Reply To: IBS

[Chris]

Hi Shan, I’m going to be a little nit picky with the terminology, but I think it’s important. If your kitty is on prednisolone, then you likely mean IBD (which they now call a chronic inflammatory enteropathy, though I still prefer IBD because it’s an easier term) and not IBS. They are actually very separate disorders. IBD is related to protein allergy and possibly immune reaction to bacterial populations and environmental factors. IBS is more of a stress-related disorder which can be addressed with anxiety medication and other supportive care.

Cats can normally be picky but the other issue with IBD is that if their bowels are uncomfortable, trying a new diet is sometimes very hard because they may associate bowel discomfort with eating a certain food. While it is ideal to have an appropriate novel protein or hydrolyzed protein diet, I have recognzied that this is not possible for every cat because eating the diet is up to them, not to us. When I was trying to get my own cat with IBD on a special diet, I had to transition very slowly to a new one over weeks and it was a trial/error process over about three diets before we (she) settled on the Royal Canin HP dry with the rabbit and pea select protein wet. So a total of a couple months process. I have had other patients who wouldn’t eat the HP and others where the rabbit/pea actually gave them diarrhea. So it’s a very individualized response.

Although I understand your desire to get your cat off of a steroid, it may not be practical to have that expectation. Mild IBD can be controlled with diet alone, but if your cat had any weight loss associated with the condition, a steroid may always be necessary. It can be possible to taper the pred down to a lower dose or only being given two or three times a week (discuss with your vet first). I’ve had that success with some patients (but not all). That can at least mitigate potential long-term effects.

Budesonide is another option that can work as well as pred but it acts more locally on the digestive tract. It may not be a good option if IBD is accompanied also by cholangiohepatitis and/or pancreatitis, but if only intestinal disease is present, it’s not bad to consider and chat with your vet about if the potential systemic affects of pred are a concern (or if there is any underlying concern for kidney disease, diabetes risk, or heart disease risk).

I agree with the other reader that miralax can be a good option for constipation without messing other things up too badly. Most cats may only need 1/8th to 1/4 teaspoon once or twice a day mixed with food and it is flavorless.

Constipation can also be an issue with dietary fiber as well. There are special diets for that too, which are best, but you end up with problems trying to balance multiple conditions. A balance of both soluble and insoluble fiber is usually best. Nutramax makes a mixed fiber supplement under the Proviable label that is one option.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  Chris.