Hi
First post here and wanting some advice please. We have a 3 legged bengal who is now coming up to his 15th birthday. He was run over when he was 3yrs old but since has led a healthy and happy life confined to house and garden. He has always been very fussy over his food-what he eats one day he will reject the next. I think he has tried just about everything on the market! He was diagnosed with IBD a few years ago but only recently has it become a major problem. He is on depo medrol injections every 4 weeks but they only last about 2.5-3 weeks so he vomits and has the runs for 1.5 weeks every month. I would like him to have the injection every 3 weeks but the vet says he is on a big dose (0.6ml) and doesn't want to increase it. Now he is older he gets himself covered in diarrhoea from the litter tray and trails it through our living/kitchen area, over tables and sofas. We are wondering how much longer we can cope with this. Any help or advice would be very welcome.

Oh your poor Bengal, and poor you as well as that is a lot to cope with.

I've had steroid injections for an auto-immune problem (not IBD) and there are quite serious side effects etc and doctors aren't keen on giving them too often as a result, and it would appear this is the same for vets. Have you discussed with your vet the issues you are having once the injection has worn off and has he said what the side effects would be for your Bengal if the frequency was increased? I did find this when I googled feline IBD as I was wondering if there was another steroid that could help:

"Treating IBD

If an underlying cause can be identified then obviously the signs will usually resolve. For example, in the case of a dietary allergy a long-term change to the diet may be all the treatment that is required.

Cases of idiopathic IBD will need to be controlled rather than cured, and there are several approaches that can be used, alone or in combination:
•While low allergy diets will assist cases that are allergic to a specific foodstuff, cats with idiopathic IBD will often benefit from a highly digestible diet with increased soluble fibre and supplemented with certain essential fatty acids. Pre-prepared veterinary diets are available to meet that need.

•Prednisolone is a corticosteroid drug that is most commonly used to control this condition. In many cases it is extremely effective, and the dose can be adjusted over time to provide the minimum amount required to control the symptoms. In some instances more potent anti-inflammatory drugs need to be used, but the risk of side-effects is higher.

•Antibiotics are not generally used to treat this condition, but metronidazole is an antibiotic that is not only active against some of the single-celled organisms that can cause diarrhoea, but also seems to have a direct anti-inflammatory effect within the bowel, so in some cases it may be useful.

•Many cats that are unable to absorb nutrients from their bowel properly become deficient in vitamin B12, and if given by injection it often aids recovery.

IBD can be a frustrating problem because diagnosis is not always easy and treatment usually involves control rather than cure. But it’s not all bad news — most cases are eminently manageable and the long-term outlook for most cats with this condition is good."

I know that I responded better to one type of steroid injection than another so it may be worth discussing a change to a more powerful steroid injection if you feel that the side effects are worth the risk.

I don't know the lay out of your home of course and I'm sure you've already considered it anyway, but would a change of location with the litter box help, so you are able to deal with cleaning him up before he goes into the rest of the house? That is of course assuming you are home at the time or would you be able to restrict his access to the rest of the house whilst you are out?

I really hope you find a solution for all of you and wish I could help more, I really hope there is someone else on the forum who has more knowledge with this matter. Let us know how you get on.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Just one other thing, when my two were kittens their tummies were quite sensitive - nothing like what you are experiencing of course - but they also used to trail diarrhoea through the house. I ordered some really cheap pet blankets from Amazon and covered all our sofas and chairs with them and then you can just wash them if anything gets on them and it protects your furnishings. Hard surfaces are easier to deal with as it wipes off. I don't have these problems now they're bigger, but I still keep the pet blankets on just in case and quickly remove them if we have guests.

All our beds are covered with throws during the day as well just in case they come in and stomp muddy paws every where.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Thanks for your reply, Tabitha. I took him to the vet today and asked again to bring forward his steroid but was refused because of potential side effects. We already have covered all soft furnishings that we can and he already has the entire dining room devoted to his food and litter tray etc so not much more we can do. We cant leave him either because I couldnt ask a pet sitter etc to cope with this. Just seems crazy to have to put him to sleep when we have an effective treatment but one which doesn't last long enough to make the situation sustainable. Maybe I'll try another vet although I expect that they will want to put him through more investigations and I don't want to put him through an anaesthetic at his age.

Have your tried a pet probiotic? That really firmed things up for my cats. I still give it to them.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Thanks for your support. Have done my research and discovered he is not having an excessive steroid dose so might seek a second opinion. Probiotics, B12 and dietary advice might also help.

That's great, I hope you find a vet who can help give you all a better quality of life. Just that quick google I did mentioned diet and b12 injections and that there is a good outlook and should be manageable. I guess it's just like with GPs, they all have their areas of expertise and you need to find a vet who knows about IBD in cats and how best to manage it. You might have a cat specialist near you who will be able to help you - I've got everything crossed and would be interested to hear how you get on.

Best of luck x

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful baby having these issues. You can always get a second opinion from another vet -- but you definitely do not want to overdo the steroid. What about a lower dosage more often? I know the IBD is not easy on your kitty and cats do not like having diarrhea either, on top of the mess that gets made throughout your home.

Your kitty is going through a lot right now and at a ripe old age. Just keep researching as there can be other things -- which Clare and Jill have mentioned, that may work for you baby.

My previous bengal frosty was diagnosed with IBD when he was 2, he had a biopsy done of his gut to confirm it, he was on prednisalone, B12 once a month injection, probiotics and chemo tablets, he did brilliant for several years and had good quality of life, unfortunately his turned to cancer which can sometimes happen though not that often, his intestine ruptured, he had an operation but he didn't fully recover and I lost him aged 5.

I'm sure this won't happen to you but you should prepare for the worst.

My thoughts are with you as I know the heart break all this can bring

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK