Hello,
I posted here a few months ago in this thread, when my older cat mysteriously lost weight and stopped using the box regularly:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=80775
I want to thank the poster growler~Gatekeeper for pointing me towards IDB. After more tests and examining her symptoms, we're very confident she has IDB. That's a diagnosis two vets couldn't seem to make.
The vet treated her with steroids and anti-biotics as a last result in early June when she took a severe turn for the worse. He said it was a shot in the dark that this was her last chance. Well, the medicine worked and she's doing a lot better on food that doesn't have corn or grains. The best food we can find based on our limited options is Purina One Beyond for dry food and Fancy Feast Classic for wet food. We also mix pumpkin into her food every day, which helps. (Anyone who doesn't know about the positive effects of pumpkin on cats, please look into it!)
I now have two questions I hope you guys can help me with:
1. When should the cat go back to the vet? I know IDB cats need to go on and off the treatment, but he gave us no date for a follow-up visit or any info on starting the treatment again. (Like I said, he didn't act as if he expected the treatment to work.)
2. Is there any way to harden her stools? She no longer has diarrhea, but her stools often have the consistency of pudding. The pumpkin helps, but is there any way her stools can become hard again? Are loose stools a sign that she'll continue to lose weight?
Thanks for any help you guys can provide.