Ckd cat: hairball starts an onslaught of vomiting and diarrhea

[katsallday]

So my cat Fonzi gets some big hairballs. Now it seems when she gets one it starts the vomiting and diarrhea cycle. Last time it happened they did xrays, fecal sample testing for Giardia, and full BW. Only thing they found was stage 2 ckd that is responding well to diet change alone. She had a hairball a few hours ago and has vomited 9 times already with 5 small puddles of mucus only stools. Does anyone else have any idea on this? This is insanity to me, how can a hairball trigger this? I KNOW her first vomit was hairball only, now she can't hold anything down

 

[cmshap]

I'm sorry you're going through this with your cat, and also I can't relate entirely, so don't expect this to be a helpful answer...

Also, "ckd" is an acronym I am unfamiliar with, but Googling it results in "chronic kidney disease." Is that what you mean?

My cat has been a frequent vomiter throughout his life of 10 years. Hairballs definitely trigger it, and when he vomits, he always vomits multiple times.

He's also had diarrhea on many occasions, but I was never able to ascertain the cause of it.

In my cat's particular case, two things have helped:

(1) Switching him to a mostly wet-food diet. He was a dry-food-only cat in the beginning of his life (he was a rescue) and was too used to it to accept wet food for a while. This may have nothing to do with your situation, but you didn't mention your cat's diet.

(2) Probiotics. I add a probiotic powder to his food once a day, and his diarrhea really cleared up.

Sorry if this isn't helpful, but I just wanted to chime in because my cat has done a ton of vomiting and diarrhea throughout his life. I understand the struggle.

 

[Kwik]

I'm so sorry your baby is going through this... Your Veterinarian is going to have to properly diagnosed to treat,there are many possible underlying conditions besides kidney disease that can trigger all these symptoms but I do not think that hairballs are that condition,I believe it is one of the symptoms but not the cause of the vomiting and diarrhea..... An unhealthy "gut" could possibly be the condition that is attributing to all three symptoms

Hairballs can of course cause some vomiting but not likely 9 times and then diarresh-sounds like baby is having tummy issues- I'm sure she's on a Rx diet that your Vet put her on and you might have a conversation with your Vet about it possibly not agreeing with her?I'd imagine she's on medication as well,what are possible adverse and expected side effects - diarrhea and vomiting?

The hairballs can trigger vomiting,its violent coughing ,using many muscles to expel the hairballs but the diarreah? Please consult your Vet- adding fiber can help with the hairballs & worsen the diarreah,there's meds for vomiting that might contraindict whst meds she's on- I would not speculate or take an educated guess here,it's important to properly diagnose

I've concerns as it is with vomiting & diarreah but even more so with the ckd,hydration is vital

 

[katsallday]

I'm sorry you're going through this with your cat, and also I can't relate entirely, so don't expect this to be a helpful answer...

Also, "ckd" is an acronym I am unfamiliar with, but Googling it results in "chronic kidney disease." Is that what you mean?

My cat has been a frequent vomiter throughout his life of 10 years. Hairballs definitely trigger it, and when he vomits, he always vomits multiple times.

He's also had diarrhea on many occasions, but I was never able to ascertain the cause of it.

In my cat's particular case, two things have helped:

(1) Switching him to a mostly wet-food diet. He was a dry-food-only cat in the beginning of his life (he was a rescue) and was too used to it to accept wet food for a while. This may have nothing to do with your situation, but you didn't mention your cat's diet.

(2) Probiotics. I add a probiotic powder to his food once a day, and his diarrhea really cleared up.

Sorry if this isn't helpful, but I just wanted to chime in because my cat has done a ton of vomiting and diarrhea throughout his life. I understand the struggle.

I'll definitely add a probiotic, I have pro pectalin that she vomited up already, but I can do fortiflora or something stronger

As for the wet food, she doesn't hold it down well, unless it's the hills prescription one which is insanely expensive

 

[FeebysOwner]

How old is Fonzi? How often does this happen? Do you brush her daily, and/or add a drop or two of olive oil to her food?

It sounds like the act of coughing up a hairball is setting her digestive tract into spasms. I'd ask the vet about possibly giving her something to stop any spasms that might be happening. See if they think Cerenia, which is an anti-nausea med, might help - as it can be given by you subcutaneously, which would avoid trying to pill a vomiting cat.

I would also ask if an ultrasound would be more helpful than x-rays in identifying any anomalies that could be attributing to this problem.

Which Hill's prescription food is she able to tolerate? There may be some OTC foods that are similar.

 

[cmshap]

I'll definitely add a probiotic, I have pro pectalin that she vomited up already, but I can do fortiflora or something stronger

As for the wet food, she doesn't hold it down well, unless it's the hills prescription one which is insanely expensive

Maybe make a new post about wet food (or maybe others will chime in here with recommendations). An individual cat can have problems with some wet foods but not others, and it isn't necessarily based on cost. Sometimes a cheaper food does not necessarily mean a worse food.

I don't know a whole lot about it, as my current cat is the only cat I've ever lived with. But I've lived with him for 9 years, and have gone through tons of different foods. He is his best self on his current diet, which is 75% Sheba wet food, and 25% Hills dry food. The only reason I use Sheba is because he eats it the most readily.

I also vary it a lot. Different flavors and different textures (like cuts vs. pate). He likes poultry foods the most, so I give him mostly turkey and chicken, but also salmon and other flavors sometimes.

Sheba is more expensive than I'd like, but there could be other solutions that are cheaper.

 

[katsallday]

I'm so sorry your baby is going through this... Your Veterinarian is going to have to properly diagnosed to treat,there are many possible underlying conditions besides kidney disease that can trigger all these symptoms but I do not think that hairballs are that condition,I believe it is one of the symptoms but not the cause of the vomiting and diarrhea..... An unhealthy "gut" could possibly be the condition that is attributing to all three symptoms

Hairballs can of course cause some vomiting but not likely 9 times and then diarresh-sounds like baby is having tummy issues- I'm sure she's on a Rx diet that your Vet put her on and you might have a conversation with your Vet about it possibly not agreeing with her?I'd imagine she's on medication as well,what are possible adverse and expected side effects - diarrhea and vomiting?

The hairballs can trigger vomiting,its violent coughing ,using many muscles to expel the hairballs but the diarreah? Please consult your Vet- adding fiber can help with the hairballs & worsen the diarreah,there's meds for vomiting that might contraindict whst meds she's on- I would not speculate or take an educated guess here,it's important to properly diagnose

I've concerns as it is with vomiting & diarreah but even more so with the ckd,hydration is vital

I can do sub q fluids at home. I have lactated ringers already. I'll probably do 50cc today my vet is aware that I'm not a layman when it comes to medical issues, we got through her bloodwork together like a hawk. The ckd isn't causing this because her chemistry showed normal phosphorus. She has 0 Chem imbalances and with the renal food her bun and creatinine are already improving. She is borderline stage 2 now, with more room for improvement as I did a follow up only 2 weeks after the last episode to confirm if this was an acute kidney event. So personally I am leaning towards an upset tummy and a hairball.

I did witness her pushing the mucus poop out so hard that she started licking the air then threw up. I think there could be a cyclic factor at play. For 8 hours there has been no additional vomiting or diarrhea. I'm gonna let her finish off maybe 18 hours with no food to reset her belly, and I'll push sub q's to make up for the water. I already have another cat on a feeding tube (e tube) lol

 

[katsallday]

How old is Fonzi? How often does this happen? Do you brush her daily, and/or add a drop or two of olive oil to her food?

It sounds like the act of coughing up a hairball is setting her digestive tract into spasms. I'd ask the vet about possibly giving her something to stop any spasms that might be happening. See if they think Cerenia, which is an anti-nausea med, might help - as it can be given by you subcutaneously, which would avoid trying to pill a vomiting cat.

I would also ask if an ultrasound would be more helpful than x-rays in identifying any anomalies that could be attributing to this problem.

Which Hill's prescription food is she able to tolerate? There may be some OTC foods that are similar.

I have a bolus of cerenia mixed with b12 to offset the sting. I can add it to her sub q's. I guess I should explain, I rescue diabetic cats and have learned how to treat emergencies at home. Insulin, dka, feeding tubes, at home urine specific gravity, I do it all lol. My vet can send me home with sub q shots kmowing i can handle it. That's why I'm so aggrevated with this. Last time this happened she had gotten into some wet food for my other cats. This time she got into a food I got for her lol, weruva wx. The lowest phos wet food on the market. That's what she vomited with the hairball, the wet food. I could be looking at the possibility of intestinal Lymphoma, just based off the symptoms. Fonzi is about 17. I've had her since she was 1. She was my first ever rescue cat. Aside from the ckd which I can manage, this is the second episode like this she's ever had in our 16 years. To be fair, the hairball was about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. That thing was big lol. She gets brushed once a week, but I was out of town for a wedding. My husband probably didn't brush her

 

[katsallday]

How old is Fonzi? How often does this happen? Do you brush her daily, and/or add a drop or two of olive oil to her food?

It sounds like the act of coughing up a hairball is setting her digestive tract into spasms. I'd ask the vet about possibly giving her something to stop any spasms that might be happening. See if they think Cerenia, which is an anti-nausea med, might help - as it can be given by you subcutaneously, which would avoid trying to pill a vomiting cat.

I would also ask if an ultrasound would be more helpful than x-rays in identifying any anomalies that could be attributing to this problem.

Which Hill's prescription food is she able to tolerate? There may be some OTC foods that are similar.

Now that is an interesting thought about the spasms, one I didn't consider at all. I will definitely be looking into that, I see my vet to help me remove a feeding tube on Monday, I'll ask him about antispasmodics. Thanks!!!

 

[Bearpie]

This sounds like possible ibd. My cat also had clean bloodwork, clean X-rays, perfect fecal sample, so I requested an ultrasound. And that’s how it was found - early ibd. I’d definitely recommend bringing it up to your vet.

 

[Kwik]

I can do sub q fluids at home. I have lactated ringers already. I'll probably do 50cc today my vet is aware that I'm not a layman when it comes to medical issues, we got through her bloodwork together like a hawk. The ckd isn't causing this because her chemistry showed normal phosphorus. She has 0 Chem imbalances and with the renal food her bun and creatinine are already improving. She is borderline stage 2 now, with more room for improvement as I did a follow up only 2 weeks after the last episode to confirm if this was an acute kidney event. So personally I am leaning towards an upset tummy and a hairball.

I did witness her pushing the mucus poop out so hard that she started licking the air then threw up. I think there could be a cyclic factor at play. For 8 hours there has been no additional vomiting or diarrhea. I'm gonna let her finish off maybe 18 hours with no food to reset her belly, and I'll push sub q's to make up for the water. I already have another cat on a feeding tube (e tube) lol

Any updates- how is she doing,last I knew you were doing a short fast to let her tummy settle- I'm hoping to hear she is doing well

Keeping you and your babies in my prayers