The difference between IBD and IBS

[kris35]

Hi all. Can I ask what you think about this: My cat has had explosive diarrhea for several months now. She is 16 but very active and has the bloods of a nine year old. Ive tested her for everything including TF. She had a scan two weeks ago and my vet was shocked that there was no inflammation in her bowels. Anyway I was just searching around online and read somethign that said IBS (not IBD) doesnt infame the bowels. So therefore, my cat has IBS right?

I have tried so many different diets, including hypo allegenic, novel and single protein etc. And then I fell upon this thread which says IBS can be caused by stress. I found a stray cat in my garden three years ago and my IBS cat doesnt like him at all. I know the diarrhea only started several months ago, but I have been thinking for a whle now that it might be a stress issue caused by the new cat. What do you think?

Thanks,

Kris

 

[denice]

You said your kitty had a scan was it an ultrasound?  Inflammation doesn't always show up on an ultrasound.  It's a good diagnostic to have done and inflammation often does show up but not always.  The accuracy of the results also depends on the how good the person who reads it is at doing their job.  I really don't think the kind of explosive diarrhea that you are talking about would've lasted this long because of stress. 

Is your kitty an indoor/outdoor kitty?  I ask because being outdoors increases the chances of some kind of parasite infestation.  

Many vets will do a trial with a steroid to diagnose IBD.  If it's IBD the steroid will usually clear up the issue.

 

[kris35]

Hi Denice,

Yes it was a full repo and abdo ultrasound. My vet showed me the images and showed me that with inflammation you would see a thickening here and here (showed me). She is mainly indoors but has a cat flap so comes and goes as she feels. She has had tests for all parasites and came back clear. She is now on steroids but that doesnt seem to be helping either. I'm contacting a holistic vet and changing ehr food again - raw this time, but gradually introducing it as she turned her nose up last time.

 

[bonepicker]

Hi excuse me if I already gave my situation, but Vet thought my dsh cat might have ibd, she vomited daily and usually a hairball. So we tried some different things. First he wormed her even though nothing showed up in stool. I thought I saw little white bits in her vomit. We then put her on revolution drops also (she was previously on frontline which is just flea and not flea and worms). We did this because she catches mice or moles in garage. I then took away dry food and it was good stuff orijen. I then started buying all grain free canned food only. I also gave her vets best hairball relief tabs made from slippery elm and psyllium (buy on amazon very inexpensive). She has not vomited now for 2 months. I am backing off on 1 1/2 hbr tabs down to 1/2 a day and still no vomiting. I am a firm believer it was grain or worms. I will narrow it down soon by giving her a can of food with grain in it to see if she starts vomiting again because I want to know the trigger worms or grain!

 

[denice]

 
Hi Denice,

Yes it was a full repo and abdo ultrasound. My vet showed me the images and showed me that with inflammation you would see a thickening here and here (showed me). She is mainly indoors but has a cat flap so comes and goes as she feels. She has had tests for all parasites and came back clear. She is now on steroids but that doesnt seem to be helping either. I'm contacting a holistic vet and changing ehr food again - raw this time, but gradually introducing it as she turned her nose up last time.

We have a member here, she travels for work and isn't very active here anymore, who had the same situation.  Her kitty's diarrhea didn't respond to steroids either and raw cleared up the issue.  We have a raw and homecooked forum here with lots of good info in stickies at the top, also threads about making the transition.  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

 

[kris35]

Thankyou Denice. Well after around nine months of explosive diarrhea that would be splattered a foot wide, I tried one last thing. Grain free. Today my cat did a firmish poo. As soon as I stopped feeding ehr the novel protein and novel grain kangaroo and amaranth diet, she regained control of her bottom almost immediately. Her bum was red raw, she was pooing as she walked and I was having to change the towels on teh bed in the night at least once. Maybe too soon to be sure but I dug out some old raw food that I had delivered a few months ago and that she wouldn't eat. I lightly boiled it and fed her small portions. It seems to have worked and I am gobsmacked at the change in her poos. I cannot believe it!!

 

[denice]

Carolina had the same response when she switched to raw.  This was also after a long period of time trying different things, at one point her kitty quit eating and she was syringe feeding him to avoid fatty liver disease.