Irritable Bowel Syndrome

[meiram]

Anyone here have a cat with IBS?  If so, what has the course of treatment been?  My husband's 16 y/o cat has been diagnosed with it and we have been giving prednisone and sulfasalismone, which seems to be becoming less effective. We are also open to alternative medicine tx if it would be helpful.  

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, sorry things didn't work out better!!  The decision to put down our animals is NOT easy in all cases.  When the quality of life is just not there anymore-it becomes a "no brainer".

In time, your heart will heal.  In the meantime, I wish you well.

[meiram]

Well, we went for a second opinion and that vet said also IBS and we were doing all we can for him.  Anyway, things aren't looking good for kitty and after much deliberation, my husband is choosing to have him put down tomorrow morning.  He is not eating much anymore, even the baby food, and appears to be truly uncomfortable.  It is truly a sad day at our house.  Although he and I were arch-enemies for nearly 3 years I will miss him almost as much as my husband will.

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, didn't think you were gonna respond, it's been a while.  By the way, it wasn't too much info at all.  Anyone that writes to the forums SHOULD definitely write as much as they can about their cat's symptoms-that way we can help more.

Well, what tests were run on your cat?  Some of them aren't cheap, but you'd get a more definite diagnosis with some of the tests.  Here are some tests-colonoscopy, ultrasound, MRI, etc.  Actually, there are other conditions that cause stool dilemmas-thyroid, diabetes, change of diet, etc.  Are there any other symptoms?  Also, my mom's cat had major diarrhea and throwing up issues for years, and found out later that she had Giardia-this is a protozoan, similar to a parasite.  A regular stool sample for worms will not detect it.  Her cat had ulcerative colitis, most likely from that.  So there could be a possibility that your cat has this, especially if she/he's been a stray in the past.

Let me know some more, and me and others will help brain storm with ya!!

[meiram]

Well, other tests have been done and everything that was tested for came back within normal limits.  My husband has tried weaning him slowly off of the prednisone and as soon as he gets to a certain limit, the symptoms flare back up again:  excessively stinky, frequent, painful bm (sorry if TMI). The only thing he will eat right now is meat baby food, Gerber not Beech Nut.  Turkey or beef, not ham.

Thanks all for the input.

[zodiacqueen]

Sorry I have to post again.  Please don't ever give your cats acetominophen in ANY amount.  It is poisonous and will cause kidney failure, it happened to my cat Oreo.  Sorry Savas, if you are reading this, but this is 100% true.

[zodiacqueen]

Hi

I find it hard to believe that after 16 years-all of a sudden she develops IBS.  From what I know of it, it is usually a nervous condition.  My mom was diagnosed with this(GOD, she'll kill me for telling the world-LOL), the doc couldn't find out what the real deal was, so he threw the IBS label on her.  But, after all of these years, a change in the diet fixed it.  Personally I think the IBS label on people and animals is the IBS MINUS the letter "I".  

In other words, I would look into other possible causes, and there are a bunch-worms, and diet, stress, etc.  Does she have diarrhea or constipation?  If so, then I would treat those symptoms ONLY until other tests are done.  I would get her off of the prednisone, as quickly as possible-it weakens the immune system and can cause diabetes(it happened to one of my cats, until I took her off of it.  Google diabetes and prednisone together and see for yourself what comes up.  By the way, my cat had GI problems, too.

Good luck
Staci

[Ghilly]

Depo-medrol is excellent for the management of IBS in kitties.  You do need to keep a close eye on her for signs of diabetes, as steroids do tend to cause diabetes after extended use , however cats are MUCH more tolerant of steroids than dogs are, and most of them respond well to the depo-medrol when it comes to the IBS.  If the IBS is severe, she may need a shot as often as every 30 days, however if it's a milder case, you will only need to give her another shot when the constant diarrhea returns.  I had a cat with a severe case of IBS, and one vet recommended putting her to sleep when she was six months old.  She was such a loving little thing that there was no way that I could do that, and I took her for a second opinion and that vet recommended aggressive depo-medrol treatments, and she lived to be seven years old before she finally did develop diabetes and could no longer tolerate the injections that made a normal life possible for her.  It killed me to finally have to euthanize her at such a young age, but I had six and a half more years with her that I would not have had were it not for the steroids.

Ghilly

[meiram]

That is another problem, he is constantly hungry, but doesn't like anything we have to offer.  When he gets desperate, he will eat a little.  We have had the most luck with meat baby food.  Thanks for the tips.  

[Savas]

The problem with prednisone is kitty tends to build up a resistance to the medication over time.

generally I suggest taking your cat off of regular cat food and trying a diet of boiled white rice mixed with chicken/meat/fish bits (raw or cooked...although I can't abide serving raw foods. :)  )

Otherwise, you can use an 1/8 of a teaspoon of Pepto Bismol when it's severe, but never more than two doses in three to four days...remember, PB has acetaminophen in it, so giving it to a cat does involve some risk.