Foster Cat with Persistent Diarrhea

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

Member Since 2019
I was feeding a stray that started showing up at my front door every day. She started to let me pet her and show me that she was friendly and must have belonged to someone at some point. Long story short, I was able to pick her up, put her in a carrier and worked with a local rescue group to get her checked by a vet. She’s fixed, but no chip and blood work showed no health issues. She was given a deworming and was vaccinated too. My neighbor fostered her through Thanksgiving and im fostering her now. On the second day here, she started to have diarrhea. I thought it could be the change in food so I put her back on the dry food my neighbor was feeding her and removed the wet food. Still no improvement. I started giving her metronidazole, which always worked on Minnie when she had diarrhea too and we’re now on day 6 of the antibiotic with no real improvement. I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what I should do/try next. I’m reaching out to the rescue group to ask the vet as well. Here’s a pic of her and thank you!

upload_2022-12-11_8-39-12.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • upload_2022-12-11_8-39-12.jpeg
    upload_2022-12-11_8-39-12.jpeg
    148.7 KB · Views: 347
I'm generally not a big fan of giving a prescription medication unless you know what it is your treating. Metronidazole is for anaerobic bacteria infections and parasites.

How about trying S. boulardii? It's a probiotic that is great for controlling diarrhea. I've gotten it on Amazon but there are probably other places to track it down. I would start with 1/4 of a capsule twice a day and increase if you need to.
 
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) @tiffmaxee I’m wondering if one of you can take a look at the pcr fecal results or should I tag someone else? She tested positive for coronavirus, which I understand is not the same as covid and not transferable to me, but I’m concerned if it’s something Bobo can catch from interacting with her.
upload_2022-12-29_8-18-19.png

upload_2022-12-29_8-19-11.png
 

Attachments

  • upload_2022-12-29_8-18-19.png
    upload_2022-12-29_8-18-19.png
    81.2 KB · Views: 297
  • upload_2022-12-29_8-19-11.png
    upload_2022-12-29_8-19-11.png
    83.8 KB · Views: 306
I can’t attach I can only copy and paste :(

It sounds like the only way I can introduce her to Bobo is to do a pcr fecal for him as well to find out if he already has the virus or not. If he doesn’t, I can’t adopt her as he’d eventually get it from her if they share litter boxes…
 
Hoping this is a bit easier to read:

XUXA NAVARATIL
PET OWNER: NAVARATIL
SPECIES: Feline
BREED: Shorthair, Domestic
GENDER: Female
AGE: 2 Years
PATIENT ID:
STRAY PAWS ANIMAL HAVEN
9858 RUSH ST
SOUTH EL MONTE, CA 91733
818-968-7150
ACCOUNT #: 30711
ATTENDING VET:
LAB ID: 7807048220
ORDER ID: TR2050206816300004
COLLECTION DATE: 12/21/22
DATE OF RECEIPT: 12/22/22
DATE OF RESULT: 12/23/22

IDEXX Services: Diarrhea RealPCR™ Panel (Comprehensive)—Feline
Molecular Diagnostics
12/22/22 (Order Received)
12/23/22 8:32 PM (Last Updated)
TEST RESULT REFERENCE VALUE

Tritrichomonas NEGATIVE
foetus/blagburni
RealPCR
Cryptosporidium NEGATIVE
spp. RealPCR
Giardia spp. NEGATIVE
RealPCR
Salmonella spp. NEGATIVE
RealPCR
Toxoplasma NEGATIVE
gondii RealPCR
Feline POSITIVE
Coronavirus
RealPCR
a
Feline NEGATIVE
Panleukopenia
Virus RealPCR
Campylobacter NEGATIVE
jejuni RealPCR
Campylobacter NEGATIVE
coli RealPCR
C. perfringens POSITIVE
Alpha Toxin
(CPA) Gene
RealPCR
Generated by VetConnect® PLUS December 26, 2022 12:41 PM Page 1 of 2
XUXA NAVARATIL PET OWNER: NAVARATIL DATE OF RESULT: 12/23/22 LAB ID: 7807048220
Molecular Diagnostics (continued)
TEST RESULT REFERENCE VALUE
C. perfringens
Alpha Toxin
(CPA) Gene
Quantity
371 THOUS/g
b C. perfringens
Alpha Toxin
(CPA) Gene
Interpretation
HIGH LEVELS OF CPA GENE COPIES PRESENT
C. perfringens NEGATIVE
Enterotoxin
(CPE) Gene
RealPCR
c

a This test is specific to feline enteric coronavirus and does not detect
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent in COVID-19. Feline enteric coronavirus is
species-specific and does not infect humans.
b In animals where the number of Clostridium perfringens alpha (CPA) gene
copies are high (> 300 Thous/g feces), the toxin may be contributing to
diarrhea.
c A POSITIVE FELINE DIARRHEA PANEL PCR result indicates that the nucleic
acid (DNA or RNA) of that organism(s) was detected in the fecal
sample. In a patient with diarrhea, this supports infection.
Vaccination with a modified live coronavirus vaccine may result in a
positive result for up to a few weeks post-vaccination. Clostridium
perfringens
toxin genes (CPA and CPE) positive PCR results
should be interpreted based on their quantitative levels. Note that
recent or concurrent antibiotic therapy against Clostridium will lower
the quantitative levels.
A NEGATIVE FELINE DIARRHEA PANEL PCR result indicates that the nucleic
acid (DNA or RNA) of that organism(s) was not detected in the sample
submitted. However, a negative PCR result may be caused by the
number of organisms being below the limit of detection, decreased
numbers of organisms following treatment or chronic carrier state, or
the occurrence of a new strain variation.
Generated by VetConnect® PLUS December 26, 2022 12:41 PM Page 2 of 2
 
Unfortunately I don't know how to read the fecal labs, but I do see positive for two things.

How much Boulardii are you giving?

Boulardii doesn't work if it's due to B12 deficiency,.EPI, or thyroid. But since.it seems like an acute.problem, those are less likely.
 
It seems like the diarrhea is due to the 2 positive things which are coronavirus and CPA. For the CPA, I started her on fiber. I’m really questioning if the fact she’s positive for corona means I can’t adopt her permanently since Bobo would then get it.
 
I had a cat who had clostridium perfringens alpha toxin. The treatment was a pretty long course of Tylosin, which is an Rx item. All the probiotics in the world and fiber aren’t going to get rid of it. The Tylosin worked, by the way to clear it up.
 
Hi again. I’m back home and I just wanted to say that I hope you can get some help for this kitty. It was wonderful of you to help. So many people just look the other way. I didn’t mean to be abrupt before.
 
She was actually doing much better since Monday. The poop looked like it should and she was only going #2 twice a day which is not considered diarrhea anymore but after the fiber this morning, we’re almost back to square 1 so no more fiber! I emailed Minnie’s IM who is now Bobo’s IM too, but these days is very difficult to get a hold of any vet especially one I’m not paying to see her. this all makes me very sad because she’s a sweetie and I was ready to welcome her into the pack :(
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Hi again. I’m back home and I just wanted to say that I hope you can get some help for this kitty. It was wonderful of you to help. So many people just look the other way. I didn’t mean to be abrupt before.
Click to expand...
Not at all. It didn’t read abrupt. She’ll be safe and sound in my spare bedroom for as long as needed if I do need to find her another home. Not sure how many folks out there have coronavirus positive cats, but the rescue group said it’s common. It’s not covid and not contagious to humans, just other cats. With Bobo’s CKD, I don’t know that it’s a risk I can put him through. She’s adorable, quite, and doesn’t ask for much at all. She seems content to just be indoors again and not even trying to get out of the room to explore. I hope this is not why she was dumped. I was just in there with her and she naps on my lap for hours while I’m on zoom calls or on the computer :cat:
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
Not at all. It didn’t read abrupt. She’ll be safe and sound in my spare bedroom for as long as needed if I do need to find her another home. Not sure how many folks out there have coronavirus positive cats, but the rescue group said it’s common. It’s not covid and not contagious to humans, just other cats. With Bobo’s CKD, I don’t know that it’s a risk I can put him through. She’s adorable, quite, and doesn’t ask for much at all. She seems content to just be indoors again and not even trying to get out of the room to explore. I hope this is not why she was dumped. I was just in there with her and she naps on my lap for hours while I’m on zoom calls or on the computer :cat:
Click to expand...
Hope you can get the vet to prescribe some Tylosin to treat the clostridium perfringens alpha toxin.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Hope you can get the vet to prescribe some Tylosin to treat the clostridium perfringens alpha toxin.
Click to expand...
I’m sure I can get that from the rescue group’s vet. More concerned about the corona. I wonder if she can be vaccinated and then be fine? I really need to know more about it because it sounds like something she could have for a really long time and it’s never not contagious
 
Last edited:
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I do not necessarily see why you cannot adopt her. I am attaching an article from the Merck Veterinary Manual about feline enteric coronavirus. I don’t see that she can never be around other cats but I do understand about having cats with preexisting conditions that you need to be cautious.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dige...s-in-small-animals/feline-enteric-coronavirus
Click to expand...
The biggest issue for Bobo with CKD is getting enough fluids so he’s not dehydrated which is a side effect of CKD so CKD and diarrhea would a horrible combo for him. I think I’m also a little disappointed with the rescue group because they sent me the test results and they were like she’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with her and I’m like wait, she’s positive for 2 things. They were basically trying to downplay it like oh most likely my cat already has corona and I just don’t know it because most cats have it and I should do a pcr fecal in him to find out :nailbiting:
 
Last edited:
So great news, Bobo’s IM thinks it’s totally fine. He said less than 1% of positive cats develop FIV and older cats like Bobo are very unlikely to catch the coronavirus a positive cat. Back on track from foster to adopting so long as I can get her diarrhea resolved. Waiting to hear from the rescue’s vet about getting a prescription for the Tylosin since the bacterial infection is something Bobo could catch from her
 
Last edited:
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
So great news, Bobo’s IM thinks it’s totally fine. He said less than 1% of positive cats develop FIV and older cats like Bobo are very unlikely to catch the coronavirus a positive cat.
Click to expand...

Nice to see a vet that understands about coronavirus! It is very common in cats so Bobo most likely does already have it and is just dealing with it (like most cats)

It's almost always cats under 1 that develop FIP (if they're going to..it's still pretty rare for corona to mutate into FIP).
 
That’s why I emailed his IM, who was Minnie’s too not his regular cat ha! Right so foster kitty is about 2-3 years they think. Should I post another pic?
upload_2023-1-3_19-27-46.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • upload_2023-1-3_19-27-46.jpeg
    upload_2023-1-3_19-27-46.jpeg
    63.3 KB · Views: 279
I know right? I can wash the seat cover but the chair is a goner for sure lol. I did just order a new one through my job’s hybrid plan and it doesn’t have a cushion so it should be safe. She loves the chair, the cat house behind it and the tallest scratching post. Those are the favorite spots and my lap whenever I’m sitting on the computer working or on zoom calls. Looking forward to getting her on Tylosin to treat the clostridium perfringens alpha toxin and I start the introduction process with Bobo :cat:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top