Still has chronic diarrhea after treatment

[Sillycat41]

As for potassium, unless blood test showed he was low, I wouldn't give him yet. Electrolytes are usually an add-on to a normal blood test.

Do you mean there is a more accurate blood test for electrolytes? Potassium is listed on his current blood test. ???

 

[FeebysOwner]

Most vets run both a CBC and Chemistry panel for blood work. The Chemistry panel should have included potassium - the same one that reflects phosphorus, creatinine and BUN.

The Phos-Bind being sprinkled on Jengo's food may not be enough to lower his phosphorus level. Are you just sprinkling it on his food, just because he gets so many smaller meals per day? Do you know the overall dose total from all those sprinkles? He may need a higher dose. The 'good' news is that Phos-Bind tends to cause constipation, which could be a positive thing for him. Before I realized that Phos-Bind changed their formula, it turns out I was giving her twice the amount she received before and so I had to add Miralax to her regimen. I kept giving her the 'accidental' higher dose as her phosphorus level was bordering on the high side for the level considered appropriate in a Stage 3 CKD cat. She was taking 250mg per day, about 1/8 tsp of the 'new' formula which was the same amount as the old formula, but double the dose.

Your med regimen sounds pretty typical for a CKD cat other than the Metro and Endosorb. Although cats can vary, diarrhea is not generally a symptom of CKD, so I think Jengo is either being affected by the IBD or something else. I don't know much about Porous One, so I really cannot comment on it, but I do know many CKD cats receive it. I know that Metro can cause diarrhea even though its goal is to stop it, likely because it is an antibiotic and many antibiotics can trigger diarrhea because in an attempt to get rid of infection, they indiscriminately kill off good bacteria too. I'd ask if/when Jengo can get off that med. But, you do have to follow up with testing to ensure he no longer has Clostridium. Even if he were to still have it, perhaps another form of treatment would be better.

I don't know whether he would like, or his IBD would tolerate, the AD Recovery food, but it is loaded with calories and might help in the battle with his weight. Vets carry it in their offices.

Feeby was on Mirataz for 3 years, and no one ever said to me that it would negatively affect her kidneys, but certainly a question to ask your vet. As far as blood pressure, I am not sure if that would have anything to do with his diarrhea, any maybe not even his weight issues either. But, the vet should at least check it as it can be common for CKD cats to have a high BP. Because it can be impacted by stress, most vets take the BP at least 3 times in one appt, waiting a period of time in between each. It is often followed by a 2nd set of readings done at least a few days later. The multiple sets of readings help to determine a more legit reading. Besides, from what I have read, stress will only increase the BP by a pretty small margin, so if Jengo's reading were to be fairly high, you can pretty much guarantee it runs high all the time. Feeby was put on a very small dose of Amlodipine which brought her BP down to an acceptable level. So while she had an extremely high BP to start with, and it still meant she had another med to take, I was glad to see such a small dose did the trick for her.

I think you need to thoroughly discuss all of the bloodwork results, all of the meds he is taking and your options about an ultrasound/biopsy for Jengo. Ideally, the thyroid test comes back and shows he needs to have his med dose increased. That could explain the struggle with weight - and even the diarrhea, as some cats are affected like that. It is not your fault your vet went on vacation and is now busy - so, IMO, they need to find time to get back on board with Jengo and try to get things straightened out. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to say so - of course, as politely as you can muster. You may really have to consider getting a consult with an internal med vet, but that will also extend the time for resolutions to be identified, as internal med vets can be really hard to quickly schedule appts. with.

 

[Sillycat41]

You might also want to see SDMA level for his kidney disease in addition to Creatinine and BUN levels. Repeated overuse of antibiotics should be avoided and some antibiotics including metronidazole are hard on kidneys, especially CKD patients. They could also cause diarrhea. My boy had been on an antibiotic for 13 days and had diarrhea every single day despite taking an antidiarrhea med, and s.boulardii wasn't effective in stopping the antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
With his persistent diarrhea he must be severely dehydrated, which is also bad for his kidneys.

I'd also suggest ultrasound, and also have a look at kitty biome @Jabzilla suggested. Can you give him a little bit of water with a syringe without a needle or a small spoon for the time being till you see the vet? Like FeebysOwner says, he needs sub-Q fluids.
For high phos, you can use phos binder or cooked egg white added to his food. And never limit protein intake, even though many older vets suggest otherwise. Use of ACE inhibitors like benazepril which is a blood pressure lowering med is beneficial for CKD cats. I've also read that regardless of blood pressure level, combine with amlodipine helps.
And once fluid flow through kidneys is increased, you can discuss your vet about loss of potassium and water-soluble B vitamins.

Thanks for responding F+V. I don't think Jengo has ever had the SDMA test.

Your comment about antibiotics being hard on the kidneys is exactly what I have been worried about!!!

Yes, I've read that the side effects of antibiotics like Tylosin and Metronidazole can cause diarrhea!!! Since his BUN and Creatinine were higher in just 2 months, I'm wondering if the antibiotics did some kidney damage. :-(

He started out with soft stools and after two month progressed to watery diarrhea. We had to try something so the vet put him on Tylosin for 2+ weeks. Didn't work so switched to Metronidazole. He said to give him Proviable too but I read on the forums that Jarrow S. Boulardii MOS probiotic was the best for diarrhea. You said it wasn't effected for your cat though. How did you eventually stop the diarrhea????

He is on sub-Q fluids twice a day now since the diarrhea started because he gets so dehydrated. Used to be only once a day but that is not enough now.

His phosphorus was high in April at 8.1, down in June to 4.8 then back up to 7.0 last Thurs. Aug. 29th. Normal range is listed as 2.6 to 6.0. I feed him some low phosphorus foods plus add Phos-Bind to regular foods in his 7 or 8 meals a day Guess I need to add more to get it down again.

I've asked his vet a couple of times to check his blood pressure but he insists that he couldn't get a good reading at the clinic. I've read that lots of people who have CKD kitties are giving blood pressure meds. I know that high blood pressure is dangerous if one has kidney disease as my brother died from kidney failure.

So you are saying that some vets put CKD cats on both Benazepril and Amlodipine to help the kidney function even if the cat doesn't have high blood pressure???

I'm so stressed now and afraid I'm going to lose my Jengo boy soon due to lack of proper care. :-(
Thanks for your comments.

 

[FeebysOwner]

comment about antibiotics being hard on the kidneys is exactly what I have been worried about!!! Yes, I've read that the side effects of antibiotics like Tylosin and Metronidazole can cause diarrhea!!! Since his BUN and Creatinine were higher in just 2 months, I'm wondering if the antibiotics did some kidney damage. :-(

Tbh, almost all meds can be hard on the system in one way or the other, and probably more so for CKD cats. Although it is not outside the realm of possibilities, I can't imagine antibiotics would cause kidney damage in that short of a time frame. Feeby was on antibiotics a few times after being diagnosed with CKD, and there was no corresponding spike in her numbers. However, at the same time, if Metro is attributing to his diarrhea, then it likely isn't a med he should be taking. Some cats have sensitivities to drugs that don't impact other cats the same way.

His phosphorus was high in April at 8.1, down in June to 4.8 then back up to 7.0 last Thurs. Aug. 29th. Normal range is listed as 2.6 to 6.0. I feed him some low phosphorus foods plus add Phos-Bind to regular foods in his 7 or 8 meals a day Guess I need to add more to get it down again.

You need to know how much Phos-Bind he is getting now before you just increase the amount. What was done differently between April and June when his phosphorus dropped?

some vets put CKD cats on both Benazepril and Amlodipine to help the kidney function even if the cat doesn't have high blood pressure???

I think it would be foolish to put a cat on BP meds without knowing what the BP is to start with. There can be issues associated with lowering a cat's BP too much also.

These issues, along with the other questions I know you have, need to be discussed at length with a vet. Give your vet one more shot to show that they want to work with you to help. I know you don't want any more delays in getting help for him, but you may have to seek out another vet, maybe an internal med vet, to get help if your vet won't accommodate you and Jengo. Maybe getting the thyroid test results will kick off a renewed interest in your vet.

You can listen to all of us give our ideas and opinions, but none of it is going to help without the aid of a vet to work through the issues with you.

Oh, and I will give you one more thought - SDMA is really not much help once CKD has been determined. I know IRIS uses it as a guideline, but they use other things equally as much - BP being one of them. Feeby's SDMA never reached levels that were anticipated with her CKD. As a matter of fact her SDMA was only 13 with her last blood work.

 

[Sillycat41]

Most vets run both a CBC and Chemistry panel for blood work. The Chemistry panel should have included potassium - the same one that reflects phosphorus, creatinine and BUN.

The Phos-Bind being sprinkled on Jengo's food may not be enough to lower his phosphorus level. Are you just sprinkling it on his food, just because he gets so many smaller meals per day? Do you know the overall dose total from all those sprinkles? He may need a higher dose. The 'good' news is that Phos-Bind tends to cause constipation, which could be a positive thing for him. Before I realized that Phos-Bind changed their formula, it turns out I was giving her twice the amount she received before and so I had to add Miralax to her regimen. I kept giving her the 'accidental' higher dose as her phosphorus level was bordering on the high side for the level considered appropriate in a Stage 3 CKD cat. She was taking 250mg per day, about 1/8 tsp of the 'new' formula which was the same amount as the old formula, but double the dose.

Your med regimen sounds pretty typical for a CKD cat other than the Metro and Endosorb. Although cats can vary, diarrhea is not generally a symptom of CKD, so I think Jengo is either being affected by the IBD or something else. I don't know much about Porous One, so I really cannot comment on it, but I do know many CKD cats receive it. I know that Metro can cause diarrhea even though its goal is to stop it, likely because it is an antibiotic and many antibiotics can trigger diarrhea because in an attempt to get rid of infection, they indiscriminately kill off good bacteria too. I'd ask if/when Jengo can get off that med. But, you do have to follow up with testing to ensure he no longer has Clostridium. Even if he were to still have it, perhaps another form of treatment would be better.

I don't know whether he would like, or his IBD would tolerate, the AD Recovery food, but it is loaded with calories and might help in the battle with his weight. Vets carry it in their offices.

Feeby was on Mirataz for 3 years, and no one ever said to me that it would negatively affect her kidneys, but certainly a question to ask your vet. As far as blood pressure, I am not sure if that would have anything to do with his diarrhea, any maybe not even his weight issues either. But, the vet should at least check it as it can be common for CKD cats to have a high BP. Because it can be impacted by stress, most vets take the BP at least 3 times in one appt, waiting a period of time in between each. It is often followed by a 2nd set of readings done at least a few days later. The multiple sets of readings help to determine a more legit reading. Besides, from what I have read, stress will only increase the BP by a pretty small margin, so if Jengo's reading were to be fairly high, you can pretty much guarantee it runs high all the time. Feeby was put on a very small dose of Amlodipine which brought her BP down to an acceptable level. So while she had an extremely high BP to start with, and it still meant she had another med to take, I was glad to see such a small dose did the trick for her.

I think you need to thoroughly discuss all of the bloodwork results, all of the meds he is taking and your options about an ultrasound/biopsy for Jengo. Ideally, the thyroid test comes back and shows he needs to have his med dose increased. That could explain the struggle with weight - and even the diarrhea, as some cats are affected like that. It is not your fault your vet went on vacation and is now busy - so, IMO, they need to find time to get back on board with Jengo and try to get things straightened out. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to say so - of course, as politely as you can muster. You may really have to consider getting a consult with an internal med vet, but that will also extend the time for resolutions to be identified, as internal med vets can be really hard to quickly schedule appts. with.

The description of the blood tests does say "Chemistry (DRI-CHEM) and ElementsHTS_1. It did include potassium which was 3.9 (normal range says 3.4 to 5.3).

No, I don't know the overall dose of the Phos-Bind. I used to put a 1/4 tsp of Phos-Bind in a small container and make sure that I sprinkled it all in one day. But the label on the last jar of Phos-Bind is confusing so I wasn't sure if the daily dose is correct. That must be the formula change you mentioned. I don't have the last jar any more, but the new jar of Phos-Bind with the expiration date of 03/2027 says: Directions: give 100mg daily with meals and 1 scoop or an 1/8 tsp = 250 mg. Something isn't right with that because from what I remember the old jar said one scoop was a 1/4 tsp = 250 mg. This may be part of the problem why Jengo's phosphorus is higher. I guess I should increase his Phos-Bind. I was wondering if the difference in the forumlas what that the newer jar was a finer powder... not grainy. ????

Jengo was diagnosed with IBD (no biospy though) a couple of years ago and was on low does Prednisolone every other day. He didn't have a lot of trouble and things seemed pretty stable for a long time.... he was even constipated and neede Miralax. But since he started having loose stools and diarrhea with red blood in them, the vet said to increase the Pred. to twice a day. That seemed to stop the blood but not the diarrhea. The vet then decided to switch from Pred. to Budesonide along with Tylosin.

I'm also wondering if his canned food could be causing the diarrhea and now give him several meals of Gerber's chicken with Taurine added for something bland to see if that helps.

He still has another week of Metro left. The fact that it can cause diarrhea is a problem... not telling if it's good to get him off of it or if the diarrhea will get worse again. :-( I'ld like to know how he got the Clostridium Perfringens??? Guess there is no way to know.

Is the AD recovery food you mentioned a Hills Sci. Diet food or Royal Canin?? Did a quick search but didn't find it.

I find it upsetting that my vet doesn't check his blood pressure since it can be a major factor in kidney disease. Wish there was a reliable way to check it at home. Good to hear that even a small dose of Amlodipine helped your Feeby.

Yes, I was hoping that his weigh loss and weakness was a thyroid problem since that is fairly easy to medicate from what I've read. Unfortunately there are no internal medicine vet near here... only regular vets and none of them are taking new clients. Very frustrating indeed.

Thanks again for all your help. You are very kind to take time to answer my questions and give me tips. I really appreciate it. Barb

 

[FeebysOwner]

The Phos-Bind actually went to a powder vs. the old which was more like granules. The old version was 1/4 tsp = 250mg, the new is 1/8 tsp = 250mg. So, it is in reverse of what you are thinking. I was giving Feeby 1/8 tsp with the old version, which was 125mg, after the change, she got 1/8 tsp which is 250mg. The IRIS guidelines suggest using 30-60mg per kg of weight (2.2 pounds = 1 kg), when a cat's phosphorus level is above 5.0, and their creatinine is anywhere between 2.9 and 5.0. So, a 10 pound cat might get anywhere from 135 to 270 mg per day. If you are/were giving him 1/4 tsp with the new formula, you would actually be giving 500mg per day.

Royal Canin is the one with the recovery food, labeled just as that - "Recovery". I am not sure about Hill's, although I thought they did.
The problem with all of this data is that anything done for the kidneys may vary with cats who have IBD. I truly think that focusing on the diarrhea and trying to resolve it is the first order of business and, finding out his thyroid level, not to mention the CP. Having the blood in the stool resolved is a great plus. Seeing what his weight is now is a good thing to do too. Maybe he hasn't lost as much weight as you are afraid he has. Short of the kidney numbers and the diarrhea, he doesn't sound to be fairing too badly right now

None of us here are vets, so all we can do is offer layperson's speculation - which is likely elevating your concerns and frustrations. I don't think your vet has been remiss from the sounds of the things that have been done by them. Their absence may have not helped matters, especially with having to rely on other vets, but maybe now that they are back - and hopefully will give you some time to talk with them sooner rather than later, it seems like they will try to help again.

 

[F+V]

Do you mean there is a more accurate blood test for electrolytes? Potassium is listed on his current blood test. ???

Sorry, I missed that part of your comment. Since the potassium level is fine, I don't think adding potassium helps. He's already on so many meds anyway....

As for the blood pressure test, it's true that readings are usually much higher in hospital settings, so what we always have it done right in front me in the consultation room while I talk to my boy, and the results really show the difference.

I don't know why your vet is unwilling to do the ultrasound before the thyroid blood test results come back.... and I feel your frustration and anxiety particularly around holidays. My boy tends to get sick right before a long weekend or holidays!

 

[F+V]

Thanks for responding F+V. I don't think Jengo has ever had the SDMA test.

Your comment about antibiotics being hard on the kidneys is exactly what I have been worried about!!!

Yes, I've read that the side effects of antibiotics like Tylosin and Metronidazole can cause diarrhea!!! Since his BUN and Creatinine were higher in just 2 months, I'm wondering if the antibiotics did some kidney damage. :-(

He started out with soft stools and after two month progressed to watery diarrhea. We had to try something so the vet put him on Tylosin for 2+ weeks. Didn't work so switched to Metronidazole. He said to give him Proviable too but I read on the forums that Jarrow S. Boulardii MOS probiotic was the best for diarrhea. You said it wasn't effected for your cat though. How did you eventually stop the diarrhea????

He is on sub-Q fluids twice a day now since the diarrhea started because he gets so dehydrated. Used to be only once a day but that is not enough now.

His phosphorus was high in April at 8.1, down in June to 4.8 then back up to 7.0 last Thurs. Aug. 29th. Normal range is listed as 2.6 to 6.0. I feed him some low phosphorus foods plus add Phos-Bind to regular foods in his 7 or 8 meals a day Guess I need to add more to get it down again.

I've asked his vet a couple of times to check his blood pressure but he insists that he couldn't get a good reading at the clinic. I've read that lots of people who have CKD kitties are giving blood pressure meds. I know that high blood pressure is dangerous if one has kidney disease as my brother died from kidney failure.

So you are saying that some vets put CKD cats on both Benazepril and Amlodipine to help the kidney function even if the cat doesn't have high blood pressure???

I'm so stressed now and afraid I'm going to lose my Jengo boy soon due to lack of proper care. :-(
Thanks for your comments.

My boy's diarrhea was a side effect of the antibiotic, so it went away as soon as he stopped taking it but I'm still giving him s.boulardii every day.

I'm not sure vets will prescribe Benazepril and Amlodipine for patients who have normal blood pressures. Maybe someone else can chime in.

If I were you, until you can get your vet to do the abdominal ultrasound, I would get that gut health test from kittybiome. And maybe try this GI supplement by ThorneVet which is also available in soft chews has many good ingredients. AdoredBeast also has GI supplement with similar ingredients as well as this one.

According to this 37.8% of cats had C. Perfringens. My vet also has told me some healthy cats carry it. I thought mine had it because they were fed raw poultry diet but they were asymptomatic and didn't get any med to treat the infection. Did your report have a note that says something like toxic gas from C. Perf was detected? Someone on here had that remark on their report. Ours just show +, so before I give my cats another antibiotics to blindly treat infections that may be harmless I will find out more about their gut health with that kittybiome health test.

 

[Sillycat41]

Tbh, almost all meds can be hard on the system in one way or the other, and probably more so for CKD cats. Although it is not outside the realm of possibilities, I can't imagine antibiotics would cause kidney damage in that short of a time frame. Feeby was on antibiotics a few times after being diagnosed with CKD, and there was no corresponding spike in her numbers. However, at the same time, if Metro is attributing to his diarrhea, then it likely isn't a med he should be taking. Some cats have sensitivities to drugs that don't impact other cats the same way.

You need to know how much Phos-Bind he is getting now before you just increase the amount. What was done differently between April and June when his phosphorus dropped?

I think it would be foolish to put a cat on BP meds without knowing what the BP is to start with. There can be issues associated with lowering a cat's BP too much also.

These issues, along with the other questions I know you have, need to be discussed at length with a vet. Give your vet one more shot to show that they want to work with you to help. I know you don't want any more delays in getting help for him, but you may have to seek out another vet, maybe an internal med vet, to get help if your vet won't accommodate you and Jengo. Maybe getting the thyroid test results will kick off a renewed interest in your vet.

You can listen to all of us give our ideas and opinions, but none of it is going to help without the aid of a vet to work through the issues with you.

Oh, and I will give you one more thought - SDMA is really not much help once CKD has been determined. I know IRIS uses it as a guideline, but they use other things equally as much - BP being one of them. Feeby's SDMA never reached levels that were anticipated with her CKD. As a matter of fact her SDMA was only 13 with her last blood work.

I understand what you mean. I'm just disappointed that he was on two antibiotics... Tylosin for over 2 weeks and now over a week on Metron but still has diarrhea. He did have a couple of almost normal stools on 8/29 and 8/30 but then it was back to soft wet piles with lumps. There is no way to tell if it's the antibiotics causing the diarrhea unless it is stopped. But it he still has diarrhea... then what???

There is one change that may have made his phosphorus numbers to jump up again since June. I couldn't find his regular favorite food so I tried a new Fancy Feast flavor. He loved this new stuff and after a week or so I check to see what the phosphorus content was and it was really high!! I stopped feeding it to him... other than that I have to using pretty much the same amount of Phos-Bind.

I agree... unless he has high blood pressure, I'd be afraid to give him meds. Don't want to experiment on him.

I'll contact his vet Tues. and see if I can get some answers. There are not specialty vets in this area and the closest one is 190miles away. They are so busy that they are booking weeks out. I may lose him before I can get any answers. :-(

I do appreciate the ideas and opinions because it helps me to come up with questions for my vet. Also I do recall someone mentioning that SDMA is only for early testing.

Again, thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to write. Barb

 

[Sillycat41]

The Phos-Bind actually went to a powder vs. the old which was more like granules. The old version was 1/4 tsp = 250mg, the new is 1/8 tsp = 250mg. So, it is in reverse of what you are thinking. I was giving Feeby 1/8 tsp with the old version, which was 125mg, after the change, she got 1/8 tsp which is 250mg. The IRIS guidelines suggest using 30-60mg per kg of weight (2.2 pounds = 1 kg), when a cat's phosphorus level is above 5.0, and their creatinine is anywhere between 2.9 and 5.0. So, a 10 pound cat might get anywhere from 135 to 270 mg per day. If you are/were giving him 1/4 tsp with the new formula, you would actually be giving 500mg per day.

Royal Canin is the one with the recovery food, labeled just as that - "Recovery". I am not sure about Hill's, although I thought they did.
The problem with all of this data is that anything done for the kidneys may vary with cats who have IBD. I truly think that focusing on the diarrhea and trying to resolve it is the first order of business and, finding out his thyroid level, not to mention the CP. Having the blood in the stool resolved is a great plus. Seeing what his weight is now is a good thing to do too. Maybe he hasn't lost as much weight as you are afraid he has. Short of the kidney numbers and the diarrhea, he doesn't sound to be fairing too badly right now

None of us here are vets, so all we can do is offer layperson's speculation - which is likely elevating your concerns and frustrations. I don't think your vet has been remiss from the sounds of the things that have been done by them. Their absence may have not helped matters, especially with having to rely on other vets, but maybe now that they are back - and hopefully will give you some time to talk with them sooner rather than later, it seems like they will try to help again.

Now I'm really confused. Looks like I have been giving him too much Phos-Bind ... then it's not working to keep his phosphorus level down. :-( Jengo is down to 8.4# now. I'll have to measure more accurately starting tomorrow.

Okay, I'll search for the Royal Canin recovery food. Was it a liquid diet? Or canned? My vet mentioned "Royal Canin Feline Renal Support Liquid Cat Food" but I'm having a hard time finding it.

".....finding out his thyroid level, not to mention the CP." What is CP?? I weigh him every Sunday morning before his breakfast. He went from 8.7# in April to 8.3# now. He is very skinny and wobbly. I think the chronic diarrhea has taken a toll on his old body. I worry about him jumping off furniture and put boxes around to make it easier. Sometimes he doesn't use them though. I'm so afraid he'll get hurt.

Thanks for all the comments... you are all so kind. I took notes for when I talk to the vet. Take care now. Barb

 

[Sillycat41]

Sorry, I missed that part of your comment. Since the potassium level is fine, I don't think adding potassium helps. He's already on so many meds anyway....

As for the blood pressure test, it's true that readings are usually much higher in hospital settings, so what we always have it done right in front me in the consultation room while I talk to my boy, and the results really show the difference.

I don't know why your vet is unwilling to do the ultrasound before the thyroid blood test results come back.... and I feel your frustration and anxiety particularly around holidays. My boy tends to get sick right before a long weekend or holidays!

Okay, no on giving potassium then. I'll ask the vet again if he can take his BP while in the exam room with me. Maybe I can keep him calmer.

One problem with having the vet do an ultrasound is that he just recently got the training so maybe he's not confident enough to do it. The other younger vet I went to early this year does ultrasounds but she also misdiagnosed a heart problem and put him on a med that he didn't need. I don't really trust her any more. :-(

Yes, isn't it amazing how our pets get sick before weekends! Thanks again for your comments. Barb

 

[F+V]

Okay, no on giving potassium then. I'll ask the vet again if he can take his BP while in the exam room with me. Maybe I can keep him calmer.

One problem with having the vet do an ultrasound is that he just recently got the training so maybe he's not confident enough to do it. The other younger vet I went to early this year does ultrasounds but she also misdiagnosed a heart problem and put him on a med that he didn't need. I don't really trust her any more. :-(

Yes, isn't it amazing how our pets get sick before weekends! Thanks again for your comments. Barb

Is there another, more experienced vet working at the clinic? I've heard echocardiogram can be tricky. Maybe go back to her one more time just to get abdominal ultrasound done?

 

[Sillycat41]

My boy's diarrhea was a side effect of the antibiotic, so it went away as soon as he stopped taking it but I'm still giving him s.boulardii every day.

I'm not sure vets will prescribe Benazepril and Amlodipine for patients who have normal blood pressures. Maybe someone else can chime in.

If I were you, until you can get your vet to do the abdominal ultrasound, I would get that gut health test from kittybiome. And maybe try this GI supplement by ThorneVet which is also available in soft chews has many good ingredients. AdoredBeast also has GI supplement with similar ingredients as well as this one.

According to this 37.8% of cats had C. Perfringens. My vet also has told me some healthy cats carry it. I thought mine had it because they were fed raw poultry diet but they were asymptomatic and didn't get any med to treat the infection. Did your report have a note that says something like toxic gas from C. Perf was detected? Someone on here had that remark on their report. Ours just show +, so before I give my cats another antibiotics to blindly treat infections that may be harmless I will find out more about their gut health with that kittybiome health test.

Okay, thanks. I'll ask the vet Tues. if we can stop the antibiotics and see what happens. Obviously they aren't doing much. I've heard of the KittyBiome test but not the GI supplement by ThorneVet and AdoredBeast. I've never had much luck given him chews though so I usually get things I can put in a capsule.

Wish I knew how he got C. Perfringens. I also read that it can be in their guts already and flairs up occasionally. The C. Perf. report says: C. Perfringens Alpha Toxin (CPA) Gene RealPCR = Positive - Quantity 715 - C. Perfringens Alpja Toxin (CPA) Gene Interpretation = High Levels of CPA Gene Copies Present. No mention of toxic gas. Makes sense to get the KittyBiome test before treating.

Thanks for sharing. Barb

 

[Sillycat41]

Is there another, more experienced vet working at the clinic? I've heard echocardiogram can be tricky. Maybe go back to her one more time just to get abdominal ultrasound done?

No, the young vet who did the ultrasounds at my clinic moved away. She was great and dearly missed. The other young vet is at a different clinic and I don't know how much experience she had with doing echos. I suppose an abdominal ultrasound isn't as tricky as an echo. May have to do that. Will talk to my regular vet first... they could send me to another experience local vet... that's what they have done for years. Thanks again. Take care now. Barb

 

[F+V]

Okay, thanks. I'll ask the vet Tues. if we can stop the antibiotics and see what happens. Obviously they aren't doing much. I've heard of the KittyBiome test but not the GI supplement by ThorneVet and AdoredBeast. I've never had much luck given him chews though so I usually get things I can put in a capsule.

Wish I knew how he got C. Perfringens. I also read that it can be in their guts already and flairs up occasionally. The C. Perf. report says: C. Perfringens Alpha Toxin (CPA) Gene RealPCR = Positive - Quantity 715 - C. Perfringens Alpja Toxin (CPA) Gene Interpretation = High Levels of CPA Gene Copies Present. No mention of toxic gas. Makes sense to get the KittyBiome test before treating.

Thanks for sharing. Barb

Oh right, I also missed the C.Perf result you included earlier in the thread. Looks like C.Perf is also contributing to Jengo's diarrhea. You discontinued Tylan but how many days had he been on that? Is he on any antibiotic currently?

That supplement in the link is the powder, so you can just mix it into his wet food.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Royal Canin recovery food. Was it a liquid diet? Or canned?

It is a canned food. It is not the same as renal food, and it may or may not be appropriate for Jengo.

What is CP??

Clostridium Perfringens.

A 0.4 weight loss from April till now is not really all that much. That by itself would not likely cause skinniness and wobbliness. And, even less likely that diarrhea is the sole cause.

Take a deep breath, calm down, and talk to the vet on Tuesday. There is something going on for sure, but I am not sure you need to be so frantic for either your or Jengo's sake.

 

[stephanietx]

He is definitely stressed when I take him to the vet, but he always is and yet this kidney numbers keep going up. They did actually go up from June to Aug. I found out that a new food I've been feeding him has higher phosphorus so I should have increased his phosphate binder. His potassium was in the normal range... 3.9 (normal listed as 3.4 to 5.3). I have been wondering if he needs more potassium since weakness can be caused by low potassium. How much do you give your kitty daily?

I give 1/4 teaspoon once a day. I usually have to disguise it in tuna juice.

 

[Sillycat41]

Oh right, I also missed the C.Perf result you included earlier in the thread. Looks like C.Perf is also contributing to Jengo's diarrhea. You discontinued Tylan but how many days had he been on that? Is he on any antibiotic currently?

That supplement in the link is the powder, so you can just mix it into his wet food.

Yes, and I'm wondering how does a cat get C. Perf.??? He was on Tylan for over two weeks and still had diarrhea... sometimes watery. :-( His regular vet was on vacation so the partner vet prescribed Metronidazole and Endosorb. He had a couple of almost normal stools but had soft piles of diarrhea in between. Nothing seems to stop the diarrhea. :-( There are only 2 pills of Metronidazole left so he has been on it since 8/21. Oh no, I just looked on the label and it said to give it twice a day! I messed up! Checked my log book and I started out giving it twice a day but then ended up only once a day. I think I know why that happened... I read that you had to give it separate from other meds by 2 to 4 hrs. because of a possible interaction. I wrote the times down and forgot that it was to be giving twice a day. Maybe that's why it didn't stop the diarrhea. I'm old and forgetful... I thought I had been doing a good job but not this. :-(

 

[Sillycat41]

I give 1/4 teaspoon once a day. I usually have to disguise it in tuna juice.

Okay, thanks.

 

[Sillycat41]

It is a canned food. It is not the same as renal food, and it may or may not be appropriate for Jengo.

Clostridium Perfringens.

A 0.4 weight loss from April till now is not really all that much. That by itself would not likely cause skinniness and wobbliness. And, even less likely that diarrhea is the sole cause.

Take a deep breath, calm down, and talk to the vet on Tuesday. There is something going on for sure, but I am not sure you need to be so frantic for either your or Jengo's sake.

Okay thanks... I'll check on it. I guess I'm worried because he is so thin now and now sure why or if there is anything that can remedy it. Will try to talk to the vet tomorrow but I doubt the thyroid test results will be back. I just hope it's not something that I caused because of my bad memory. Thanks again.