Three senior cats with IBD

[catwoman707]

I have wanted to however they are super picky when it comes to canned, and the NV rabbit also has pork, which makes it not the solo protein that she needs right now.

 

[monkeypaws]

Just want to add that I also have a cat recently diagnosed with IBD. There must be some common thread here and, like another user mentioned, I am thinking it is food related.

Btw, my cat is currently on 5mg Pepcid BID, B12 shots and can only eat Nutro Max canned adult food. She was previously eating a combo of the canned and dry Nutro but while trying out different foods for her, it became very clear that any consumption of dry food (or even treats) would set in motion an episode of vomiting and diarrhea.

 

[riley1]

 
Thank you for all the information.  I had read through much of it before in my efforts to understand this illness.  The vet has ruled out everything except IBD and cancer.  She said she didn't think it was cancer because he would not have survived the 18 months it has been going on.  She does not want to do a biopsy because of his age and health condition.  She doesn't think he would survive being put under. 

I have not tried yogurt.  I have to call her today to update his status so I will ask about that.  She said to eliminate any treats and just stick to the dry and canned foods.  So now I give him boiled chicken for treats.

The worst part is he hates taking medicine.  He is better with the liquid but you can forget about pills.  I would have no problem with giving him an injection, at one time or another I have had to give sub q to all three. 

Oh and she does give him B12 injections when we take him in so I was happy to read that.

The vet explained it to me like his intestines are swollen so they are smooth and the food passes straight through and the nutrients do not absorb.  That is why he is hungry all the time.  So it sounds to me like he is literally starving even though he is eating all the time.  Is that really what is happening?   I wish there was a magic cure that would help him

His fur is coming out and in the past couple days he started losing his balance.

I will read through everything again and see if I can figure out a new game plan.  Thank you again.

I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble.  I had basically the same thing.  My cat survived for almost 3 years from the first symptoms, but was not treated the first year due to poor advice from a vet.  He loved to go outside & eat a lot of grass.  This should have been my first indicator that something was wrong.  We did not go thru the diarrhea problem just soft, formed stool; just vomiting & no eating.   Last Aug. he had to have his anal glands expressed because of constipation problems.  I wonder if this was related.  I tried many other foods with little success.  He did not want the good food that was recommended so I gave him what he would eat. He switched himself to dry Fromm for a while.  Towards the end I was opening can after can.  One thing that he never liked before was a product called Catsip.  It is milk made for cats. I would warm it up and he drank it. Interesting that he did not lose any weight until the last week.  I opted out of the biopsy because of the stress & pain it would cause him.  After you have had an ultrasound if no tumors are found the biopsy does not show much.  I was told that once cats are on presnoslone, the biopsy may not show anything any way.  There a drug called cerenia (SP) that stopped the vomiting completely.  Also, there is another one for stomach acid.  The stomach acid drug & presnoslone only work about a third of the time.  Didn't want chemo either because the vet said he would only live 6-12 months.  We had the B12 as well.

As long as your kitties are eating, using the litter box & drinking my vet said this was OK for my cat.  If you look on the internet their are stories of cats who recovered from IBD with proper food management.  Mine would never eat food like Basic.  Good luck I hope you find things that they will eat & be able to solve their problems.

 

[iluvcats4ever]

I'm sorry to tell you all that I lost two of my IBD cats.  The first one, Chewy, I lost in November 2013, he was 15, I lost the second one, Munchkin, 17, in October 2014.  The last one, Skye, is now 16 and she has developed thyroid issues, she still suffers with IBD but we can usually keep it controlled.

I will tell you the one thing I learned, don't wait too long. The one in 2013 was miserable before I made the decision, his IBD killed him.  I had wanted to end his suffering  much earlier, but I let people talk me out of it.  He suffered and I will never forgive myself for that.

The second one died with kidney failure.  I didn't have any idea he went into kidney failure, they said I could try the subq and all that, but it would only give him a couple of months. I had watched him in pain over the weekend and I decided to end it before he suffered anymore.  I still cry every day.

In Sept 2014 I also lost another cat, Faun,  who was born with birth defects and mental issues, she was 14.

This thread should be closed.

 

[myrnafaye]

I am so sorry for your losses.  It is so hard.  Please dont blame yourself, we who love the four leggeds do the best we can for them, and sometimes it is not clear what the best is.

 

[betsygee]

 
This thread should be closed.

 The TCS team sends our condolences for the loss of your kitties.  We'll lock this thread now.   If you have not visited our Crossing the Bridge forum, we invite you to do so, and post a tribute to your kitties if you wish.