I'm writing this in hopes that it helps others, as non-specific diarrhea seems to be a recurring theme here.
Recently, my Jinxy Bean started to have problems again with four-smelling soft stools. She's had diarrhea and soft stools all her life, though I've had a lot of that under control with a good diet. However, her old symptoms came back gradually, mixed with firmer stools, so I never really gave it much thought because she's always had a bad pooper. Well, last month the poop hit the fan (almost literally because she made real sprayers) and the soft stools went watery and painful. I tried a bland diet but it didn't subside.
Her vet wasn't available for an emergency visit but there is this one old crusty vet who I swear is like 80 years old, well, Jinxy got to see him for the walk-in slot. That old dog taught ME new tricks! He looked over her lengthy paperwork regarding past diarrhea treatments and (finding no physical abnormalities during the exam) told me her history sounds a lot like dysbiosis, probably related to food intolerance and bad bacteria taking over her gut. The vet suggested my cat might not produce adequate enzymes to break down her meals properly, causing stress in the intestines. This can upset the natural good/bad bacteria balance and when subjected to chronic stress, the bad bacteria can take over causing diarrhea.
The veterinarian started her on a 7-day course of Flagyl/Metronidazole 50mg to kill off the bad bacterial overload and get her system under control. He also prescribed a concurrent regimen of probiotics for mid-day administration on an empty stomach. He explained that adding probiotics to food weakens their viability, as stomach acids rise with food ingestion. Taking probiotics on an empty stomach or a half-hour before meals pushes them through the stomach faster, in a lower-acid environment. This way, more probiotics survive the stomach and end up in the gut, rather than die off during the digestion process. This is GOLD information! Her probiotics are in powder form, so I add to it a teaspoon of water/a drop of honey or pure apple juice and feed the probiotics to her via medicine syringe. (She's not so resistant being dosed with sweet liquids.)
The vet also prescribed digestive enzymes to be added to every meal. These help break down fats and proteins and allow for better digestion and nutrient assimilation in the intestines.
Jinxy never felt great on the metronidazole because it causes some nausea and tiredness, but her diarrhea improved to thickened puddles and the foul odor disappeared. I kept her on the probiotics and digestive enzymes after she completed the medication and after another week of using these digestive aids her poops transformed to perfection. No runs, no foul odor, no soft/soft-ish stools. I'm on a record-breaking one week streak of firm, low-odor poops. This has never happened in my history with Jinxy Bean! At her best, she's always been a little soft.
If you are curious about the probiotics and digestive enzymes, I'm using:
VetriScience Vetri-Mega Probiotic. 1/2 capsule, 1x per day on an empty stomach. One bottle of 120 capsules will last me 240 days.
Naturvet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotic Powder: 1/4 tsp per 1 cup cat food. This can be sprinkled on wet or dry food. A 4oz jar will supplement 162 cups of cat food.
Recently, my Jinxy Bean started to have problems again with four-smelling soft stools. She's had diarrhea and soft stools all her life, though I've had a lot of that under control with a good diet. However, her old symptoms came back gradually, mixed with firmer stools, so I never really gave it much thought because she's always had a bad pooper. Well, last month the poop hit the fan (almost literally because she made real sprayers) and the soft stools went watery and painful. I tried a bland diet but it didn't subside.
Her vet wasn't available for an emergency visit but there is this one old crusty vet who I swear is like 80 years old, well, Jinxy got to see him for the walk-in slot. That old dog taught ME new tricks! He looked over her lengthy paperwork regarding past diarrhea treatments and (finding no physical abnormalities during the exam) told me her history sounds a lot like dysbiosis, probably related to food intolerance and bad bacteria taking over her gut. The vet suggested my cat might not produce adequate enzymes to break down her meals properly, causing stress in the intestines. This can upset the natural good/bad bacteria balance and when subjected to chronic stress, the bad bacteria can take over causing diarrhea.
The veterinarian started her on a 7-day course of Flagyl/Metronidazole 50mg to kill off the bad bacterial overload and get her system under control. He also prescribed a concurrent regimen of probiotics for mid-day administration on an empty stomach. He explained that adding probiotics to food weakens their viability, as stomach acids rise with food ingestion. Taking probiotics on an empty stomach or a half-hour before meals pushes them through the stomach faster, in a lower-acid environment. This way, more probiotics survive the stomach and end up in the gut, rather than die off during the digestion process. This is GOLD information! Her probiotics are in powder form, so I add to it a teaspoon of water/a drop of honey or pure apple juice and feed the probiotics to her via medicine syringe. (She's not so resistant being dosed with sweet liquids.)
The vet also prescribed digestive enzymes to be added to every meal. These help break down fats and proteins and allow for better digestion and nutrient assimilation in the intestines.
Jinxy never felt great on the metronidazole because it causes some nausea and tiredness, but her diarrhea improved to thickened puddles and the foul odor disappeared. I kept her on the probiotics and digestive enzymes after she completed the medication and after another week of using these digestive aids her poops transformed to perfection. No runs, no foul odor, no soft/soft-ish stools. I'm on a record-breaking one week streak of firm, low-odor poops. This has never happened in my history with Jinxy Bean! At her best, she's always been a little soft.
If you are curious about the probiotics and digestive enzymes, I'm using:
VetriScience Vetri-Mega Probiotic. 1/2 capsule, 1x per day on an empty stomach. One bottle of 120 capsules will last me 240 days.
Naturvet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotic Powder: 1/4 tsp per 1 cup cat food. This can be sprinkled on wet or dry food. A 4oz jar will supplement 162 cups of cat food.
