Diarrhea fortiflora

[ModernCatLady]

Good morning all!

My 9 month old male neutered kitten is up to date with all his vaccines. Since he was a kitten-first brought him home hes always had chronic runny/loose stool no matter what food brand or protein he ate. Recently noticed him sometimes squinting his right eye (vet said he has feline herpes and didnt prescribe any drops said it would go away) he was also sneezing maybe once a week for two months but hasnt sneezed since Friday the doctor said as long as there is no green or yellow mucous it's okay to sneeze sometimes. As for the diarrhea she gave him fortiflora he began taking it on saturday so hes been on it for 5 days. However this morning he had actual liquid diarrhea. My question is how long does fortiflora take to stop loose stool/diarrhea? How long should I wait until I call the vet to perhaps to a full kidney panel? He is a Persian chinchilla so i read they can have kidney issues. Thank you!

 

[Antonio65]

As for the diarrhea she gave him fortiflora he began taking it on saturday so hes been on it for 5 days. However this morning he had actual liquid diarrhea. My question is how long does fortiflora take to stop loose stool/diarrhea? How long should I wait until I call the vet to perhaps to a full kidney panel? He is a Persian chinchilla so i read they can have kidney issues. Thank you!

Did your vet run a fecal test for any possible parasites? It is possible that one or more parasites are giving him troubles.
My 6 months old kitten has been having loose stools for a few days now, she was visited three times, and only at the third visit, 2 hours ago, they did find she has Giardia. She was already getting some probiotics in her food and the situation was far from improving.
This is my bit of advice for you.

As for the kidney panel, it is extremely rare for such a young kitty to have kidney issues. It might happen, of course, but it is extremely rare and you should witness more symptoms anyway, like and increased thirst and an increased number of visits to the litter box.

 

[ModernCatLady]

Yes she did a stool test on Friday and yesterday she called me with the results to say there are no parasites present. I hope your kitty feels better! Oh okay that gives me hope! He never drinks water I always give him 100% wet food and add some bottled water in his food. Treats are pure bites freeze dried chicken breast. He usually poops twice a day.

 

[Antonio65]

The fecal test does not always reveal the parasites, because they aren't expelled every time the cat poops. The advice that vets usually give the pets' guardians is to collect the samples for three or four days in a row, and then take all the samples in for the test. Of course the samples must be kept in a cold place, like a fridge.

Anyway, the Giardia has cycles of infestation, it can be detect for a few days, then it can go undetected for a long period of time.
This could explain why the fecal test that I asked 6 weeks ago was clear. My kitten lives indoors only, and she's the only cat. Hence, the last time, she was tested negative because she was during a "resting phase" of the parasite.

Your cat's OK not to drink if he's eating wet food only with extra water in it. Mine does just the same.
The thing you could notice in case of kidney issues is that the cat pees more, and more often.

 

[neely]

A diagnosis of Feline Herpes should be taken seriously. Here is an Article that you might find helpful:
Feline Herpes And Rhinotracheitis – Cat Articles

Regarding the diarrhea, you may find some good advice from this thread:
7 Week Old Kitten Diarrhea Help!

 

[ModernCatLady]

A diagnosis of Feline Herpes should be taken seriously. Here is an Article that you might find helpful:
Feline Herpes And Rhinotracheitis – Cat Articles

Regarding the diarrhea, you may find some good advice from this thread:
7 Week Old Kitten Diarrhea Help!

Oh really the vet didnt seem concerned she said all cats are born with feline herpes kinda like how humans get a cold sore and as long as there is no mucous he is fine and doesnt need drops. I'm quite confused then. Thank you reading the thread now!

 

[ModernCatLady]

I should also mention he refused to eat two choices of wet food this morning. He had a little bit of ziwi peak air dried chicken food which I found odd.

 

[ModernCatLady]

The fecal test does not always reveal the parasites, because they aren't expelled every time the cat poops. The advice that vets usually give the pets' guardians is to collect the samples for three or four days in a row, and then take all the samples in for the test. Of course the samples must be kept in a cold place, like a fridge.

Anyway, the Giardia has cycles of infestation, it can be detect for a few days, then it can go undetected for a long period of time.
This could explain why the fecal test that I asked 6 weeks ago was clear. My kitten lives indoors only, and she's the only cat. Hence, the last time, she was tested negative because she was during a "resting phase" of the parasite.

Your cat's OK not to drink if he's eating wet food only with extra water in it. Mine does just the same.
The thing you could notice in case of kidney issues is that the cat pees more, and more often.

Oh wow okay thanks I will mention this to my vet and see what she says. Okay thanks! Hm he pees around 3 times a day nothing abnormal

 

[Antonio65]

It seems to me that he pees alright.

The fact he didn't want to eat his usual wet food sounds odd to me, but only because my kitten stopped eating her usual food and it was really strange. But then the Giardia gives a cat lack of appetite as well.

Anyway your vet should know it already that the samples must be multiple from different days in a row.

 

[ModernCatLady]

Are there any tests for diarrhea anyone can reccomend I ask my vet to do. She said a full kidney panel if probiotics dont work. I'm also gunna ask about the guardia. Anything else?

 

[ModernCatLady]

It seems to me that he pees alright.

The fact he didn't want to eat his usual wet food sounds odd to me, but only because my kitten stopped eating her usual food and it was really strange. But then the Giardia gives a cat lack of appetite as well.

Anyway your vet should know it already that the samples must be multiple from different days in a row.

Yes I found it odd as well. I sent her an email about the guardia. Thank you!

 

[molly92]

I'd ask about metronidazole (brand name flagyl). It fights giardia, and it also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestines even if it isn't giardia. It's also pretty well tolerated by most cats.

When I was with a shelter we didn't bother much with vets for diarrhea in kittens because the stool tests were so often wrong, and cats so often had parasites. The big three are giardia, coccidia, and crypto, but that can vary by region. However, these were a lot more common in young kittens because an adult cat's immune system is usually pretty good at fighting them, so definitely keep following up with your vet in case it's something else.

 

[Meowmee]

Good morning all!

My 9 month old male neutered kitten is up to date with all his vaccines. Since he was a kitten-first brought him home hes always had chronic runny/loose stool no matter what food brand or protein he ate. Recently noticed him sometimes squinting his right eye (vet said he has feline herpes and didnt prescribe any drops said it would go away) he was also sneezing maybe once a week for two months but hasnt sneezed since Friday the doctor said as long as there is no green or yellow mucous it's okay to sneeze sometimes. As for the diarrhea she gave him fortiflora he began taking it on saturday so hes been on it for 5 days. However this morning he had actual liquid diarrhea. My question is how long does fortiflora take to stop loose stool/diarrhea? How long should I wait until I call the vet to perhaps to a full kidney panel? He is a Persian chinchilla so i read they can have kidney issues. Thank you!

Fecal tests are notorious for being wrong and since he has runs it might be a good idea to treat him with a course of flagyl and see if it helps. Has he been wormed? It could also be diet. My Quinn, pb siamese started having runs when he was given flea posion as a young kitten. He was getting them every time he sneaked and ate my Syb’s food( she had to eat whatever due to liver failure). Eventually I figured out he could only eat one commercial diet and then I started making him home cooked with alnutrin supplements. It cured him. He did respond immediately to flagyl whenever he took it.
And Merlin my recent dhs ginger tux rescue, 2-3 years old, developed chronic diarrhea after being inside a month. I gave him numerous treatments. Eventually he tested pos for c diff on a pcr stool test. But a dvm thought he had t foetus which is very hard to test for so he took ronidazole for that. He was on a steroid as well and had some bowel thickening. I have weaned him slowly off it and also put him on the home cooked only diet. He is finally responding I think, with normal poops the past few days and still some mush here and there. Someone gave him his old dry food 2 weeks ago and he went right back to runs so diet was also playing a role with him. He can’t even eat the fussie cat which Quinn still can, so he is very sensitive to grains and alll the additives I think. Even a grain free dry I tried at first was terrible for him and may have triggered the whole thing.

 

[Antonio65]

I'd ask about metronidazole (brand name flagyl). It fights giardia, and it also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestines even if it isn't giardia. It's also pretty well tolerated by most cats.

My cat was given the Panacur (fenbendazole) which treats Giardia along with other parasites.

 

[sassykoonz]

Persistent diarrhea can sometimes be a sign of tritrichomonas. This condition doesn’t show up with a normal fecal test. You may have to request a test specific. the treatment is either Metronozidale or Ronozidale. Good luck.