Chronic Intestinal Inflammation (IBD) in Cats
Problems with the digestive tract are not only unpleasant for your cat, but in the long run are also associated with serious consequences such as a lack of nutrients. A particularly persistent digestive problem that can occur in cats is IBD.
IBD is the abbreviation for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This disease is a chronic inflammation of the bowel, which in affected cats can cause a number of symptoms.
In the following we will explain the causes of IBD in cats, how you can recognise the inflammation of the bowel in your four-legged friend and how you can optimally support the treatment.
What is IBD?
If a cat suffers from IBD, it means that its intestines are chronically inflamed. In most cases, the cat's small intestine is affected by the intestinal inflammation. However, it is also possible that the large intestine of the quadruped is affected.
IBD is characterised by a relapsing course. It is therefore quite possible that the symptoms will subside in the meantime. An untreated chronic inflammation of the bowel can spread to other organs and cause pancreatitis in your cat, for example.
Possible causes of IBD in cats
The exact causes of IBD in cats are still unclear. It’s likely that chronic intestinal inflammation is caused by an autoimmune reaction and genetic predisposition.
For example siamese cats suffer from IBD more often than average. However, diet may also play a role in the development of chronic intestinal inflammation in cats.
Feed allergies in particular place a considerable strain on the digestive tract and can thus favour inflammation in the intestines of the four-legged friends. In addition, intestinal parasites such as worms and giardia in cats can also contribute to IBD.
Recognizing symptoms of IBD in cats
If your cat suffers from IBD, it is associated with a number of conditions. It is typical that the symptoms occur intermittently and the chronic inflammation of the bowel will therefore subside from time to time.
IBD in cats manifests itself mainly through the following symptoms:
- The cat has diarrhoea.
- The faeces are bloody or slimy.
- The cat vomits regularly.
- The quadruped suffers from stomach cramps.
- Loss of appetite that leads to weight loss.
- The cat has flatulence.
- The intestine makes gurgling noises.
- Due to the lack of nutrients the cat has hair loss.
In addition to these obvious symptoms, IBD in cats causes a number of clinical symptoms that can lead to serious complications in the worst case. These include protein deficiency in the blood, anaemia, dehydration, and low vitamin B12 levels.
Diagnosis of IBD in cats
If you notice the above symptoms in your cat, you should visit a vet as soon as possible.
It’s difficult to make a reliable diagnosis of IBD in cats. After all, digestive problems such as diarrhoea can also occur with many other diseases. In most cases, the veterinarian has no choice but to rule out other possible causes, such as liver disease or worm infestation in the cat.
Then, using ultrasound and a tissue sample, it is possible to determine if your cat does have IBD.
Treat cats with IBD
Unfortunately IBD is one of the cat diseases that cannot be cured. This means that lifelong therapy is necessary. With a little luck, however, the symptoms can be brought under control.
Treatment must be tailored individually to each animal. If your cat is severely dehydrated due to diarrhoea and vomiting, they may need temporary infusions to compensate for the loss of fluid.
In addition, veterinarians usually prescribe anti-inflammatory medications for cats with IBD to counteract the symptoms. As these often have severe side effects and, for example, increase the risk of diabetes in cats, it is important to weigh up the risks and benefits in each individual case.
The right diet for cats with IBD
Nutrition plays a particularly important role in the treatment of IBD. The more digestible the cat food is, the easier it’s for the inflammation of the intestinal mucosa to subside.
We therefore generally recommend that cats with IBD are fed our grain-free cat food with insect protein. This is because insect protein is a very easily digestible source of protein.
The proteins have a particularly high biological value so that your cat's body can utilise them without any problems. In addition, insect protein has practically no allergy potential, which makes it an excellent choice especially for nutritionally sensitive cats with food allergies.
The food contains no artificial additives or grains. It’s therefore ideal for cats with chronic intestinal inflammation and can make a valuable contribution to the long-term relief of IBD symptoms.
Support of the immune system in cats with IBD
In addition to feeding our hypoallergenic cat food with insect protein, we recommend a dietary supplement with I love my cat Immun.
This natural supplement helps to strengthen the weakened immune system of cats with IBD and thus helps your four-legged friend to cope better with his chronic inflammation of the intestines.
Gastro Relax as food supplement for cats with diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is one of the particularly annoying symptoms that IBD causes in cats. To counteract this, we recommend that you supplement the diet of your four-legged friend with I love my cat Gastro Relax.
Gastro Relax is a natural food supplement containing turmeric, pectin and other selected ingredients that can reduce diarrhoea in your cat in a digestible way and thus significantly improve their well-being.
IBD in cats - our conclusion
IBD is a serious cat disease. The chronic inflammation of the intestines is associated with massive discomfort for affected animals and can have severe consequences if left untreated. A visit to the veterinarian is therefore obligatory and should not be postponed too long.
The sooner you start treatment, the easier it will be to control IDB in your cat and the more likely it is that the quality of life of your four-legged friend will not suffer unduly.
Leave your comment