Answering a question about IBD

@Carol & Yoshi Hi Carol, here is the information you asked for, hope it helps!

S.boulardii can be found at almost any place that sells vitamins, probiotics, etc. I buy Now brand s.boulardii from amazon.com. You can give 1 capsule twice a day (or in any other breakdown of doses, e.g., 1/2 capsule 4 x daily, etc.) mixed with food until diarrhea stops, then 1/2 capsule 2 x daily for maintenance. It can also be given in conjunction to a probiotic like Renew Life Ultimate Flora 15 billion. Once I'm sure Candy's diarrhea has really stopped, I take her off the s.boulardii, but put her back on it immediately at the first sign of any trouble. I'm happy to say those times are getting farther and farther apart!

Slippery Elm Bark is a wonderful thing. It coats and soothes the lining of the intestines. You can mix it up into a slurry, almost a type of gel, that you can add to food or syringe feed, or you can mix the powder into wet food. I just added the powder to her food because Candy didn't like the taste of the gel; I always add water to her food but when she's on SEB I add extra water. The problem with SEB is that you can't use it within two hours of any other oral meds because it will inhibit proper absorption. For the same reason, I try not to leave her on it for a great length of time, in case it inhibits absorption of nutrients from food. I think she would have to be on it for quite a long time for that to really be an issue, though.

There is a great group for owners of IBD kitties on Yahoo groups, I highly recommend it. There are also some IBD groups on Facebook, but I am less familiar with them. I have a friend in London who belongs to one of them and really likes it, so it's probably worth checking them out, too.

 

Thanks a bunch for this info and thanks for point me to the IBD group. Just didn't think about an IBD group in yahoo groups.

 

You're very welcome! I know the IBD groups are very helpful.