Dietary Trial for Cats with IBD or GI Lymphoma
Internal Medicine
Investigational
ENROLLING
Overview
Help us find a treatment for feline chronic enteropathy and inflammatory bowel disease
Complete the registration form to find out if your pet qualifies to be in our clinical trial.
The clinical signs in some cats with chronic enteropathy (chronic vomiting and/or diarrhea) can be reversed with dietary management using a specially formulated diet. It is not clear why some cats respond to diet, or what the optimal composition of the diet for cats with chronic enteropathy should be. We want to know if diets containing proteins that are selected to minimize immune responses and fortified in Vitamin B12 and natural anti-inflammatory agents (prebiotics and curcumin) are better than conventional diets for cats with chronic enteropathy.
Compensation
Hospital discount on study-related visits
You will receive a 10% hospital discount on all study related visits
Free study food
The study food will be provided to you free of charge during the initial 12 week study and for 6 months after the study if you continue to provide clinical progress reports.
Owner Responsibilities
Feed an exclusive diet to your cat
Your cat will be given one of three commercial diets that have been formulated to be more digestible, with two of the three utilizing the specially selected protein ± natural anti-inflammatory nutrients. You will feed this diet exclusively for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to a maximum of 12 weeks if the response is favorable. All treats and supplements must be discontinued prior to your cat’s enrollment.
Intial appointment and testing
You will be required to bring your cat to Cornell for the initial appointment including a brief exam, urinalysis, fecal examination and blood work and back to Cornell at 6 and 12 weeks after beginning the diet for additional brief exams, urinalysis, fecal examination and blood work (follow up at your local veterinarian may be possible in some cases). You will also fill out a survey related to your cat’s quality of life and diet performance each week during the dietary trial.
Location
Location
Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA)
930 Campus Rd,
Ithaca, NY 14853
Study Team
Carol FrederickClinical Trials Coordinator
Carol graduated from SUNY Delhi in 1994 and became an LVT. She spent 2 years in private practice, then moved to the emergency and critical care department at Cornell University Hospital for Animals. She obtained her technician specialty in ECC in 2007. After 21 years in ECC she moved to clinical trials, and now is the lead trials coordinator at Cornell.
Apply today if...
Any Cat with signs of chronic GI disease
Your cat must have signs of chronic GI disease (of more than 3 weeks duration), have had non-GI causes of vomiting and/or diarrhea ruled out, and must be amenable to blood sampling at the times required by the study.
Your cat must currently be symptomatic.
Chronic Enteropathy
Chronic enteropathy is the currently preferred term to describe what was previously referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in veterinary medicine. In dogs and cats, this disease syndrome is likely due to a variety of disease processes that result in an accumulation of inflammatory cells within the lining of the stomach, small intestine, large intestine or a combination of these areas.
Chronic enteropathy is usually classified according to the types of inflammatory cells present and location affected. The causes of chronic enteropathy are not well known but are suspected to be a result of an abnormal response by the body to certain intestinal bacterial or dietary antigens (proteins). Many dogs and cats with chronic enteropathy respond to dietary changes, and these patients are referred to as having dietary-responsive enteropathy.
The signs seen with chronic enteropathy vary with the severity of the disease and the location of the gastrointestinal tract affected. Animals with chronic enteropathy primarily involving the small intestine usually present with chronic vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, loss of appetite or some combination of these clinical signs.
Those with predominately large intestinal disease (chronic colitis) present with diarrhea with or without blood and mucous present, straining to defecate, increased urgency to defecate and occasionally vomiting.
About Chronic Enteropathy
Chronic enteropathy is the currently preferred term to describe what was previously referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in veterinary medicine. In dogs and cats, this disease syndrome is likely due to a variety of disease processes that result in an accumulation of inflammatory cells within the lining of the stomach, small intestine, large intestine or a combination of these areas.
Chronic enteropathy is usually classified according to the types of inflammatory cells present and location affected. The causes of chronic enteropathy are not well known but are suspected to be a result of an abnormal response by the body to certain intestinal bacterial or dietary antigens (proteins). Many dogs and cats with chronic enteropathy respond to dietary changes, and these patients are referred to as having dietary-responsive enteropathy.
The signs seen with chronic enteropathy vary with the severity of the disease and the location of the gastrointestinal tract affected. Animals with chronic enteropathy primarily involving the small intestine usually present with chronic vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, loss of appetite or some combination of these clinical signs.
Those with predominately large intestinal disease (chronic colitis) present with diarrhea with or without blood and mucous present, straining to defecate, increased urgency to defecate and occasionally vomiting.