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How to take care of a Cat with IBD

How to take care of a Cat with IBD

IBD is a short form for the Cat’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease. It’s a condition in which a cat’s food or gastrointestinal (GI) tract (mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, rectum, and anus) becomes critically damaged and inflamed, wounds appear on the tract that seems like ulcerative.

It causes thinking or swallowing in the gastrointestinal tract, and the ability to absorb food is appropriately lost.

Age of Cats That are affected By IBD

Cats of any age can be affected by IBD, But it is primarily seen in the cats of older and middle-aged cats, and young cats are a little less affected by that.

Cause of IBD in cat

The cause of IBD is unknown, but different factors are playing different roles in the arising of IBD.

The factors that are maybe included in the development of IBD are;

  • Abnormalities of the Immune system
  • Bacterias living in the intestine
  • Food poisoning
  • Environmental factor
  • Food or diet
  • Types of IBD

There are different types of IBD, depending on the location it affects in the gastrointestinal tract. Here are some of the examples of types of IBD;

  • Gastritis IBD

If the IBD is found in the stomach, it is known as Gastritis IBD.

  • Colitis IBD

If the small intestine is the location where IBD is formed, the type of IBD will be Colitis IBD.

  • Enteritis IBD

If the Large intestine is affected by IBD, The IBD type is called Colitis IBD.

  • Lymphocytic Plasmacytic Enteritis IBD

It is the most common type of IBD that affects the small intestine by affecting the lymphocytes and plasma cells and inflaming them.

Sign and symptoms of IBD in cats

Common signs of IBD are

  • Weight loss
  • Less Hunger
  • Diarrhea ( sometimes with bloody stools)
Diagnosis of IBD in cats

Diagnosis of IBD is a bit difficult because some signs are common with other diseases. Your Vet will probably do some tests on your cat, for example, Blood tests, X-Rays, Ultrasound, and Sometimes facial examination. They may also check for Vitamins Deficiency and food allergies. They may check part of the tissues of your cat under the microscope, and If your cat is affected by IBD, It will have extra numbers of inflammatory cells. This will also help to indicate what type of IBD your cat has.

  • endoscopy

An endoscope is a flexible camera tube passed through the patient’s mouth or rectum. Although that is not a precise way to diagnose IBD, it is still an effective way to see if the gastrointestinal tract is wounded or not.

  • Surgical way

The other way to diagnose IBD is a surgical biopsy. It also helps in the curing of other internal diseases too and is also an effective way of diagnosing any type of inflammatory bowel disease.

Treatment for IBD affected cats

Finally, when we know everything about IBD disease, let’s discuss the treatment of the disease. As I mentioned earlier, there is no complete treatment or cure for IBD, so your vet will recommend different medication and therapies or their combination to try to cure this disease. Here are some of the ways to control IBD that maybe will do the work.

Diet management of an IBD cat

First thing first, controlling or managing the diet can be the major cause of the disease, as all the food tract is affected. Your vet can maybe recommend some new diet or would ask to change the old diet a bit, like increasing the fibre or lowering fats. It may take some time to see some improvements in your cat’s health, so don’t be panicked. They may also ask you to completely remove all the extra unnecessary food sources from the list, for example, extra treats.

Medical treatment for IBD affecty cat

If diet management isn’t very successful, your vet will recommend different medications along with diet management as a combination for maximum effects. For example, some anti-inflammatory agents with a healthy fibre-containing diet. If the medication isn’t successful at first, the doses and the potency of the drugs will be increased. Medicine with the ability to increase bacterial population may also be used.

Prognosis

You should keep in mind that if the disease is controlled doesn’t mean it has completely vanished. Sometimes cats can be healthy, and IBD is controlled, but IBD can come back, so you will need to take your cat to the vet for checkups regularly and to make sure your friend is safe, as it’s your responsibility.

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