BTW, if she starts throwing up again... ask the vet about putting her back on the pepcid. Given her weight, she'd do find on the 10mg ("original strength") pepcid a/c (or store brand famotidine) you can buy at the pharmacy.
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Suspected colitis
- Thread starter jenl
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
Oh for sure, I will. I'm nervous I had to cut up the 5mg pills I had today just to get through the weekend. I'm probably panicking for nothing. But I think the Pepcid helped....
Please remember our forum policies.
No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention.You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice.
No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention.You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice.
I will throw my two cents in FWIW....
First, I am SO glad your kitty is doing better
There are many great tips here.... One thing to always remember is IMHO, your vet has the best tools to help you - he has seen your cat in person, has its history, and has proper experience in Veterinary medicine to help your little one :heart3:.... Trust your vet's guidance.... If you are not confident with him/her (not saying this is your case, as the treatment is clearly working here), go to another vet, complete history in hands.... but work with a good vet.
Wit that stated..... here is my experience on the subject - I, unfortunately have plenty :lol3:
First on "Colitis" - In cats, Colitis is a term, more often than not, used to describe a diarrhea of unknown reasons. It is not really a diagnosis. It can happen to a number of things - but parasites have already been cleared, and the obvious issues as well. Usually, Metronidazole is prescribed as a starting point. Metro is an antibiotic, but also has anti-inflammatory properties on the gut - in a lot of cases, it works like a charm. There are different lengths of treatment that the drug is prescribed - up to 10 days to cover Giardia as well. As said before, Metro is an extremely bitter pill, so covering it is a must before pilling the kitty... It can be done with a small gelatin capsule, or a soft treat, like pill pockets. If you cover with the treats, don't feed it to him - get a piece of the treat, cover the pill, and pill the kitty by putting the covered pill on the back of the throat.
Colitis can also be due to food sensitivity.... That you can find out through an elimination diet.
IBS or IBD can be ruled out by Biopsy, or by a trial treatment with prednisolone.
As far as the diet goes..... I know how you feel.... There are SO many theories out there..... This ingredient.... that ingredient..... Do not feed this, Do not feed that.... Please just keep in mind that these are broad Theories - when dealing with a sick kitty/puppy, we need to forget a bit about what is on the books, and see what works for our babies. If the diet is working for your cat - making your kitty healthy, giving her formed poop, giving her energy, keeping her appetite better, making her not throw up - well, IMHO that is a healthier diet than any other diet that is out there with all those wonderful ingredients, but that will give her all those ill symptoms. :nod:
My Kitty Hope once had a HORRIBLE, awful bout of "colitis". She had explosive diarrhea for a couple of months.... She was hiding under the bed, not eating well, and wasting away.... Like you, I was completely against Hills.... We tried everything.... Until the day we Tried Hills Z/D - within a day she started getting better. A day. For a very long time Hope was not capable of digesting any protein at all - she was exclusively on Z/D - and that was alright.... That diet, literally, saved my girls life. Little by little, in the course of 2 years, she got transitioned to other proteins, and now she is off Z/D. Had she needed to be on that diet for life I would not have a problem either.... But she LOVED her Ziwipeak, and I wanted to give her that to her. There is much that can be said about hills - yes, on the "book" the ingredients might suck - but they are just in the right combination and proportion to make them work for that purpose.... and work those prescription diets do.
About feeding the wet: A couple of things I would suggest - I would highly recommend, for the time being, to keep the kitty only on Hills.... That way you can get the kitty stable and see if the diet is working.... You can then start adding other foods into her diet (wet) little by little, later on, once she has been stable for a while. Talk to your vet - some of those diets - like Z/D for example, will say they are intended to be used for a number of weeks, but are completely balanced and CAN be used for life without a problem. My Bugsy, my IBD kitty who has awful diarrhea problems, has been on a mixture of Z/D dry and Royal Canin HP (he eats ZiwiPeak Wet) for a couple years, probably.
Feeding I/D and then feeding another wet might defeat your efforts at this point IMHO....
Like LDG said, to make the wet food more appetizing, try blending it into a pate - I do it the same way she does it.... I use one of those personal smoothie blenders, using the smaller cups, mix a shot glass of hot water for each 1/2 can.... Gives the perfect texture! One thing that my very spoiled Bugsy and My RB
Gracie loved was spoon-feeding - yep - you read it right :lol3: I will post a video below so you can see how it is done - they just basically lick the food out of the spoon - for some reason it works really well! 
[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
On the probiotics: I had my two vets, who are wonderful, highly recommend this one to me - it is, IMHO the best probiotic for cats and dogs out there: Proviable-DC
You can get it from you vet, however from Amazon is much cheaper..... Here is the information for it: Proviable-DC
My Bugsy also takes Align, the human probiotic, and it works amazingly well for him :nod:
Last but not least..... If the symptoms do not resolve.... Talk to your vet about IBD. The reason why I suspect about it, is because your kitty is throwing up and having diarrhea - and she has had it on and off her whole life. When IBD happens on the lower digestive tract, it causes diarrhea, when it happens on the upper digestive tract, causes vomiting - it can also happen in both. It can only be 100% confirmed by biopsy, BUT many moms and dads don't have the resources to perform one - there are some tests that can be done that can give a good indication of it, and a trial of prednisolone, being successful, will be an excellent judge as well. Know that limited ingredients diets can help with IBD, as well as a high fiber diet for some cats....
I would be discussing that possibility with my vet.....
All the best.....
First, I am SO glad your kitty is doing better
There are many great tips here.... One thing to always remember is IMHO, your vet has the best tools to help you - he has seen your cat in person, has its history, and has proper experience in Veterinary medicine to help your little one :heart3:.... Trust your vet's guidance.... If you are not confident with him/her (not saying this is your case, as the treatment is clearly working here), go to another vet, complete history in hands.... but work with a good vet.
Wit that stated..... here is my experience on the subject - I, unfortunately have plenty :lol3:
First on "Colitis" - In cats, Colitis is a term, more often than not, used to describe a diarrhea of unknown reasons. It is not really a diagnosis. It can happen to a number of things - but parasites have already been cleared, and the obvious issues as well. Usually, Metronidazole is prescribed as a starting point. Metro is an antibiotic, but also has anti-inflammatory properties on the gut - in a lot of cases, it works like a charm. There are different lengths of treatment that the drug is prescribed - up to 10 days to cover Giardia as well. As said before, Metro is an extremely bitter pill, so covering it is a must before pilling the kitty... It can be done with a small gelatin capsule, or a soft treat, like pill pockets. If you cover with the treats, don't feed it to him - get a piece of the treat, cover the pill, and pill the kitty by putting the covered pill on the back of the throat.
Colitis can also be due to food sensitivity.... That you can find out through an elimination diet.
IBS or IBD can be ruled out by Biopsy, or by a trial treatment with prednisolone.
As far as the diet goes..... I know how you feel.... There are SO many theories out there..... This ingredient.... that ingredient..... Do not feed this, Do not feed that.... Please just keep in mind that these are broad Theories - when dealing with a sick kitty/puppy, we need to forget a bit about what is on the books, and see what works for our babies. If the diet is working for your cat - making your kitty healthy, giving her formed poop, giving her energy, keeping her appetite better, making her not throw up - well, IMHO that is a healthier diet than any other diet that is out there with all those wonderful ingredients, but that will give her all those ill symptoms. :nod:
My Kitty Hope once had a HORRIBLE, awful bout of "colitis". She had explosive diarrhea for a couple of months.... She was hiding under the bed, not eating well, and wasting away.... Like you, I was completely against Hills.... We tried everything.... Until the day we Tried Hills Z/D - within a day she started getting better. A day. For a very long time Hope was not capable of digesting any protein at all - she was exclusively on Z/D - and that was alright.... That diet, literally, saved my girls life. Little by little, in the course of 2 years, she got transitioned to other proteins, and now she is off Z/D. Had she needed to be on that diet for life I would not have a problem either.... But she LOVED her Ziwipeak, and I wanted to give her that to her. There is much that can be said about hills - yes, on the "book" the ingredients might suck - but they are just in the right combination and proportion to make them work for that purpose.... and work those prescription diets do.
About feeding the wet: A couple of things I would suggest - I would highly recommend, for the time being, to keep the kitty only on Hills.... That way you can get the kitty stable and see if the diet is working.... You can then start adding other foods into her diet (wet) little by little, later on, once she has been stable for a while. Talk to your vet - some of those diets - like Z/D for example, will say they are intended to be used for a number of weeks, but are completely balanced and CAN be used for life without a problem. My Bugsy, my IBD kitty who has awful diarrhea problems, has been on a mixture of Z/D dry and Royal Canin HP (he eats ZiwiPeak Wet) for a couple years, probably.
Feeding I/D and then feeding another wet might defeat your efforts at this point IMHO....
Like LDG said, to make the wet food more appetizing, try blending it into a pate - I do it the same way she does it.... I use one of those personal smoothie blenders, using the smaller cups, mix a shot glass of hot water for each 1/2 can.... Gives the perfect texture! One thing that my very spoiled Bugsy and My RB
Gracie loved was spoon-feeding - yep - you read it right :lol3: I will post a video below so you can see how it is done - they just basically lick the food out of the spoon - for some reason it works really well! [VIDEO][/VIDEO]
On the probiotics: I had my two vets, who are wonderful, highly recommend this one to me - it is, IMHO the best probiotic for cats and dogs out there: Proviable-DC
You can get it from you vet, however from Amazon is much cheaper..... Here is the information for it: Proviable-DC
My Bugsy also takes Align, the human probiotic, and it works amazingly well for him :nod:
Last but not least..... If the symptoms do not resolve.... Talk to your vet about IBD. The reason why I suspect about it, is because your kitty is throwing up and having diarrhea - and she has had it on and off her whole life. When IBD happens on the lower digestive tract, it causes diarrhea, when it happens on the upper digestive tract, causes vomiting - it can also happen in both. It can only be 100% confirmed by biopsy, BUT many moms and dads don't have the resources to perform one - there are some tests that can be done that can give a good indication of it, and a trial of prednisolone, being successful, will be an excellent judge as well. Know that limited ingredients diets can help with IBD, as well as a high fiber diet for some cats....
I would be discussing that possibility with my vet.....
All the best.....
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Hi Jen!!! Just want to say I am so glad that the "poops" are fully formed 
We do banana dances for formed poops around here :lol3: AND I hope they stay that way :cross:. For cutting pills - I have a pill splitter. I wish I could remember where I got it :doh3: I think it was at a Pharmacy like Walgreens. Work's great for splitting pills down to exact dosing. Hope things continue to improve
We do banana dances for formed poops around here :lol3: AND I hope they stay that way :cross:. For cutting pills - I have a pill splitter. I wish I could remember where I got it :doh3: I think it was at a Pharmacy like Walgreens. Work's great for splitting pills down to exact dosing. Hope things continue to improve
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Just adding that I give my guy, Sven, 1/4 Pepcid A/C twice a day (when he'll let me!) every day, and I use a pill splitter that I got at either Walgreens or Target. He'll be on the Pepcid A/C for the rest of his life due to over acidity, a side effect of chronic renal failure. If he doesn't take it, he starts throwing up that clear froth.
Good luck with your "baby". It can definitely be a roller coaster ride, being a cat owner
, especially when they're sick
.
Good luck with your "baby". It can definitely be a roller coaster ride, being a cat owner
