Still has chronic diarrhea after treatment

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Yes, it is always best that they eat what they will eat instead of trying to get them to eat the “right “ thing.

IBD can cause severe diarrhea. It could also be from the bacteria overgrowth. Without more invasive testing which I don’t think would be good for your cat, meaning biopsy etc. I would think discussing treating both with your vet would be best.

But, please remember, I am not a veterinarian and have not examined your cat and don’t have all the education and experience and knowledge a vet would. I can only tell you my experiences and opinions but always discuss things with your vet.

I am curious what the thyroid test comes back as.

 

[F+V]

He had another off day... slept a lot. From what I've been reading lately, being on antibiotics for a long time can really mess up the gut. He has been having formed but soft stools since we ran out of Metron... only a couple really watery. I'm hoping that things are settling down and giving probiotics will help restore his gut health.

Maybe it is time for another ultrasound. The young vet does them but she also put him on a heart med for a month before doing an ultrasound and then said he didn't need the med. Not sure I trust her judgment any more. May call another vet clinic and see if I can get a second opinion on Jengo's treatment.

Jengo first started kicking his rear legs out back in Jan. I think. It gradually got more frequent to the point where he did it every day. The vet thought it might be caused by arthritis and started him on Adequan injections. He had one a week for a month the one a month for a couple of months. I didn't notice any difference at all so we quit giving it. I bought some Cosequin treats for him but he won't eat them.

Since he was diagnosed with CRF and lost some weight, it was pretty stable at 8.9# for a long time. I weighed him this morning and he's now down to 8.2# from 8.5# in April (I think). I'm sure having chronic diarrhea made things worse. I wish I could put some weight on him. Checked into supplements but they don't get very good reviews.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Take care now.

What heart medication was he prescribed? Maybe the vet put him on it as a precaution but an echocardiogram later showed he didn't need it? At least she told you he didn't need it anymore. I think there are many cats who get prescribed heart medications by local vets when they don't have HCM. Having anyone do ultrasound on Jengo is better at this point than just waiting for your regular vet who may never agree to do it... or doesn't have the time to. You said it would take months to get the appointment, no? Is there an house call vet in your area who can do ultrasound?

Have you tried opening the Cosequin capsule and mix it in with food? Have you ordered the health test in the meantime? Time is of the essence especially since you are so worried that he's getting worse day by day.

 

[stephanietx]

Is he on a probiotic? We gave Culturelle, about 1/3 of a capsule sprinkled on wet food, to help with diarrhea. It worked well for our guy. We also tried Proviable DC and saccharomyces boulardii, which helped for awhile.

 

[Sillycat41]

Hi. Yes, it is always best that they eat what they will eat instead of trying to get them to eat the “right “ thing.

IBD can cause severe diarrhea. It could also be from the bacteria overgrowth. Without more invasive testing which I don’t think would be good for your cat, meaning biopsy etc. I would think discussing treating both with your vet would be best.

But, please remember, I am not a veterinarian and have not examined your cat and don’t have all the education and experience and knowledge a vet would. I can only tell you my experiences and opinions but always discuss things with your vet.

I am curious what the thyroid test comes back as.

He still enjoys his canned Fancy Feast in spite of buying many cans of premium canned food and trying prescription diet. I didn't want him to go thru a biopsy at his age so the vet is treating him for IBD.

Several people have mentioned that I should discuss this further with his vet, but the vet is hard to get in touch with because they are short handed at the clinic and he is always extremely busy. In a perfect world we should be able to talk to our vets. Those of you living in big cities are lucky to have vets who will spend time discussing options with you. All the vets in our city are super busy. :-(

 

[Sillycat41]

What heart medication was he prescribed? Maybe the vet put him on it as a precaution but an echocardiogram later showed he didn't need it? At least she told you he didn't need it anymore. I think there are many cats who get prescribed heart medications by local vets when they don't have HCM. Having anyone do ultrasound on Jengo is better at this point than just waiting for your regular vet who may never agree to do it... or doesn't have the time to. You said it would take months to get the appointment, no? Is there an house call vet in your area who can do ultrasound?

Have you tried opening the Cosequin capsule and mix it in with food? Have you ordered the health test in the meantime? Time is of the essence especially since you are so worried that he's getting worse day by day.

He was on Vetmedin (Pimobendan) for one month. Then the vet did an ultrasound and decided that he didn't need that med. I was upset because I figured that she should have done the ultrasound before putting on that med. All meds have side effects so I wonder what damage it could have done.

My regular vet said that he didn't have the heart problem that Vetmedin was used for.... HCM. This is why I'm afraid to go back to that vet again. :-( No, there are no house call vet in this area... except one who only does euthanasia. :-(

The Cosequin I have is soft chews which he won't eat. I'll look for the capsules instead. Do you mean did I order the KittyBiome test? Not yet. It may be too late for that. Not sure if an ultrasound would tell me why he's so weak unless it's lymphoma. I need to have a second opinion from another vet. His weakness isn't likely from his gut biome being off... I think something else is going on. He slipped off the steps this afternoon... I didn't see it happen... so don't know whether it was a balance issue or just weakness. He's napping now. My heart is breaking. I'm having a hard time making a decision on what to do next. Sigh.

 

[Sillycat41]

Is he on a probiotic? We gave Culturelle, about 1/3 of a capsule sprinkled on wet food, to help with diarrhea. It worked well for our guy. We also tried Proviable DC and saccharomyces boulardii, which helped for awhile.

He is on Proviable and Jarrow S. Bouldarii MOS... similar to what you gave your guy.

 

[F+V]

He was on Vetmedin (Pimobendan) for one month. Then the vet did an ultrasound and decided that he didn't need that med. I was upset because I figured that she should have done the ultrasound before putting on that med. All meds have side effects so I wonder what damage it could have done.

My regular vet said that he didn't have the heart problem that Vetmedin was used for.... HCM. This is why I'm afraid to go back to that vet again. :-( No, there are no house call vet in this area... except one who only does euthanasia. :-(

The Cosequin I have is soft chews which he won't eat. I'll look for the capsules instead. Do you mean did I order the KittyBiome test? Not yet. It may be too late for that. Not sure if an ultrasound would tell me why he's so weak unless it's lymphoma. I need to have a second opinion from another vet. His weakness isn't likely from his gut biome being off... I think something else is going on. He slipped off the steps this afternoon... I didn't see it happen... so don't know whether it was a balance issue or just weakness. He's napping now. My heart is breaking. I'm having a hard time making a decision on what to do next. Sigh.

Pimobendan helps increase the function of the left atrium and left ventricle during the pumping phase and I don't think there's permanent side effects or damage from taking it for a month.

If not Cosequin, there's Antinol Plus which comes in a tiny gel capsule which works for joint health, kidneys, etc. There are many good reviews that say how the product improved joint health. But I'm not sure that's available in the US. Vetz Petz sold the distribution right to Pet HealthWorks | Antinol Plus | Great HealthWorks but they seem to sell only Antinol + for dogs. However, Antinol + for dogs and cats are identical products, so you can call pet health works and ask if you can use that for cats. Or just buy Antinol Plus for Cats on ebay.

It's not too late to do the gut health test and use their gut restore pills. Cats get weak from dysbiosis too. Ultrasound will certainly help but without biopsy they wouldn't be able to tell you for sure there's lymphoma. I also think checking his blood pressure is more important. You first created this post 3 weeks ago. Maybe it's time to start trying some of the ideas community members provided. Lack of accessible vets in your area is scary, but there are several things you can proactively carry out in the meantime to alleviate his conditions.

I don't know much about fancy feast but if Jengo likes it, please let him have it as much as he wants. I once read that some cat lived to over 20 and she was eating fancy feast.

 

[Sillycat41]

Pimobendan helps increase the function of the left atrium and left ventricle during the pumping phase and I don't think there's permanent side effects or damage from taking it for a month.

If not Cosequin, there's Antinol Plus which comes in a tiny gel capsule which works for joint health, kidneys, etc. There are many good reviews that say how the product improved joint health. But I'm not sure that's available in the US. Vetz Petz sold the distribution right to Pet HealthWorks | Antinol Plus | Great HealthWorks but they seem to sell only Antinol + for dogs. However, Antinol + for dogs and cats are identical products, so you can call pet health works and ask if you can use that for cats. Or just buy Antinol Plus for Cats on ebay.

It's not too late to do the gut health test and use their gut restore pills. Cats get weak from dysbiosis too. Ultrasound will certainly help but without biopsy they wouldn't be able to tell you for sure there's lymphoma. I also think checking his blood pressure is more important. You first created this post 3 weeks ago. Maybe it's time to start trying some of the ideas community members provided. Lack of accessible vets in your area is scary, but there are several things you can proactively carry out in the meantime to alleviate his conditions.

I don't know much about fancy feast but if Jengo likes it, please let him have it as much as he wants. I once read that some cat lived to over 20 and she was eating fancy feast.

I hope there was no damage from the Pimobendan. I worry about all medications because of his kidneys.

I checked for Antinol Plus on Chewy and it was discontinued. Never heard of this one before... will check eBay. I forgot to mention that Jengo was on Adequan for about 2 months but I didn't get any change so I quit injecting it.

I emailed my vet and asked about doing the AnimalBiome test and he said that they tested all those in the Diarrhea Panel he had done. ??

I made an appt. Friday to get a 2nd opinion and have an ultrasound done plus blood pressure check. My vet doesn't to ultrasounds and every time I ask him to take a blood pressure somehow it never gets done so I'm going to another vet. I looked into buying a home blood pressure monitor but they don't get very good reviews for accuracy. Of course his BP will probably be high in the clinic because of stress which means that they could put him on a BP med when he may not need it. :-( Wish I could check it at home.

As for trying some of the community members ideas... I have tried some like giving probiotics but haven't seen results. Late last night he had a stool that was normal!! First in a long time... but don't know exactly why. Hope it continues... we'll see. I still hear gurgling sounds in his bowels sometimes so I'm expecting more diarrhea. :-(

Thanks again for sharing.

 

[F+V]

I hope there was no damage from the Pimobendan. I worry about all medications because of his kidneys.

I checked for Antinol Plus on Chewy and it was discontinued. Never heard of this one before... will check eBay. I forgot to mention that Jengo was on Adequan for about 2 months but I didn't get any change so I quit injecting it.

I emailed my vet and asked about doing the AnimalBiome test and he said that they tested all those in the Diarrhea Panel he had done. ??

I made an appt. Friday to get a 2nd opinion and have an ultrasound done plus blood pressure check. My vet doesn't to ultrasounds and every time I ask him to take a blood pressure somehow it never gets done so I'm going to another vet. I looked into buying a home blood pressure monitor but they don't get very good reviews for accuracy. Of course his BP will probably be high in the clinic because of stress which means that they could put him on a BP med when he may not need it. :-( Wish I could check it at home.

As for trying some of the community members ideas... I have tried some like giving probiotics but haven't seen results. Late last night he had a stool that was normal!! First in a long time... but don't know exactly why. Hope it continues... we'll see. I still hear gurgling sounds in his bowels sometimes so I'm expecting more diarrhea. :-(

Thanks again for sharing.

I think the Health Test by AnimalBiome is more comprehensive whereas the PCR diarrhea panel tests for 10 items and some of them are not bacteria. While the results of the diarrhea panel help identify what's causing diarrhea and treat the infections, it doesn't tell you the overall picture of the gut microbiome.
You can message AnimalBiome, tell them what's going on with Jengo, and ask them if you should send in the test now so soon after coming off antibiotics. They might recommend Jengo take their Gut Restore for a month or so before testing his gut flora. They told me not to take Gut Restore while on antibiotics.

I think you might find these articles insightful if you haven't come across yet:
Species-Specific Probiotics for Cats: A Breakthrough for Kitties Felix's Flora seems like good probiotics to use when you have to use antibiotics, and of course s.boulardii even if diarrhea persists...

Gut microbiota could be related with cat CKD ...

Probiotics and Cat Health: A Review of Progress and Prospects

Cats are increasingly favored as companion animals; their health has drawn widespread attention. Given the continuous improvements in the required living standards of both humans and animals, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, diarrhea, constipation, periodontal disease, obesity, diabetes...

www.mdpi.com

I hope everything goes well this Friday! As other members suggested, you should ask the vet to check the BP in the consultation room with you. My boy's blood pressure was over 200 in the back but it dropped to 130-140 in front of me on both visits. Under 150 is considered normal.

That's great his stool was normal even if that was one off. If he has been on probiotics (beside s.boulardii) for a while and is not seeing improvement, C. perf is still dominating his gut or maybe it's time to try different probiotics such as one of Adored Beast's or KittyBiome's or something else you may have. The only way to find out is testing his stool again with the same diarrhea panel or KittyBiome's Health Test. They are not cheap but I'd rather do the test to confirm before unnecessarily subjecting my cats to take more antibiotics. I give my cats Jarrow's s.boulardii and Thorne's Bacillus Coagulans, both of which can be mixed in to food because they don't get killed off in cats acidic stomach. I also give Thorne's FloraMend Prime Probiotic but this one needs to be pilled in their mouths directly. I don't like making them swallow pills, and apparently it's a good idea to rotate probiotics, so I will try Adored Beast's next.

 

[F+V]

And this article will go into further details on the homeopathy as well.

Recognizing and Managing Kidney Disease in Cats

Kidney disease in cats can be a scary diagnosis to receive, but with the right knowledge, you can help manage the condition incredibly well.

blog.adoredbeast.com

 

[FriendofFerals]

My old man 19 yr old former feral had raging diahrrea FOR A YEAR before we got it under control. So many factors...first, a latent parasite hatched (whipworms) after stress from having his teeth out from stomatitis. Then after recovering from that it was a CKD diagnosis, then hyperthyroidism, then hypertension, then sensitivity to additives in wet food...then after all that he gets another parasite even though he's an indoor cat.

Currently he is IMPROVING....like since 3 weeks ago.

He was on several rounds of metronidazole that helped until it didn't.
Tried several proteins in rotation and still had problems but didn't realize they all had carageennan in common
Got the thyroid and hypertension (over 200) under control with transdermal methimazole and amlodypine.
Got him on Full Bucket Health probiotic with S. Boulardi
Prednisolone every other day for IBD, allergies, asthma, etc.
All he wants is chicken. Vet insisted (without an official test) he MUST be allergic to chicken. Prescribed hydrolyzed food which he would not touch at all.

Currently he's eating Koha chicken pate limited ingredient with a topper of Weyruva Press My Lunch chicken or Weyruva BFF OMG gravy.

After a year of literal hell, 20 times a day litter box cleanings, poopy pawprints everywhere on tables, beds, pillows...his system is finally calming down and his poops are almost solid. Inflammation takes a while to calm down. Metronidazole helps but if its been used to consistently, it makes things worse.

If his levels are all regulated with any thyroid or blood pressure, and his fecal shows NO parasites (even indoors), and his diet is limited ingredient, protein friendly to what you know he isn't allergic to, along with additives, and he has a supportive probiotic like S. Boulardi, the n all I can say is give it some time. Progress is in weeks, not hours or days. I was on this current regimen for 45 days with no change until all of a sudden one week was a little better, then the next. The longer he's been inflamed, the longer it's going to take for that to calm down.

Having a cat with constant diarrhea is horrible, I know. People who haven't been there have no idea how depressing it is, not to mention unsanitary. Do the best you can and know that others are and have gone through this too...and improvement is possible when you find that right combination of supplements, meds, and food. What I've been through this last year I wouldn't wish on anyone...Hearing him in the litterbox at 2AM and having to get up and clean it to prevent him from tracking poop all over the house, and making the other two cats not even want to go near the litter boxes (he would poop a little in all of them and then fling it all over the bathroom in the tub, sink, floor, and wipe his paws on the walls, tub, tiles, door...it was hell).

 

[Sillycat41]

I think the Health Test by AnimalBiome is more comprehensive whereas the PCR diarrhea panel tests for 10 items and some of them are not bacteria. While the results of the diarrhea panel help identify what's causing diarrhea and treat the infections, it doesn't tell you the overall picture of the gut microbiome.
You can message AnimalBiome, tell them what's going on with Jengo, and ask them if you should send in the test now so soon after coming off antibiotics. They might recommend Jengo take their Gut Restore for a month or so before testing his gut flora. They told me not to take Gut Restore while on antibiotics.

I think you might find these articles insightful if you haven't come across yet:
Species-Specific Probiotics for Cats: A Breakthrough for Kitties Felix's Flora seems like good probiotics to use when you have to use antibiotics, and of course s.boulardii even if diarrhea persists...

Gut microbiota could be related with cat CKD ...

Probiotics and Cat Health: A Review of Progress and Prospects

Cats are increasingly favored as companion animals; their health has drawn widespread attention. Given the continuous improvements in the required living standards of both humans and animals, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, diarrhea, constipation, periodontal disease, obesity, diabetes...

www.mdpi.com

I hope everything goes well this Friday! As other members suggested, you should ask the vet to check the BP in the consultation room with you. My boy's blood pressure was over 200 in the back but it dropped to 130-140 in front of me on both visits. Under 150 is considered normal.

That's great his stool was normal even if that was one off. If he has been on probiotics (beside s.boulardii) for a while and is not seeing improvement, C. perf is still dominating his gut or maybe it's time to try different probiotics such as one of Adored Beast's or KittyBiome's or something else you may have. The only way to find out is testing his stool again with the same diarrhea panel or KittyBiome's Health Test. They are not cheap but I'd rather do the test to confirm before unnecessarily subjecting my cats to take more antibiotics. I give my cats Jarrow's s.boulardii and Thorne's Bacillus Coagulans, both of which can be mixed in to food because they don't get killed off in cats acidic stomach. I also give Thorne's FloraMend Prime Probiotic but this one needs to be pilled in their mouths directly. I don't like making them swallow pills, and apparently it's a good idea to rotate probiotics, so I will try Adored Beast's next.

This is why I get so frustrated with vets... they don't seem to want to try anything that they didn't learn in vet school. There are so many new products being developed... certainly they can't all be hoaxes.

He said that his in-house test is or the same bacteria as the AnimalBiomme. I'm going to do more research like you said and contact AnimalBiome for more info. Saw another vet for a 2nd opinion yesterday and she wants him back on the Metronidazole for 5 days. Will have to try something different if that doesn't stop the diarrhea.

Thanks for the links. I'll read those today.

The vet checked his blood pressure in the room with me.... took about 15 mins. She said she got 180 and 200 but that was okay because it was probably higher being at the clinic. What do you think? Is from 150 as normal to 180 under stress okay? I hate to put him on BP meds if he doesn't need them.

He is back to having soft stools with lumps again. :-( I printed out photos of his recent stools to show her how they are almost normal then back to diarrhea.... that's why she wants to try another round of Metronidazole for 5 days. Guess I'll do that because when he was on it several weeks ago I messed up and was only giving it to him once a day instead of twice. Confused it with another med and then caught my mistake after over a week. :-( Then I'll have his stool checked again and make a decision of which probiotics to try next.

Thanks for the info on Thorne's BC and FloraMend... I'll look into them today. Thanks for sharing. Barb

 

[Sillycat41]

And this article will go into further details on the homeopathy as well.

Recognizing and Managing Kidney Disease in Cats

Kidney disease in cats can be a scary diagnosis to receive, but with the right knowledge, you can help manage the condition incredibly well.

blog.adoredbeast.com

Thanks for the link. Never heard of this site. More reading for this afternoon.

 

[Sillycat41]

My old man 19 yr old former feral had raging diahrrea FOR A YEAR before we got it under control. So many factors...first, a latent parasite hatched (whipworms) after stress from having his teeth out from stomatitis. Then after recovering from that it was a CKD diagnosis, then hyperthyroidism, then hypertension, then sensitivity to additives in wet food...then after all that he gets another parasite even though he's an indoor cat.

Currently he is IMPROVING....like since 3 weeks ago.

He was on several rounds of metronidazole that helped until it didn't.
Tried several proteins in rotation and still had problems but didn't realize they all had carageennan in common
Got the thyroid and hypertension (over 200) under control with transdermal methimazole and amlodypine.
Got him on Full Bucket Health probiotic with S. Boulardi
Prednisolone every other day for IBD, allergies, asthma, etc.
All he wants is chicken. Vet insisted (without an official test) he MUST be allergic to chicken. Prescribed hydrolyzed food which he would not touch at all.

Currently he's eating Koha chicken pate limited ingredient with a topper of Weyruva Press My Lunch chicken or Weyruva BFF OMG gravy.

After a year of literal hell, 20 times a day litter box cleanings, poopy pawprints everywhere on tables, beds, pillows...his system is finally calming down and his poops are almost solid. Inflammation takes a while to calm down. Metronidazole helps but if its been used to consistently, it makes things worse.

If his levels are all regulated with any thyroid or blood pressure, and his fecal shows NO parasites (even indoors), and his diet is limited ingredient, protein friendly to what you know he isn't allergic to, along with additives, and he has a supportive probiotic like S. Boulardi, the n all I can say is give it some time. Progress is in weeks, not hours or days. I was on this current regimen for 45 days with no change until all of a sudden one week was a little better, then the next. The longer he's been inflamed, the longer it's going to take for that to calm down.

Having a cat with constant diarrhea is horrible, I know. People who haven't been there have no idea how depressing it is, not to mention unsanitary. Do the best you can and know that others are and have gone through this too...and improvement is possible when you find that right combination of supplements, meds, and food. What I've been through this last year I wouldn't wish on anyone...Hearing him in the litterbox at 2AM and having to get up and clean it to prevent him from tracking poop all over the house, and making the other two cats not even want to go near the litter boxes (he would poop a little in all of them and then fling it all over the bathroom in the tub, sink, floor, and wipe his paws on the walls, tub, tiles, door...it was hell).

Thanks for sharing. Wow... diarrhea for over a year! Poor old guy went thru a lot! Glad that he is improving.

My Jengo hasn't had worms or anything else, just tested positive for C. Perfringens. Still waiting for results from the thyroid test done on Aug. 28th! Over 2 weeks now! If he has a problem I'd like to get him on the transdermal thyroid med asap!

Friday the vet took his blood pressure with me in the room. Took her about 15 mins. She said it was 200 and then 180 but that was probably from being in the clinic. Didn't recommend BP meds. Hope she's right.

Friday the vet said we need to do another rounds of Metronidazole for 5 days. I messed up the last time he was on it several weeks ago. I only gave it once a day instead of twice a day... maybe the reason it didn't work. Had to keep it from other meds because of possible interaction and goofed up. :-(

So does carageennan cause diarrhea?? I have seen that on many labels of canned food.

Jengo's regular vet switched him from Presnisolone to Budesonide several weeks ago. He was on low dose Pred. for years. I'm wondering if that was a good idea and asked the 2nd vet Friday. She said that Budesonide is more GI specific that Pred. ???

Jengo doesn't like prescription diet food either. I would have to syringe feed him all his meals which would be very difficult. He also eats chicken so maybe he's allergic to it too. He'll eat duck so I'm going to order more and get him off chicken.

Wow! I shouldn't complain! 20 times a day cleaning the litter box and cleaning up accidents! Jengo has stepped in it in the litter box a couple of times and needed a foot bath, also sits on the cover on the bed so lots of laundry. I listen for him in the litter box and wipe his butt when he jumps out. I know what you went thru... I don't get much sleep listening for him in the litter box and cleaning it up right away. :-( Thankfully Jengo doesn't fling it! You've been thru Hell with that!!

I hope you're right and that things will eventually settle down. He used to be constipated and need Miralax until about May when he started getting soft stools and eventually diarrhea. Was on Endosorb at first but it didn't help. Then Tylan and Metronidazole and probiotics.

Since the diarrhea has settled down a bit and he sometimes has formed stools, my concern has switched to his weakness and wobbliness. The vet suggested trying Solensia for arthritis, but does arthritis cause weakness and wobbliness?? Hate experiencing with more drugs that could damage his kidneys further. I need to do more research on weakness. His regular vet says it's because of the stage of his kidney disease and nothing can be done. I'm not ready to give up.

Thanks for sharing your experience and remedies. I really appreciate it.
Take care now. Barb

 

[F+V]

This is why I get so frustrated with vets... they don't seem to want to try anything that they didn't learn in vet school. There are so many new products being developed... certainly they can't all be hoaxes.

He said that his in-house test is or the same bacteria as the AnimalBiomme. I'm going to do more research like you said and contact AnimalBiome for more info. Saw another vet for a 2nd opinion yesterday and she wants him back on the Metronidazole for 5 days. Will have to try something different if that doesn't stop the diarrhea.

Thanks for the links. I'll read those today.

The vet checked his blood pressure in the room with me.... took about 15 mins. She said she got 180 and 200 but that was okay because it was probably higher being at the clinic. What do you think? Is from 150 as normal to 180 under stress okay? I hate to put him on BP meds if he doesn't need them.

He is back to having soft stools with lumps again. :-( I printed out photos of his recent stools to show her how they are almost normal then back to diarrhea.... that's why she wants to try another round of Metronidazole for 5 days. Guess I'll do that because when he was on it several weeks ago I messed up and was only giving it to him once a day instead of twice. Confused it with another med and then caught my mistake after over a week. :-( Then I'll have his stool checked again and make a decision of which probiotics to try next.

Thanks for the info on Thorne's BC and FloraMend... I'll look into them today. Thanks for sharing. Barb

Thank you for the update.

The blood pressure of over 200 is quite high and could indicate hypertension. Stress from the vet visit can certainly cause temporary spikes especially if Jengo is a nervous kitty, but if consistently high, it may point to underlying issues such as kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or heart conditions. Results of thyroid test (T4, FT4) should be back by now. It shouldn't take more than 3-4 days...
As for the Health Test, FedEx just delivered the kits and the box says it identifies gut microbiome imbalances and detects 10 most common pathogens. PCR diarrhea panel doesn't show the overall picture of the gut balance and only tests for 8 pathogens plus 2 viruses. They may be similar, but the Health Test is probably cheaper than the diarrhea panel, the results are available online and you will have a 15-min consultation with the expert.

If C.Perf is still causing the diarrhea, I would think it'd take more than 5 days of Metronidazole treatment, but we will see...

Did ultrasound detect anything? Did they run a blood test?

 

[Sillycat41]

Thank you for the update.

The blood pressure of over 200 is quite high and could indicate hypertension. Stress from the vet visit can certainly cause temporary spikes especially if Jengo is a nervous kitty, but if consistently high, it may point to underlying issues such as kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or heart conditions. Results of thyroid test (T4, FT4) should be back by now. It shouldn't take more than 3-4 days...
As for the Health Test, FedEx just delivered the kits and the box says it identifies gut microbiome imbalances and detects 10 most common pathogens. PCR diarrhea panel doesn't show the overall picture of the gut balance and only tests for 8 pathogens plus 2 viruses. They may be similar, but the Health Test is probably cheaper than the diarrhea panel, the results are available online and you will have a 15-min consultation with the expert.

If C.Perf is still causing the diarrhea, I would think it'd take more than 5 days of Metronidazole treatment, but we will see...

Did ultrasound detect anything? Did they run a blood test?

Jengo does tend to be a nervous kitty. He hates going to the vet and hides if he sees me get his carrier out. I have to be sly about it but as soon as I pick him up to put him in it he whines. He didn't fight the vet when she took his blood pressure. Her assistant was also gently holding him. He was diagnosed with kidney disease a couple of years ago so I assume that since it has gotten progressively worse (BUN & Creatinine) that his blood pressure could be elevated since that is very common with kidney disease. My late brother died of kidney failure... probably caused by untreated high blood pressure. :-( I just found out that there is a mobile veterinarian nearby. I'm thinking of having him stop and take Jengo's blood pressure at home where he would be more relaxed.

The vet who did his last blood panel said that they can only test for on thyroid test in-house and that he needed to send the sample to an outside lab. As of Friday... 2 weeks have gone by and no results. I'm very upset... wondering if they ever send it out since he mentioned that it was taken before the Labor Day weekend and would be delayed.

Thanks for the info on the Health test via FedEx. Sounds like the way to go... tests for more things than the vet clinic. I'm not sure I get how to do it though. The vet clinic draws blood to test... how do you send a sample to them... is it a fecal sample???

I ordered enough Metronidazole for 7 days since that was what his regular vet prescribed. The 2nd vet was the one who said 5 days. So I could just give him all the pills. I am suspecting that he is getting nausea from the Metron. as he is not eating as much.

His last blood test was on Aug. 28th. Ultrasound is scheduled for next Wed.
Take care now.
Barb

 

[Sillycat41]

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

Missed this comment. Thanks

 

[F+V]

Jengo does tend to be a nervous kitty. He hates going to the vet and hides if he sees me get his carrier out. I have to be sly about it but as soon as I pick him up to put him in it he whines. He didn't fight the vet when she took his blood pressure. Her assistant was also gently holding him. He was diagnosed with kidney disease a couple of years ago so I assume that since it has gotten progressively worse (BUN & Creatinine) that his blood pressure could be elevated since that is very common with kidney disease. My late brother died of kidney failure... probably caused by untreated high blood pressure. :-( I just found out that there is a mobile veterinarian nearby. I'm thinking of having him stop and take Jengo's blood pressure at home where he would be more relaxed.

The vet who did his last blood panel said that they can only test for on thyroid test in-house and that he needed to send the sample to an outside lab. As of Friday... 2 weeks have gone by and no results. I'm very upset... wondering if they ever send it out since he mentioned that it was taken before the Labor Day weekend and would be delayed.

Thanks for the info on the Health test via FedEx. Sounds like the way to go... tests for more things than the vet clinic. I'm not sure I get how to do it though. The vet clinic draws blood to test... how do you send a sample to them... is it a fecal sample???

I ordered enough Metronidazole for 7 days since that was what his regular vet prescribed. The 2nd vet was the one who said 5 days. So I could just give him all the pills. I am suspecting that he is getting nausea from the Metron. as he is not eating as much.

His last blood test was on Aug. 28th. Ultrasound is scheduled for next Wed.
Take care now.
Barb

The health test is a fecal test to find out the gut microbiota just like the diarrhea panel, which is why we have been comparing the two.

If he's sensitive to antibiotics like my boy, his diarrhea will persist as long as he's on Metronidazole. I hope his appetite will improve.

 

[Sillycat41]

The health test is a fecal test to find out the gut microbiota just like the diarrhea panel, which is why we have been comparing the two.

If he's sensitive to antibiotics like my boy, his diarrhea will persist as long as he's on Metronidazole. I hope his appetite will improve.

I think I'm losing my mind. I don't recall if I took a fecal sample to the vet on Aug. 28th. ??? I must have... otherwise they wouldn't have diagnosed the C. Perf. I'm 79 yrs. old and have health problem. Hope I'm not getting dementia!! My partner says it's just stress. I've been having more frequent migraines... so he's probably right.

Okay, I think I've got it now. I'll get started on that tomorrow. Had a stressful afternoon... Jengo's was more lethargic and his wobbliness got worse also had tremors!! I looked up the side effects of Metronidazole and sure enough... those are listed as conditions to watch for!! I called the after hours vet at the clinic and she agreed to stop the Metron. and go back to Tylan which is safer. Maybe this happened because he is already weak from kidney disease and IBD... or he's like me and always gets the side effects of drugs. He only had 4 doses so far... hopefully his body can purge it. Of course he was on it a couple of weeks ago for 7 days. Some cats that have side effects don't recover. I'm going to be in panic mode for a while. So much for sleeping. :-(

Thanks for your help.... appreciate it. Barb

 

[F+V]

I think I'm losing my mind. I don't recall if I took a fecal sample to the vet on Aug. 28th. ??? I must have... otherwise they wouldn't have diagnosed the C. Perf. I'm 79 yrs. old and have health problem. Hope I'm not getting dementia!! My partner says it's just stress. I've been having more frequent migraines... so he's probably right.

Okay, I think I've got it now. I'll get started on that tomorrow. Had a stressful afternoon... Jengo's was more lethargic and his wobbliness got worse also had tremors!! I looked up the side effects of Metronidazole and sure enough... those are listed as conditions to watch for!! I called the after hours vet at the clinic and she agreed to stop the Metron. and go back to Tylan which is safer. Maybe this happened because he is already weak from kidney disease and IBD... or he's like me and always gets the side effects of drugs. He only had 4 doses so far... hopefully his body can purge it. Of course he was on it a couple of weeks ago for 7 days. Some cats that have side effects don't recover. I'm going to be in panic mode for a while. So much for sleeping. :-(

Thanks for your help.... appreciate it. Barb

I believe you had the PCR diarrhea panel done before the 28th because you wrote he tested positive to c. perf when you created this thread on the 20th.

As with any medications, the elimination half-life is greatly prolonged in cats with impaired renal function. I hope your vet knew Jengo had CKD when prescribing Metro. And you did the right thing by calling the vet. He didn't experience the severe side effects before because you weren't giving him the full dosage. He was on Tylan before, so c. perf pathogen should have already been treated if it was effective. Like I said the only way to find out is via another fecal test. The last thing you want is giving him meds he doesn't need...