Following are selected posts to Holisticat on the subject of inflammatory bowel disease/syndrome. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utlize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!
Happy hunting :)
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 13:43:32
From: Leah <lknipp@
I know somebody on here (Lee,Judy?) has had a kitty with IBD/IBS problems and there may be others. Howie Thomason posted this on wellpet yesterday and gave me permission to forward. He doesn't post real often, but when he does, it is always worth reading. I see he also believes in higher doses of vitamin supplementation.
" Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a general term for a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the intestines. It is divided into two major catagories; Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Basicaly, Crohn's affects the the entire thickness of the intesinal
wall and ulcerative colitis is limited to the lining of the colon.
For nutritional supplements I would look at:
The antioxidants:
I have a naturopathic formula that is called Robert's Formula, that
has been used in the past:
I would make an infusion (tea) with this or use capsules. You may be able to find this pre-made and sold as Robert's Formula.
Hope this helps some.
Howie Thomason R.N.C.
Leah
For those of you who may have kitties suffering from IBS/IBD, this was posted on another list. I asked Lew if she thought it would be helpful to cats also and she thought so with some changes, which I will send in the next post. This was a regime for a d**. The supplement suggestions were from the book "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" by Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M. and Susan G. Wynn, D.V.M. Yet another book I need to add to my library - maybe I should start a library loan program!
[ED NOTE: THIS IS FOR A DOG]
"I feed him a totally raw diet, with meat proteins of canned mackerel, raw chicken, eggs and organ meat twice a week (kidney, heart and liver). He gets pulped vegetables every day, mostly carrots, cabbage and apples. He does not process grains well, so I avoid them. He seems to do better with grains in the cold weather than the hot weather we are having now...
Here are his supplements:
Today, he is only on the probiotic powder, vitamin C, the omega oils and vitamin E and 500 mgs of l-glutamine. He is doing great, keeps on good weight, and while on occasion he may have a soft stool, it does not send me into the panic it used to.....
I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Lew"
Here's the additional notes that Lew added to the info. when I asked her about adapting it to kitties:
The supplements are great for both dogs and cats, so that is no problem. I would think the diet would work fine too, as it is geared for more protein and fat, which is even more important to cats than dogs. It is important the fats are clean (fresh, no preservatives, not rancid) and the omega 3 fatty acids also help with inflammation.
Leah
In October issue of JAHVMA, Dr. Robert Silver shared how he handle IBD in his clinic.
This therapies, he said, is to feed the cells of the GI tract the neccessary nutrients and phytochemicals that will enable the cells to heal themselves. However, he warns to be patient because many of these IBD patients are so sensitive to anything they ingest. you may need to use pharmaceutical therapy initially.
Feed 2 cups/25lb./day. Feding multiple small meals is easier on the digestive tract.
Herbs may be helpful. Ginseng 18 (Seven forests, Institute for traditional medicine, ) or Ginseng and Atractylodes combination (Brion, Qualiherb, Spring wind, tashi herbs)
If there is concurret parasitiasis or clostridal or bacterial overgrowth,
goldenseal, oregon grape root, coptis or barberry may also
be helpful.
He doesn't say this is for dog or cat. For cat, the protein seems too little for me though. Or, is it normal for this condition?
Yumi G
<<Saying 2 cups per 25 pounds of body weight sounds to me like
it would be a mightly big cat. :-)
I suspect you could use the proportions of herbs/vitamins but cut out
the grain, and feed a cat-size serving.
Jane>>
Hi All,
The probiotic cultures that he recommend is Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium species, Streptococcus faecium.
For the medication use, here is the exact paragraphs. My feeling is that some of the IBD cases really need to be stabilized.
"I have had a lot of clinical success with
a variety of different diagnostic
entities of inflammatory infiltrative bowl
disease, as well as the other
diagnostic entities that you so ably educated
us concerning the differences
in each of these diagnoses will respond (I
can't guarantee that for a given
patient, the process may be complicated or
progressed to a level of severity
that responsiveness is impeded) to very similar
therapies. The reason why
different diagnoses respond to similar therapies
is at the core of the principles
underlying natural approaches to health. We
are feeding the cells of the GI
tract the necessary nutrients and phytochemicals
that will enable the cells
to heal themselves, irrespective of the initial
lesion.
Try these innocuous therapies and let us know
if they work. You need to
be patient, because many of these patients
are so sensitive to anything
they ingest that they will probably react
to the introduction of anything
new, no matter how healthy these constituents
are. You may need to use
pharmaceutical therapy initially and concurrently
to keep the patient
stabilized while these GI nutrients are healing
the diseases tissue. The
concurrent use of acupuncture can be very
supportive of this entire
process, with or without the pharmaceuticals."
20% protein is for the dog is kind of like a senior diet type.
Emily, I also have the same questions as you do, and there are things that I don't understand. White rice, the holistic vets that I consulted before recommended white rice too. I will try to look up. I didn't have time to do that last night.
Yumi G
Jenepher- here is the recipe that i started with and it is Pats basic recipe. This will give you about 1 cup of food.
I started with ready grd meat and carefully washed up when done. Now i usually grind some of my own and add some already ground. I just use grocery store meat as anything else is very expensive and hard to get but i think it would probably be best.
I can get chicken hearts, gizzards and sometimes livers and now use those once in awhile too. I stick with chicken or lamb.
I am into the raw only for the cats about 3 months now and have been able to start adding small amounts of "real"yogurt also. Keep in mind that i am new to this too. Last week i let her have a couple of bites of cooked chicken and a few bites of kibble -both on the same day - and she vomited 3 times. Bad Mom!!
Anything else i can help with let me know. Unless there is a lot of interest in this you might want to go to a private response.
<< Please send me the recipe you use. I have not tried much raw food yet. He's been too sick lately. He's been keeping down baby food (chicken or turkey) and brown rice, whole milk, sometimes he'll eat unhomoginized yogurt. Once I can get through this rough period with the new meds and all. I will concentrate on more raw. I understand it may get worse before it gets better now that he's on the holistic meds.
I have not had any luck finding chicken necks or beef hearts which has been recommended for his raw diet. Do you get your meats for kitty from a grocery store or health food store. I'm wondering about all the garbage in grocery store meats. Do I need to be concerned about that? I would think so.>>
Me again ...
(From Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M. & James M. Giffin, M.D. with special contributions by Liisa D. Carlson, D.V.M. revised and expanded in 1995, published by Howell Book House Macmillan. ISBN 0-87605-796-2)
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE:
The cause is unknown, evidence suggests that certain bacteria or food
proteins may prime the immune system, causing cats to produce antibodies
that attack the cells of their own intestinal tract. In each disease a
different type of inflammatory cell (plasma cell, eosinophil, lymphocyte,
macrophage) - see below - accumulates in the mucous lining of the small
or large intestines. These cell types distinguish the three diseases.
Diagnosis is made by endoscopy or exploratory surgery, during which
biopsies are taken of the intestinal wall.
Three to four stools a day, each large, suggest malabsorption syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease.
Eosinophilic Enterocolitis:
Eosinophils may be found in the stomach, small intestine or colon.
Treatment involves the use of high-corticosteroids [Ed. comment: This info
comes from an allo book] that are tapered as symptoms are controlled. The
cat should be tested for food allergy. This form of IBD is the most difficult
to treat successfully and has the poorest outlook. Cat should be placed
on a hypoallergenic diet [see below], either homemade (baby foods or boiled
chicken) or commercially obtained. The diet should be highly digestible
and low in fat. If colitis is present fiber may need to be added.
Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic Enterocolitis:
Lymphocytes and plasma cells are predominant inflammatory cells seen
on biopsy of the small and large intestines. This is the most common form
of IBD in cats. The disease has been associated with giardiasis,
food allergy and an overgrowth of intestinal bacteria. Vomiting is
a common sympton but is not present in all cases. An antibiotic is given
to treat bacterial overgrowth and immunosuppressant drugs (prednisone)
are given as a secondary line of treatment.
Granulomatous {Regional) Enteritis:
Macrophages, which are tissue white cells, are found in the lower small
intestine and colon. This rare disease in cats is similar to Chrohn's disease
in humans. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs are employed to
reduce inflammation and scarring.
Colitis:
This is an inflammatory disease of the large bowel or colon, usually
occurring as a manifestation of IBD, occasionally as a manifestation of
acute enteritis. Signs of colitis are urgent straining, painful defecation,
prolonged squatting, flatulence and the passage of many small stools mixed
with blood and mucus. These signs should be distinguished from constipation.
The administration of antibiotics can upset the normal flora of the colon
and result in an overgrowth of virulent bacteria that then
produce an acute pseudo-membranous colitis. This is common in people
but uncommon in cats. Colitis is complicated and requires veterinary diagnosis
and management. High fiber diets as described for the treatment of chronic
constipation are beneficial.
Several stools in an hour, each small with straining suggest colitis.
Anus and Rectum:
Signs of anal and rectal disease are pain when defecating, severe straining,
scooting, passing bright red blood and licking repeatedly at the rear.
Bleeding from the anus or rectum is recognized by finding blood on the
outside of the stool rather than mixed in with it.
Cats don't have hemorrhoids, what might appear to be hemorrhoids is a protrusion of anal tissue.
Hypoallergenic Diet:
Food allergy is treated by placing the cat on a homemade or commercial
hypoallergenic diet prescribed by vet for about eight weeks. If all is
well the cat can remain on this diet or various foods can be added one
by one until the offending food allergen is detected by return of symptoms.
--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweet T'ing
On Fri, 20 Nov 1998 20:41:18 -0500 Jenepher Moody writes:
<< info. on it from others. As does yours, he too vomits frequently. He but try to reduce his level of stress. How, I'm not quite sure. I am feeding him the baby food, boiled chicken, and brown rice diet now, but would like to find some kind of food already prepared that he and all his feline companions will enjoy and benefit from.>>
Hi Jenepher,
IBD's a tricky one. I don't have any personal knowledge on this matter but I talk to Judy P a lot (who is nomail at this time but will be back real soon). I sent her a bunch of stuff from Dr. James Duke's book "The Green Pharmacy". There are lots of herbs that can help w/ the symptoms. But that might be using herbs allopathically. Homeopathy is the way to go if u are looking for a cure cuz it treats the root cause of the problem. U say your kitty did better w/ homeopathy but isn't 100%. Homeopathy is not an exact science so it's possible your kitty now needs 1 more dose of the lower potency of that same medicine that was given or maybe her case needs to be re-taken as the "layers' get peeled.
At any rate, from what I remember in Dr. Duke's book, peppermint oil capsules are supposed to be the best thing for IBD. Judy uses the one from Vitamin Shoppe which also has another oil in it (rosemary maybe..can't remember). I dunno about just brewing peppermint tea would work.
About a food all your kids can eat, I think there are some companies that make meat patties and the like e.g. Abady. APD makes it for d*gs but not cats. Spot's Stew's ingredients looked good but it is a bit pricey. Anyone here use Felidae? What is that - kibble or wet food? I'd stay away from kibble cuz it's hard on the kidneys, and there is that whole FUS thing associated w/ free-feeding it.
Good luck. From listening to what others say about this disease, there isn't much help in the allopathic field:( But seems like holistic medicine can help here (ha what a shock! <g>) so u will find something to help your little one, I am sure:)
Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats
Hi Barb...
Don't know if this will help the poor baby but in people with nonresponsive
Irritable Bowel Disease GREAT improvement has been made by using garlic
( HAS to be KYOLIC) and switching to pure non chlorinated water. In some
sensitive types the chlorine in typical drinking water kills normal flora
and allows for proliferation of nonbeneficial bacteria, creating just the
type of situation you describe. The Kyolic garlic helps to readjust the
pH of the bowel, immediately decreases inflammation, and allows for recolonization
by normally beneficial bacteria. Hope this helps.
Lisa PS..if the poor kitty had parasites the eosinophils in his blood should be elevated( at least this is the case in humans)...did they take blood?
We don't know what inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is. In my opinion, most cases are food allergies, and respond very well to elimination diets. Allergy is certainly one of those cases where I would avoid immune stimulation.
Remember - you can possibly *modulate* the immune system without stimulating it. Perhaps glandulars actually balance different parts of the immune response - in fact, we believe that glandulars may actually suppress autoimmune responses.
Jnglecats@ wrote:
<<Dr. Wynn:
Would you consider inflammatory bowel disease an autoimmune condition?
I know some vets do and some don't. My holistic vet gave me
a glandular to use to boost Cleo's immune system, some homeopathic
remedies, but mostly we used acupuncture. She is ok now on
a raw diet, but throws up if she eats anything else. I have
been avoiding supplementing her since I hear differing opinions -
many allo vets seem to think this disease is an allergy problem only.>>
Susan G. Wynn, DVM
kashmir@ writes:
<< She didn't want to eat. Then she threw up yellow bile.
She ate a little after that, but then started crying and trying to
poop outside her litter box. I picked her up and put her in it, and
she was ok. A very small poop, tho.
This a.m. she refused her breakfast (and she'd been doing so well
lately!). This afternoon, she's been going to the bathroom every half hour
to an hour, *outside* her litter box, and it's all very very small, very
mucousy, and the last one was bloody, the bright red kind >>
Kathy,
Cat Owners Home Veterinary Handbook says that bloody stool indicates
lower colon (bowel) bleeding. Also it says that if there are several frequent
attempts each with straining and the size of the stool is small it
suggests colitis. Greasy stool...it says indicates malabsorption.
I'd try the Slippery Elm if you could get some.
Wishing a fast recovery for Kashmir...
Emily
CatCommunicator@ writes:
<< No diarrhea ever. Just intermittent vomiting and pain.
Any suggestions on holistic treatments or even holistic therapies to
soothe the inflammation and stimulate his appetite would be welcome.
>>
This is the kind of IBD my cat, Cleo, has and I can offer you several suggestions. Some of them haven't worked for kitties with the diarrhea form of IBD, and of course since each cat is different, they may not work for you either. I don't have time today to list them all, but to start, the best thing that helped her is raw homemade food. We thought beef was one of her allergies, but she does fine on raw beef. Other things you can put in her food are aloe vera juice (without sodium benzoate preservative), slippery elm (didn't work for her but helps other kitties). Acupuncture helped her a lot, but really not until she was weaned off the prednisone. I would go to the holistic vet and discuss treatments. I used a homeopathic prednisone to help wean Cleo off the pred. I also used a homeopathic called Gastric Mucosa, but again, other kitties have not had the same success with it.
I think in your case it's important to see the holistic vet because you also have kidney problems with your boy. That's not one of Cleo's problems, and some of the things I've used on her might not be good for a kidney kitty - I just wouldn't know. I do think the aloe vera you can use without worry, and certainly switching to a homemade diet will help.
Cleo is sleek and fat (TOO fat) now, my regular (non-holistic) vet is shocked every time he sees her that she is doing so well.
I will think more on this and try to list for you more stuff I've tried.
Lee
P.S. Your name does not come out in your email address header - could
you please tell us who you are? Hate to talk to "hey you"!
remy@ writes:
<< We did discuss the possibility of it being IBD, since
I am semi-familiar with it. He really didn't feel that this
was a likely thing, based on how I'd described Tasha's behaviour
and the vomit/stools etc. I would love to hear more about it
though. I work at this clinic, so the vet gets daily updates on Tasha
and the two of them have a very good relationship which is nice.
>>
Here's one site - allo, tho - on IBD. http://www.cfainc.org/health/ibd.html I'll have to look for others. IBD is a lot more common than some vets think. When you said your kitty had both vomiting and diarrhea, that's commonly something with IBD (which covers several diseases, including colitis). Allo vets treat it with prednisone and antibiotics.
My cat Cleo has it. She was helped a great deal by acupuncture.
She was on pred for a few months, then weaned off it. She was also
on some glandulars and a homeopathic to reinforce the stomach lining so
she wouldn't throw up so much. She was on Walthams venison and rice
canned for 1.5 years and did well; one day she went on a hunger strike
and refused to touch it gain.
Because I was afraid of fatty liver disease if she lost weight from
not eating, or throwing up what I fed her, I switched to homemade.
She has had little problem in the 11 months she's been on homemade.
Some of the things I tried with her were George's Aloe Vera (no preservatives) mixed in with her food; homeopathic prednisone to wean her off the prednisone she was on. At this point, if she still had problems I would try other things, like slippery elm, or licorice or yucca for the inflammation (check them out first, I'm not sure if they are used for intestinal inflammation or not). I would also go back to the acupuncture - it didn't really help her while she was on the pred., but as soon as she was off it the difference the acupuncture made was obvious. It was my holistic vet at the time who suggested I try raw/homemade, but I just didn't think I could do it. Too bad it took me almost 2 years!
Some of the testing procedures, like the endoscopy, are quite expensive. I would definitely try the homemade diet. Some vets say food allergies are the cause of IBD. I find I can feed Cleo the things we thought she was allergic to - like corn and beef - in a homemade diet, because the quality of the food is so much better than what is put in cat food. The corn especially, what they use in cat foods has very little nutritional value. BTW, I feed grainless.
Good luck with your baby. Sounds like the case is more chronic
than acute, as Cleo's was; she required surgery because the inflammation
in her stomach created an obstruction and she couldn't get anything down
:(
Lee
Hope you can get these links by clicking, cause I can't find the urls!!!
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/public/fhc/ibd.htm
http://www.vetinfo.com/catdig.html -- Veterinary Information - Digestive Disorders of Cats
http://www.ccweb.net/marvistavet/html/inflammatory_bowel_disease.html -- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Lee
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