Hi all. Enzo was recently diagnosed with IBD. I have been reading a lot of material and some of it claims IBD leads to lymphoma. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on whether or not this is true.
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Does IBD lead to lymphoma?
- Thread starter ty3535
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Can you tell us more about the circumstances of the diagnosis? What are his symptoms? What did the vet do to come up with this diagnosis? Is it early stage IBD? Is his weight stable?
As to your question, not necessarily. My cat lived with mild IBD for 10+ years before it became a more serious form of the disease and while at the end of his life he had many complications, he never had lymphoma. The best plan is to keep the IBD in remission if possible through the careful use of novel protein/carb diets (rabbit, duck, kangaroo etc) and best using prescription versions of this that have been DNA tested to be 100% free of other proteins and as needed various supplements in various combos under the direction of your vet including but not limited to probiotics, B12, tylosin as examples.
Failing remission then the goal is to at least keep it as well controlled as possible, doing various combos of the above.
If Enzo's weight is stable that's good. If he's losing weight that's bad. I would buy a baby scale and keep a weekly weight log to make sure he isn't starting to lose - because if he's losing weight then the disease is worsening and his life becomes at risk at this point, and more aggressive therapies are indicated - and it is at this point that complications like small cell lymphoma at least become a possibility.
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- #3
He had vomited for 4 days straight, that was his only symptom. When we took him to the vet she took X-rays and noticed a thickening of his stomach lining. She sent us for an ultrasound where the radiologist concluded it was most likely IBD but couldn't be 100% sure without a biopsy. We decided to forgo the biopsy since everyone seemed so sure it was IBD. His weight is stable and I've switched him to a turkey/duck/lamb diet.
@StephenQ is spot on about the baby scale. I bought the exact same make and model as my vet's office (around $90 but there are some much cheaper). My cat was diagnosed with suspect IBD as well (occasional vomiting only and mildly thickened intestines). I started him on a course of herbs that worked for me and a limited ingredient diet and at Rube's follow up, his intestines were no longer thickened. HOWEVER, he did continue to have occasional vomiting issues and was put on a course of Cerenia (and I've kept him on the herbs. My vet is not a holistic vet but given the results, he didn't see any negative impact). I keep a log of his weight every week on the same day and preferably at the same time of day. IBD is scary but there is not 100% guarantee at all that it will become lymphoma. You've got him under veterinary care and there are a host of actions that can be taken. Just make sure you keep the weight monitored and put him on the best diet possible (limited ingredients/no grains or fillers). I use Nature's Variety Limited ingredient kibble and canned food and buy it through Chewy.com. You'll find some people suggest raw food. You'll find some people suggest only canned and no kibble. You'll find some people who's cats won't eat canned food and will only eat kibble so you'll have to find what works best with you and your cat. The reason why I suggest NV foods is because they do not contain any gums (carrageenan, guar gum, etc.) which can worsen the symptoms of IBD.
Best of luck and keep us informed on how things go.
Best of luck and keep us informed on how things go.
As @mphscat cat says above, if the vomiting can't be controlled by other means, then Cerenia can do a lot for that. My cat was on it for 15 months, a great anti nausea drug.
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- #6
I did start him on a grain free diet, he eats Spot's stew lamb though and core limited ingredient turkey and duck. I've tried the NV and he won't eat it. He also only eats wet food. Do you think I should take him back for a follow up X-ray after a few months? I'm not sure how long it takes for improvements to be seen. And I'll definitely keep an eye on his weight!
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- #7
He actually only had one bout of vomiting which lasted for 4 days. It was weird- he only vomited once at night but it happened for a few days in a row which is why I took him in. No vomiting since! But I will bring up Cerenia to my vet if it happens again.
Well IBD does have peaks and valleys. So he could be in a valley. Or something else could have triggered the inflammation. Houseplant? Chemical (do you use Lysol to clean?)? Stress? My vet says that stress can bring on IBD so has there been a major change in your cats life? Usually a change in diet could take 4-8 weeks. If the vomiting has subsided and he's not losing weight, I'd take him in at his yearly check up. One thing: I would research the pros and cons of yearly injections. In Europe we only vaccinate once every three years (feline leukemia and rabies yearly) so there is some discussion about yearly injections and gastrointestinal issues (includes IBD).
Hard to say, but usually we do more imaging (xray or ultrasound, the latter being better) when we don't get positive results. If the weight is maintained and the vomiting and/or diarrhea is controlled then generally we say the IBD is controlled or in remission. One can't diagnose lymphoma by imaging but generally you don't have to worry about lymphoma unless the cat is loosing weight and you can't stop the loss with prednisolone, which is the standard treatment for severe IBD.
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- #10
Great. This has really eased my mind! Thanks so much!
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- #11
One more question-how do you feel about probiotics added into food? Are there any benefits as far as IBD is concerned?
Sorry for the delay! Probiotics can be helpful! You may see many types online etc but the only one that i have ever seen recommended by vets is FortiFlora.
I just took Rube (IBD) for his check up and still no inflamed intestines!!! Yay!!! I did discuss probiotics with him and he did say Provobial DC probiotic was fine to continue using. I mix it with other things and use the empty capsule to give Rube his Pepcid and Cerenia since they're bitter...that way he doesn't taste anything bitter and I have no worries he'll spit it out!
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- #14
yay!!! So glad he's doing well!! I was researching premo probiotics and they seem to have good reviews and it's made in the USA. Maybe ill give that a try.
