My cat has chronic diarrhea, dark urine, and pain after eating. Why?

It sounds as though you and Schumacher have been through a lot over the past 2 years! Given his weight loss, chronic diarrhea, normal blood work and initial response to depomedrol, chronic pancreatitis or primary intestinal issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma would be my main concerns. In this situation, further diagnostic testing is often needed to try to get to the bottom of this issue. Some tests include vitamin absorption and pancreatic blood tests (B12, folate, TLI, fPL) and an abdominal ultrasound to look at his internal organs, intestinal thickness, lymph nodes, etc. In some cases, biopsies are needed to differentiate between different conditions so that the most appropriate treatment can be started. Cats with inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma often benefit from long-term steroids, antibiotics and prescription diets to control their clinical signs. I hope that all goes well for Schumacher!

I'm sorry to hear your cat is having GI issues. How was your cat diagnosed with pancreatitis? If the remainder of bloodwork was normal and the fPLI was positive, I would consider X-rays and possibly an abdominal ultrasound for more information. Pancreatitis can be a chronic condition that requires diet changes, B12 supplementation and long-term medications. Pancreatitis can be concurrent with another underlying GI issue, such as IBD or lymphoma. Ultrasound can give more information, but these conditions can only be definitively diagnosed with intestinal biopsies. As the issue isn't resolving, I would recommend your cat be re-evaluated and further diagnostics potentially fine, either by your regular veterinarian or an internal medicine specialist. Good luck!

Many cats with IBD do not have diarrhea, so this doesn't necessarily mean that the diagnosis is wrong :) But if you're concerned and Wilson isn't improving with his current treatment, I would definitely recommend calling your veterinarian or taking him back in for a recheck. It sounds like he may need some additional testing to help figure out why he isn't getting better, as well as some changes to his current treatment plan.

Hello, thank you for your question about Abu. Based on your description of Abu's episode and current intermittent diarrhea I would be suspicious that he may have a mild underlying GI problem. Generally, cat's GI systems are very sensitive, and often when they go through a bout of pancreatitis it can sometimes become a chronic issue leading to occasional diarrhea/vomiting. Some cats have a condition called triaditis, where they experience pancreatitis and concurrent inflammation in their intestines. This would explain Abu's moodiness and his diarrhea. Cats with this condition often need to have anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal medication intermittently to help them cope with their symptoms. It is often challenging to completely cure this condition. I would recommend having Abu reevaluated by your veterinarian to ensure that he is still comfortable and not experiencing a full re-lapse. Your veterinarian can then discuss potential medication options for your to have at home. Hope this helps, good luck!

Poor girl. It sounds like she has a chronic intestinal problem that requires chronic use of medication. I think we need to investigate further what the underyling problem is so that we have a better idea here. Many diseases can cause the symptoms we are seeing with Touta such as Pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption disease, or even lymphoma jsut to name a few. The next best step would be to do an abdominal ultrasound on her to get a better look. Also bloodwork analysis would be best to do as well to get an idea of her overall health. In the meantime, continue giving her her medication since it does seem to stabilize her well. I would also consider getting her on a prescription diet food for gastrointestinal problems such as Royal Canin Selected Protein PR https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/vet-products/canine-selected-protein-adult-pr-dry-dog-food Prescription diets are best when dealing with chronic disease in pets. I hope that you get to the bottom of Touta's illness soon! Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Remi. In the bloodwork that was run, did it include GI specific testing such as cobalamin, folate, PLI and TLI levels. These are values that will give information such as the location of GI disease (small intestine vs pancreas) and treatment options. I typically do this planel in conjunction with an abdominal ultrasound. This information with the ultrasound can give insight into conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, food sensitivities or as you mentioned cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties of the antibiotic she was on could help even with a tumor in GI tract, but there are so many other causes of diarrhea that would respond as well. I think it is worth pursuing further bloodwork and the ultrasound. If you can get a diagnosis, then a treatment plan can be developed. I hope this information helps!

Chronic diarrhea in an older cat with vomiting can be a sign of an inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal cancer. The only way to differentiate between the two disease is a surgery to take biopsies of the intestines and have them analyzed. Based on the diagnosis, the diet may be changed or vitamin supplements or steroids may be added to manage her symptoms. They will check for parasite and check her labs for any renal or endocrine disease