Pet Meds Blog

The most common diagnosis given to cats with chronic digestive symptoms is usually called inflammatory bowel disease. This emerging disease has been increasingly identified with more thorough GI workups. Symptoms can vary tremendously across cats but include any combination or one of the following: changes in appetite either more or less; intermittent or chronic vomiting sometimes inappropriately blamed on hairballs and may or may not be related to eating; intermittent or chronic diarrhea of varying character depending upon whether the upper or lower digestive tract is inflamed; ultimately weight loss is usually seen.

Since this disorder is more common in middle age to older cats, it is important to have a complete medical workup at the vet including therapeutic worming trials for emerging parasites like Giardia or trichomonas,(even if no parasites are identified on stool samples), as well as intestinal antibiotic therapy with prescription medications like Metronidazole, or Ranitizole.

When such digestive symptoms are chronic, a full GI workup should be done including CBC/chemistry/thyroid blood profiles, as well as urine analysis and imaging of the digestive tract with routine x-rays, ultrasound, and ultimately if needed for definitive diagnosis, an intestinal biopsy by endoscope, laparoscope, or at surgery. Given the recent identification of feline liver and pancreatitic diseases now being recognized like pancreatitis and low level hepatitis, pancreatic bloods testing with tests such as a TLI or PLI test are often helpful. This trio of conditions is often seen together involving the intestines, liver, and pancreas and has been coined triaditis by veterinary gastroenterologists.

An often forgotten part of therapy for feline inflammatory bowel disease or triaditis is dietary manipulation using a novel protein elimination diet or hydrolyzed protein diet for 4-6 weeks that typically is best advised by your veterinarian. Many cats will improve on dietary changes alone often within a week. However, if there are no positive changes after several weeks, then certainly antibiotic trials with some of the meds mentioned above or the antibiotic Tylan powder, and/or stronger immune suppressive therapies with prescription drugs like Prednisone, Azathioprine, or Chlorambucil are sometimes needed. Adding soluble fiber to the diet such as Vetasyl, as well as Omega 3 fatty acids like Be Well or Missing Link for Cats can help as well in the digestion process. Enzymes and probiotics like NatureVet Enzymes and Probiotics from 1800PetMeds can often help as well in managing this chronic condition.

Read Related Posts on PetMeds Blog:

1. PetMeds® Reducing Your Pet’s Excessive Gas
2. PetMeds® Weight Loss As a Symptom in Pets
3. Managing Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome in Pets
4. PetMeds®: Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) in Cats and Dogs
5. PetMeds® Pets with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) vs. Lymphoma