IBD cat not eating

[Tummytrouble]

Interesting. We have Elura-vet discontinued when I said how lethargic it made her. Mirataz which isn't ideal either, as it can really make her restless and agitated. I feel very discouraged in her treatment at the moment.

 

[cataan]

1) Has a full blood panel been done?
2) You can syringe feed her wet food - most are not smooth enough for the syringe but I believe Hills A/D is. Could also try Gerber or Beech Nut baby food (Chicken or Turkey) which has good texture for a plastic syringe.
3) If she is eating dry food it is important to give her extra fluids - easy to syringe feed her 10 ml of water throughout the day, or two syringes (20 ml) three times per day.
4) One of my cats had IBD for many years, he was routinely throwing up after he ate, and nothing did anything to stop it. He died from kidney disease in June (was nearly 17 so had a long life) but it wouldn't surprise me if his IBD played a role.

 

[maggie101]

Interesting. We have Elura-vet discontinued when I said how lethargic it made her. Mirataz which isn't ideal either, as it can really make her restless and agitated. I feel very discouraged in her treatment at the moment.

Try the advita. Chewy delivers fast if your in the us. Weruva Meal or No Deal is pate like hills a/d but smoother because it's hydrating puree and tasty! My cat loves it, not many cals so mix it with something else

 

[jmichaelp]

Interesting. We have Elura-vet discontinued when I said how lethargic it made her. Mirataz which isn't ideal either, as it can really make her restless and agitated. I feel very discouraged in her treatment at the moment.

I was switching from one stimulant to the other each day in order to counter the effects you described. Perhaps you could try the Mirataz & Elura on alternating days. I've used the slippery elm bark syrup, Dude really seems to enjoy it. I think I gave him 3ml each night. It seemed to help.

 

[Tummytrouble]

I use slippery elm bark as well. Hard to tell how effective it is for nausea, but it does help her bowel movements. She was on sucralfate for 6 days and that stuff was strong. By that I mean her stinky breath that the vet noted and said wasn't from her teeth bc they looked great, was most likely from GI issues. When she took the sulcrafate her breath smelled kind of like bandaids, lol. Sort of weird but I think it was helping with her tummy. Her internal med vet said there was a lesion in her upper GI when they did the endoscopy and then he prescribed ulcer meds one of which being the sulcralfate.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Try the advita. Chewy delivers fast if your in the us. Weruva Meal or No Deal is pate like hills a/d but smoother because it's hydrating puree and tasty! My cat loves it, not many cals so mix it with something else

I'd love to but she's on a strict diet per vet, does not want me to deviate at all. It's the HP diet to rule out allergies.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Hi Everyone,
Chatchka had her two week check up on the Prednisilone and it was decided to add in Chlorambucil 1.9mg every 3 days. I'm a bit nervous (first time Chemo pilling) and wondered if any of you have tips/tricks? I wonder if it's better to give in am with her first dose of steroid so I can watch her during the day? Would that matter? I wonder if I use a pill popper, can I reuse it? Do I need to buy a bunch of pill poppers to toss? She really only can safetly get the pill in with a popper. Anyway, that's where we are at the moment. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Chatchka

 

[maggie101]

My old cat Josie had triaditus which is IBD,pancreatitis, and liver inflammation simultaneously
Zd cat food made her go diaheria so she was on Koha duck
She was on liquid medacine flavored. It majorly increased her appetite and she loved it. Fruity flavored! My cat Maggie takes prednisolone pills. Very polite cat. I do not have to use a pill popper
Shut her in the bathroom with me,put her on the counter on her hind legs,tilt her head back,dip a pill in churu tube or tiki stick drop in her mouth,close it,and wait for her to swallow


high dose

 

[straycat31]

Yeah sometimes you have to just "man-handle" them. My Emily won't swallow unless I put her in front of me.Thx for the updates.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Gave her first dose of Chlorambucil this am. I gave her Zofran 40 minutes before and then fed her-she didn't eat much of her wet but that's her standard these days. She got her pred and then the Chlorambucil and she immediately drooled a bit and headed to her dry food bowl and had a few bites. She went back to her window perch for a bit but now she's hunched and looking dazed. Ugh this is hard. Just to note, I always syringe her water after her pills as well. Fingers crossed she can tolerate this and it improves her tummy.

 

[maggie101]

Is there a different vet you can try? I have had to do that with luck

 

[fionasmom]

If we are talking about the same kind of pill popper which is made of plastic and could be cleaned, it definitely can be reused. You may want more than one on hand so that they are thoroughly dry when you use them, but they are not like syringes which are single use, such as those used for insulin. Giving water afterwards is a good idea.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Her hatred of being pilled has really ramped up. She tries to run away now. I think the gloves I have to wear to do the Chlormabucil don't help in her feeling stressed. Also, she's been really wiped today for the most part and I'm wondering if that side effect just compounds with each dose rather than plateauing like it does with Steroids. I'm starting to feel discouraged by all this. I want this to work but I'm worried she won't adjust and will end up just avoiding me all the time. Ugh.

 

[Tummytrouble]

I've been strictly adhering to the 'get ahead of it' mindset on nausea by pilling her both zofran and cerenia daily-the zofran 3x a day. This does seem to be helping (and I was right about her hatred of the gloves as I don't wear them to pill her these drugs, just her chemo). She's been taking the pilling better, still shouts in protest but not much more than that. I'm internally shouting too (can't wait to be at a lower number of pills). She has her pred 2x a day, zofran 3x and cerenia 1x. Seems like a lot to me. She still hunches after eating-every time. I can't imagine it's nausea with all the antinauseas she's one, but unfortunately some sort of GI discomfort. I'm still holding out hope this Chemo/steroid combo will shake something loose and she'll get some relief. Paws crossed. She's really such a good girl.

 

[maggie101]

No way could I keep all that medacine strait! Josie was only one one,high dosage with multiple helth issues.

 

[Tummytrouble]

Update:
Trying not to panic, but after 2nd chemo dose she's really starting to not eat much at all. This is with all her supporting meds in the mix-the zofran 3x a day, the cerenia 1x a day and her mirataz every third day, but I gave her a next day dose of the mirataz bc her appetite has really dropped so much. Is this a normal Chlorambucil reaction? Feeling on edge, thanks everyone.

 

[maggie101]

Appetite stimulant. He just needs prodding to eat. Here's his weight since being diagnosed with IBD. He lost weight when I had him on Fluoxetine for spraying after a new kitten adopted me. I eventually had to go to cypro or Elura alternating with cypro in order to keep his weight around 10 lbs.

If she has not eaten in 48 hrs,take her to your regular vet for tube feeding. Don't want her to have liver disease! What did the endoscope show that confirmed IBD? what were her symptons besides not eating? When they thought my cat Maggie had ckd,she was on Prescription food which she did not like til I mixed in weruva and freeze dried chicken treats

 

[Tummytrouble]

She's still eating, just not very much. And it hasn't been 48hrs, I'm just desperately trying to stay ahead of it, if that's even really possible this point.
Her diagnosis
RESULTS:
- "Normal" stomach: The lamina propria is infiltrated by moderate numbers of lymphocytes, and plasma
cells, which occasionally form de novo lymphoid follicles, and fewer eosinophils mixed with edema and
acute minimal hemorrhage. Along the mucosal surface are moderate numbers of spiral-shaped bacteria,
consistent with Helicobacter spp. No neoplastic population is observed. MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS:
MODERATE LYMPHOPLASMACYTIC GASTRITIS WITH EOSINOPHILS
- Duodenum: Infiltrating and expanding the lamina propria are moderate numbers of plasma cells,
lymphocytes, eosinophils, and rare Mott cells. MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS: MODERATE
LYMPHOPLASMACYTIC ENTERITIS WITH EOSINOPHILS
- Stomach "lesion": The microscopic findings of this specimen are similar to those observed
and previously described in the stomach specimen. MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS: MODERATE
LYMPHOPLASMACYTIC GASTRITIS WITH SUPERFICIAL HELICOBACTER-TYPE BACTERIA
INTERPRETATION:
All of Chatchka's biopsies are consistent with inflammatory bowel disease. As such, we recommend
starting her on prednisolone steroids. We will call these in to a pharmacy near you. We recommend that
Chatchka recheck here ~ 2 weeks after starting steroids. Ultimately, her prognosis will depend on her
response to therapy, but most cats with inflammatory bowel disease can do very well.

 

[fionasmom]

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
You may already be familiar with this site.

Leukeran/chlorambucil – IBDKitties
Anorexia can be a side effect of this medication. If this does not improve, call the vet. It is not an extremely common reaction, but can occur in some cats.