Diarrhea...do I need to be concerned??

[Emily]

Hi Again,

Prince (newly diagnosed, still working to get regulated) has been having really watery diarrhea for the past week or so. I am starting to worry because I don't want him to get dehydrated like he was when he went to the hospital, prior to diagnosis. There has been a lot of food change recently but he is now been consistently on Innova for the past 2 days. Should I be worried or just give him time to adjust? Anything I can give him to help him? I also don't know if this is whatever is causing his liver inflammation. Vet mentioned he could have hepatitis, but he just finished the Clavamox. She has also mentioned Irritable Bowl Disease but wanted to wait before testing for that.

Help Please!

 

[Laura & Heffernan]

Hi Emily & Prince!

Clavamox can cause diarrhea, so can the food change. Now that the food is consistent, hopefully it should clear up without vet intervention, but yes you do want to monitor his hydration. Are his gums pink or pale & tacky? If you pinch the skin on his back near his shoulder blades does it stay tented or snap right back. If it stays upright, so slowly goes back then he may be dehydrated. If his gums are pale, he is dehydrated and you should visit the vet for some subq fluids.

I would definitely monitor stool production. I know my diabetic could not eat Innova because it had cottage cheese as one of the ingredients and he is lactose intolerant.

Hope he feels better soon! I foster cats with GI problems (and own 2!) so unfortunately we are well versed in #2!

 

[BJM]

You could try 1/8 teaspoon of plain psyllium powder added to the food. It soaks up some of the moisture, giving it some stability.

Also, it could be helpful to provide some probiotics to replace the good bacteria killed by the antibiotic- they don't just get the bad bacteria. Examples include Forti Flora, Intelliflora, and if the cat is not dairy sensitive, 1-2 teaspoons of plain yogurt with active cultures.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Did you transition the food gradually? 2 days on a food isn't long enough if it was a sudden change.. You might want to integrate some of his old food and then slowly wean him off it.