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Old October 20th, 2020, 07:55 PM
chiiaki chiiaki is offline
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Cat with IBD, constipation and UTI

Hello,
A little background on my cat, he's just turned 15 years old. From 1-12 he had no issues aside from a hyperthyroid (we sent him for radioactive iodine and he fully recovered).
In the last 3 years we started him on Hill's prescription diet K/D as a precaution for his kidney's as the vet mentioned his kidney function was starting to decline with the older age.
He hated the food but we spoon fed him in hopes he would take to it, within a 3-4 months he was having issues pooping. We had to take him to the clinic to help him remove the poop.
At first we thought it was constipation a reaction to the food, then later on after a series of vet visits and tests they found he had developed IBD. He was prescribed antibiotics and prednisone. Now he got worse after this, he wasn't eating and he had dropped from 15lbs to 9, the medication was making him queasy so the animal hospital prescribed him some medication that would increase his hunger.
Finally after all his antibiotics were gone, and his prednisone medication reduced, he started eating a little on his own again.
It's been 3 years since he was diagnosed with IBD, and placed on prednisone.
Today he's still taking prednisone 2.5mg every 4th day for IBD.
Because he's still having issues pooping on his own (he gets constipated and we have to take him to the vet regularly for an anema.
We give him lactulose twice a day 2ml, and cisapride twice a day 2.5mg each to help strengthen his colon
Because he's still not eating enough wet food and drinking enough we also give him an IV of subcutaneous fluid once a day (100ml)
For his food we currently spoon feed him Hills GI biome, and if he's up for it in the mornings he'll rarely eat a can of fancy feast.
We often have to take him to the vet because his colon is enlarged and he has trouble pooping, and recently he's been peeing blood as well because he gets UTI infections often this last year so we've been taking him to the vet to flush the infection out (apparently there's no medication for this type of bacteria)
Ever since IBD he's been having all these additional complications, and it's been getting worse.
I've been scouring these boards and trying to research as much as I can about IBD, and possible ways to treat it. I've seen that changing diet has the most impact, and a holistic vet could possibly make a world of difference too.
I've tried switching my cat to different types of food that would help IBD but he's notoriously picky.
I'm looking for guidance, should I look for a holistic vet first? Will a holistic vet help me with a gradual transition from traditional western medication?
What are some places or things I can do to try and find a reputable holistic vet in my area?
I love my vet they've always taken good care of my cat, but I think the treatments are really only holding his current symptoms at bay.
Sorry for the long Ramble!
Thanks for any advice you could give!
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Old October 21st, 2020, 12:56 PM
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Reg Reg is offline
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Hi chiiaki;

Sorry to hear about your issues with your cat. I was in a similar situation years ago with IBD and I switch to an integrative vet due to the fact that I wanted to go to a species appropriate diet. I think if I was in your shoes I would be doing the same. Our conventional vets were not taught species appropriate diets in college or university. So if you can find a vet who has stepped outside the box and learned about homeopathy and natural path he you will end up having the best of both worlds.

When it comes to constipation an integrative vet will be able to suggest other alternatives for treating that problem which would be easier on the cat.

When it comes to urinary tract issues I have found that switching to a species appropriate diet, and homeopathic remedies would alleviate the problem. The major issue I have found is the pH factor of the urine. If it is up around 7 pH then you start having issues. A raw food diet usually puts the pH down around 6 1/4 to 6 1/2 which alleviates a lot of issues. Kibbles are noted for causing urinary tract issues

I think I would be checking the Internet to see if there is a holistic vets in your area, and then making some phone calls to see if they specialize in treating cats with your issues before making an appointment.

Please keep us informed, and we would sure like to see a photo of your cat.

Here's a website you might find interesting it covers a lot of your issues, raw feeding, urinary tract issues, antibiotics, and constipation.

https://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/
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Old October 23rd, 2020, 09:00 PM
chiiaki chiiaki is offline
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Hey Reg,
Thank you so much for the information.
I've shopped around and found a vet that uses an integrated approach, and have treated cats with IBD & UTI issues before.

The first thing they asked me is if I'd be ok with raw, as their primary treatment for IBD is switching diets. (I said yes, and if they could get my cat to eat raw I'd do it in a heartbeat, he's notoriously finicky)

I'll keep you guys posted on my cat's condition, and the journey to making an extremely picky cat turn to raw food.

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Old October 24th, 2020, 11:20 AM
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Reg Reg is offline
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Hi

What a great looking picture..... This little guy seems to be in great shape for his age for sure.

I am glad to hear that you have found an integrative vet, and hopefully they will be able to supply you with the necessities to get the little guys gut health back.

Switching over to raw food can be quite frustrating at times. It takes a lot of TLC and patience to overcome the problem. It took me almost 2 months with one of our cats to break him of kibble and put him on raw food. From what I have learned that cats in the wild usually learn what they are to eat in 6 months from their mothers, and after that they don't deviate from that unless they are forced to, due to hunger. So this is why we consider them as finicky eaters when we try to change their diet. It seems as if they're hardwired to follow the straight and narrow that they were taught as kittens.

Oh! What is the wee guys name.

Thanks for keeping us informed, things have changed so much since I was in your position. It will be interesting to see how things are done today.
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Old October 24th, 2020, 05:34 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Oh, chiiaki, what an adorable kitty!

There is a Raw Feeding for IBD Cats group on Facebook that is pretty informative. If you have a FB account, that might be worth looking into.

Here's a link to it, if you're interested: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RawFedIBD
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