Inflammatory bowel disease

[eawinter]

The vets are just first treating it as IBD because other wise to treat it as Lymphoma the only way to know for sure is for her to have endoscopy and a biopsy. They said if it were their cat they would treat it as IBD first. If I ended up having to do chemo I don't think I would want to do it and I stated in another thread that it only keeps them alive one or two years at the most, the cost of that and my cat would be a nightmare to give the chemo pills to everyday.

What are you doing for Feeby at this point?

 

[FeebysOwner]

What are you doing for Feeby at this point?

I am monitoring her only, with the intent to follow up with another ultrasound to see if there are any other signs that point to - or away from - either lymphoma or IBD. If no new developments are seen in the next ultrasound, she will continue to be monitored only. If one or the other is confirmed, then I will go with either steroids/chemo, as applicable. I am not at the point of wanting to forge ahead with either if they are not the issue.

Despite the fact that Feeby is 17+yo and has hyperthyroidism and early CKD, I still would want to try to treat her. I, too, will have to address any form of treatment that requires pills that cannot be crushed and mixed with foods as that will be an issue for me (and her) as well.

EDIT: I do need to point out what I said earlier, Feeby does not have thickening of the intestinal wall, and currently her only symptoms are poor appetite and weight loss. Both of which can also be tied to her other conditions. Both are being treated with an appetite stimulant, which seems to be working. The enlarged lymph nodes in the intestinal area, along with the lack of appetite, weight loss - and I suppose her age as well - is what lead to the 'maybe or maybe not' IBD/lymphoma suggestion. I will not say whether your cat has either, but I tend to think that these conditions may be over diagnosed. Steroids (and dietary changes) can do wonders for other conditions as well, when IBD isn't absolutely confirmed.

 

[daftcat75]

The vets are just first treating it as IBD because other wise to treat it as Lymphoma the only way to know for sure is for her to have endoscopy and a biopsy. They said if it were their cat they would treat it as IBD first. If I ended up having to do chemo I don't think I would want to do it and I stated in another thread that it only keeps them alive one or two years at the most, the cost of that and my cat would be a nightmare to give the chemo pills to everyday.

Are you in the US or Canada? Wedgewood Pharmacy can compound chemo into many forms. With Krista, I went with a super concentrated anchovy flavored oil. I got it concentrated so that I didn’t have to give very much. Instead of a full 1 mL, I only had to give her 0.1 mL. Because it was anchovy flavored, I put it on a plate by itself (sometimes with a touch of salmon oil) and she would clean that plate on her own. There’s two dosing protocols for chlorambucil (the chemo drug used in small cell lymphoma.) The more common dosing schedule is either once every three days or twice a week (because every three days moves the dosing days each week.) An alternative dosing schedule that’s shown just as much success is a larger dose (based on weight) given once every two weeks. I found chemo easier to give than her nightly steroids. Though I learned almost too late that I could have her steroids compounded to a transdermal cream that could have been rubbed in her ear. I was sadly using an inflammation trigger food to wrap her pill halves every night and keeping the gut fire smoldering in her. When we switched to transdermal, the last of the lymphoma poop nonsense finally cleared up.

 

[eawinter]

Are you in the US or Canada? Wedgewood Pharmacy can compound chemo into many forms. With Krista, I went with a super concentrated anchovy flavored oil. I got it concentrated so that I didn’t have to give very much. Instead of a full 1 mL, I only had to give her 0.1 mL. Because it was anchovy flavored, I put it on a plate by itself (sometimes with a touch of salmon oil) and she would clean that plate on her own. There’s two dosing protocols for chlorambucil (the chemo drug used in small cell lymphoma.) The more common dosing schedule is either once every three days or twice a week (because every three days moves the dosing days each week.) An alternative dosing schedule that’s shown just as much success is a larger dose (based on weight) given once every two weeks. I found chemo easier to give than her nightly steroids. Though I learned almost too late that I could have her steroids compounded to a transdermal cream that could have been rubbed in her ear. I was sadly using an inflammation trigger food to wrap her pill halves every night and keeping the gut fire smoldering in her. When we switched to transdermal, the last of the lymphoma poop nonsense finally cleared up.

That's good to know.

 

[eawinter]

That's good to know.

I'm in the U.S and there's not a Wedgewood Pharmacy here. I'm in the Salt Lake City area.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm in the U.S and there's not a Wedgewood Pharmacy here. I'm in the Salt Lake City area.

Here is one, but also ask your vet about ones nearby. They will likely have ones they deal with. I am not sure that you still can't use a place like Wedgewood, but you can probably find one closer by.
Veterinary Compounding — University Pharmacy

 

[LTS3]

Wedgewood Pharmacy has an online site: Pet Medicine for Pets and Pet Meds for Horses - Wedgewood Pet RX Your vet calls the prescription in. Customer Service will then contact you to get your info, flavoring choice if that is available, etc. It may take a few days plus shipping to receive the compounded medicine. A local compounding pharmacy can also be used.

For any pills, use a Pill Pocket or other similar substance to get the pill into the cat. Here are tips:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

What are gum fillers? Gum is never listed in the ingredients list of any of the foods I fed my cat.

Tapioca gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and xanthan gum are common ones in commercial pet foods. They're used as thickeners, particularly in foods that contain gravies and sauces. They can also cause intestinal inflammation in cats with IBD and perhaps minor inflammation with no symptoms in healthy cats. Try to avoid these in whatever you feed your cat. This is why some people choose to feed a raw or home cooked diet from a recipe. You know exactly what is in the food. There's a forum here on TCS with more info on those diets, even subscription pet food similar to the Nom Nom food you previously fed.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm in the U.S and there's not a Wedgewood Pharmacy here. I'm in the Salt Lake City area.

Wedgewood is an online pharmacy. Their prices are reasonable and their customer service is excellent. You will need to set up an account on their website and create a profile for your cat. Then your vet can call or fax in the prescription for the medication. You can request the compounding formulation. I think. You might need to ask your vet to request the specific formulation when they call in the prescription. I always did that extra work for my vet and told them exactly what to call in. A Wedgewood rep will call you to confirm everything and they’ll get it filled and shipped as quickly as possible. If the prescription has refills, that will be tracked in your cat’s profile. When it is time to refill, you simply Request a Refill from her profile. They’ll call the vet to confirm and get it shipped on its way.
Veterinary Pharmacy

 

[daftcat75]

For Krista’s concentrated anchovy flavored oil, a four to six week supply ran about $50-60 with express shipping since the liquid must be kept refrigerated. It was shipped in dry ice to insure it remained cold. I had it sent to my vet’s office where they could keep it refrigerated until I picked it up. It’s my experience that businesses get more timely delivery of packages. They have to arrive during business hours after all. But residential packages could deliver up to 10 pm depending on the service and the driver.