Bandit's sick again :(

So as I have probably ranted before, Bandit, we think, has Inflamed Bowel Disease.

He has been doing great, and we have been slowly taking him off his steroids over the past few weeks, when last night, I come home from the movies to hear him retching...and see diarrhea on the floor...uh oh!

I put him in isolation in a sealed room for the night, and by morning, he was asleep in a pile of saliva, and he had pooped blood.

It's amazing how fast he can get so bad. Anyway my plan is to leave him in isolation for two days, and monitor him, then if here is no improvement take him to the vet.

Do you think this is a safe plan?

 

No, I don't.

Unless your doctor has specifically told you to do that, I would take him in sooner. The blood is not good at all and if he's relapsing, then it really doesn't take cats very long at all to head south. Two days is too long to let it continue as is.

 

We were at the vet around a month ago, he told us he just has a very sensitive stomach, and if he east anything except his special food he will poop blood

The vet was unconcerned my be screaming "he's pooping blood!!!' He says it is due to his collon being inflamed from eating something bad. I feel like if I go back to the vet he's going to say the exact same thing


He says if we keep him on his special food and nothing else he will be fine.

 

He really does'nt sound well you need keep a eye on him and I ring another vet and tell them all you have put here and what your other vet has said...see what they say because to me he sounds really Ill and needs to be at the vets.
He can't just got 2 or 3 days are more in that kinde of state the poor boy is really poorly.

 

Did you give him something other than the special food?

I have a friend whose cat is the same way. He has IBD and has to be on the special foods. They have tried switching him down to slightly less expensive food and he always has problems. The last time it happened, he started throwing up that night, they took him to the vet first thing that morning, and the doctor told them that had they waited until after work like they planned, he wouldn't have lived to see it. That's part of why I was so insistent that waiting 48 hours could be too long.

Maybe it's not time to back off the steroids yet if he's starting to have issues again? Can you just call the vet instead of going in again?

 

I think there is a chance he might have gotten into something other than the special food. Given it was thanksgiving and we had people over there is a good chance he begged and someone slipped him some turkey.

I called the vet, told him is poop was entirely blood, and he said, I am right, chances are he has eaten something he shouldn't and its upset him, specifically his colon, and this has lead to it becoming inflamed, again, hence the blood.

The vet told me, to watch him like a hawk, for any behavioral changes, dehydration, etc, etc and if the blood doesnt stop by today, call them again and they will give me antibiotics without a visit.

Today he is much better! The blood has stopped, as has the vomit, he is reaching out for cuddles and attention and is eating like a champ.

I think he does need to continue on the steroids, which is annoying because it means the food is not working as well as we had hoped.

He is not dehydrated, lethargic or anything like that. Which is really good, I an usually tell when he is feeling down by his behavioral changes.

I am thinking of switching him to a raw food diet asap.

 

Oh good! I'm glad to hear that the blood has stopped and he's feeling more like himself again.

If he got into something he shouldn't have, I wouldn't blame the food not working. He's still on steroids and essentially trying to 'recover' and 'regain strength' in his bowels. If he ate something he shouldn't during that time, then it would be counteracting the effects that the food would be helping otherwise.

 

Oh, and on this part, make sure you talk to the vet about it, too. Switching to a raw food diet might not actually help him at all. Or it might be best to wait until he's back on track with the current food/steroids/feeling better, etc, and then make the switching. Switching foods can really mess with their systems in general.

 

Yeah I want to wait until he is back on his feet. I mentioned it to the vet, but he said let's work on getting him stable first...which I totally agree on!

Right now he is eating Carlyle Tuna for Cats, and Royal Canin Fibre kibble.

I have read online about a lot of people having success with raw diets and IBD so I figured, might as well try! I have the mix ready I just need the meat (and a healthy cat) before I can do it.

He LOVES raw meat, and always begs for it whenever I cook.

 

What kind of mix are you going to use, might I ask? I have switched my dog to homemade food, but my cats are on regular store-bought dry food still. Is it mostly fish like the tuna mentioned or do you include all sorts of raw meats?

 

Its something like Better in the raw or something like that. He's only on Tuna now, but he Loves chicken, I ususally use Chicken hearts for him as a treat, but I havent tried this raw mix yet. http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/cat_food_better_in_the_raw

 

Ooohhhh.

So you're still buying it as a mix? Not preparing it yourself? I misunderstood your previous post, I think. I hadn't seen this mix brand before, but it's interesting to read about. So long as it actually includes all of the nutrients it says, then hopefully it works for you.

 

Its basically a supplement mix, you can mix with any raw meat to make sure it has all the nutrients, since I wont be grinding up bones or anything. i am excited to try, I think it is worth it if I can get him stable.

He was up running after a laser pointer last night, kneading my chest this morning and purring like a motorbike, I think safe to say he is healthy!

 

Please let us know how you like it once you get to try it? I'm curious if it really works out to about the price they quoted per day, too.

And yay for him feeling better! Sounds like you might be in the clear then.

 

Yeah I am interested to try too, I made my own raw for a while, and they loved it, but I really didn't think it was nutritionally balanced for him. I usually use chicken hearts and they are about $2 a pack, and they lasted him two weeks.