https://www.vetsurgeon.org/f/clinical-questions/28493/hairball-vomiting-in-cats-gi-disease Dear vet minds, I was recently told that cats that frequently vomit hairballs often have underlying motility disease and potentially IBD-like problems. I did some googling but couldn&#39;t find any information about this... can someone enlighten me?..en-USTelligent Community 10https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215199?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:59:31 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:a4193c50-198b-46e5-a98c-6af09b71280bAnthony Dennison<p>[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]</p> <p>Here&#39;s my cherry picks from the posts, delete or ignore but one even says it...</p> <p>I was recently told that cats that frequently vomit hairballs often have <b>underlying motility disease and potentially IBD-like problems</b>.</p> <p><b>since he&#39;s been put on a hypoallergenic diet, so curious about this.</b></p> <p><b>I have heard this as well, think it was mentioned at ISFM Congress one year, but I have no references for you.</b></p> <p><strong>then it raises my suspicion of IBD. If cat otherwise well,</strong> I treat with katalax or similar and monitor frequency.&nbsp;</p> <p>(although he does also have recently diagnosed TR lesions),<strong> but I had never heard about hairball vomiting potentially being &quot;diet responsive&quot;.</strong></p> <p><strong>TR lesions can also cause vomiting in my experience,</strong> suspect from eating too quickly (assume to bypass pain?)</p> <p><strong>I have no doubt that hair-ingestion is involved in GI issues with cats</strong> (certainly constipation, probably vomiting) as a key causal factor in selected cases.</p> <p><strong>Very few have ibd</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>There is a thought that chronic inflammatory change such as IBD can progress to lymphoma over time.</strong></p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>No one suggested any tests at all except diet trials, just a discussion about experiences from it and bouncing ideas about things. Yes, there can be underlying conditions that can make it worse. Just because you never diagnosed whilst in practice (or even looked for it by the sound of things) doesn&#39;t mean you can shout everyone down. It&#39;s a discussion forum, things can be discussed without someone repeatedly yelling &#39;STEROIDS&#39; and &#39;SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE&#39; until people give up posting.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215193?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:21:21 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:49af9754-4d06-4a9a-902e-3583317528cbAnthony Todd<p>[quote user=&quot;Kate Richardson&quot;]Really not sure what your point is Anthony?&nbsp;[/quote]</p> <p>You made it very well when you suggested a diet trial before rushing into all the other less likely possibilities.</p> <p>The point I obviously didn&#39;t make well [or at all!]</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215190?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:16:33 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:e888014f-0848-42be-866b-2e538bdd9075Kate Richardson<p>[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]</p> <p>Here&#39;s my cherry picks from the posts, delete or ignore but one even says it...</p> <p>I was recently told that cats that frequently vomit hairballs often have <b>underlying motility disease and potentially IBD-like problems</b>.</p> <p><b>since he&#39;s been put on a hypoallergenic diet, so curious about this.</b></p> <p><b>I have heard this as well, think it was mentioned at ISFM Congress one year, but I have no references for you.</b></p> <p><strong>then it raises my suspicion of IBD. If cat otherwise well,</strong> I treat with katalax or similar and monitor frequency.&nbsp;</p> <p>(although he does also have recently diagnosed TR lesions),<strong> but I had never heard about hairball vomiting potentially being &quot;diet responsive&quot;.</strong></p> <p><strong>TR lesions can also cause vomiting in my experience,</strong> suspect from eating too quickly (assume to bypass pain?)</p> <p><strong>I have no doubt that hair-ingestion is involved in GI issues with cats</strong> (certainly constipation, probably vomiting) as a key causal factor in selected cases.</p> <p><strong>Very few have ibd</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>There is a thought that chronic inflammatory change such as IBD can progress to lymphoma over time.</strong></p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Really not sure what your point is Anthony?&nbsp;</p> <p></p> <p></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215189?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:12:24 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:2b502877-11ab-443f-a750-ff35df6dd6a9Anthony Todd<p>Here&#39;s my cherry picks from the posts, delete or ignore but one even says it...</p> <p>I was recently told that cats that frequently vomit hairballs often have <b>underlying motility disease and potentially IBD-like problems</b>.</p> <p><b>since he&#39;s been put on a hypoallergenic diet, so curious about this.</b></p> <p><b>I have heard this as well, think it was mentioned at ISFM Congress one year, but I have no references for you.</b></p> <p><strong>then it raises my suspicion of IBD. If cat otherwise well,</strong> I treat with katalax or similar and monitor frequency.&nbsp;</p> <p>(although he does also have recently diagnosed TR lesions),<strong> but I had never heard about hairball vomiting potentially being &quot;diet responsive&quot;.</strong></p> <p><strong>TR lesions can also cause vomiting in my experience,</strong> suspect from eating too quickly (assume to bypass pain?)</p> <p><strong>I have no doubt that hair-ingestion is involved in GI issues with cats</strong> (certainly constipation, probably vomiting) as a key causal factor in selected cases.</p> <p><strong>Very few have ibd</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>There is a thought that chronic inflammatory change such as IBD can progress to lymphoma over time.</strong></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215181?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 13 Sep 2019 00:41:37 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:c4c4fa2d-eeed-4f0f-a95f-3410f0427393Anthony Dennison<p>[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]This was the <span style="text-decoration:underline;">only</span> point I was trying to make and, on here, has to be made almost daily.[/quote]</p> <p>No it doesn&#39;t. You just feel it has to. On multiple occasions there have been threads with people discussing cases, bouncing ideas off eachother and with occasional anecdotes or slight tangents about similar cases and you then barge in, turbo post about the good old days and how &#39;modvets don&#39;t diagnose just test&#39; and &#39;BITD I never did any of this, and no animals ever died, I would consult 29 hours a day then operate in between, who needs xrays or ultrasound when you can just do an exlap in 10 minutes if it&#39;s negative&#39; etc.</p> <p>Your posts are just your opinions, not evidence based (and no, your random Google searches for tenuously linked studies, normally in humans is not an evidence based argument) and your turbo posting takes over. No wonder there are fewer people joining in or contributing when they just get shut down by you arguing that the sky is purple.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215180?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 23:21:44 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:bd0614c3-77aa-46d7-a646-65efac6514ddLucy Fleming<p>I just went through to re-read the posts to double check, and literally not one single post suggests any other diagnostic tests.&nbsp;</p> <p>A couple mention diet trials, either with a hairball diet, or a hydrolysed diet. Improvement in vomiting with the latter might suggest a degree of food allergy/ intolerance/ IBD involved in the vomiting.</p> <p>One post mentioned lymphoma, presumably (if I may put words in the poster&#39;s mouth) to point out that use of a hydrolysed diet and resulting resolution of chronic inflammation of the gut (if that is causing the vomiting) might have knock-on benefits in reducing the risk of lymphoma and enhancing the quality and length of the cat&#39;s life.</p> <p>Not once did anyone suggest further diagnostics.[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]This was the <span style="text-decoration:underline;">only</span> point I was trying to make and, on here, has to be made almost daily[/quote]</p> <p>It really doesn&#39;t.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215172?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 19:59:15 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:8f270a70-8220-4233-9eb4-6a8c55a72c11Anthony Todd<p>You were the <span>only</span> one to start with the obvious, usual and commonest and recomend a diet trial FIRST!!</p> <p>If posters had said &quot;I assume a diet trial didn&#39;t reveal etc. etc. I&#39;d be happy!</p> <p>This was the <span style="text-decoration:underline;">only</span> point I was trying to make and, on here, has to be made almost daily.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215170?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 17:34:12 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:38708b82-aa26-403e-830d-aa79b1d18b55Kate Richardson<p>[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]</p> <p>[quote user=&quot;Kate Richardson&quot;]hardly blue lights and exhaustive tests[/quote]</p> <p>I agree totally, but&nbsp;10 posts in the thread [so far] allude to other diseases without suggesting the obvious for initial elimination.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>I think you are taking those posts out of context Anthony. No-one was suggesting at all that one should leap in with any tests, just that its worth bearing in mind that some of these chronic low grade vomiters (be it hair or not)&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration:underline;">may</span> have low grade IBD and that some IBD cases progress to lymphoma. No one who has posted on here (at least I don&#39;t believe they are) is advocating advanced medical investigations. Keep your hat on!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215168?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 16:59:13 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:755f0bf5-3ab8-4a85-a624-0eb0131983beAnthony Todd<p>[quote user=&quot;Kate Richardson&quot;]hardly blue lights and exhaustive tests[/quote]</p> <p>I agree totally, but&nbsp;10 posts in the thread [so far] allude to other diseases without suggesting the obvious for initial elimination.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215166?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 16:15:16 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:e3f3bd46-8f84-4ba0-b1f8-603f6c098062Kate Richardson<p>In my opinion, the first and only thing I would recommend (if I was going to recommend anything at all) is a diet trial....hardly blue lights and exhaustive tests</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215164?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 15:29:13 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:5982bd60-2920-4aeb-881e-3ed0b47582fcLucy Fleming<p>[quote user=&quot;Anthony Todd&quot;]</p> <p>Just because you&#39;ve got a &quot;symptom&quot; [or cultured a bug ] doesn&#39;t mean the blue lights and exaustive tests and procedures!</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Or to put it another way, have these cats for years had to put up with regular vomiting (and presumably accompanying nausea) when there was in fact a treatable underlying condition?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Not every new piece of understanding that comes to light is detrimental to animal (or owner) welfare, as you seem to think.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215159?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:54:30 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:56765db9-ae54-4f56-8156-9ac0e8350991Bob Russell<p>Fur balls tend to be quite benign so I ask owners to monitor for changes to the usual pattern. I do recommend trial with the fur ball diets. Not sure I am convinced by the &#39;grabs&#39; the fur and draws it through suggestion. It may be the food is just better tolerated by the gut.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215152?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 12 Sep 2019 08:54:50 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:a6dc61d9-77f5-4f46-8d7f-c89cf4bd15f7Anthony Todd<p>[quote user=&quot;Sarah Wheadon&quot;]Quite, but I don&#39;t think any have been suggested.[/quote]</p> <p>+Pretty well every post does.......!<img src="/emoticons/v2/headbang2.gif" alt="Frustrated" /></p> <p>PS I saw a cat that only vomited dried food, and when it stuffed itself.&nbsp; Had&nbsp; every test prior under the sun including a stomach tissue biopsy before someone asked the simple question.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215143?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 23:22:24 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:8232c0f2-a83d-48bf-9e9e-fd65ea82c4b1Sarah Wheadon<p>Quite, but I don&#39;t think any have been suggested.&nbsp;<img src="/emoticons/v2/Shocked_smiley.png" alt="Shocked" /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215119?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 17:18:46 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:9c68c3b5-8af7-452d-b5ab-d61c0ea3adc2Anthony Todd<p>Just because you&#39;ve got a &quot;symptom&quot; [or cultured a bug ] doesn&#39;t mean the blue lights and exaustive tests and procedures!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215116?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 17:02:41 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:8a66a13f-0b09-4eab-8e90-7b7e517fa1aeJulie Innes<p>[quote user=&quot;Sarah Keir&quot;]There is a thought that chronic inflammatory change such as IBD can progress to lymphoma over time. Don&#39;t you love cats![/quote]</p> <p><img src="/emoticons/v2/Oh_my_God_smiley.png" alt="Surprised" />. Here&#39;s hoping it&#39;s just greed in my boy!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215112?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:55:42 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:871a70be-d95e-42db-b261-e9467a14f8b9Sarah Keir<p>There is a thought that chronic inflammatory change such as IBD can progress to lymphoma over time. Don&#39;t you love cats!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215074?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:11:45 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:e9890250-38e4-4c48-b17d-a945ed116ac4Julie Innes<p>Watching with interest! My own cat vomits at least a couple of times a week- usually just after eating, so I&#39;ve always put it down to him eating too quick (to get in before his chubby brother does!). His weight seems nice and steady, and he seems really well in himself, so I have just ignored it <img src="/emoticons/v2/Ashamed_smiley.png" alt="Embarrassed" /><img src="/emoticons/v2/Ashamed_smiley.png" alt="Embarrassed" /> (apart from moaning about having to clean it up and throwing him out when I can). Should I actually be doing more?</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215059?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 01:24:10 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:c44cc8f9-8bcf-472f-85fb-25863d63c192Evelyn Barbour-Hill<p>[quote user=&quot;Kate Richardson&quot;]</p> <p>[quote user=&quot;Beats&quot;]Differentiating &quot;hair-ball&quot; production from &quot;vomiting that happened to have some hair in it&quot;, or indeed &quot;vomiting or retching that does not have hair in it&quot; is key to me. I&#39;m amazed how many owners initially describe their cat as having a problem with &quot;hair-balls&quot; (on presenting a cat with retching or vomiting) and only on questioning clarify that they have NEVER seen any hair being brought up (usually after having tried all the hair-ball remedies on offer...).[/quote]</p> <p>Agree, You just put it a lot better than I did!</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>And then you have to differentiate vomiting from regurgitation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215058?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 11 Sep 2019 01:21:40 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:dc9557a6-1ab7-4bc1-a5a7-0a289c874c91Evelyn Barbour-Hill<p>[quote user=&quot;Andreia Dias&quot;]</p> <p>This is not a pruritic cat, Evelyn. Well, not to my eyes! xD I never spotted any excess grooming.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Yes, I realise that.&nbsp; But hair is swallowed when the cat grooms. Excess hair swallowing may result in excessive hairballing (bit of a misnomer as often the hair is not in gross balls).&nbsp; A feeling of itchiness of skin, not necessarily visible to anyone, results in cat grooming excessively (not necessarily when you are watching) and swallowing excess hair.&nbsp; Just a suggestion.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215051?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 10 Sep 2019 23:42:35 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:74f13709-b5f9-4b33-acf0-e1297de01589David Mills<p>Cats are very good at vomiting, they, anatomically, have a very well developed vomiting centre. I suspect most cats vomit once a week.&nbsp;</p> <p>Very few have ibd. Those that do have polyphagia and weight loss.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215049?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 10 Sep 2019 23:03:46 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:68bb6650-a1b4-4ddb-9c5d-f4d9533c0dfaKate Richardson<p>[quote user=&quot;Beats&quot;]Differentiating &quot;hair-ball&quot; production from &quot;vomiting that happened to have some hair in it&quot;, or indeed &quot;vomiting or retching that does not have hair in it&quot; is key to me. I&#39;m amazed how many owners initially describe their cat as having a problem with &quot;hair-balls&quot; (on presenting a cat with retching or vomiting) and only on questioning clarify that they have NEVER seen any hair being brought up (usually after having tried all the hair-ball remedies on offer...).[/quote]</p> <p>Agree, You just put it a lot better than I did!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215047?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 10 Sep 2019 22:47:41 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:11c69430-748c-4050-b31d-cdeaac9d9645Beats<p>This.</p> <p>[quote user=&quot;janine redman&quot;]Anecdotal evidence from a long Veterinary career means that this is often the case. Owners assume that because their is fur in the vomit then that is the cause of the vomiting. But this does not infer causality . There are many causes of vomiting but a lot of cats which vomit frequently for no apparent reason will respond to change in diet . Usually better on wet diets and often better on hypoallergenic or home cooked[/quote]</p> <p>Differentiating &quot;hair-ball&quot; production from &quot;vomiting that happened to have some hair in it&quot;, or indeed &quot;vomiting or retching that does not have hair in it&quot; is key to me. I&#39;m amazed how many owners initially describe their cat as having a problem with &quot;hair-balls&quot; (on presenting a cat with retching or vomiting) and only on questioning clarify that they have NEVER seen any hair being brought up (usually after having tried all the hair-ball remedies on offer...).</p> <p>Equally, I think one can go too far the other way. I have no doubt that hair-ingestion is involved in GI issues with cats (certainly constipation, probably vomiting) as a key causal factor in selected cases.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215046?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 10 Sep 2019 22:36:37 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:702214ad-eef9-43a6-bbcd-e53dfbeebc6fjanine redman<p>Anecdotal evidence from a long Veterinary career means that this is often the case. Owners assume that because their is fur in the vomit then that is the cause of the vomiting. But this does not infer causality . There are many causes of vomiting but a lot of cats which vomit frequently for no apparent reason will respond to change in diet . Usually better on wet diets and often better on hypoallergenic or home cooked</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/215045?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 10 Sep 2019 22:25:10 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:5fb63d70-0317-4af8-a0f7-63a91c114235Kate Richardson<p>I believe most of the info is anecdotal, but I can ask on ISFM forum re evidence. No harm in feeding both cats Purina HA other than on the wallet. TR lesions can also cause vomiting in my experience, suspect from eating too quickly (assume to bypass pain?)</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>