My senior cat has IBD & hyperthyroidism. Should I give B vitamins?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. With IBD, I would also recommend using B12 supplementation such as Cobalequin. Cobalequin is available online and is easy to get. This is basically a B12 supplement and is extremely bioavailable even in the presence of GI disease such as IBD. A different diet such as a hydrolyzed protein diet (a prescription diet) may also be helpful. You will need a prescription for a hydrolyzed diet and your veterinarian can provide this for you. I would try these things and see if they help at all with the soft stool / diarrhea / poor appetite. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help you further.

Just eating chicken and fish is not a complete and balanced diet for a cat. You could talk to your vet about trying him on a hypoallergenic diet, like z/d or d/d. Those diets usually work with IBD and are nutritionally balance for a cat. Otherwise, you could use a website called Balance It to make sure his diet is balanced. You pick the ingredients that you are feeding and then they formulate a supplement that is added to the food. Cats can develop diseases, like heart disease, if their diet is deficient. https://secure.balanceit.com/

IBS is called IBD in animals and it must be diagnosed by a vet, not by your before treatment is started. there are several prescription diets for this condition but you will need to discuss that with your vet.

I don’t typically worry about Vitamin B deficiency in cats with CKD. It is common in cats with GI disease or diarrhea. B vitamins are safe in appropriate amounts, but I would recommend that you consult with your vet about any supplements. The kidneys are responsible for excreting excess b vitamins, and if they are severely impaired, there could be negative side effects.

I'm sorry to hear that Mercedes is sick. If IBD or GI lymphoma is suspected the next steps may be ultrasound or even biopsy. Biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis of IBD. However, I will frequently treat if it is strongly suspected on ultrasound. If IBD is confirmed it's worth doing a trial of a prescription GI diet. Although a/d is a good recovery diet it is probably not the best one to use as a maintenance diet if IBD is suspected. It would also be worth giving your veterinarian a call to see if they can give a Cerenia injection. This will help to resolve the vomiting and can be continued if necessary. Vitamin B12 injections can also be helpful when a cat is experiencing GI distress and will be needed if IBD is confirmed. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to Mercedes!

No it is not safe to give your cat Vitamin B human grade b/c this would overdose him. In fact Vitamin B12 is not absorbed readily by mouth and must be given by injection to pets. This also isn't much of an appetite stimulant, but mostly helps with intestinal malabsorption. I would suggest that you ask your vet for anti-nausea medication (Cerenia) which is actually labeled to use for cats with kidney problems that have decreased appetite. It also help with nausea, which in turn can increase his appetite. Also you can look into Azodyl supplements to help lower his kidney values, which in turn can help with the nausea as well and manage his kidney disease better. https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=azodyl&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=241645664779&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14854120277917394511&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028263&hvtargid=kwd-3477607953&ref=pd_sl_7qkvgeqbgm_e Best of luck with your pet Tikvichko and I hope he manages his kidney disease well here moving forward! Take care.

I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Cat is so sick! You can certainly give vitamin B12 injections at home if your vet agrees that this may be helpful for your kitty - this is a very common part of treatment for a variety of different problems, and is quite easy to do. Your vet will need to order it for you, since it isn't normally available over the counter. I'm not sure if you had any other questions about your cat's illness, but if so, feel free to post again and we will do our best to answer.