Hi Lisa,

I took a few notes while reading your post so hopefully I won't forget anything!

IBD is considered to be a progressive disease, which means that it tends to become more severe over time. This is why it can eventually lead to intestinal lymphoma. What might appear to be a sudden flare-up may actually be the eventual worsening of the IBD. As you know, cats are very good at hiding the way they really feel.

Yes, there is a possibility that Sola actually does have lymphoma, but even with a full-thickness biopsy the results can be questionable. I think I would stick with the current treatment and see how your baby does over time.

A radiograph is just another name for an x-ray, so that is one thing you don't have to consider

The steroid budesonide is 15 times stronger than pred, and seems to be used regularly for IBD, although we don't use it where I work. Vets tend to use the drugs that they are most comfortable with and therefore use most often. I would try to find out if over time the steroid will be given every other day instead of every day. This would be much less likely to cause problems over time.

Cardiomyopathy is a tough one. It can be difficult to diagnose and some cats with it are symptom-free. Often it isn't diagnosed unless a necropsy is performed after the cat passes away. I'm paranoid about heart issues also because I had what appeared to be a very healthy 15 year old cat that suddenly developed a heart murmur. After x-rays and tests it seemed that the murmur was what we consider "benign". A few months afterwards Delilah developed heart failure and I had to let her go.

I know what you mean about being nervous about anesthesia, but if the safest type is used (gas)and the cat is well monitored, most do very well. Even though an injection is fine for induction, once the cat is intubated, he or she should be put on a gas/oxygen mixture. A vet that uses injectable anesthesia exclusively is one to be avoided.

Hope this all makes sense and is helpful to you!

Regards,
PHKitkat

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