Gut/allergy issues and supplements: how long will it take to see a change?

My cat has gut issues that I think are allergy related, her blood tests consistently have high eosinophils. Her poop fluctuates between nice and hard and not so smelly, to squishy and stinky. She also has foamy vomit a couple times a week, possibly from high stomach acid. Recently, there's a bright streak of mucousy blood on at least part of the poop more often than not, I'm not sure whether it's from her colon or her anal gland. The vet's only suggestion was along the lines of "IDK, try different food? Some cats just have these problems." (She had a bit of gunk expressed from her anal gland a month and a half ago, a couple weeks ago I told the vet she's still having the blood on her poop and the vet seemed unconcerned.)

I am working on switching her diet (first kibble to wet, then eventually home cooked and/or raw), but I am also trying out glutamine, gelatin, aloe juice, and probiotics, plus nettle seed for kidney issues. I'm contemplating adding marshmallow root when I can find some powdered. Without a diet change, will I see any results from the supplements? Or will I have to wait the month or two (or three...) it'll take to get her on a "clean" diet and figure out the allergenic protein source for her gut to even begin healing?

She also has overgrooming issues (bald stomach/hind legs) and flaky skin and I've tried switching protein sources multiple times to no avail, though I didn't try any supplements besides probiotics before.

When I switched her to her current food (Orijen 6 Fish) she was soooo much happier and more energetic. She really hated the "let's switch your food every few weeks" phase so I want to stretch her transition out and not rush anything, even though I'm pretty sure she's allergic to fish. So, can I expect to see any change before her diet's fully switched (and when)?

Your poor little girl It's awful when they have digestive problems. I haven't any cat experience of IBD, but I have my own share of digestive problems. The first thing that strikes me is that you're trying too many things at once - especially with the supplements. You'll have no way of knowing what works and what doesn't if you try them all at once. I understand your anxiety, but you need to chill a bit and slow down.

In the short term, the best thing might be to try something like plain chicken breast ( or turkey if she can't handle chicken ). My little one's just had a tummy upset, and I've had her on chicken breast that I put in a dish, half covered with water (cover the dish with foil or a lid) then baked in the oven. I add some of the cooking water to each meal to keep her well hydrated. I've also been feeding a little plain goat's yogurt and I've added a little plain canned pumpkin in today on he suggestion of ShadowsRescue (well, I'm in the UK so I've actually used this food http://applaws.co.uk/product/cat-tin-chicken-breast-with-pumpkin/to achieve the same effect). You might want to stick to plain meat and broth to start with though, if you choose this route.

You said she's on Orijin fish at the moment. Is she ok on that? If she is, go with it for now and try supplements one at a time, and give them time to have an effect before you make another change. If she isn't symptom free on that food then the elimination style diet might be a better short term option. I stress short term as it is not a balanced diet.

Lastly, you don't sound very happy with your vet. Have you thought of trying to find another who is more sympathetic and helpful towards your cat's needs?

I hope she feels better soon

Poor little thing! I've dealt wit a lot of digestive issues over the past few years. The best piece of advice I was given was to try one thing, see what kind of results you get, and then reassess. If you try a lot of things at once and something works, it's harder to figure out what, and if it really backfires, you're in big trouble, too. With Montgomery, we would try something, give it a week, and then look at it again. It took nearly a year, but I'm glad we did it that way because, looking back, it was a lot easier on him.

I didn't start everything at once, I actually have been introducing these things slowly. Add something, wait a week, try something else but keep the other thing in in case it is having an effect I'm not seeing yet. Can't do the plain chicken breast thing, my cat will just go on hunger strike and starve herself into liver failure if I change food too abruptly. (Which I found out the hard way, thinking a week of mixing the food was enough time to wean her off the old food.)

So the question stands: how long should it take to see results? Is a week too short? It's so hard to tell if anything's changing, since she's fluctuating between squishy and hard poop. At least the vomiting's calmed down. Should I even bother with supplements before figuring out what food might be triggering?

I would say that it would be at least two weeks before a supplement would show an effect - it could well be nearer a month.

It wasn't clear from your first post that you were trying things one at a time. Sorry I got confused

By trying something for a week and then adding another whilst continuing with the first one you'll have no idea which supplement is helping. Slow down a bit and be patient (and I do realise how hard that is when you're worried about your little girl).

As she has difficulty adjusting to a new diet, stick with what she'll happily eat and play with supplements or fiddle with her diet to try and pinpoint any allergies she may have. Again, doing both together will mean you don't know which changes make a difference.

Hope she's feeling better soon