My cat has thickened intestines & lost weight. Should I be worried?

The thickening of the jejunum is not likely to be parasite related but, of course, anything is possible. It is more likely to be IBD or lymphoma. I cannot give you a prediction on life span without having more information. Did the vet recommend an intestinal biopsy? That would be needed to get an exact diagnosis. Did the vet give you any medications for her? Here is an article about lymphoma in cats. It may give you more information. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951906 )

Poor Annie! I would make sure your vet has ruled out any type of intestinal parasites or bacterial infection including giardia and campylobacter. I would also talk to your vet about running an urinalysis and x-rays on her. The urinalysis will indicate any type of infection or crystals in the urine. On the x-rays, they will be able to look for any type of tumor in the abdomen or constipation/megacolon. Your vet can also send off a GI panel (cobalamin, folate, and pancreatic enzymes) to help rule out inflammatory bowel disease and GI cancer. Of course, you cannot completely rule out cancer with a normal abdominal x-ray and normal GI panel. I think the next step would be to do an abdominal ultrasound to look for any thickening of the intestines or enlarged lymph nodes. The most aggressive, yet most direct, diagnostic is an exploratory surgery with biopsies of the intestines. This is usually saved if all other tests are inconclusive. I hope this helps to direct you in a conversation with what may be the best option for Annie. I hope she starts to feel better really soon!

I am so sorry to say but these x-rays are highly suggestive of an intestinal tumor. I would have an ultrasound done next to confirm and then go forward with treatment for suspected intestinal lymphoma, especially if she is symptomatic (i.e. vomiting, decreased appetite, etc). I wish you all the best moving forward with Fluffy. Best wishes and take care.

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 you and Oscar are going through this. My honest opinion? In talking to pet parents about cancers, intestinal cancers in cats are one of the instances where I almost always urge people to go for it, and try to treat them. Why? Because they can do so well for so long. I'm assuming your vet is thinking this is either intestinal lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. Those two diseases cannot be distinguished from each other on ultrasound, and we often just see thickened intestines, so biopsies are needed. IBD is very treatable, and at 5 years old that is the more likely diagnosis. Some of these guys do great with just a diet change to a hypoallergenic diet. Others need immunosuppressive therapy in addition to diet, but there is an excellent drug called budesonide that has minimal systemic side effects, and works primarily in the gut. I've managed IBD cats well for 10+ years. If it's lymphoma, those cats respond well to prednisolone therapy (another, stronger immunosuppressive drug) and sometimes the addition of a well-tolerated chemotherapeutic called leukeran. I've successfully managed cats with intestinal lymphoma for 3+ years. If it's not lymphoma, and more of an issue with a focal intestinal mass, that's a whole different ballgame, but again, treatable in many cases. And I would have expected that they would have seen a mass on ultrasound, so that seems unlikely. I think the best thing about getting biopsies is having a definitive answer, and knowing what you're dealing with. Best of luck to you and Oscar in getting this figured out.

I would talk to you veterinarian next week about gastrointestinal disease. With a continuously vomiting and diarrhea cat my concerns are Irritable bowel disease or even lymphoma. I would be less inclined it be intestinal parasites if Opie has been an indoor cat. I would not give the drontal today. I would recommend seeing a different veterinarian for a second opinion but Opie may need an abdominal ultrasound. If he is really have bad diarrhea and is still vomiting a lot a specialty hospital may be worth going to because the internist can perform the ultrasound. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If no abnormalities were found on the x-rays but she is still lethargic despite treatment, I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound to see if there are any other abnormalities and then go from there. In older cats, I worry about intestinal lymphoma but it is possible this could be inflammatory bowel disease as well. However, there is still additional testing that needs to be done to help rule out other causes of Stella's symptoms. Changing the diet to a prescription low fat intestinal diet like Hills low fat I/D may be something to consider as well but I would discuss this with your veterinarian first. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.