Hiya Pet lovers......I need some help.
My family has a cat named Blaze.....he'll be with us for a year in June.
If he makes it that long here.
When we got him as a kitten, he was easily trained to use the litter box. No accidents anywhere.
In Feb of this year, he had a bout of diarrhea. We took him to the vet for a shot, and it seemed to be fine. However, as time goes on, the diarrhea is becomming more frequent, and he can't get to the litter box. We've taken him to the vet for tests, worms came back negative.
The vet said it could be colitis. He gave us special food about a week ago. It hasn't helped, and the diarrhea is still here. Each morning is a sick treasure hunt of where he releaved himself.
On Thursday he has an appointment for x-rays and bloodwork. Needless to say, this is getting expensive, and we are concerned for Blaze's health.
Has anyone else had to deal with this issue? Any advice?
Chuck, my now-12-year-old whippet Madison was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease about three years ago. While it's different than IBS, I think there are many similarities. BTW, Madison was diagnosed without an endoscopy (after we had spent a small fortune on X rays and other tests, including an MRI of her brain -- but that's a whole other story).
The steroid prednisone was/is Madison's lifesaver. She was on it for quite a while, but now we only use it to get her back on track after she's had a flareup of her IBD. Oh, and she does get half a regular-strength Pepcid AD tablet each night before she goes to bed to control her stomach acid which tends to build up overnight. (The signs of that are a gurgly stomach -- the tummy rumbles.)
I think you'll be able to get Blaze's IBS under control with some dietary changes. Right now Madison's food is Hill's Prescription Diet z/d Ultra canine. (They also make a feline version, I see.) It's a highly digestible food which is allergen-free. It's the only food that Madison is allowed to eat except for the little bit of American cheese we wrap her pills in (or use to entice her to eat her food). If she accidentally eats table food, we pay the price because it brings on diarrhea and we have to start up the prednisone regimen again. With dogs anyway, prednisone causes increased urination, but maybe that's not as big a deal for cats since they always have access to a litter box.
I found the Internet a great resource when Madison was first diagnosed. I even joined a Yahoo group for dogs with digestive issues. Maybe you can find one for cats. I regret that Madison wasn't diagnosed earlier because she had always seemed to have a sensitive stomach and frequent bouts of diarrhea.
Here's a photo of Madison (reposted from earlier in this thread):
Topic: Animals In Our Lives (Read 1116994 times)