Expert: Jessica - 5/2/2011

Question
I have an 11 year old cat who has been recently been diagnosed with inflamatory bowel disease after having an ultrasound.He is being treated by my veternarian and is on predisone.I have heard that supplementing with B12 might be helpful for cats with this condition too and I would like to know of an a good oral B12 supplement I could give my cat.I was also wondering what kind of diet do you think might be most digestible for my cat with this condition.He has a very touchy stomach and so for the last 6 weeks he has been eatting the royal canin recovery canned diet which is really supposed to be used only temporary but other foods I have tried since he became ill have caused vomiting.He has also had alot of problems with diarreah since being diagnosed with this illness.But I,ve read that there are several kinds of cat foods that might help with his condition as diet also plays a role in controling the disease.A canned diet is probably preferred over a dry food right now has he has trouble digesting dry food.I am just wondering which one you think might help best though.
                 thankyou,Marcie

Answer
Hi Marcie,

An oral B-12 won't be of as much help as the injectable form. This type will help heal inflammation in the intestines. An injectable B-12 is preferred, and your vet can prescribe this and show you how to give it at home. It's given under the skin with a small needle. However, your vet will probably want to check your cat's B-12 levels prior to prescribing this, since excessive B-12 could potentially cause problems.

As for the best food, I really recommend Hill's z/d or Royal Canin's Hypoallergenic HP. These foods have the proteins already broken down, so the digestive system has less work to do. They also have optimal amounts of B vitamins to aid in digestion. These are by prescription only. If you don't want to feed a prescription food, I recommend I high-protein diet with no grains. I feed my own cats Taste of the Wild. There is also Felidae Grain Free and Evo. These are available in canned and dry versions. All of these are easier to digest than foods with lots of complex starches.

Best of luck!

Jessica