Senior cat with an upset stomach

[4horses]

My senior cat has been having some stomach upsets. If I feed him canned food, he is fine. If I give him any dry food, he vomits it back up. Usually partially digested with a big puddle of water.

The vet pulled blood work which came back normal. The vet mentioned intestinal parasites but he is dewormed regularly and is an indoor cat. I can get an ultrasound by a specialist for about $800. Not sure I want to go that route if he is fine on canned food. If it’s IBD starting, I could try a course of prednisolone. If it’s cancer, I don’t want to think about it…

We didn’t pull X rays and while we could do that, they would probably just refer me to the specialist unless he has a foreign body.

It just seems odd that he is fine on canned. Maybe try that course of prednisolone and see how it goes the next few weeks? Before this he was exclusively fed dry food so it’s weird he would suddenly develop an intolerance.

His appetite is good. His weight is fine and he always clears his plate. He is 13 yrs old.

[Rackonteur]

I am sorry your senior kitty is having upsets. I’m also shocked at $800 for an ultrasound and the need for a specialist. My regular vet did not charge me anywhere near that much for an ultrasound on my 18yo who has chronic constipation.
Sending jingles to your kitty and you.

[WildGooseChase]

What kind of dry food and how much does he eat in one sitting? What wet food and how much do you give him at a time?

I’d be pushing to try a prescription food for sensitive stomachs, or something like Hills that has been specifically formulated for sensitive stomachs.

I would also look for a second opinion. There is no reason your normal vet needs to bring in a specialist and charge that amount, unless they do not have the equipment/knowledge to do one. If that’s the case, I’d be looking for a different DVM anyways.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

To me, an ultrasound is just par for the course - my vet does them all the time, for a nominal fee. X-rays, too - they’re nowhere near that expensive!

If bloodwork is normal, I’d suspect something other than cancer (I hope, anyway!). IBD is certainly one of them. How much water does he drink? I wonder if he’s drinking enough to properly digest and move the dry food along?

Ulcers are a possibility as well. You could also try Pepcid - IIRC, the dose for a cat is 1/4 of a pill a day. Or you could try a sensitive stomach dry and see how he does on that. Is it imperative that he eat dry?

[OzarksRider]

Did the blood work include a test for thyroid function? Hyperthyroidism can cause vomiting/regurgitation. The standard test panels are a complete blood count that tests for anemia and other blood disorders and a chemistry panel to test for diabetes, liver function, and kidney function. The T4 for thyroid function is a separate test. Hyperthyroidism is fairly common in older cats, and your cat is at the age when it is more likely to occur.

I once had a cat that frequently regurgitated her food, and after she was cured of her hyperthyroidism that problem went away.

From your description, it seems that your cat may be regurgitating rather than vomiting. Regurgitation is when the food is expelled from the esophagus before it reaches the stomach. It’s important to distinguish regurgitation from vomiting, because they have different causes.

[4horses]

His thyroid has been checked. As for ultrasound, they can check for things like bladder stones but they don’t have the training or expertise to diagnose digestive issues. My previous cat had lymphoma of the GI tract. They wanted to do an exploratory surgery to get it diagnosed rather than taking an ultrasound. Sometimes you have to go to the specialist.

At any rate, he is currently on home cooked chicken and pumpkin just to see if that improves his symptoms.

[ASBJumper]

My cats both started vomiting up entire meals of dry food after years of eating (seemingly) sans issues around the ages of 9 and 7 (it was mostly the 9 yr old, though). Also checked - nothing wrong with them.

Switched them to a combination of raw and grain-free canned, and not only did the puking stop, they both slimmed down, their activity/energy levels skyrocketed (the zoomies, OMG, the zooomiiiies!) and their poops became smaller, darker and firmer and their coats gleamed, their breath improved… Honestly, the transformation was nothing short of mind-boggling.

They lived to 20 and 19, respectively. I have no doubt they would’ve lived much shorter lives had i kept them on nasty kibble.

Kibble is highly processed, completely dehydrated crap. It is wholly inappropriate for cats, who are obligate carnivores. Listen to your kitty - he is telling you what he needs.