This cat blog will answer the major question, “When to euthanize a cat with IBD?” we will also discuss the factors which will decide whether your cat needs to be euthanized, how you can decide the severity of the disease in your cat, and the treatment options for IBD for your cat.
When to euthanize a cat with IBD?
If your cat is not able to bear the pressure of disease and treatment it’s time to euthanize your cat with IBD to provide relief to your cat. It is important for you to decide after consulting with the vet whether to euthanize your cat with IBD or not.
What are the factors which will decide the euthanasia of a cat with IBD?
Following are the factors that will decide the euthanizing of a cat with IBD:
Age of the cat
If your cat is old and it has lived most of its life then you might decide to euthanize the cat. You must look at the ongoing condition of your old cat.
Old cats are not able to bear the pressure of inflammatory bowel disease because their immune system is weak and they are not able to cope with the inflammatory reaction in the gastrointestinal tract of the body.
On the other hand, if your cat is young then it can bear the pressure of this disease so you might consider the treatment options for your cat with IBD.
Previous medication condition of your cat
The next thing is the previous medical condition of your cat. If your cat is suffering from any previous medical condition then it might not bear the pressure of this disease. It is important for you to discuss with your veterinarian the previous medical condition and the treatment of the previous medical condition in your cat.
Severity of the disease in your cat
The next factor is the severity of the disease in your cat. Following are the major clinical signs of IBD in your cat:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea with blood in it.
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Dehydration
- Abdominal pain
If these symptoms are severe and your cat is not able to bear them then you must consider euthanizing a suitable option for your cat. It might be very hard for you to decide but this is the best way to save your cat from continuous suffering.
The severity of the disease might also indicate the lack of attention to the cat. Some owners do not pay attention to their cat when it is showing mild signs and when the disease becomes severe, they go to their nearest vet for treatment, but the damage has been done by the disease so make sure you do not ignore the early signs of this disease in your cat.
Treatment options for your cat
The next factor is the treatment options for your cat. If your cat is responding to the treatment then you must try to treat it but when all the treatment options are not suitable for your cat and your cat is not responding to any of the treatment options then euthanizing might be the last option you have.
What are the treatment options for IBD for your cat?
Following are the treatment options available for IBD in your cat:
- The first option is the dietary change for your cat. IBD is due to the immune response to the contents in the GIT of the body. Changing the diet will benefit your cat because there is severe inflammation in the body of your cat so you need to give a soft diet to your cat to protect the GIT from irritation.
- The next option is the available drugs in the market. The available drugs are antiprotozoals like metronidazole, NSAIDS, and various other drugs to relieve the symptoms of this disease. These drugs should be administered under the supervision of a senior veterinarian in the clinic only.
How can you decide the severity of the disease in your cat?
Following are the few factors that decide the severity of disease in your cat:
- The first one is the clinical signs you should be looking at, if your cat is showing clinical signs of bloody diarrhea with fever and severe abdominal pain then the disease is severe in your cat.
- The next factor is the condition of your cat, check the hydration status which will tell you about the percentage of dehydration. Severe dehydration can indicate severe disease in your cat.
Conclusion
In this cat blog, we answered the major question, “When to euthanize a cat with IBD?” we also discussed the factors which will decide whether your cat needs to be euthanized, how you can decide the severity of the disease in your cat, and the treatment options for IBD for your cat.
