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my cat does not digest his food properly. we just had a "puke fest", he pretty much emptied out his stomach of about 3 meals-worth of food. this has been going on for about a year. his vet has completed a full blood panel, which came back completely normal. we thought it was a problem with his teeth/gums. he just had 8 teeth removed about two weeks ago. he hasn't thrown up since then...until tonight. i'm afraid the pattern has begun again. i'm stumped. he's 11 years old and weighs about 9 lbs. i've tried different brands/types of food, but nothing changes. i feed him wet food once in the morn and once in the eve. he has dry food out all day and nibbles occassionally. any help would be greatly appreciated! -
Optional Information: Type of Animal: cat Gender: Male Age: 11 Name of Cat: Spike Already Tried: different foods/portions/feeding times. vet prescribed reglan seems to work temporarily, but then not so much.
Hi. I'm Dr. Lee and will do my best to help.
Has Spike had any weight loss? If so, how much and in what time frame?
Any soft stool or diarrhea?
Hello?
sorry, trying to reply but it's not working
no weight loss, has been up and down 1/2 lb at each vet visit, approximately every 3 mos for the past year. no diarrhea for the past 3 weeks, but has had in the past
Any x-rays or ultrasound done for the abdomen in the past 6 to 12 months?
How many different types of food have you used?
xray was suggested, but was not completed for whatever reason....
Thanks for the additional info.
the vet gave me some food, i can't remember the brand at this time. three or four other brands have been tried
With an older cat, I would be most concerned about intestinal cancer (lymphoma). Of course, there can be other problems, such as food allergy.
would the cancer be something that would show in the blood panel? or should we do the xray?
I would highly suggest to talk to your vet about ultrasound of the abdomen to see if any lumps can be identified.
Blood panel would not check for cancer.
X-ray would be a less expensive first step. It can sometimes show lumps and masses, but they have to be large enough in order to show up on x-rays.
With ultrasound, even if they are very tiny, can be detected.
Ultrasound is usually 2 to 3 times higher in cost compare to x-rays.
ok, i think he didn't end up doing the xray because he thought the mouth full of infection was the issue. i will have to call him again. thanks
Food hypersensitivity/allergy is also possible. You can always talk to your vet about this and try specific diet for food allergy such as Prescription Diet d/d or z/d.
Though I would highly suggest to go the route of ultrasound instead.
he doesn't usually throw up immediately after eating. more like 6-8 hours later. i was just really worried tonight because i've never seen him throw up so many times at once.
i will call the vet in the morning thanks
I hope Spike will feel better soon!
Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
thank you :)
You are welcomed!
Experience: 6 years of experience in veterinary medicine and surgery
Hi Amy, how is Spike doing? Is he better?