New Bag Of Same Old Cat Food = Diarrhea??

[a028]

So I've already taken him to the vet, but my cat has diarrhea. His stool test for parasites was negative and I have pills to give him but he is so fast and strong & I have to do it alone, I've only been able to get him to swallow one. It didn't seem to help.

I'm curious because his sister doesn't have diarrhea but her stool isn't as solid as usual, but his stomach has always been more sensitive, and this all started RIGHT around the same time I got their new bag of food. Not a new brand, just a new bag of the same food they've always eaten. It's one of Royal Canin's vet diet dry food bags I get online from Chewy and it was prescribed to them specifically FOR diarrhea. It was the only food that would keep their poops solid and I thought it was a godsend. The bag isn't past expiration or anything but there's no other correlation I can find between change in diet/lifestyle and the squirts??

Also any tips on how to get him to take this pill lol because holy moly he refuses.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! My guess, even with a vet diet food, is that the manufacturer has made a revision to their formula.

Can you try something like dr elseys cleanprotein kibble?
Also, can you try adding a teaspoon of plain pumpkin?
Possibly also goat milk, and maybe a 50/50 of unseasoned boiled chicken and rice until the tummy issues get settled down.

Also for the pill, try butter, cheese, non-nitrate bacon, pill pockets, deli chicken...something super tasty that you can hide that pill in....best of luck!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

One of my boys recently had some problematic diarrhea, and his Vet suggested the poached chicken and rice for a few days. To THAT, you could try adding in a probiotic to try to get his gut flora in order. Additionally, FortiFlora seems to help with diarrhea. It is a probiotic, but not one I normally recommend to get gut flora in order, but it does usually help with Diarrhea, and most cats love the taste of it. I put a regular probiotic IN the chicken and rice, and Fortiflora on top. Oh yes, our Vet suggested to pumpkin too. Something worked, because it stopped without any medication, although it did take several more days. Once he has solid stools again, start up the usual food, and if the loose stools start up again, then you know it's the food .

As to the medication, if what Furballsmom suggested doesn't work, you might check into having his medication compounded into a transdermal gel. So much easier than trying to pill, in my humble opinion. That's what we do.

 

[Azazel]

Are you sure he’s not constipated? Sometimes constipation is mistaken for diarrhea because you get drops of soft poo that come out around the hard piece of poo blocking the anus.

 

[maggiedemi]

What's the name of the pill? Can it be hidden in food or is it too bitter? Is he on an all dry food diet? Maybe try adding in some canned food every day.

 

[a028]

Okay update so the pill is metronidazole 250 mg, they're broken in half and I'm supposed to give him half a pill twice a day, obviously not succeeding but I'm trying lol

And thanks for the tips, the vet called today to check in and also recommended the boiled chicken and rice, so I got him started on that diet today since there's been no poo improvement. He didn't care for the rice but loooved the chicken so I really hope this helps. Keeping the cat food away from him in the meantime to see if that's the culprit. I couldn't find puree pumpkin at the grocery but I know some pet stores sell it so I can grab some later.

My cats are on a mainly dry diet but I do give them a can of wet food as a treat once or twice a week. They just have such sensitive stomachs I worry giving them too much wet food will give them the runs lol. Like I said, the bag of dry food they're on now was literally the only brand that could get them to poop solidly after a lot of trial and error 2 years ago so I get nervous about experimenting with their diets.

 

[a028]

Oh yeah! And I remember the fortiflora did work for him back when he last had diarrhea so I can try to order more, it just has to be shipped from amazon and will take forever lol

 

[maggiedemi]

The moisture in canned food is so important. I really hope you find one that works.

 

[Azazel]

My cats are on a mainly dry diet but I do give them a can of wet food as a treat once or twice a week. They just have such sensitive stomachs I worry giving them too much wet food will give them the runs lol.

This is a very common misconception. The actuality is that dry food causes bulky and smelly poops because it is packed with carbs and wet food causes small, firmer, and less smelly poops because it is higher in protein and lower in unnecessary carbs. If a cat gets diarrhea from wet food it is likely due to an intolerance to an ingredient, not from it being “wet.” Cats need lots of water from their food because they don’t drink enough on their own. In fact, a cat that drinks a lot from their water bowl is dehydrated. Most cats on an all wet diet will drink little to no water because they are properly hydrated.

Giving rice for diarrhea is also a misconception. Rice does nothing for cats. Cats need very few carbs in their diet. They are obligate carnivores - not the same as us humans. It’s more than likely that the large amount of carbs in the dry food are the source of diarrhea.

 

[a028]

Thanks for this info, I can definitely implement more wet food once he starts to get better. I'll try to find what works best for them

 

[BonitaBaby]

Oh yeah! And I remember the fortiflora did work for him back when he last had diarrhea so I can try to order more, it just has to be shipped from amazon and will take forever lol

Do you live by a PetSmart? If so, the Fortiflora I just bought was cheaper at the store & I used a $5 off coupon that I was able to email myself from Purina's Fortiflora website. The price came out to be $23 + tax for me. If you start feeding your cats more wet food, you can sprinkle some on top, but it sounds like you know that.

 

[Stinky15]

I know what a struggle some cats can be to pill. I have to wrap my cat in a towel to keep him from using his front claws. It takes patience sometimes. I tried a pill popper and it worked good one time, next time he freaked out so I just went back to using the "pill masker" and my hands. Good luck!