Hello all, I was hoping someone might be able to help with some problems we're having with our two eight month kittens please.
They experienced some very diarrhea then tested positive for giardia a few months ago. But following three rounds of treatment and VERY instensive disinfecting treatment of the environment with boiling, binning, bleaching and steaming etc they finally tested negative on two occasions, a month apart. They had three day stool tests via the lab both times to confirm this.
We then had no more problems for around three months or so, no clinical signs of giardia and normal poops the whole time.
We've just had to be careful with their diet. They are more sensitive now so we had to feed them gastrointestinal prescription wet food for a couple of months, before very slowly introducing a single protein high meat content wet food with no grains, sugars etc.
When all seemed to be going well with the first flavour of the new food, we then stopped the gastrointestinal food. They have also been on a probiotic since they were diagnosed with the giardia. We did slowly introduce a second flavour of the same range of the new food a couple of weeks later though.
They have been eating both flavours of the new food for a few weeks now, but over the last week or so they have been producing some quite soft and smelly stools.
Sorry for TMI! They are properly formed stools and they have not had any diarrhea again fortunately. But I've noticed the stools are often partly normal but partly soft at one end, if that makes sense?! Over the last few days they have, on some occasions, been a lighter brown colour too. They are long haired cats so have also had some problems with needing their bottoms cleaned.
The only other changes during this period have been use of Advantage spot on flea treatment, introduction of Plaque Off (on top of their teeth brushing, which we were already doing), and we have been harness training and they have been outside a few times.
I'm really, really stressed out at the thought of the giardia coming back
, especially since we were SO comprehensive in disinfecting everything. I took two weeks holiday from work and spent the entire time cleaning round the clock - no exaggeration!
My thoughts are that the cause could be:
• Giardia again - Is it likely that giardia could be the cause, after being negative for three months?
• Another parasite or bacterial/viral infection - They were screened several times already but tested negative for everything else. Plus, they were symptom from for three-months. Perhaps they could have caught something outside when walking on their harnesses recently?
• Diet - a problem with the second flavour of the single protein wet food we introduced? It seems like a slightly delayed reaction, but they have been eating more of this flavour oven the past week than they were originally.
• Reaction to the Plaque Off - I'm fairly certain, but not 100%, that the problems emerged before we intoduced this though. Seems unlikely that both cats would experience the same thing.
• Reaction to Advantage flea treatment? Is it likely that both cats would experience it though?
• Stress related - due to being outdoors and in new places for the first time, and on a harness. We took the training slowly though and it seems unlikely both cats would be affected the same way
Has anyone had this experience before? I'm really panicking about this
Thank you so much.
They experienced some very diarrhea then tested positive for giardia a few months ago. But following three rounds of treatment and VERY instensive disinfecting treatment of the environment with boiling, binning, bleaching and steaming etc they finally tested negative on two occasions, a month apart. They had three day stool tests via the lab both times to confirm this.
We then had no more problems for around three months or so, no clinical signs of giardia and normal poops the whole time.
We've just had to be careful with their diet. They are more sensitive now so we had to feed them gastrointestinal prescription wet food for a couple of months, before very slowly introducing a single protein high meat content wet food with no grains, sugars etc.
When all seemed to be going well with the first flavour of the new food, we then stopped the gastrointestinal food. They have also been on a probiotic since they were diagnosed with the giardia. We did slowly introduce a second flavour of the same range of the new food a couple of weeks later though.
They have been eating both flavours of the new food for a few weeks now, but over the last week or so they have been producing some quite soft and smelly stools.
Sorry for TMI! They are properly formed stools and they have not had any diarrhea again fortunately. But I've noticed the stools are often partly normal but partly soft at one end, if that makes sense?! Over the last few days they have, on some occasions, been a lighter brown colour too. They are long haired cats so have also had some problems with needing their bottoms cleaned.
The only other changes during this period have been use of Advantage spot on flea treatment, introduction of Plaque Off (on top of their teeth brushing, which we were already doing), and we have been harness training and they have been outside a few times.
I'm really, really stressed out at the thought of the giardia coming back
, especially since we were SO comprehensive in disinfecting everything. I took two weeks holiday from work and spent the entire time cleaning round the clock - no exaggeration! My thoughts are that the cause could be:
• Giardia again - Is it likely that giardia could be the cause, after being negative for three months?
• Another parasite or bacterial/viral infection - They were screened several times already but tested negative for everything else. Plus, they were symptom from for three-months. Perhaps they could have caught something outside when walking on their harnesses recently?
• Diet - a problem with the second flavour of the single protein wet food we introduced? It seems like a slightly delayed reaction, but they have been eating more of this flavour oven the past week than they were originally.
• Reaction to the Plaque Off - I'm fairly certain, but not 100%, that the problems emerged before we intoduced this though. Seems unlikely that both cats would experience the same thing.
• Reaction to Advantage flea treatment? Is it likely that both cats would experience it though?
• Stress related - due to being outdoors and in new places for the first time, and on a harness. We took the training slowly though and it seems unlikely both cats would be affected the same way
Has anyone had this experience before? I'm really panicking about this
Thank you so much.
