I have/had a thread already going about this but I didn't get the resolution I'm looking for and I feel like I need a fresh start because an answer NEEDS to be found. I will never give up on my cat.
So my 16 y/o female cat who I am now finding myself lovingly referring to as "Scooter" (because she keeps scooting) has been having loose stools for well over a month. I am not getting anywhere with the vet and the specialist she wants me to go see is far away and with the weather, it may be a while before I can get in there.
Scooter has been an indoor only cat for 9 years. For the past few years she's been dealing on and off with constipation/hard stools. A few months ago she began to have sporadic loose stools which I attributed to the canned food as I've been trying to get her to eat more of it and less dry food.
Other than the loose stools she was fine until a month ago. Then she had an episode of fainting after vomiting, but recovered within seconds. She seemed fine afterwards (normal heart and respiratory rate) and was even playing. I made her appointment for a few days later. By then, it was clear that she was not acting quite right. She appeared to have vision problems and did not respond to my touch and petting the same as before. She was also displaying very mild signs of possible neurological problems (head twitching). She had two more fainting episodes that week and has not had any since.
A radiologist performed an abdominal and cardiac ultrasound which were inconclusive. They only showed thickening of the small intestine with the possibilty of IBD and/or cancer. It also showed a problem with one of the heart valves but the cardiologist and radiologist felt that medicine isn't necessary at this time.
The vet recommended a paste called Diarsanyl+ which didn't work. Fortiflora hasn't helped either. The vet prescribed Metronidazole 50 mg twice daily, but had me discontinue it after 5 doses because I mentioned that Scooter was acting strange with coordination issues. The vet mentioned that could be from the appetite stimulant which is also an antihistamine and can cause drowsiness.
Full blood tests were done and everything was in the normal range except the reticulocytes were a little high and there was blood in the urine. There are signs of kidney problems, but everything is still within normal. The BUN is on the higher side of normal. T4 was normal, but in the grey zone for older cats. The test for the pancreas was good too. Her blood pressure is also good.
The vet did give two B12 injections each two weeks apart. I can't be certain, but I think Scooter had a bad reaction from something in the injection. She seemed very lethargic and strange for 7-10 days after each injection. In the last week or two, she seems to be her old self again. She acts the way she did before the fainting episodes. She's not acting 100% like her old self, but she's definitely better, except for the loose stools. Whatever vision problems she may have had seem to be gone.
From my own personal opinion, I think the Metronidazole was helping. Approximately 12 hrs after her last dose (the 5th dose), she had a bowel movement that wasn't loose. It wasn't totally firm, but it actually had a shape to it. She made a few of those in the following 2-3 days or so. Since then, they've all been loose.
I'm pretty sure the appetite stimulant was causing a good amount of odd behavior like uncoordination. I reduced the amount myself and it seems to work better for her. She was prescribed 1 mg twice daily, but doing .66 mg once or twice a day works just as well for her appetite without causing excessive drowsiness and other side effects (urine retention, increased thirst, etc.).
From my research, it appears she could have IBD, cancer, or an intestinal parasite such as giardia. I'm not sure how the prior constipation problems fit into this, but it seems like they need to be considered. I feel like we should continue with the Metronidazole at either the same dosage or a lesser one, if possible.
Other things to note: I believe the loose stools started after she began eating more canned food. She has been eating about 97-99% canned food-only for the last month. She has been drinking more water in the last month and appears to be well hydrated. I'm concerned that maybe the canned food could be causing or worsening the loose stools. She's been eating Friskies and Fancy Feast poultry pate for the last month. Prior to that it was the Friskies chicken, beef, and seafood pate. I was told by the vet not to change her diet which is why I haven't tried another brand of food.
Does anyone have any opinions or advice on what to try or what could be wrong? I don't know if the fainting spells were related to the loose stools or not, but the change of behavior from that worries me. It's really weird because I made the first appointment due to the fainting issue and somehow everything has been about the loose stools. It's as if the loose stools became more prominent after the fainting spell. I can't help but wonder if she has a mini stroke.
So my 16 y/o female cat who I am now finding myself lovingly referring to as "Scooter" (because she keeps scooting) has been having loose stools for well over a month. I am not getting anywhere with the vet and the specialist she wants me to go see is far away and with the weather, it may be a while before I can get in there.
Scooter has been an indoor only cat for 9 years. For the past few years she's been dealing on and off with constipation/hard stools. A few months ago she began to have sporadic loose stools which I attributed to the canned food as I've been trying to get her to eat more of it and less dry food.
Other than the loose stools she was fine until a month ago. Then she had an episode of fainting after vomiting, but recovered within seconds. She seemed fine afterwards (normal heart and respiratory rate) and was even playing. I made her appointment for a few days later. By then, it was clear that she was not acting quite right. She appeared to have vision problems and did not respond to my touch and petting the same as before. She was also displaying very mild signs of possible neurological problems (head twitching). She had two more fainting episodes that week and has not had any since.
A radiologist performed an abdominal and cardiac ultrasound which were inconclusive. They only showed thickening of the small intestine with the possibilty of IBD and/or cancer. It also showed a problem with one of the heart valves but the cardiologist and radiologist felt that medicine isn't necessary at this time.
The vet recommended a paste called Diarsanyl+ which didn't work. Fortiflora hasn't helped either. The vet prescribed Metronidazole 50 mg twice daily, but had me discontinue it after 5 doses because I mentioned that Scooter was acting strange with coordination issues. The vet mentioned that could be from the appetite stimulant which is also an antihistamine and can cause drowsiness.
Full blood tests were done and everything was in the normal range except the reticulocytes were a little high and there was blood in the urine. There are signs of kidney problems, but everything is still within normal. The BUN is on the higher side of normal. T4 was normal, but in the grey zone for older cats. The test for the pancreas was good too. Her blood pressure is also good.
The vet did give two B12 injections each two weeks apart. I can't be certain, but I think Scooter had a bad reaction from something in the injection. She seemed very lethargic and strange for 7-10 days after each injection. In the last week or two, she seems to be her old self again. She acts the way she did before the fainting episodes. She's not acting 100% like her old self, but she's definitely better, except for the loose stools. Whatever vision problems she may have had seem to be gone.
From my own personal opinion, I think the Metronidazole was helping. Approximately 12 hrs after her last dose (the 5th dose), she had a bowel movement that wasn't loose. It wasn't totally firm, but it actually had a shape to it. She made a few of those in the following 2-3 days or so. Since then, they've all been loose.
I'm pretty sure the appetite stimulant was causing a good amount of odd behavior like uncoordination. I reduced the amount myself and it seems to work better for her. She was prescribed 1 mg twice daily, but doing .66 mg once or twice a day works just as well for her appetite without causing excessive drowsiness and other side effects (urine retention, increased thirst, etc.).
From my research, it appears she could have IBD, cancer, or an intestinal parasite such as giardia. I'm not sure how the prior constipation problems fit into this, but it seems like they need to be considered. I feel like we should continue with the Metronidazole at either the same dosage or a lesser one, if possible.
Other things to note: I believe the loose stools started after she began eating more canned food. She has been eating about 97-99% canned food-only for the last month. She has been drinking more water in the last month and appears to be well hydrated. I'm concerned that maybe the canned food could be causing or worsening the loose stools. She's been eating Friskies and Fancy Feast poultry pate for the last month. Prior to that it was the Friskies chicken, beef, and seafood pate. I was told by the vet not to change her diet which is why I haven't tried another brand of food.
Does anyone have any opinions or advice on what to try or what could be wrong? I don't know if the fainting spells were related to the loose stools or not, but the change of behavior from that worries me. It's really weird because I made the first appointment due to the fainting issue and somehow everything has been about the loose stools. It's as if the loose stools became more prominent after the fainting spell. I can't help but wonder if she has a mini stroke.