Changing food while on antibiotics?

[JBMMBJ]

My kitten (13 week old Ragdoll) was diagnosed with a Clostridium infection and yesterday I started the new dose of Metrodinazole. I will have to continue for 6 more days, and then hopefully the infection will be gone, but we’ll see.

The issue is that he doesn’t really want to eat the wet food his breeder was giving him anymore (Purina Friskies Pâté Mixed Grill). Initially, a few days after I got him, I changed (slowly) his food over to Tiki Cat. He really liked it.

When his diarrhea was not improving, I went back to Friskies as I thought the food was possibly giving him issues. This was before we found out he actually had a bacterial infection.

Now, my plan was to keep giving him the same food his breeder was giving him (IAMS Kitten Dry Kibble and Friskies) for at least one more week, and then once done with the antibiotics slowly switch him over to Tiki Cat again.

However, I don’t want him to lose weight. I gave him a tiny bit of Tiki Cat and he ate it all, but doesn’t want to eat Friskies. Due to the Clostridium he had already lost some weight, and it is essential to me that he keeps eating good amounts of food everyday, so that he can continue slowly gaining weight rather than losing it.

Do you have any suggestions? Should I try to gradually switch him over to Tiki Cat (that he seems to eat very well) even though he’s on antibiotics? Can this cause problems?

Thank you so much!

 

[czuva]

It’s more important that he eats at his age, so feed him what he’ll accept.

Metronidazole helps reduce gut inflammation actually, so it should help the transition if anything.

 

[JBMMBJ]

It’s more important that he eats at his age, so feed him what he’ll accept.

Metronidazole helps reduce gut inflammation actually, so it should help the transition if anything.

Thank you! I’ve been told that Metrodinazole can cause nausea/loss of appetite, but that wouldn’t really explain why he does eat Tiki Cat. Are there any flavors I should avoid giving him? Also, do you suggest switching slowly or just give him Tiki Cat and that’s it?

 

[czuva]

You can try transitioning, but he might just eat the Tiki and leave the rest. Sometimes cats will choose what you do!

Most of the time stomach problems are caused by infection/parasites instead of food, especially if you’re feeding wet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would give him the Tiki Cat since you don't really know if that had anything to do with the diarrhea due to the Clostridium. Transitioning from one wet food to another seems to have a less of an impact on the digestive tract than when you are changing out a dry food.

It is better to have him eating well when on an antibiotic, to help reduce stomach upset. A lot of members on this site add a probiotic to their cat's diet when on antibiotics, since that helps to maintain the 'good' bacteria in the digestive tract that many antibiotics deplete, and can sometimes ward off any loose stool provoked by the antibiotic. The one I have seen most often mentioned is S. boulardii.

 

[JBMMBJ]

I would give him the Tiki Cat since you don't really know if that had anything to do with the diarrhea due to the Clostridium. Transitioning from one wet food to another seems to have a less of an impact on the digestive tract than when you are changing out a dry food.

It is better to have him eating well when on an antibiotic, to help reduce stomach upset. A lot of members on this site add a probiotic to their cat's diet when on antibiotics, since that helps to maintain the 'good' bacteria in the digestive tract that many antibiotics deplete, and can sometimes ward off any loose stool provoked by the antibiotic. The one I have seen most often mentioned is S. boulardii.

Thank you! Yes I’m giving him S. Boulardii already, fortunately he seems to like it. When he will be done with antibiotics I would want to start giving him Proviable to help him rebuild good flora. I will start giving him Tiki Cat, I will try to mix it with Friskies but we’ll see if he accepts it or not. I also have Tiki Cat Dry Kibble, how do you suggest changing that one?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Does he like the Iams dry food? If so, maybe hold off transitioning him until you get the Clostridium taken care of. Why add another potential issue to the equation? If he isn't so keen on the Iams, then you could try to do the same thing with it and the Tiki Cat dry as you are doing with the wet foods. Mix a little of the Tiki Cat dry with the Iams and then decrease the amount of Iams as you increase the amount of Tiki over time.

 

[JBMMBJ]

Does he like the Iams dry food? If so, maybe hold off transitioning him until you get the Clostridium taken care of. Why add another potential issue to the equation? If he isn't so keen on the Iams, then you could try to do the same thing with it and the Tiki Cat dry as you are doing with the wet foods. Mix a little of the Tiki Cat dry with the Iams and then decrease the amount of Iams as you increase the amount of Tiki over time.

Thank you for your reply! I would say he doesn’t love IAMS either, he probably tolerates it. Most of the time during the past 10 days he was eating much more Friskies than IAMS, but I was okay with it since he did eat good portions of wet food. However now that he doesn’t really want it anymore, I’m not sure if I should just leave it or possibly start introducing the Tiki Cat Dry Kibble again. The thing is that when I first did it, I noticed that even though I was mixing it, he was mostly eating the Tiki Cat Dry Food, and just leaving the IAMS.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The thing is that when I first did it, I noticed that even though I was mixing it, he was mostly eating the Tiki Cat Dry Food, and just leaving the IAMS

Doesn't it seem like that is the way it always works!! If he has already eaten a fair amount of the Tiki dry, then it probably isn't going to be a disruptive to his system than if he had never eaten it before.