Hypoallergenic Diet For Cats With Ibd
The exact cause of feline ibd is unknown but experts attribute this condition to complex interactions between the cat s immune system bacteria living within the intestines dietary proteins and other environmental or genetic factors.
Hypoallergenic diet for cats with ibd. Although the exact cause of feline ibd is not known one potential cause is food allergies. Diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease in cats can be tricky because ibd is a group of conditions rather than a single disease. Treating food allergies with a hypoallergenic diet requires a 6 to 12 week food trial. The treatment for ibd is opting for an appropriate diet.
If digestive issues are the primary symptoms it is possible that your cat has irritable bowel disease ibd instead of or in combination with food allergies. Your veterinarian will be able to provide specific recommendations for your cat but you ve already learned some of the general things to look for in a hypoallergenic cat food for ibs and ibd. Causes of ibd in cats. These cells release harmful toxins causing damage that leads to the chronic vomiting and diarrhea seen with ibd.
When it comes to inflammatory bowel disease in cats natural treatment methods usually involve a change in diet. Hypoallergenic cat foods contain protein and carbs that your cat hasn t previously eaten. The right diet is the most powerful treatment for ibd. It may be worth asking your veterinarian about ibd instead as foods can be tried for 2 weeks instead.
Hypoallergenic diets for cats contain restricted amounts of ingredients that are thought not to harm the digestion and not cause bowel irritation. Food allergies dietary intolerance parasites chronic infections bacterial overgrowth and autoimmune disease have all been. A fecal exam is the first step in diagnosing ibd but your cat may require additional testing such as blood tests imaging and tissue biopsies. Natural cat food picks for cats with ibs ibd symptoms mainstream vet medicine often puts cats with ibs ibd symptoms on manufactured hypoallergenic foods like hill s z d but these foods are often high in carbohydrates fattening and low in quality protein.
Treatment options for inflammatory bowel disease in cats. That s right for most cats diet alone is enough to ease ibd symptoms. The cat has to be on the new diet for at least 2 weeks before the ibd symptoms will disappear. Feline inflammatory bowel disease ibd is not a single disease but rather a group of chronic gastrointestinal disorders caused by an infiltration of inflammatory cells into the walls of a cat s gastrointestinal tract.
These proteins are usually meats such as venison rabbit or duck. In either case the best cat food for ibd at least at the diagnostic stage is often a hypoallergenic food. In cats inflammatory bowel disease ibd occurs when large amounts of inflammatory cells invade the gastrointestinal gi tract.