Diabetic/IBD cat

[Pixie5691]

Hi everyone

I’m so pleased to have found this forum!
Last year my fur baby, Ember, was diagnosed firstly with IBD, and then more recently diabetes.
Unfortunately my mum was really poorly this year, and passed away at the end of August, so I didn’t have my eye on the ball with respect to Emb until after mum had gone, and it was only then that I saw how much weight she had lost. She had two nights at the vets on fluids, bloods, urine tests and has been on Denver since. She has out on weight and mostly seems ok although still has diarrhoea every day since being diagnosed. There has been maybe two solid poos in all those weeks

The vet is keeping a good check on her but the diarrhoea is worrying me ..

She has been on PURINA anti inflammatory biscuits since earlier this year. I tried probiotics but they made her throw up .. any suggestions for firming up the poo, without causing issues with her diabetes, would be most appreciated!

Thank you
Claire & Ember

 

[Carina and Shelly]

Hi Claire,
I’m sorry for your loss

Shelly also has a dual diagnosis of IBD/DM and it can be challenging to figure out how to proceed, especially since every cat is different. Shelly has done really well on a probiotic. I am wondering about trying a different brand and/or starting with a smaller dose and working your way up to a full dose if Ember is able to tolerate it. Ours is a powder version and I give it to Shelly through a syringe mixed with 1-2 ml water. I haven’t tried this, but I have the idea on this forum of putting 1 tsp canned pumpkin in the food to help firm up the stool.

I don’t see a signature on your post. I am also relatively new here. Someone with more experience (and tech savvy ) will likely chime in and provide the information for setting up your signature and spreadsheet. But if not the information should be listed on a “sticky note” on the main forum page.

 

[Carina and Shelly]

Here are the links:

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-signature-video.307281/

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Hi Claire - welcome to FDMB! Ember is beautiful and I'm very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you've had a lot come at you recently.

My Moonie also has IBD. When she has flare-ups, s boulardii has been a complete life saver for us. This link has more information - note that they recommend using a version with MOS (which is much better), but some cats won't tolerate it because it can taste bitter. So I use s boulardii without MOS and it still works fine for us - I'm mentioning this in case Ember is picky like Moonie.

How to Use S boulardii for diarrhea

Which probiotics have you used? Some cats just don't tolerate them but you may want to try a different brand before throwing in the towel. Visbiome is a great brand though quite expensive, and Proviable is another great option.

Finally - have you checked the carb content on those Purina biscuits? I would guess that they're really high and probably not suitable for a diabetic.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome, looks like the black cats have been first in line to say hello to you.. Sorry to hear you've had such a trying year so far.

I've have experience with IBD and feline diabetes, but not in the same cat. Though we couldn't test Neko to rule IBD out (due to her heart condition), it was strongly suspected to be small cell lymphoma. Some IBD cats (and Neko) need a steroid to help with GI symptoms. There is a steroid called budesonide that often does not impact blood sugars - it didn't impact Neko's sugars.

I also second Visbiome as a good product. But if you are in the UK or Europe, the equivalent product is CDS22-formula. S. boulardii is also great for diarrhea. It is a probiotic fungus, good at mopping up the bad bacteria. The probiotic then replaces the good ones. You can use both. Another thing you can also try is a prebiotic. Psyllium husk fiber for example. Back in the day I used to give Neko a little pumpkin/squash - she loved it.

 

[Carina and Shelly]

Yes! I forgot to mention Budesonide. This is the steroid Shelly transitioned to after being diagnosed with DM while on Prednisolone. The Budesonide was not enough to support her symptoms, which was when we added the probiotic. This has been a good combo for her.