Re: IBD and metronidazole

[Lernermichelle]

oy vey, diagnosis is invasive, generally, and thus Lucy never has had a proper one. To actually diagnose, they need to do an endoscapy, and sometimes they can not definitively diagnose that way either and so need to biopsy a full section of the intestine, which means surgery.  What I did with Lucy, and what vets will often do, is tried prednisone to see if she responded favorably to it. When she did, and also responded favorably to raw food, and she had no parasites, etc., we concluded it was IBD.  What IBD is very hard to distinguish from, though, is small cell (slow growing) intestinal lymphoma, which is why I am always worried when Lucy seems worse.   For a cat who is a recent rescue, though, it could be IBS, which is stress-related rather than related to stress allergies or inflammation like IBD.  With IBS, if you can keep the stress under control and calm the cat down, the diarrhea should get better.    I think the first thing I would do with a cat with diarrhea that could possible be infectious or parasitic in nature is try a week of flagyl and see if it helps. It can also help with IBD if the IBD is in the lower (large) intestine. If you can, I would also put him on raw food or at least EVO, which is a grainless canned and dry food (grains seem to aggravate IBD a lot).  If it does not get better, I would talk to a vet and get a stool sample analyzed for other parasites or bacteria, and then think about food allergies. I would only get the scope or surgical biopsy done as a last resort. Even if lucy does not get better from what I am doing and might have lymphoma, I am going to try to convince the internist to just try the treatment (leukeran, a chemo agent, in addition to the pred), which they give for both small cell lymphoma and severe IBD, and see if helps, rather than put her through the stress of the scope or surgery. Endoscope for stomach or upper intestine is not so bad-- light anesthesia and then a scope without any cutting-- I have had this a few times myself. But endoscope for lower intestine, which is where Lucy's problem is, requires the vet to give the cat several enemas first and, I think, more anesthesia (it's actually like a colonoscopy). Plus once they have been on pred it is harder to differentiate IBD from lymphoma anyway.   Michelle   In a message dated 9/17/2006 7:59:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: How is IBD diagnosed? Blood Work? I have a new rescue I am thinking he might have it but then again he is declawed has litterbox issues and is scared of his own shadow,   Thanks Karen