Cat with IBD and EPI. Been managed with medication for 2 years but bad symptoms recently

[PotatoSalad]

Hi,

My 9-year old Siberian Forest Cat was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency 2 years ago. At the time he has lost a LOT of weight (down from 7kg to 3.5kg) and was barely eating anything.

He has been on steroids (prednisolone), a pancreatic supplement (Panzym) and a B12 supplement (Cobalaplex) ever since then and his health has stabilised and weight increased back to 7kg (which is healthy for his breed).

However, in the last couple of weeks, he has been bad again. He is constipated, barely eating, isn't happy being touched around the face, seems quite smelly and isn't grooming very well. His health has dropped about 300g.

I've been to the vets a few times and they have given him some laxative, which has started to help him to go to the toilet a little more, but the other problems still remain.

I'm at a bit of a loss. I don't know if this is his underlying conditions reoccurring, or if this could be something new.

Any advice on what it could be, what we should get investigated or potential other things to try are greatly appreciated.

Worth mentioning I don't have a huge amount of faith in my vet based on a number of experiences there, hence looking for advice elsewhere.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am sorry about your cat. I think you need a referral to an internal medicine specialist. These types of cases are often too much for a regular vet to handle as they can get complex.

My own cat had IBD which became lymphoma. She is well managed with oral chemotherapy and Prednisolone. Also vitamin B12 injections and a novel protein diet. My cat also gets constipation as opposed to diarrhea as some cats with IBD get. I manage her constipation with subcutaneous fluids as needed. She also gets a potassium supplement due to low levels.

So, from my experience, I think there is more that can be done for your cat, but you need a specialist.

Side note, I had my cat diagnosed by ultrasound, not biopsy because I didn’t want to put her under anesthesia.

I also check blood work every six months to a year.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, is it possible the food manufacturer changed their recipe, or an ingredient source? They don't have to update the information on the bags/containers for six months I think it is, so you'd need to call them.

they have given him some laxative, which has started to help him to go to the toilet a little more

Is it miralax PEG 3350?

Would this be helpful? The link is for cat friendly or cat-only veterinarians;
You are being redirected...

Additionally, this may have something useful to get more moisture into him;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

 

[PotatoSalad]

Thank you so much for the helpful replies Furballsmom and S silent meowlook . Definitely a few super productive things I can crack on with. I'll definitely check with the food manufacturer, and see about getting a referral.

S silent meowlook - it's so helpful to hear about a similar story and see what is working for your cat. Definitely gives me hope that we can find a solution and always good to go to appointments with a bit of knowledge and some options.

Furballsmom the laxative is called Laxatract. They did mention there was either a powder (which looks like it could be Miralax) or a liquid option available, but the Laxatract was the only one they had in stock so that's what we've got.

Unfortunately we're in the UK so Catfriendly link isn't suitable for me. Its good inspiration to see if there is something similar here though. The previous referral clinic that we were sent to was excellent though so I think we probably need to see about getting referred there again.

That advice on increasing water intake is fantastic; definitely some things there we can act on right away.

 

[Furballsmom]

Your baby is lucky to have you

 

[MoMoMeow]

Hi,

My 9-year old Siberian Forest Cat was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency 2 years ago. At the time he has lost a LOT of weight (down from 7kg to 3.5kg) and was barely eating anything.

He has been on steroids (prednisolone), a pancreatic supplement (Panzym) and a B12 supplement (Cobalaplex) ever since then and his health has stabilised and weight increased back to 7kg (which is healthy for his breed).

However, in the last couple of weeks, he has been bad again. He is constipated, barely eating, isn't happy being touched around the face, seems quite smelly and isn't grooming very well. His health has dropped about 300g.

I've been to the vets a few times and they have given him some laxative, which has started to help him to go to the toilet a little more, but the other problems still remain.

I'm at a bit of a loss. I don't know if this is his underlying conditions reoccurring, or if this could be something new.

Any advice on what it could be, what we should get investigated or potential other things to try are greatly appreciated.

Worth mentioning I don't have a huge amount of faith in my vet based on a number of experiences there, hence looking for advice elsewhere.

Hello! My cat has both EPI and IBD. He was born with it, and almost died about three times as a baby before the vet figured out he had the condition. I didn't start him on enzymes until he was a year old! I'm still not sure how I managed to keep him alive, but I didn't give up even when it seemed extremely bleak, so have some hope for your kitty!

My boy fluctuates from diarrhea, to normal, to constipated constantly. Recently when he gets bad constipation, I use a small product called Cat Lax (for hairballs, but helps with irregularly). It works pretty quick. I give him extra water, and sometimes small amounts of pumpkin throughout the day, as well. My vet also recommended about 1/8 tsp of miralax, as its mostly harmless and tasteless.

I'm curious, how does your kitty do with the enzymes? Is it tablet or powder form? Could the lack of appetite also partially be because of the taste of it? I know my cat won't eat some things I put the enzymes in if he can taste it too much, but generally eats it pretty well.

That aside, I do think your best bet would be a specialist for gastro/internal. I'm planning on taking my boy to one soon to get a better understanding of him.

If you have any questions about EPI, I'd be happy to see if I have any answers for them.

 

[PotatoSalad]

Thank you so much MoMoMeow ! I definitely agree that seeing more of a gastro specialist is what is needed here. I fully sympathise that my vets can't know everything about every condition for every animal so I'm definitely keen to find someone who is more of an expert in this area.

I'm curious, how does your kitty do with the enzymes? Is it tablet or powder form? Could the lack of appetite also partially be because of the taste of it? I know my cat won't eat some things I put the enzymes in if he can taste it too much, but generally eats it pretty well.

He's been on the enzymes for a few years and does absolutely fine with them. It's a powder called Panzym that we mix in with his wet food and he doesn't really seem to notice/care that's it there.

 

[MoMoMeow]

Thank you so much MoMoMeow ! I definitely agree that seeing more of a gastro specialist is what is needed here. I fully sympathise that my vets can't know everything about every condition for every animal so I'm definitely keen to find someone who is more of an expert in this area.


He's been on the enzymes for a few years and does absolutely fine with them. It's a powder called Panzym that we mix in with his wet food and he doesn't really seem to notice/care that's it there.

Yeah, I figured I needed to make the leap for a specialist due to the same reason, actually. I'm grateful that my boy's current vet was able to recognize the condition, as we'd taken him to so many beforehand who didn't, but they're definitely not equipped with the extensive knowledge of the some things I bring him in for.

That's awesome! I'm glad to hear that your kitty does well on emzymes - I've heard that can be a struggle for cats with this condition, I can imagine it's pretty bitter. I've never heard of the Panzym brand before, interesting. I used to use PancreaPlus, but switched to the Covetrus Pancreatic Concentrate based on where I'm at.

Also, I wanted to link this : Articles

It's a pretty informative website, although unfortunately I'm not sure if it's been updated for a while. Regardless, I got a lot of insight back from it when my boy was first diagnosed ( at the time, he'd been getting sicker every month despite doing well on his enzymes and whatnot, and when I browsed that site I realized he needed extra B12 support and surely enough some tests at the vet confirmed it was getting way too low.)