title: Feline inflammatory bowel disease: a review.
abstract: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), while a popular diagnosis, may not occur as commonly as it is diagnosed. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that it is important to eliminate diseases that mimick it. Dietary intolerance or allergy in particular, can have the same clinical and histologic appearance as IBD. Likewise, well-differentiated alimentary lymphosarcoma can also be confused with it. Intestinal biopsies are useful, but must be taken carefully and then evaluated by someone with interest and expertise in alimentary tract pathology. Therefore, it behoves the clinician to carefully consider the diagnosis instead of starting multiple drug therapy in a cavalier fashion. Well constructed dietary therapy can often be beneficial for both dietary problems and IBD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Willard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D002415:Cats; D004032:Diet; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D008795:Metronidazole; D011239:Prednisolone