Digestive enzymes OR probiotics?

[tracy1213]

Hi everyone...
Long confusing question that will probably make no sense!!

I have a 7 year old cat with a sensitive stomach who can't seem to gain or maintain weight. He's been to the vet for complete bloodwork and nothing showed up abnormal and the vet insists he doesn't need enzymes. He said well you can try probiotics but his pancreas is apparently making enzymes so he said he doesn't need added enzymes. I know vets don't always know everything and he just seems very against enzymes.

He does frequently vomit but almost never has diarrhea or loose stool and does not have any skin related conditions or itching... I just can't get him to gain any weight. So my question is does anyone know whether probiotics or enzymes might be better to get him to gain weight or whether a combo of the 2 might help. I just started feeding him very small meals of only wet food multiple times per day and since this new feeding technique he's keeping the food down but I thought maybe I'd give him a little boost with either enzymes or probiotics. I don't know if there are ill health effects if you give cat added enzymes if technically his bloodwork shows he doesn't need them. Everything I'm reading about probiotics say they help with diarrhea which he never has. So has anyone had any improvement on a cat that occasionally vomits and doesn't gain weight (with no loose stool) with either specifically enzymes or specifically probiotics....or tried both and had better results with one vs the other...or a combo?

Also could you recommend one that you've had good results with though he's super picky and rarely eats the flavored type powders (he hates fortiflora AND advita) so I really would like a flavorless powder if possible.

Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions!!!

 

[iPappy]

When he throws up, is it food/bile/hairballs, a combination?
Not with a cat, but I had a dog with the exact same symptoms (along with no diarrhea) and he always threw up food immediately after eating. Among other things, I used the dog version of this (link is to the cat version)!
Digest All Plus™

I *only* used this if he began vomiting. IIRC if you give enzymes too much to animals that don't need them, their pancreas gets lazy (not producing the enzymes). I don't want to test this theory, so I only used it "as needed". It did seem to help him.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

My Phoebe never had the vomiting, did have loose stool (wouldn’t really call it diarrhoea), but from the time we got her she couldn’t gain weight. This was about seven years ago. She had x-rays, scans, blood tests, even exploratory surgery eventually. Her pancreas was heavily scarred but functioning well, apparently. The vets’ best guess from all that was IBD, and she was put on hypoallergenic food (Royal Canin, I think) and Prednisolone. That was fine for about four years, then she started losing weight again. RC’s anallergenic food was on the market by then, so the vet (different vet) suggested we put her onto that. That was about four years ago, and again, she’s doing well. Doesn’t have Prednisolone any more, just a monthly B12 shot.

I wonder if her condition is similar to your boy’s?

 

[catlikesbusiness]

Probiotics have a very wide spectrum of effects and have a positive influence on a whole range of metabolic processes in the body - it all depends on what strains of bacteria are in the probiotic. I think it's a much better choice than enzymes, which are not needed by your kitty as the doctor says, and in excessive amounts can cause harm. If there's a possibility that the probiotic won't help with exactly the problem you're talking about, it will certainly have other positive effects on your cat's health - for example improve immunity.

 

[catlikesbusiness]

You should also make sure that the food you give him is high enough in protein. Another thing you can try is to give him food several times a day, but in smaller portions - this will allow him to eat more, and may help to stop the vomiting.

 

[tracy1213]

When he throws up, is it food/bile/hairballs, a combination?
Not with a cat, but I had a dog with the exact same symptoms (along with no diarrhea) and he always threw up food immediately after eating. Among other things, I used the dog version of this (link is to the cat version)!
Digest All Plus™

I *only* used this if he began vomiting. IIRC if you give enzymes too much to animals that don't need them, their pancreas gets lazy (not producing the enzymes). I don't want to test this theory, so I only used it "as needed". It did seem to help him.

Thank you so much for your response. So it's usually food that seems undigested and he doesn't vomit until a few hours after eating as opposed to him just eating fast and immediately throwing up.

I think what you said about the enzymes make perfect sense and I don't want to give him anything that he doesn't absolutely need!!

Thank you again!!

 

[tracy1213]

My Phoebe never had the vomiting, did have loose stool (wouldn’t really call it diarrhoea), but from the time we got her she couldn’t gain weight. This was about seven years ago. She had x-rays, scans, blood tests, even exploratory surgery eventually. Her pancreas was heavily scarred but functioning well, apparently. The vets’ best guess from all that was IBD, and she was put on hypoallergenic food (Royal Canin, I think) and Prednisolone. That was fine for about four years, then she started losing weight again. RC’s anallergenic food was on the market by then, so the vet (different vet) suggested we put her onto that. That was about four years ago, and again, she’s doing well. Doesn’t have Prednisolone any more, just a monthly B12 shot.

I wonder if her condition is similar to your boy’s?

Yes my vet did say well it could be IBD or IBS so it's very possible that's what he has. Problem with my cat is he hates all the "novelty proteins" I tried when he first mentioned this. I thought well I'll try and give him only proteins he's not used to eating....well that didn't go well.

Thank you so much for your reply and I'm going to note down what worked for you so I can always ask my vet about whether or not that would be a good option to try soon!

 

[tracy1213]

Probiotics have a very wide spectrum of effects and have a positive influence on a whole range of metabolic processes in the body - it all depends on what strains of bacteria are in the probiotic. I think it's a much better choice than enzymes, which are not needed by your kitty as the doctor says, and in excessive amounts can cause harm. If there's a possibility that the probiotic won't help with exactly the problem you're talking about, it will certainly have other positive effects on your cat's health - for example improve immunity.

Thank you so much and I completely agree as I was starting to second guess myself about whether I should just go ahead and try the enzymes anyway. I do think the probiotic makes more sense I'm just not sure how to find one that he'll take. All the ones I see are flavored powdered or treats (or mixed with enzymes) and they all seem to say they are for diarrhea and loose stool so I kept thinking well maybe that isn't what he needs either. I will start searching for a probiotic even though all the different strains are pretty confusing to me!

 

[tracy1213]

You should also make sure that the food you give him is high enough in protein. Another thing you can try is to give him food several times a day, but in smaller portions - this will allow him to eat more, and may help to stop the vomiting.

Thank you so much!! I have started trying this new way of feeding him and fingers crossed...this is the 4th day with no vomiting and that is a massive improvement!! I will look into higher protein foods though I think he's pretty much getting all high quality food with as few fillers as I can find but I'll keep searching!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

In order for him to gain weight, you need to feed more calories. While you are looking into foods with more protein, look into higher calories as well. Pates usually have higher calories (and less carbs), but with picky eaters, you can't always get them to eat what is best for them .

 

[Furballsmom]

will start searching for a probiotic even though all the different strains are pretty confusing to me!

There's a caveat with probiotics, because a prebiotic is needed to support the probiotic so that it works better. Also, if you can, begin with giving a small amount, or use a lower CFU. The website I linked below has good product information and reviews.

The best probiotics for cats belong to the following families: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Enterococcus.

When I was researching for my angel Poppycat, I used this website:
Probiotics for Cats: Complete Guide + 5 Product Reviews

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Yes my vet did say well it could be IBD or IBS so it's very possible that's what he has. Problem with my cat is he hates all the "novelty proteins" I tried when he first mentioned this. I thought well I'll try and give him only proteins he's not used to eating....well that didn't go well.

Thank you so much for your reply and I'm going to note down what worked for you so I can always ask my vet about whether or not that would be a good option to try soon!

You’re so welcome, I hope it helps!

 

[tracy1213]

There's a caveat with probiotics, because a probiotic is needed to support the probiotic so that it works better. Also, if you can, begin with giving a small amount, or use a lower CFU. The website I linked below has good product information and reviews.

The best probiotics for cats belong to the following families: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Enterococcus.

When I was researching for my angel Poppycat, I used this website:
Probiotics for Cats: Complete Guide + 5 Product Reviews

Thank you so much!! I'll check it out!!

 

[tracy1213]

In order for him to gain weight, you need to feed more calories. While you are looking into foods with more protein, look into higher calories as well. Pates usually have higher calories (and less carbs), but with picky eaters, you can't always get them to eat what is best for them .

I think the issue was I was giving him extra food but only in 3 meals a day...which was too much on his system so he would start throwing it up. Now he's getting multiple small meals per day and so far he's keeping down all the food!

 

[Furballsmom]

There's a caveat with probiotics,

I meant that a prebiotic is necessary to help a probiotic work, and I have revised my post above. (I'd seen that typo, but got sidetracked and didn't get it fixed before I posted, --sorry about that!)

 

[tracy1213]

I meant that a prebiotic is necessary to help a probiotic work, and I have revised my post above. (I'd seen that typo, but got sidetracked and didn't get it fixed before I posted, --sorry about that!)

I think I must have subconsciously known what you meant because I immediately started researching different probiotics that contained prebiotics also!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Bless your heart

 

[Alldara]

tracy1213 Sorry if you answered this already.

Is the food dish elevated? That can help stop bile from coming up during eating which contributes to vomiting.

 

[tracy1213]

tracy1213 Sorry if you answered this already.

Is the food dish elevated? That can help stop bile from coming up during eating which contributes to vomiting.

Yes!!! I have food dishes and water dishes elevated! Thank you!!

 

[catlikesbusiness]

Thank you so much!! I have started trying this new way of feeding him and fingers crossed...this is the 4th day with no vomiting and that is a massive improvement!! I will look into higher protein foods though I think he's pretty much getting all high quality food with as few fillers as I can find but I'll keep searching!!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed <3