Black Stool After Diet Change

pringandpan

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My kitten is almost 4 months old. He had a bloated andomen despite multiple deworming. The vet said it is caused by flatulence. So he prescribed gastrointestinal wet food for cats (not specific for kittens). I gave a can to my kitten in the morning. During noon, his stool is soft (almost liquid) brown. Around 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon, his stool is soft tarry black. I read it could be due to internal bleeding. So I rushed him to the vet. His CBC shows elevated WBC and anemia. Vet prescribed antibiotics for 14 days and Yunnan Baiyao Chinese drug for internal bleeding. This morning his stool is solid- first half is black like ash, and second half is dark brown. My kitten is active, playing, and eating well.

Could the bleeding due to diet change, or something else? Has anyone have similar experience?
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Was your cat's stool normal before the food change? Usually, food changes can cause blood in the stool, but it is typically not as dark as what you are describing. Dark stool usually indicates blood coming from the upper GI tract - stomach or perhaps small intestines.

The fact that your cat is anemic suggests it is not from a food change, IMO. While the antibiotics is a good precautionary move should this somehow be related to an infection, Yunnan Baiyao is an herb, not a drug. I don't know what vet facilities you have available to you, but if it were my cat, I would want the vet to do more testing to see if there is a specific source of the bleeding so that it can be treated accordingly. That might involve x-rays and/or an ultrasound.

I just think it needs to be pursued a little further - at least have the vet explain their thought process in how they are treating your cat, and what will be the next steps if/when they become necessary.

Yunnan Baiyao, to use or not to use? • MSPCA-Angell
 
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pringandpan

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Hi. Was your cat's stool normal before the food change? Usually, food changes can cause blood in the stool, but it is typically not as dark as what you are describing. Dark stool usually indicates blood coming from the upper GI tract - stomach or perhaps small intestines.

The fact that your cat is anemic suggests it is not from a food change, IMO. While the antibiotics is a good precautionary move should this somehow be related to an infection, Yunnan Baiyao is an herb, not a drug. I don't know what vet facilities you have available to you, but if it were my cat, I would want the vet to do more testing to see if there is a specific source of the bleeding so that it can be treated accordingly. That might involve x-rays and/or an ultrasound.

I just think it needs to be pursued a little further - at least have the vet explain their thought process in how they are treating your cat, and what will be the next steps if/when they become necessary.

Yunnan Baiyao, to use or not to use? • MSPCA-Angell
Yes, my cat’s stool is normal solid brown before the food change. In fact, it was Friday when we visit the vet and they run blood test and blood chemistry panel. All is normal. He was not anemic and WBC is within normal range. It was Saturday (the next day) when I feed him the gastrointestinal food, and that day is when I saw the dark black stool.

I went to the vet again yesterday to ask for more insights about this case. She said that the sudden change in diet may gave caused GI upset and the body is normal to react to that change, hence the rise in WBC. She still wants to do further testing next week. For now, since my cat is active, eating well, and no clinical signs like vomiting or lethargy, it is best to observe for a couple of days.

I’m closely monitoring my kitten. Yesterday, his stool is soft (but NOT liquid) brown. Then this morning, I saw in the litter box that his stool is more solid. No black stool.

I will bring him to the vet again next week for x-ray or ultrasound as you have suggested. My kitten has been going to the vet constantly for the past two months. The vet won’t vaccinate until we rule out any disease causing his bloated abdomen. Deworming was done many times by the vet, and recent fecal test did not show any parasites. We also ruled out FIP since his blood chemistry panel is completely normal. We did the test twice, two weeks apart. No deterioration in his health after two months being with us, so the vet said it is not FIP.

We will consider gastrointestinal problem that might be causing his bloated abdomen and the blood in his stool.
 
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pringandpan

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I agree with the above. The bloating could possibly be caused by internal bleeding too. The source or why must be found. Multiple deworming could be a culprit too. To me, that sounds more like it than a diet change.
Thank you for your insights. The last deworming dose was administered two weeks ago and I did not see any black (or bloody) stools. Also, he is a rescued kitten and we found him on the streets when he was about four weeks old. He already had a bloated stomach but his stool does not show any blood. But I understand that multiple deworming is not normal and may have caused more harm than good. We are still puzzled by this case. Hopefully, an abdominal ultrasound will give us the answer.
 
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pringandpan

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It sounds like you and the vet are on the right track. Please keep us posted.
Thank you so much for your responses. It helps me to be more determined to be a strong advocate for my cat. For now, I will let him rest and enjoy playtime with my other kitten for a couple of days. He was really stressed out from going to the vet every couple of days for deworming, fecal tests, blood tests, etc. Although I see he is very patient and brave.
 
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