14 year old kitty - possible IBD, mild symptoms - advice?

I took my 14 year old male in for a check up after he was showing a cycle of normal bowels/soft bowels/really soft bowels and lethargy/soft bowels/normal.  The colour was off - light brown to grey/clay coloured, which was the deciding factor in my taking him to the vet, as I feared liver disease.

Blood tests show the only problem is he's a little anemic.  The vet was still concerned and ran some more tests to verify there wasn't an undiagnosed case of FIV going on here.

Binx' appetite is generally great.  No vomit. He's not very outgoing/energetic/affectionate when his stools are really soft. 

We did NOT do an ultrasound or biopsy.  He's on Vit B12 injections once a week and 5mg prednisone 2x/day for 2 weeks and then once a day.  I'm seeing some improvement in his stools and activity levels...no grey stool since he went to the vet a week ago!

I've been trying to educate myself about IBD and I'm a little confused as to what is best for my kitty at this point, considering that it looks like his disease is in the early stages.  He has a GREAT appetite.  Should I take him off his dry food?  Right now he gets 1/3 can of wet food 2x a day to make sure he's getting his pred, and then I gave him a handful of kibble (Iams/Purina One/Beyond have been the last four dry foods used).  I'm reading that chicken is not a good idea...?  I'm about to start him on a probiotic, too.

I do see that the symptoms for each cat vary, and I'm relieved that his symptoms are so mild! I just want to help him stay healthy as long as I can., and I'd appreciate your thoughts.

What works for each IBD kitty differs.  An all wet food diet is a good idea because it is easier to digest.  I would try a protein that he hasn't had in the past.  Chicken isn't bad per se, the issue is that it is the most common protein in cat food so it is often an issue because it is a protein that has been eaten a lot over a number of years.  

Ok, that explanation helps a lot!  Binx really loves his dry food - I switched him to Beyond White Meat Chicken & Whole Oat Meal Reciipe, which he's devouring...I'll move him to something else at the end of the bag (which, at this rate, could be really soon!).

Thank you.

Replying to bump the thread a little..
I'm wondering if backsliding is normal?

Binx has been doing so well.  But yesterday he went from another clayish coloured stool to a very very loose one.  No change in behavior - he's acting like he feels just fine.  I'm not sure if I should worry or not.

He's on a low dose of pred 1x a day; additionally, I'm adding Dr Goodpet's digestive enzymes to his meals and have switched him to a grain-free diet.  Hasn't passed a bad stool in over a month until yesterday.

Did they check his T4 levels and kidney levels?

With IBD, the ideal diet is going to be homecooked or raw. Kibble is basically the worst thing you can give an IBD cat because it's loaded with so many ingredients you can't control or narrow down what is causing the irritating. IBD cats need high protein simple ingredients to digest. Additionally, a 14 year old cat should not be on kibble, as older cats are prone to kidney disease so you want to give them the most moisture possible. Probiotics and a digestive enzyme are essential. This is a great place to start reading info. The raw feeding for IBD facebook group is very active so if you decide to feed raw or homecooked join that group. EZcomplete is a great supplement that would make homecooked or raw very easy for you to try.

http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/

http://www.foodfurlife.com/

T4:  1.4ug/dL (reference range 0.8 - 4.7; lower side of normal)

I believe they checked his kidney but I am having trouble finding that on his test results right now.

Thank you for the raw diet links?  I've been slooooowly starting to look at that jump... I'm a little intimidated by it.

elionwyr said:

 
T4:  1.4ug/dL (reference range 0.8 - 4.7; lower side of normal)

I believe they checked his kidney but I am having trouble finding that on his test results right now.

Thank you for the raw diet links?  I've been slooooowly starting to look at that jump... I'm a little intimidated by it.

Click to expand...

EZcomplete is a good way to make the jump to raw or homecooked without having to worry too much about all the complicated factors like what you need to add. Basically it's a complete pre-mix that you add to any boneless meat you want and you've got a complete meal! It's very popular in the IBD groups and has helped a lot of cats. The creators are former members here and run the IBD groups website. I'm not affiliated with them, I just love the product. I use it for my own crew. You can always start with homecooked and slowly work towards raw too. Homecooked is a great option for those that can't or aren't ready to go raw. 

Thank you for that thought!

Also, I gather that backsliding is to be expected..?

elionwyr said:

 
Thank you for that thought!

Also, I gather that backsliding is to be expected..?

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, with IBD there are always ups and downs and you'll have times where there are flares. 

Ok - 'good' to know! I was feeling a little discouraged/defeated, but if this is part of the territory, I'm better prepared to deal with it.