I am unsure about how many days to continue giving cerenia after my cat has vomited-which happens often. Petey is a 3 yr. old neutered male short hair that I adopted from the shelter-knowing his diagnosis.(I recently lost my older IBD cat). Petey is a serial vomiter-mainly with his wet R.C. PR vet. diet ( he also gets the same diet in kibble ). He vomits before dawn a lot, as he goes too many hrs, 6 or7, with no food. During the day he gets tiny amts. of wet food with his probiotics, B-12, slippery elm + a few drops of animal CBD. The kibble is free-choice in a raised slow feed bowl-even during the night. Sometimes he acts sick after vomiting-but other times he acts fine and ready to eat again. I never know whether or not to give the cerenia-or for how many days in a row. Since we only have one vet clinic left here, it is really hard to get any advice. I welcome any advice that you might give me re: food, timing, supplements, etc.
Carol Tarr, Florence, Oregon
Hi Carol,
Cerenia only addresses the symptoms of a vomiting disorder, not the underlying cause. In cats that chronically vomit their food often, it's most helpful to try to arrive at a diagnosis for why it's happening. Bloodwork can help to rule out some non-GI causes like kidney disease. In most cases I then presume if bloodwork is normal that IBD may be most likely. However, an abdominal ultrasound can be helpful to rule out something more serious, especially if there is any weight loss involved.
In this post, you did mention your kitty being on the novel protein diet rabbit and pea. This can work well for many cats but if you continue to see frequent vomiting, you may want to talk to your vet about a hydrolyzed protein diet, like the RC HP. My own cat with IBD is on the RC HP dry. They have no wet food version, so I continue to use the rabbit and pea.
Some cats can be managed well with the diet change alone. Others will need a steroid to help address the underlying bowel inflammation and quiet the immune response. Prednisolone is okay for most cats, but if there is any concern for underlying heart disease, kidney disease, or risk for diabetes, budesonide is another option that has less systemic effects on the body.
My point in relaying all this is that if the underlying cause is addressed, there may be very little need to use cerenia at all. An exception is if a cat is getting a very controlled diet and then gets something off the table and has a bad IBD flare up.
Otherwise, some folks will give cerenia every day. I question the wisdom of this just given it only supresses vomiting but doesn't treat IBD. If your cat vomits but seems fine afterward (as many seem to be), and eats their next meal fine, there may be no need for Cerenia. If your kitty seems ill after vomiting and is not interested in a next meal, Cerenia may be best to reserve for those situations. A recheck at the vet would be warranted if you're still seeing concerns with vomiting and/or appetite while taking cerenia for 1-2 days.
I hope that helps.