Inflammatory bowel disease/diet

[njg55]

My 12-year-old cat was recently tentatively diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease after video monitors placed on all litter boxes (I have three cats) indicated that she was the one having diarrhea every few days and occasional vomiting. The vet prescribed a diet of special proteins dry and wet food, not even a bite of anything else, for two weeks. After about one day on that diet, there were multiple diarrhea incidents, rather than one every few days that had been happening for several months, so I called the vet and was advised to back off, let her have the regular food, and gradually reintroduce the special diet. She also prescribed a kit of "Provialbe-Forte," consisting of a sort of syringe pre-loaded with a paste-like medication that releases the right dosage when activated, to be given twice a day for three days (the course is finished), and capsules (very large, so they are opened and the contents sprinkled on food). The cat didn't have any diarrhea for several days, after I switched back to mainly her normal diet and only very small amounts of the special protein foods. However, I found diarrhea in a litter box this morning. Although my monitors can't always show WHAT happens in the box, just who was there and at what time and for how long, Shirley seems the likely candidate. I'm waiting for a call back from the vet on what to do next. Shirley began having diarrhea while eating the regular food, and also had it with the special food, so what can I feed her? I give her the powder from the capsules in the only thing I'm sure she'll eat all at once, a packet of Inaba Churu puree (which I have long suspected was one of the triggers for her diarrhea). She needs to get the capsule powder until I've used it up, 12 more doses; I'm uncomfortable giving her the medication in a treat that may aggravate the situation, but she might not consume the powder if it's mixed with canned food, whether the standard varieties or the specialty foods. I'm sure the vet will have some advice, but I'd like some other thoughts. It seems like there are no good choices. She has diarrhea with the regular food and with the specialty food and the treats! Maybe giving her body time to adjust is the only answer. The doctor offered the option of a series of tests, but she thought it would be simpler to start off with the special protein diet for a limited period. Could be we'll have to proceed with testing and give up on the food trial.

 

[Jabzilla]

Hey there,
I dont have specifics for your cat in terms of canned food options since mine are raw fed, but wanted to share some fantastic resources on feline IBD. They have FB groups too and could be a good place to ask for more exact help as well. My cats haven't been diagnosed with IBD, but one has had various odd gastrointestinal issues over the course of his life and the information from especially the Feline IBD site has been immensely helpful. One thing that lots of folks have recommended and is something I also give my cats is the yeast probiotic called S Boulardii. It's used specifically to help with diarrhea and acts quickly to help cats (and humans and dogs) to have solid poop. My Cat Has Diarrhea - What Do I Do? (foodfurlife.com) Lots of people use the Jarrow brand of S Boulardii which is excellent. I just want to provide another brand option in case your cat is like mine and doesn't do well with tapioca starch. I use Renew Life's S boulardii since the capsules don't have anything in them except for the probiotic, no tapioca starch, guar gum, or anything else. Renew Life® BoulardiiMAX, Antibiotic-Associated diarrhea, Travel Support Probiotic, 10 Billion Active Cultures | Renew Life Canada The link is for their Canadian site, but the product is also available in the US.

Raw Feeding for IBD Cats - Feline IBD

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

 

[FeebysOwner]

Abrupt changes in food can provoke diarrhea, so the vet suggesting starting over and gradually introduce the new foods is better. But, any food changes, gradual or otherwise, are not going to work instantaneously, so time and patience are needed. Not sure what is/was in the pre-loaded syringes vs. the capsules in that kit, but it would seem that the former might have actually helped. Find out what each are for, and what they are supposed to accomplish.

Churu comes in a few different flavors, so it might be the flavor you are using. You could try using another flavor and see if that helps any. What special protein did the vet recommend? Whatever it is, you might find treats that are primarily of the same protein. There are tons of other lickable treats besides Churu. I use a variety of them.

She is also of the age to have a full senior blood panel (CBC, Chemistry, thyroid) to see if anything shows up in the results that might help.

I also agree with trying s. boulardii.

 

[njg55]

Appreciate the replies. I never got a call back from a vet tech today so I'll try again in the morning. The vet chain (VCA) has an app on which I could chat with a tech, but at this point (11 p.m.) I might as well wait until morning to talk to someone at my clinic. The product the vet gave me is called Proviable-Forte, a "digestive health supplement" made by Nutramax Laboratories. The capsules are probiotics (the label says each capsule contains 10 billion colony forming units, 7 strains of probiotic microorganisms and 2 prebiotics), and as far as I can tell the paste is too. The two were supposed to be used together, although not necessarily administered at the same time. Reading from the product box, the paste is "for short-term use to help firm stools," while the capsules "help reestablish healthy intestinal balance." The recommended dose of the paste was every 8-12 hours for two or three days. We used it twice a day for three days. I don't know if it's a coincidence that over those three days there were no diarrhea incidents; we gave the last dose on Tuesday night, and I detected a diarrhea incident in a litter box Wednesday, probably from sometime in the morning. We have 10 or 11 more daily doses of the pills; since it was essentially a two-week supply, it would seem it needs more time to work. There was another diarrhea incident in one of the litter boxes this evening. I didn't bother checking the feed from the video monitor since I already know who's having issues. I gave her the capsule powder in a Churu and also offered her about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of the canned special protein food, which is a veterinary product (not available without a prescription) from Royal Canin. The dried food is also Royal Canin special protein. Shirley had blood tests a few days ago, and the vet told me that some value (liver?) was significantly elevated. That's what led her to the preliminary diagnosis of IBD and the food recommendations. Sounds like this will be challenging to deal with.