Clindamycin - Diarrhea

[bengal lover]

Oh dear. Snickers, after all he has been through, is now going through a whole new set of problems. Please read his story in the S.O.S. thread (Lost Bengal) for background information.

I took him in to the vet yesterday morning because he was gagging and I thought maybe his upper respiratory infection hadn't been cured. The vet took his temperature and he had a fever so she put him on Clindamycin, 50 mgs. once a day. I gave him his first dose when we got home. As the day progressed, he actually seemed a little less lethargic and was playing with the other cats. By nightfall, steep decline. He had diarrhea so bad, he couldn't control it. I found several messes throughout the house, the first few completely clear but with mucus so I wasn't sure if he threw up, peed or had diarrhea! As the night progressed, he was sleeping on his perch and fluid was dripping out of him occasionally while he slept, and he was completely unaware!

I did not give him a second dose and I researched on the net and see some horror stories of chronic diarrhea and colitis in some animals from that drug! I called the vet today and she said they prescribe that medication very widely for cats and have never heard of one having diarrhea from it. But she agreed it is suspicious that it occurred suddenly and severely hours after taking the drug. She has now prescribed another antibiotic (one he's been on before without incident) because of his fever, otherwise she might have tried taking him off all meds while this diarrhea situation clears up. She said not to start the new antibiotic for a few days to allow the diarrhea to hopefully cease. Well it's not getting any better today, day 2. It's still completely liquid and he has very little control over it. He is slightly lethargic but eats and drinks well ... he has a very good appetite and I give him water often, as well as moist food.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Do you have any suggestions for me on stopping diarrhea in cats? I feel so bad for him! Out in the cold of winter for 12 days, trapped in a garage for 8 of them, dehydrated and malnourished ... and now this!

 

[carolina]

Start him ASAP on a probiotic - I advise Bene-bac, you can get it on PetSmart, or petco at petco, look for it at the small mammal/ferrets aisle). They have it in powder, or in gel, it doesn't matter. Give him a full dose every day, until the diarrhea stops, and continue it giving it until you stop giving him the antibiotics. Then give him every other day for a week or so...
Diarrhea in cats can take a while to clear out...
But once you start him on Bene-bac, it should stop pretty quickly.

 

[carolina]

IF the diarrhea persists after you give him Bene-bac, consult the VET!!! You don't want to have a cat with diarrhea for long... Also if he gets lethargic, etc...

 

[bengal lover]

OK thank you for the link! I will go buy it tomorrow morning. Is it something that can be mixed into moist food? When you say "full dose" will it give me the full recommended dose for a cat? He is 12 pounds. Do I need to check with the vet first? Can this harm him in any way? Any side effects? Thanks SO MUCH!

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Bengal Lover

OK thank you for the link! I will go buy it tomorrow morning. Is it something that can be mixed into moist food? When you say "full dose" will it give me the full recommended dose for a cat? He is 12 pounds. Do I need to check with the vet first? Can this harm him in any way? Any side effects? Thanks SO MUCH!

ETA 1: I would call the vet if he is still like that tomorrow, as you said he is lethargic... I am surprised with this strong of a diarrhea, the vet hasn't given him fluids or meds to stop it...
I would give him Bene-bac first thing in the AM, and keep him on a blend boiled chicken and rice diet for the day... if he doesn't get MUCH better by early evening I would take him in.

No, Bene-bac won't harm him... This is just probiotics - good bacteria, to help building up his intestinal flora which the antibiotics kills/takes out of balance thus his diarrhea... It stops diarrhea very very quickly. Bene-bac is great for this, or when changing foods, or weaning... (In which case you do a full dose every other day for a week). The full dose, in powder, will be 2tsp. I am not sure what it is in gel form. Yes, you can definitely mix it in his wet food. The gel you can just squeeze into his mouth.
I have a big pot here at home... I am going through a diarrhea case here right now with Hope, and she is also on it - has been for a few days now.
Make sure she is on it for a solid week though... then for another every other day...
On the second day she should be MUCH better. Don't stop though

ETA2:
If you don't find it, you might want to call your vet to see if they have a probiotic in there... Maybe they have it in their office

, but call feed stores, and other pet supplies first, Bene-Bac is very popular.

 

[addiebee]

I don't know where you live but your vet may also have forti-flora, made by Purina. It also works a charm for antibiotic induced diarrhea.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by AddieBee

I don't know where you live but your vet may also have forti-flora, made by Purina. It also works a charm for antibiotic induced diarrhea.

Another great Probiotic for that....

 

[esrandall2000]

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Another great Probiotic for that....

Along with the excellent suggestions for a probiotic, you might also ask your vet about the use of slippery elm bark, a holistic non-toxic herb that coats the entire alimentary canal with a soothing emolient. My holistic vet has recently had me double the dose I was giving my kitty for vomiting, but it is equally effective for issues involving the "other end."

Good luck and lots of vibes for your beautiful Bengal baby::vibe s:

 

[bengal lover]

Wow, you guys have a lot of great advice! I read somewhere about that bark stuff too. I will start with the Bene-Bac....I don't want to do 2 new things at once because I want to see what effect each one has. We have a Petco near my house and my husband is going to buy it first thing in the morning. When I said Snickers is lethargic, he is slightly lethargic ... but he has been since he came back from running away for 12 days because of his upper respiratory infection, which is still an issue because he's sneezing sometimes and gagging sometimes (nothing constant) and has a fever. I need him back on an antibiotic for that, but first things first ... stopping this diarrhea. I think the reason the vet isn't concerned is because he is drinking tons and eating well ... so he feels well in general. He's grooming himself too but sometimes he can't keep up with all the drainage/dripping going on and his tail and rear end fur gets hard and stiff. So I've been saturating paper towels with waterless cat bath and washing him and drying with a soft towel ... he loves it and feels like he is being pampered. He does walk around during the day, wanting to be out with the family and other cats, and he is interested in toys for a short time so nothing looks life threatening or scary to me. But I know how serious dehydration could be, so I'm watching for it and giving him LOTS of water. He eats dry food on his own here and there, and I feed him moist food twice a day, sometimes three times, to supplement that. His normal weight is around 14-15 pounds and he was down to 10 pounds when we got him back. He was 11.5-12 pounds at the vet 2 days ago, so he had been putting weight back on. Thanks again, everyone! I will post an update after we get him started on Bene-Bac tomorrow!

 

[esrandall2000]

I think that so many of us are so thrilled that he's back home safe and sound, that we want to do all we can to make sure he fully recovers from his "adventure."

:no d:

 

[the_food_lady]

Clindamycin is a very very potent antibiotic and can cause severe diarrhea in both pets and humans. In my opinion, this is a strange choice of antibiotics for an URI.

I have an elderly cat who is going for a dental next week. I asked my Vet to start her on antibiotics for a week prior to the dental, as she has a couple of bad teeth. Clindamycin is one of the #1 antibiotics used for dental infections, in both pets and humans. It's the one I've always been prescribed in the past for cases like this. The Vet told me that it's a very potent antibiotic, sort of only to be used when absolutely needed, so he prescribed something else.

I would be contacting your Vet and reporting the lethargy and diarrhea. I would request a DIFFERENT antibiotic, this is imperative. All of the probiotics in the world are not going to stop the diarrhea if you continue with this potent antibiotic.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

I would be contacting your Vet and reporting the lethargy and diarrhea. I would request a DIFFERENT antibiotic, this is imperative. All of the probiotics in the world are not going to stop the diarrhea if you continue with this potent antibiotic.

The vet already gave her a different antibiotic...

To the OP - Bengal Lover: Did you find Bene-Bac? How is the kitty today? any updates??

 

[bengal lover]

OK, yes ... my husband picked up Bene-Bac in gel formula (they didn't have powder). By the time he got home with it, it was noon and Snickers hadn't gone yet today. He had eaten and drank several times, so I'm thinking it's finally resolving itself. It is now 2:18 and he still hasn't gone. So I'm thinking this is a good sign and I'm afraid to give him anything and mess with Mother Nature!

He is not taking the new antibiotic yet and won't be until we see that his diarrhea has resolved. Another day or two, maybe. Does anyone think I should do something different?

 

[bengal lover]

P.S. The new antibiotic is Baytril. Does that seem appropriate? He was on several rounds of it when he was about 8 months old for a URI and did fine on it.

 

[esrandall2000]

I would still get him started on the probiotics. Any antibiotic will destroy BOTH and the good and bad bacteria in his gut. I give probiotics to my healthy cats as a precaution, but you might ask you vet's advice.

Good luck to a fast recovery:: vibes:

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by esrandall2000

I would still get him started on the probiotics. Any antibiotic will destroy BOTH and the good and bad bacteria in his gut. I give probiotics to my healthy cats as a precaution, but you might ask you vet's advice.

Good luck to a fast recovery:: vibes:

still give him bene-bac while on antibiotics... Bene-bac is perfect for that... and all you are doing is replacing the good bacteria that the antibiotics are killing. I would give it for the duration of the treatment, for sure. You are not messing with mother nature, the antibiotics is... If you are unsure, a quick call to your vet will make you feel better...

 

[esrandall2000]

Originally Posted by carolinalima

still give him bene-bac while on antibiotics... Bene-bac is perfect for that... and all you are doing is replacing the good bacteria that the antibiotics are killing. I would give it for the duration of the treatment, for sure. You are not messing with mother nature, the antibiotics is... If you are unsure, a quick call to your vet will make you feel better...

Totally agree with this advice. You cannot hurt by supplementing with probiotics like Bene-bac while you kitty is fighting some infection.

Good luck!

 

[girlsetsfiyah]

Oh this poor little kitty!!!

Our Jubbs has now been diagnosed with IBD, and our best luck was with metronidazole for anti diarrheal med.

HOWEVER, it could just be the antibiotic causing the diarrhea, and he had BAD diarrhea from using clavamox during his bladder stone removal recovery. Baytril worked well for him.

Crossing my fingers that this is all it is!

Another thing that may help is the type of food he's eating, I'm not overly educated on foods, but there are some great people here who can help with that, but maybe a diet like Medi-Cal Gastro, or Hills i/d etc may help!

And from clinical experience, I've seen forti-flora work wonderfully for other diarrhea cats (however it didn't help Jubbs)

Best of luck with this little guy, diarrhea is no fun for anyone!

 

[bengal lover]

Ok then here is my plan. I am going to wait for his next bowel movement (which, by the way, it's 10:01 p.m. and he still hasn't gone today, to my knowledge). If he HAS gone today, then it was normal because when it's diarrhea, nobody will bury it and the boxes have no diarrhea in it. I was gone for about 4 hours today so I couldn't montir from 6-10:00 p.m. but I did watch him alllll day and he did not go till that point.

So ... I'm thinking the diarrhea, caused by the antibiotic, is resolving itself. Thank God. But I'm not starting him on the Baytril until I see a normal bowel movement out of him. Otherwise, if he has diarrhea, I won't know if it's from the first or second antibiotics. Even though all indications are that the first antibiotic troubles are over since he didn't have a BM today.

Once I do start him on the second antibiotic (Baytril), I will give him Bene-Bac at the same time, once a day for 7 days, then every other day for 7 days. Sound good?

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Bengal Lover

Ok then here is my plan. I am going to wait for his next bowel movement (which, by the way, it's 10:01 p.m. and he still hasn't gone today, to my knowledge). If he HAS gone today, then it was normal because when it's diarrhea, nobody will bury it and the boxes have no diarrhea in it. I was gone for about 4 hours today so I couldn't montir from 6-10:00 p.m. but I did watch him alllll day and he did not go till that point.

So ... I'm thinking the diarrhea, caused by the antibiotic, is resolving itself. Thank God. But I'm not starting him on the Baytril until I see a normal bowel movement out of him. Otherwise, if he has diarrhea, I won't know if it's from the first or second antibiotics. Even though all indications are that the first antibiotic troubles are over since he didn't have a BM today.

Once I do start him on the second antibiotic (Baytril), I will give him Bene-Bac at the same time, once a day for 7 days, then every other day for 7 days. Sound good?

You are funny... Sounds ok... I would just give it now, but that's me... Probiotics are a great thing... You might be thinking it is a medicine... but it is not - think "souped up, juiced" yogurt, or Yoplait. That's all it is... But it's your kitty... I am glad he is doing better! Continued vibes for his improvement!