My cat with IBD has been vomiting hairballs frequently and I'm getting concerned.

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mommytabby

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MommyTabby...how is your kitty doing?? Rube'scheck up went great and he's gained almost two pounds. He hasn't throw up in a couple of weeks now and I'm continuing the herbs that I mentioned above. Let us know how things are going.
Hi mphscat!
Tabby is doing good! Thanks for asking!
That’s great news that Rube hasn’t thrown up and he’s gained weight!! Tabby also hasn’t vomited for 12days and she’s gained weight! Let’s happy dance together!! 


Tabby’s check up is this Tuesday, so I’ll ask the vet about slippery elm bark powder, Pepcid and freeze dried meat treat. I’m not comfortable starting any new medicine or herbs without discussing with my vet, so I haven’t tried any of them. Instead, I adjusted her feeding schedule, she eats four times a day, every 6hours! It works great for her! 

However, it’s kind of hard to feed her every 6 hours… If my vet thinks we can lower the dosage of the Prednisolone, I'm thinking of re-adjust her feeding schedule: three times a day, every 8hours. 

How about you? How often do you feed your cat?
 

mphscat

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Funny you came to the every 6 hour conclusion because that is what I came to on my own as well. He has kibble down during the day (Nature Variety limited ingredient) because I'm at work but I've noticed it is, at least for him, more important the every 6 hours in the late night/early morning than during the rest of the day. My vet is a wonderful man but knows absolutely anything about holistic medicine. I did the research myself and made the conscious choice to go ahead. I have had no regrets and as the vet said at the last check up, "You've done an amazing job". If your vet knows nothing about SEB and you want a medical opinion, look for a holistic vet in your area. Otherwise you can find lots of info on this site by searching for "slippery elm bark " or on Google " slippery elm bark + cats". Please let us know how the visit goes.
 
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mommytabby

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Funny you came to the every 6 hour conclusion because that is what I came to on my own as well. He has kibble down during the day (Nature Variety limited ingredient) because I'm at work but I've noticed it is, at least for him, more important the every 6 hours in the late night/early morning than during the rest of the day. My vet is a wonderful man but knows absolutely anything about holistic medicine. I did the research myself and made the conscious choice to go ahead. I have had no regrets and as the vet said at the last check up, "You've done an amazing job". If your vet knows nothing about SEB and you want a medical opinion, look for a holistic vet in your area. Otherwise you can find lots of info on this site by searching for "slippery elm bark " or on Google " slippery elm bark + cats". Please let us know how the visit goes.
Happy to know you are also doing the every 6 hour meal! 
My vet is against raw diet…, so maybe she doesn’t know about SEB, but I’ll ask about it.
Yes, I’ll let you know how the visit goes! 
 

mphscat

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I haven't moved to the raw diet, partly for convenience (we have 6 cats), partly for concern and partly for being able to use specialty food with success for Rube's issues in particular.
 
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mommytabby

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Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend. 


Today, I took Tabby to the vet. I’m kind of disappointed that I cannot lower the dosage of the Prednisolone… The vet told me that Tabby was well and happy that she gained weight. But the vet concerned that Tabby vomited 6 times this month.

About the Slippery elm bark powder, the vet told me it’s not for every cat, and recommended to give Pepcid instead. I don't want to add more medication, and I’d rather go for natural herbs, but I wouldn't give it without the vet's permission at least for now… 

I’ll try pepcid for two weeks from now, hope the vomiting stops.  
 

mphscat

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I can't possibly imagine why she discounted trying the natural SEB versus the ingredients for Pepcid: "Each tablet for oral administration contains either 20 mg or 40 mg of famotidine and the following inactive ingredients: hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, iron oxides, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch, talc, titanium dioxide, and carnauba wax."

When she said SEB "wasn't for every cat", did she say why?

Don't be disheartened about the pred. She probably wants the vomiting to be down to 0 or at least
 

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Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend. 


Today, I took Tabby to the vet. I’m kind of disappointed that I cannot lower the dosage of the Prednisolone… The vet told me that Tabby was well and happy that she gained weight. But the vet concerned that Tabby vomited 6 times this month.

About the Slippery elm bark powder, the vet told me it’s not for every cat, and recommended to give Pepcid instead. I don't want to add more medication, and I’d rather go for natural herbs, but I wouldn't give it without the vet's permission at least for now… 

I’ll try pepcid for two weeks from now, hope the vomiting stops.  
I'm sorry you got the results you didn't want.  Sadly, there is no cure for IBD, at best it can be managed and in serious cases that means medications of one sort or another for life.  And that can mean the lesser of two evils is the best choice we get.  Pepcid is one of the better tolerated medicines out there.  Have you talked to your vet about Cerenia?  If the pepcid doesn't control the vomiting, Cerenia, which is IMO a wonder drug, is a neural block for nausea.
 

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Thank you for posting this. My vet specialist was really pushing to do an endoscopy & biopsy on my cat to see if it was cancer due to enlargement of the intestines on the ultrasound, but it could have been an episode of pancreatitis (the other vet said it was this) or IBD. She did say that if my cat wasn't eating still after Mirtazapine, she could prescribe Pred., but she minimized this and really pushed for the biopsy. My cat ended up eating just fine after I took her home until a week ago. The extra $1,500 cost for the biopsy was too high for me after just spending $3,300. Last week, I got really worried about my cat reducing her eating and got her Hill's a/d again and gave it to her a couple times and then she started eating more again and is now wolfing down a different Orijen kibble (normal amount). If the cat is eating, then is Pred. not needed? I am afraid to take my cat back to the vet specialist as she is very expensive and wants to do many tests. 
I'm sorry i somehow missed your post hence the delayed reply.  It's great when your cat is eating obviously, but the pred is still important because its controlling the inflamed bowels.  When the bowels become inflamed, they have trouble absorbing nutrients and the cat starts to lose weight even though he is eating.  When the cat starts gaining weight while on the pred, then you know the IBD is in remission.  If the cat's weight is stable without being on Pred, then Pred may not be indicated.  But if there is weight loss, especially when the cat is eating well, then Pred is almost always indicated.
 
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mommytabby

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I can't possibly imagine why she discounted trying the natural SEB versus the ingredients for Pepcid: "Each tablet for oral administration contains either 20 mg or 40 mg of famotidine and the following inactive ingredients: hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, iron oxides, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch, talc, titanium dioxide, and carnauba wax."

When she said SEB "wasn't for every cat", did she say why?

Don't be disheartened about the pred. She probably wants the vomiting to be down to 0 or at least <= 2 times a month before she considers reducing the dose.

Getting them better takes time...more than any of us would like.

Let us know how it goes.
Hi mphscat,
Thank you for your kind comments! 
The vet told me that SEB is good, but not for every cat, because sometimes it makes some cats feel nauseated or vomit. I’m afraid to try it, so I just agreed to take Pepcid for my cat. The vet gave me liquid form of Pepcid, and it was easy to mix into Tabby’s meal, and she had no problem eating them all last night. 
 
I'm sorry you got the results you didn't want.  Sadly, there is no cure for IBD, at best it can be managed and in serious cases that means medications of one sort or another for life.  And that can mean the lesser of two evils is the best choice we get.  Pepcid is one of the better tolerated medicines out there.  Have you talked to your vet about Cerenia?  If the pepcid doesn't control the vomiting, Cerenia, which is IMO a wonder drug, is a neural block for nausea.
Hi StephenQ
Thank you for the valuable input as always! I feel better giving her Pepcid now. Yes, Cerenia worked great for Tabby. Tabby used to take Cerenia everyday for more than a month. After a few weeks, she started to take Pred, I cut out the Cerenia, since that could be masking some of her signs. She vomited six times this month, but only a very small amount. 
 
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mommytabby

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Does anyone know if it’s okay to take Pepcid and Lactulose (Enulose) at the same time?

I plan to mix Pepcid and Enulose into her meal this evening, but I forgot to ask the vet about it. If you know it please let me know.

Oh and also Eunlose and Miralax at the same time.

Tabby need to take Prednisolone once a day, Enulose twice  a day, Miralax once a day,  and Pepcid once a day...


Many thanks!!
 

stephenq

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Does anyone know if it’s okay to take Pepcid and Lactulose (Enulose) at the same time?

I plan to mix Pepcid and Enulose into her meal this evening, but I forgot to ask the vet about it. If you know it please let me know.

Oh and also Eunlose and Miralax at the same time.

Tabby need to take Prednisolone once a day, Enulose twice  a day, Miralax once a day,  and Pepcid once a day...


Many thanks!!
I'm not aware of pepcid having interactions with anything your vet would prescribe but the safest thing to do is always check with your vet.
 

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Not for nothing, and I am so new to this, but I asked the other day about mixing Pepcid with another drug..In other words, giving two drugs at once instead of one at a time.

I was told that the Pepcid and Cerenia are usually given separate from other drugs, but it is ok for me to give Reglan and the steroid at the same time....

I give them in the liquid form. 

BTW, Stephen, you are so knowledgeable! I am so impressed...Are you a Vet by any chance? If I am prying, then I apologize
 

stephenq

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Not for nothing, and I am so new to this, but I asked the other day about mixing Pepcid with another drug..In other words, giving two drugs at once instead of one at a time.

I was told that the Pepcid and Cerenia are usually given separate from other drugs, but it is ok for me to give Reglan and the steroid at the same time....

I give them in the liquid form. 

BTW, Stephen, you are so knowledgeable! I am so impressed...Are you a Vet by any chance? If I am prying, then I apologize
I regularly gave pepcid and cerenia together under my vet's instructions - there was no contraindication between the two drugs.  :-)  You're not prying, and no i am not a vet :-)
 
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mommytabby

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Hi StephenQ and Artiemom,
Thank you for your input! I asked the vet about it, but I still haven’t got an answer. Maybe I should make a new thread asking about this to TCS friends… 

Artiemom, same here! StephenQ, I thought you were a vet, too!! :D Thank you so much! I learned a lot from you! 
 

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Hi StephenQ and Artiemom,
Thank you for your input! I asked the vet about it, but I still haven’t got an answer. Maybe I should make a new thread asking about this to TCS friends… 

Artiemom, same here! StephenQ, I thought you were a vet, too!! :D Thank you so much! I learned a lot from you! 
Haha funny, and no i'm really not a vet, but i assist vets and work with cats and dogs medically.
 

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Stephen is an awesome help! Just FYI I got home at 9.00pm lady night and the cats were HUNGRY so i decided to not to give Rube già SEB + probiotic + EYL + digestive enzyme and then make him wait to Watson I fed everyone as soon as I got home. And? Rube threw up at 2am a small bit with fur for the first time in weeks. Won't be skipping his treatment ever again regardless of when I get in.
 
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mommytabby

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Haha funny, and no i'm really not a vet, but i assist vets and work with cats and dogs medically.
Hi Stephen,
Jenny is so lucky to have a forever home with you! 

Stephen is an awesome help! Just FYI I got home at 9.00pm lady night and the cats were HUNGRY so i decided to not to give Rube già SEB + probiotic + EYL + digestive enzyme and then make him wait to Watson I fed everyone as soon as I got home. And? Rube threw up at 2am a small bit with fur for the first time in weeks. Won't be skipping his treatment ever again regardless of when I get in.
Hi mphscat,
Oh, I’m sorry that Rube threw up, but please don’t feel guilty about it. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even in a year, but I want to believe eventually your and my cats can live without any treatment! 


I’m still thinking about SEB… I already started give Tabby Pepcid and my vet wants me to continue giving her for two weeks. But after that if Tabby still needs to take the Pepcid, I’m thinking of switching to SEB!
 

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Thanks for your kind support, MommyTabby! Since I'm back on Rube's mix, he still hasn't gotten sick again. One other think I can't remember if I mentioned is that I brush Rube every single day and I elevated his food bowl which seems to help, too. Rube HATES to be brushed so I found this rubber brush from Chewy.com and he loves it. It has been a godsend. And if you turn it on it's side and rub it over fabric, it is awesome at getting fur off.
 
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