 

My Sebastian is on Cerenia long-term for his chronic pancreatitis. It's a prescription that eases symptoms of vomiting and nausea. It does not address an underlying problem. The length of time on Cerenia (as determined by your vet) usually depends on why the cat needs it. Some cats with chronic diseases (like Sebastian) need it as part of their regular regime. Some cats only need it short-term to get them through a rough patch. I get the Cerenia tablets through my vet. It is a rather pricey medication, but it works great for my kitty.

Frequent vomiting may be indicator of a bigger problem. How old is your cat? Has your vet offered any insight as to why your cat may be vomiting so frequently? Has the cat had any blood work or diagnostic imaging done?

GoHolistic said:

 
Frequent vomiting may be indicator of a bigger problem. How old is your cat? Has your vet offered any insight as to why your cat may be vomiting so frequently? Has the cat had any blood work or diagnostic imaging done?

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He's about 8 or older. We just went to a new vet who is for raw diet.  The previous vet thought he has IBD and put him on z/d but I don't think it helped. His regular blood work was fine. Also another blood work showed that he doesn't have lymphoma. The new vet wants to control his vomiting so that (I guess) repeated vomiting doesn't irritate and cause lymphoma. I've changed his diet from dry & wet to all wet, and I'm transitioning to raw & canned (probably 3:1). 

There's certainly nothing wrong with controlling symptoms until you can get your boy feeling better. For Sebastian, we tend to wean things off of him slowly so as not to shock his system - full dose for the full amount of time as recommend by the vet, then 1/2 dose for a few days, then a 1/4 dose for a few days, etc. Depending on the medication, we have gone as low as 1/16, which is literally like a crumb.    I'm sure this is overkill for most cats, but Sebastian is such a sensitive guy.

I hope between the new vet and the new diet that things start looking up soon! 

Cerenia is a wonder drug for dealing with nausea and vomiting.   But as Goholistic said it treats the symptom not the underlying problem.   Your vet sounds really good.   I would stick with their recommendation of going to raw food.   If you are going to buy it I recommend Rad Cat to start with since it is pure meat without fillers.   The fillers and other crap is what could be causing your cat to vomit.

You will need to be patient.   It may take a variety of different attempts until you find what works.   

Does this cat shed alot?

zoneout said:

 
Cerenia is a wonder drug for dealing with nausea and vomiting.   But as Goholistic said it treats the symptom not the underlying problem.   Your vet sounds really good.   I would stick with their recommendation of going to raw food.   If you are going to buy it I recommend Rad Cat to start with since it is pure meat without fillers.   The fillers and other crap is what could be causing your cat to vomit.

You will need to be patient.   It may take a variety of different attempts until you find what works.   

Does this cat shed alot?

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It's been only a few days since started with Cerenia and he hasn't vomited. One time at night he looked like he was going to throw up and he ran out of bedroom, but nothing happened, so he came back looking puzzled. So I think it's really working. Does it make a cat sleepy? 

I've tried some Rad Cat sample, but he vomited the next day. It has psyllium and I wonder if that's causing some irritation or something. But thank you for the recommendation. My other cat really loved Rad Cat, so I hope that once the vomiting is under control maybe I can add Rad Cat to rotation too. So far I found Nature's variety, Stella & Chewy, Bravo, Primal and Rad Cat at a local pet store. Maybe I will try hare today or feline pride once transition is done. 

Yes, both of my cats shed a lot and they groom each other. I'm trying to brush them but I haven't found a good comb yet. The one I have now seems to be too sharp.  

Its been a while since I used it so I dont recall.  @GoHolistic   can probably say if it has a sedative effect.

 I've tried some Rad Cat sample, but he vomited the next day. It has psyllium and I wonder if that's causing some irritation or something. But thank you for the recommendation. My other cat really loved Rad Cat, so I hope that once the vomiting is under control maybe I can add Rad Cat to rotation too. So far I found Nature's variety, Stella & Chewy, Bravo, Primal and Rad Cat at a local pet store. Maybe I will try hare today or feline pride once transition is done. 

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Oh, OK.  I didn`t know how far along you were in trying raw so if you are ready for homemade that is certainly best because you can control everything that goes in.   

 
Yes, both of my cats shed a lot and they groom each other. I'm trying to brush them but I haven't found a good comb yet. The one I have now seems to be too sharp.

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Hmm.   Hairballs are a difficult issue.   The way I see it, it is a chicken or egg problem.    That is, do hairballs cause the chronic vomiting or is a compromised GI tract a factor in hairball formation.    IMO, GI issues cause the hairball problem.   And my belief is it that dry food and high carb canned food contributes to this problem.    I am not sure the damage is reversible even after transitioning to raw.   It might be.   I just don`t believe it is from what I have seen and read.

Brushing them is a good idea.   Have you tried a hairball remedy yet such as vets best?

zoneout said:

 
Its been a while since I used it so I dont recall.  @GoHolistic   can probably say if it has a sedative effect.

Oh, OK.  I didn`t know how far along you were in trying raw so if you are ready for homemade that is certainly best because you can control everything that goes in.   

Hmm.   Hairballs are a difficult issue.   The way I see it, it is a chicken or egg problem.    That is, do hairballs cause the chronic vomiting or is a compromised GI tract a factor in hairball formation.    IMO, GI issues cause the hairball problem.   And my belief is it that dry food and high carb canned food contributes to this problem.    I am not sure the damage is reversible even after transitioning to raw.   It might be.   I just don`t believe it is from what I have seen and read.

Brushing them is a good idea.   Have you tried a hairball remedy yet such as vets best?

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Yes, I think I'll try homemade once my cats are comfortable with raw. It'll be interesting project.

Did you mean IBD is not reversible? I was feeding them Iams dry before because the first vet I went said it's good food. I wish I knew better. 

I've tried vet's best, but it has psyllium and he vomited also...he really loved the taste but...I asked the vet about slippery elm but she said some gets sick from it too. I don't like giving him laxatone because of other ingredients. I'm trying out butter and more water in his food and it seems to be working so far. 

ankitty said:

 
Yes, I think I'll try homemade once my cats are comfortable with raw. It'll be interesting project.

Did you mean IBD is not reversible? I was feeding them Iams dry before because the first vet I went said it's good food. I wish I knew better. 

I've tried vet's best, but it has psyllium and he vomited also...he really loved the taste but...I asked the vet about slippery elm but she said some gets sick from it too. I don't like giving him laxatone because of other ingredients. I'm trying out butter and more water in his food and it seems to be working so far. 

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No not IBD.  I meant the physiological change that occurs primarily to the intestines with chronic distension due to bulky stool.   Studies have shown that the intestines of cats that are constantly under pressure and stretched out in order to pass bulkier stool caused by high carb and filler diets undergo a weakening to their structure and loss of tone.   Basically they become flabby.    This deconditioning makes it difficult to pass hairballs.   So the body then has to rely on vomiting to expel them.

I don`t have enough bad things to say about ignorant vets dispensing harmful `advice` on nutrition.   They are either feeble-minded and easily brainwashed by slick petfood marketing  or they do not care enough about the animals to spend a couple of hours researching proper nutrition.   It`s shameful really.  And the problem is that it seems the vast majority of them are ignorant.    It is hard for me to believe that these seemingly intelligent people would be so oblivious to learning about  proper feline nutrition.   I cynically have to wonder if they purposely go about dispensing harmful information because it is good for their business.   This is why we need to keep ourselves informed and do the research.  These clowns, with few exceptions, have proven that as a profession they cannot be blindly trusted about nutrition of all things (especially when they have tons of crap to sell in their inventory).   Maybe in the future this will change.... lets hope so. 

Slippery elm is good for  the gut in many ways but I do not recall seeing it mentioned as a hairball remedy.

zoneout said:

 Its been a while since I used it so I dont recall.  @GoHolistic   can probably say if it has a sedative effect.

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Cerenia does not have this effect on Sebastian.

But I will say that when medicines help him to feel better, he does sleep more soundly and comfortably.

zoneout said:

 
No not IBD.  I meant the physiological change that occurs primarily to the intestines with chronic distension due to bulky stool.   Studies have shown that the intestines of cats that are constantly under pressure and stretched out in order to pass bulkier stool caused by high carb and filler diets undergo a weakening to their structure and loss of tone.   Basically they become flabby.    This deconditioning makes it difficult to pass hairballs.   So the body then has to rely on vomiting to expel them.

I don`t have enough bad things to say about ignorant vets dispensing harmful `advice` on nutrition.   They are either feeble-minded and easily brainwashed by slick petfood marketing  or they do not care enough about the animals to spend a couple of hours researching proper nutrition.   It`s shameful really.  And the problem is that it seems the vast majority of them are ignorant.    It is hard for me to believe that these seemingly intelligent people would be so oblivious to learning about  proper feline nutrition.   I cynically have to wonder if they purposely go about dispensing harmful information because it is good for their business.   This is why we need to keep ourselves informed and do the research.  These clowns, with few exceptions, have proven that as a profession they cannot be blindly trusted about nutrition of all things (especially when they have tons of crap to sell in their inventory).   Maybe in the future this will change.... lets hope so. 

Slippery elm is good for  the gut in many ways but I do not recall seeing it mentioned as a hairball remedy.

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Thanks for the info about stretched intestines. Interesting...I guess it makes sense to lubricate them then. 

I'm also surprised that some vets are not as intelligent as I thought they should be. I tried to respect their education and hard work, but sometimes they seem to lack basic common sense, like prescribing antibiotics to diarrhea caused by antibiotics. Or they don't really question and think to improve things. When information from internet is actually more helpful than a vet, I guess it's time to leave the vet.   

I thought I would ask which wet food you switched to.  I was doing some trials of different canned foods with my cat.  They had been on Fancy Feast Classic, but I started trying better quality as his stools were loose, and I thought the better quality might help.  Anyway, my cats are 4 years old, and I think I have cleaned up a handful of hairballs over their lifetime, and they have been here as indoor-only cats since they were 4 months old.  When I started trialing the better quality foods, some caused nearly daily hairballs in 2 of my 3 cats (all siblings).  These included Wellness, Blue Wilderness, etc.  Upon further examination of the ingredients, I found that all of the ones that resulted in hairballs contained carrageenan. Apparently, that particular thickening agent was keeping hairballs from passing.  I just thought I would mention it, in case the canned you switched to was prescription or something like Wellness or Science Diet and contained it.  You might try giving the cat a brand without carrageenan, but if the cat tolerates the switch to raw, that might work.  I have not tried raw at this point, so I am not sure if anyone has had hairball increases with that.  Someone else can hopefully respond on that.

Oh, my cats vomit the white foam when they are hungry or when I sleep too long and don't feed them immediately before I go to bed, meaning they end up going too long without food, as nobody else in my house will open a can for them--so sad they are that lazy. I had a rough day yesterday and fed them and then fed me.  Then, it was a couple of hours before I got to bed.  When I woke, it had been nearly 12 hours since they ate, and I woke to the sound of one of them puking up the white foam.

Cerenia did seem to help one of my cats who had a bout of vomiting as a bad reaction to another medication recently, but if you were thinking of not wanting to use it all the time, I thought the clear vomit with hairballs (my cats' had cylindrical hairballs) it could be a reaction to carrageenan since you said you recently switched to wet food.  It might also help any morning nausea to do a small feeding (even 1/3 can if you have to feed when you get home from work or whatever due to schedule).  Though wet food makes up most of the diet for my cats, I do allow DH to give them a bit of grain free kibble if I go to bed before him to help carry them through the night.  Also, grabbing a handful of kibble and letting the one who was puking this morning calmed him until I could get myself up, to the bathroom, etc., to feed them.  He ate readily, so it is not actually nausea but acid, for sure, that is causing the white foam in his case.

I hope your kitty improves.  I know how rough it can be to be dealing with something long term with a cat.

Thank you.

I was trying out different brands wet food, and also found that Wellness and Blue Buffalo made him somewhat sick, so now I only use Nature's Variety Instinct. I think it's really good food, firmed up his poop, and he wasn't vomiting for about three weeks, but it started again. I started adding water to the food and giving him butter, and feeding small potions for 4 times a day, and looks like it's helping. I hope raw diet will help. 

Me too!  I posted on another thread that I miss the days when I could put Purina Cat Chow in the dish and feel good about it and have healthy cats.  Either the manufacturers have slowly messed up the pet foods or we have messed up the cats by feeding all of their ancestors the corn and stuff.  Either way, it is not easy to feed pets at is used to be.  Add to that the fact that it seems there are few pet food manufactures you can feel confident in with regard to quality and safety, and it gets very confusing what is right or what will help.

I used to think the bigger names like Iams and Purina were the "trusted ones." Now, I am not sure who to trust, as all the smaller companies seem to eventually sell or merge with bigger ones.

Best of luck to you! 

I started off with the pill form of Cerenia, and moved to the injection when the pills proved ineffective.  Once Ra started vomiting, he couldn't keep the pills down. And once he started vomiting, he couldn't stop without medical intervention. The injections worked for several months, but stopped working after a time. I'm glad to hear some success stories with long term use.  Unfortunately, Ra's illnesses were too severe. My vet told me I couldn't use the Cerenia more frequently than every five days.  At the end, his vomiting sessions were every few days.  My poor baby suffered, but he's at peace now.

I hope you have success with the Cerenia.  It was a blessing while it worked.  An expensive blessing.  hehe  Ra didn't sleep more than usual on the drug. 

So sorry to hear about your loss.  I have been there.  Had to put down both of our dogs within 3 months this year.  From one pet lover to another, I appreciate all the love you gave to Ra.

mysterylover said:

 
So sorry to hear about your loss.  I have been there.  Had to put down both of our dogs within 3 months this year.  From one pet lover to another, I appreciate all the love you gave to Ra.

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Thank, mysterylover.  It was heartbreaking to have to put Ra to sleep.  And I'm so sorry about your babies.  Both in three months.  That must have been so hard.  *hugs*  I know you loved them, too.  We would do almost anything for our pets, wouldn't we?  They are family.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've been there too. My childhood "little sister" I grew up with for 17 years.

I keep telling my cats that I'd do anything for them, but then wonder if I'm really doing the best I can. It's not helping that there are so much confusing information from vets and pet food companies. 

Sebastian has been on Cerenia for over a year. The issue with Cerenia is that it depletes "Substance P" in the brain with continued use without a break, and could eventually cause tremors. To avoid this issue, Sebastian gets it for 5 days (Monday through Friday) and then takes a break from it on the weekends so that Substance P can replenish.

GoHolistic said:

 
Sebastian has been on Cerenia for over a year. The issue with Cerenia is that it depletes "Substance P" in the brain with continued use without a break, and could eventually cause tremors. To avoid this issue, Sebastian gets it for 5 days (Monday through Friday) and then takes a break from it on the weekends so that Substance P can replenish.

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Good to know. Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe that's why it's given to my cat every other day?