Pooping situation

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granadilla

granadilla

Member Since 2015
Marshmallow started having soft stools last week and then it progressed to diarrhea. Nothing has changed: no new stressors, no new food. I'm wondering if this is connected to some antibiotics she had a few months ago:

In February she got a UTI. I think she was on the border of becoming diabetic at that point. She was peeing and drinking a lot but her BG was only 205. The vet didn't want to start her on insulin then and gave her Clavamox, an antibiotic for the UTI. She immediately got diarrhea and it took 3 months to get rid of it. Nothing helped: not Flagyl (she started throwing up and refusing to eat after two days on Flagyl), not Fortiflora (didn't help at all), not Panacure (helped for 3-4 days then wore off), not pumpkin puree (it helped firm up her stools but after a couple of weeks on pumpkin I tried to lessen the dose a little and it went right back to diarrhea).

Finally she got two shots of steroids, six weeks apart. (The first shot only helped for a couple of weeks.) The second shot seemed to do the trick, but then she became a sugar cat. I think the shots helped push her over the edge from being prediabetic to becoming a full-fledged sugar cat.

It has now been 8 weeks since the last steroid shot and I was wondering if that shot has worn off and that's why she's back to having diarrhea. Anyone else ever deal with very stubborn diarrhea that won't go away? I gave her pumpkin yesterday and that helped (regular stools today) but I'd like to find some way to get rid of the diarrhea permanently. Obviously I don't want to give her another steroid shot if at all possible because she's been OTJ for 3 weeks I'd like to keep her that way!

Also, do you think the pumpkin will push her BG up much since it's pure carbs? I tested her last night and she was 114 but I'll have to give her pumpkin daily until this is controlled and I wonder if daily pumpkin will be too many carbs for her?

Obviously I'll take her to the vet soon if I can't get it controlled. All the other Ps are normal. Thanks for any advice anyone has!

Shane
 
Has she been tested for pancreatic issues? My cat had persistent diarrhea that was improved with pancreatin enzymes. CJ did need antibiotics and a probiotic initially while the diarrhea was severe and then just the enzymes after that.
There's an enzyme test for EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) your vet could do. It involves bringing in a stool sample. They can test for other issues to see what might be causing the diarrhea.
Pumpkin, to my knowledge, is used for constipation, not diarrhea. I don't think it affects BG levels.
I'd be inclined to think if she had pancreatic issues, that could be a factor in the diabetes. Steroids can, too, but I am not sure if just two shots alone would trigger the diabetes.
114 is still a great number. Good thing you're still testing.
 
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In exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, the stool is pasty-colored, foul smelling, and voluminous because there are not enough digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. The same thing destroying the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas may also destroy the enzyme-producing cells.
Another possible diagnosis is inflammatory bowel disease which may be treated with an oral steroid, budesonide, which doesn't cause as much glucose elevation as the injections do.
 
The vet gave my civie Beni some antibiotics for his diarrhea and it worked, must have been some bug or something, parasite test was negative. Pumpkin is a non-digestible fiber so it won't affect his BG and it's good for diarrhea and constipation, I used it for several months with Dusty for his constipation until it started irritating his tummy.
 
Thanks everyone. The vet didn't think she had pancreatic issues and the stool wasn't as BJM described, but I'll ask him again when I take her in. I was wondering about IBD. Good to know the budesonide won't elevate her glucose too badly if that's what it is.

@Cat Ma, do you give CJ prednisolone in pills or liquid? If I have to give Marsh steroids again, I'm going to ask if lower doses in pill or liquid form would be better (less likely to make her go back on insulin) than a shot. Marshmallow's civvie step-sister Cinnamon (GA 2010) had chronic allergies and I gave her prednisolone every other day. I had to have it compounded in a low dose (and it was fish flavored!) because I couldn't get a pill into that cat for love or money. :rolleyes:
 
My geriatric boy takes prednisolone. I crush the pill and mix it into a tsp. of baby food (chicken or beef) and he gobbles it up like a treat. Timing of those steroid shots and Marshmallow's diagnosis sounds like she could have steroid induced diabetes. That 114 is a nice number so I'd avoid any steroids with Marshmallow if you can.
 
@granadilla CJ's stools were foul-smelling, a characteristic of EPI, as BJM mentioned. IBD caused diarrhea and vomiting in my civie cat, Bonnie. She's on budesonide.

What are you feeding Marshmallow? You may wish to try a new, novel protein diet, one that Marshmallow hasn't tried before or raw food. Freeze-dried food may be another option. Many members here cook for their cats. There's probably a thread here about diets for sugar cats with IBD.

I give CJ prednisolone tablets for non-IBS issues because it's cheaper than the liquid at my vet and I can get it filled at any pharmacy. I mix it in food with a pill crusher.

CJ has been on prednisolone for over 2 years. Her #'s stayed great on the full dose but the vet reduced the dose as a precaution.
 
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MrWorfMen's Mom said:
My geriatric boy takes prednisolone. I crush the pill and mix it into a tsp. of baby food (chicken or beef) and he gobbles it up like a treat. Timing of those steroid shots and Marshmallow's diagnosis sounds like she could have steroid induced diabetes. That 114 is a nice number so I'd avoid any steroids with Marshmallow if you can.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I think too.

Cat Ma said:
@granadilla
What are you feeding Marshmallow? You may wish to try a new, novel protein diet, one that Marshmallow hasn't tried before or raw food. Freeze-dried food may be another option. Many members here cook for their cats. There's probably a thread here about diets for sugar cats with IBD.

CJ has been on prednisolone for over 2 years. Her #'s stayed great on the full dose but the vet reduced the dose as a precaution.
Click to expand...

I just starting transitioning her last night to Evo and YA. She was on dry W/D (that's what the previous/bad vet told me to put her on when she went diabetic). The Evo and YA just arrived. Do those count as novel protein diets? I can't get her to eat wet food so I doubt I'd have much luck with raw or with cooking for her.

What dose of prednisolone is CJ on? Just wondering because if my vet wants to put her on it then I can have a frame of reference for what she *might* be able to handle. At least she's transitioning to lower carb food if I do have to go back to 'roids.
 
Which Evo food did you get? If IBD, it's a good idea to try something she's never had before like duck, venison, or rabbit. Bonnie loves Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose. Even though it has turkey in it, she hasn't thrown up or had diarrhea with it. I haven't been able to find the carb content but a lot of sugar cats here eat it and CJ eats it (with water) with no spike in glucose.

CJ is on 2.5 mg prednisolone.

As every cat is different, you'll need to discuss what course of action is best for Marshmallow. If Marshmallow only has IBD, Budesonide is a better choice.

B12 injections (Cyanocobalamin) may benefit Marshmallow too for the diarrhea issues. You can do the injections at home. Bonnie gets B12 injections.
 
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The Evo is chicken and turkey, so no, that's not new to her. Is the idea that a new protein would bother her stomach less? I'll see what else I can give her. Good to know about the pred vs. budesonide. Thanks!
 
Yes, a new protein could be less irritating to her GI tract. I'd try the Stella & Chewy's. Bonnie loves it and it's a complete meal.
 
Rhonda, I was just about to write to you! I gave her some last night and she just sniffed it and walked away, which didn't surprise me. She takes a moment to warm up to anything new (wonder if that's because she was a feral stray when I got her years ago?). But by this morning she'd eaten it and I mixed some more in with her regular food and gave her a side plate of it. I just got home from work and she ate her "side dish" as well as some of the mix. So I think that means she likes it! Thank you again. So now at least I've got a low-carb food she'll eat and now I can just focus on getting the pooping situation under control. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for asking, @Cat Ma. She hasn't had any stools since yesterday morning. She has been on a once-every-48-hours schedule since she got the steroids a couple of months ago. Yesterday her stools were soft but at least formed into stools (which is better than how it was the previous poop). I'm still giving her pumpkin. I made an appointment for Tuesday at the vet so if she's not back to totally normal by then, I'll take her in. I thought about taking her tomorrow (Thursday) but since it's getting a little better I want to give it another day or two to see if she'll get back to normal on her own, just with using some pumpkin. The vet is closed for the long weekend, so I'm set for Tuesday. I'll keep you posted. :)

Shane
 
Quick update: The pooping situation is still not normal so I took Marshmallow to the vet this morning. The vet doesn't think it's EPI. He said "it may be IBD but her symptoms aren't classic, textbook IBD, but then again, she may not have read the textbook." He wants me to keep her on pumpkin and verrrryyy slooowwwwly lower the amount I give her over the course of a couple of weeks and see if by doing it a tiny bit at a time, that will let her body adjust slowly and then stay normal.

She's a very sensitive cat to all meds or changes in diet so he's hoping that we can get her regulated that way. If not then we'll add some budesonide.
In the meantime, her BG levels are still good and she's enjoying her Evo. :cat:
 
Often in IBD cats, nausea is common. Marshmallow doesn't have that issue, right?

Sounds like you have a very good vet.

Glad Evo is working out for her.

Isn't it great being OTJ?:)
 
Cat Ma said:
Often in IBD cats, nausea is common. Marshmallow doesn't have that issue, right?

Sounds like you have a very good vet.

Glad Evo is working out for her.

Isn't it great being OTJ?:)
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Nope, no nausea. That's why the vet doesn't think it's necessarily IBD. And yes, being OTJ is great. I'm really hoping to keep her that way. The vet said not to worry, even if we have to end up giving her prednisolone he'd give her a very small dose once every other day and it shouldn't raise her BG too much (but we won't go there unless tapering the pumpkin and the budesonide don't work). I'm really glad I found this vet, he's very good. I had a really bad vet when Marshmallow got diagnosed so I'm super glad I've found this guy instead. :)
 
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