Persistent Diarrhea in 6 Month Kittens

[Ebsyn]

Let me give a brief history - there were stray kittens and a mom who hang around my house. I have been feeding them since they were young. And I finally was able to bond and bring in the two boys.

They have been inside for one month. We did a round of capstar, baths and Drontal. We took them into the vet for shots and meds as soon as I thought we were ready to be around people and be handled. They were put on Albion and that Flotafloria probiotic. Didn’t work. So we went back the next week, and we got Panacur and Amoxicillin. Still having diarrhea.

Im really at a loss of what to do. My next plan was to put them on better food and try out some pumpkin.

Are there other things or tests I should be asking our vet about?

 

[LTS3]

FortiFlora isn't the best probiotic to use. The bacteria CFU is way too low to do much of anything. There are other products you can use including Human probiotics. Give these a read:

Probiotics Search - Human Grade and CFUs

I've been trying to find a good probiotic. All my research has results in some questions: Human probiotics - Have heard different stories on whether or not to give to a cat. Have heard that you shouldn't give them to a cat because some human strains could irritate them. Have also heard that you...

thecatsite.com

Prebiotics & Probiotics for Cats: Healing Inflammation and gut dysbiosis

How to restore gut health, not just manage symptoms, in feline IBD

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

Saccharomyces boulardii can be helpful for diarrhea. The second link above has more info on using it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The vet did do a fecal test for giardia and coccidia, right? With ferals, that would be my first suspicion. And the tests need to be repeated, as false negatives are possible.

 

[Ebsyn]

The vet did do a fecal test for giardia and coccidia, right? With ferals, that would be my first suspicion. And the tests need to be repeated, as false negatives are possible.

Yes. They tested positive for coccidia during the fecal.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'd tell the vet that they are still having the diarrhea. Apparently, the meds didn't clear it up completely. It can be a bear to get rid of.

 

[Ebsyn]

I'd tell the vet that they are still having the diarrhea. Apparently, the meds didn't clear it up completely. It can be a bear to get rid of.

This is our second round of meds. Is that normal? With my other cats we’ve never gone this long with meds not resolving the issue.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It isn't. You may need a change of meds, or you may also be dealing with a food sensitivity. Again...that's something to bring up with your vet.

 

[Ebsyn]

It isn't. You may need a change of meds, or you may also be dealing with a food sensitivity. Again...that's something to bring up with your vet.

Just wanted to provide an update on George. We have him on metronidazole. He's on I/D with the probiotic that has Saccharomyces boulardii. His poop got better but today was liquid again. One fecal came back negative, so we are going to run a different panel since he was feral. We are also going to get him tested for FIV, which we did not do this last weekend.

Whatever George has, his brother Nimbus has not contracted? They share a litter box and Nimbus is a fat and happy kitten.

I am worried that there is a possibility that he (George) has FIV. My other two cats are negative and I'm also worried about George and his quality of life. Just stressed today and worried about my little guy.

 

[stephanietx]

You could ask them to check for tritrichomonas foetus using the PCR Diarrhea panel.

 

[Ebsyn]

You could ask them to check for tritrichomonas foetus using the PCR Diarrhea panel.

Yes ma’am that’s our next step along with the blood drawl for FIV. We are also considering a potential food allergy. But checking off the boxes slowly!

 

[duncansmommy]

If it is a food sensitivity, as it is with my cat, I found the best way to clear up my cat's issues with diarrhea is to feed him some cooked chicken breast with nothing else. Make sure it isn't that treat paste in a tube, it has gum in it which your cat can be sensitive to. Just plain chicken. Put it in a blender or food processor. If you must, add some salt-free tuna juice. Once the diarrhea is stopped, you can try adding in a little of their regular food and see if it comes back. Good luck!

 

[Ebsyn]

Just wanted to provide an update for whoever may stumble across this post in the future: We did a PCR Panel on George and put him back on Hill I/D. His PCR came back positive for Giardia. My vet actually said we are the first she's seen in a cat. (Hurray, ferals.) He is on Panacur and Metronidazole for 6 days. Then, we are going to see if he needs a follow up course or if that takes care of everything.

He may also need to stay on a bland diet for the mean time. He seems to be doing better on that than his regular wet food and I'm just trying to not mess around with his GI tract too much right now.