Hi, all!
I was just hoping to get some opinions on a problem that my little guy's been having.
Rollo has had soft stool (sometimes diarrhea) since I brought him home 23 December 2018. I didn't bring him to the vet for the first week since I thought that maybe it might be due to stress, but when it didn't resolve after he appeared to settle in, I tried changing his diet. He was eating Hill's Science Kitten food (both wet and dry) at his breeder. I switched him to Wellness Core Turkey Kitten food (wet) and Instinct Original Kitten (dry). At first that seemed to fix the issue (he was having more solid stools), but after a few days he was back to cow patty stools.
I've sent in two stool samples to the vet. Both came back negative for parasites (including giardia). She prescribed metronidazole for a week anyway, just in case, but it didn't help.
Rollo is now eating a homemade diet of boneless chicken thighs + EZComplete, which I transitioned him to over the course of a week. This morning he had healthy stool (the first in a while!), but just an hour ago he was back to the soft stool/near diarrhea.
He hasn't vomited a single time through all of this, has a healthy appetite, and is steadily putting on weight. He's also plenty active and alert. The vet told me that he's in perfect health.
So what could be causing this? I've read up on tritrichomonas foetus, and it sounds like a match for his symptoms. Has anyone had any luck treating this parasite? Roughly how much did it cost for diagnosis and treatment? (I'm more than willing to pay, if it'll help little Rollo feel better, but a ballpark estimate will help me budget). Could his new food be too rich since he switched from a relatively low-quality food?
My apologies for the wall of text! And thanks in advance for your input.
I was just hoping to get some opinions on a problem that my little guy's been having.
Rollo has had soft stool (sometimes diarrhea) since I brought him home 23 December 2018. I didn't bring him to the vet for the first week since I thought that maybe it might be due to stress, but when it didn't resolve after he appeared to settle in, I tried changing his diet. He was eating Hill's Science Kitten food (both wet and dry) at his breeder. I switched him to Wellness Core Turkey Kitten food (wet) and Instinct Original Kitten (dry). At first that seemed to fix the issue (he was having more solid stools), but after a few days he was back to cow patty stools.
I've sent in two stool samples to the vet. Both came back negative for parasites (including giardia). She prescribed metronidazole for a week anyway, just in case, but it didn't help.
Rollo is now eating a homemade diet of boneless chicken thighs + EZComplete, which I transitioned him to over the course of a week. This morning he had healthy stool (the first in a while!), but just an hour ago he was back to the soft stool/near diarrhea.
He hasn't vomited a single time through all of this, has a healthy appetite, and is steadily putting on weight. He's also plenty active and alert. The vet told me that he's in perfect health.
So what could be causing this? I've read up on tritrichomonas foetus, and it sounds like a match for his symptoms. Has anyone had any luck treating this parasite? Roughly how much did it cost for diagnosis and treatment? (I'm more than willing to pay, if it'll help little Rollo feel better, but a ballpark estimate will help me budget). Could his new food be too rich since he switched from a relatively low-quality food?
My apologies for the wall of text! And thanks in advance for your input.