Diarrhea in multiple cats..even dogs!

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Missy & Kitty

Missy & Kitty

Member Since 2013
Hey guys,

One of my cats has had bad diarrhea for days, so I took him to the vet yesterday. He ran several tests and said they all came back negative, so he gave me Albon to use. My dog recently had surgery and was on antibiotics for over a week, but he started having loose stool yesterday, so the vet said to stop the antibiotic. My other dog had some loose stool yesterday as well. This morning, another cat started having bad diarrhea. What the heck is going on? Has anyone ever had this happen before? The only thing the vet didn't do yesterday was take blood. Is this a virus?

I've tried adding pureed pumpkin and slippery elm bark to the cat's food, but it doesn't seem to be working. What should I do?
 
Hmmm...Two species in the same house would make me think parasites or a bacterial infection. I know vets don't like to give alot of info over the phone, but they would be able to let you know what they will check for and what some possible causes are. I would ask your vet to check for these.
 
Thank you for your reply, Kim!

I left a message for my vet on their after hours number. I'll see what he says to do.

He told me yesterday that my cat didn't have any parasites, so it was just a GI upset..which slippery elm bark is supposed to help with. He took his temp, a stool sample, and a swab test. I haven't changed their food, so I know it's not that.

I caught a bad cold two weeks ago, and then I got a stomach bug early this week. I asked the vet if it was possible that I could have given them a bug, but he said no. I do kiss on my fur babies. :oops:
 
Possibilities to rule out are cross contamination and fomites. Infectious disease is the gift that keeps giving! (If that is what is happening.)

Some or all of the following may be helpful, either as a one time deal, or more frequently.

Go through the entire food prep area and clean and disinfect vigorously.
Wash and disinfect all plates and utensils used in feeding, as well as flooring in all areas.
Between preparing different meals, disinfect utensils and feeding areas.

A 1:10 solution of bleach to water may be used as a soak of otherwise clean plates and utensils. If the debris isn't off these, bleach or other disinfectant can't work properly.

Any indoor litter boxes will need disinfecting. The trick is to do it without making it smell offensive to the cats! Scrub down with unscented bleach, rinse well, and air dry. If you can use disposable bags to remove the litter, this will remove much of any contaminated feces from the boxes where a healthy animal could step in it. You may want to listen for litter box use and immediately scoop if you can. You might do a complete litter box replacement daily, although that can be expensive. If it cuts down on infection transmission or retransmission, it may be worth it.

You could be a source of fomites - infectious material that is on you or your clothing. Obviously these means a thorough scrub down for you with cleansers and whatever you can tolerate in the way of disinfectant or antiseptic. One option is 70% isopropyl alcohol - anything higher and the bacteria will wall it off so it can't work. Chlorhexidine wash is used before surgery to disinfect the skin too; it may not require a prescription. Other options include commercial antibacterial products. This also means washing all your clothing which could have come in contact with the ill animals. A bleach product may be used if safe for the fabrics or you might look for disinfecting laundry products, possibly at a commercial supply company for laundries.

Because all this washing and disinfecting can become onerous, you might pick up some disposable painter's coveralls, including shoe covers, to provide a layer between you and the animals for most of your body.
 
The vet called back and said that since we didn't find anything with the cat I took in yesterday, that it's more than likely something viral, and they will all get it. He said it only lasts a few days, so I should continue to give them all Albon (not curative, but will help their tummies). I cleaned all of the cat boxes, their bedding, and food/water dishes. I used antibacterial soap and followed it up with a rinse in distilled white vinegar water. I rinsed everything really good after that, too. I am feeding them one at a time and picking up their plates to be washed right away. I added a little pedialyte to their water so that they don't get dehydrated.

One of the cats is going nuts trying to get outside, so I brought him in some grass, and he went to town on it. I'm guessing his stomach is really upset. :?

I have to take my dog back to the vet tomorrow to get his staples out, so is there something else I should be bringing up to my vet? Like some test or some medicine that will help them?
 
Sometimes 1/4 tablet of a 10 mg Pepcid AC (regular, nothing added) about 20-30 minutes before feeding will help if there is too much acid in the stomach.

Some folks have used slippery elm for upset GI tracts. Info on using that is over at Tanya's Feline CRF website, because it is common in CRF.
 
One of my cats was recently diagnosed with CKD, so I have been reading that site religiously for a couple of weeks. I was just looking at it when I got your reply. :)

So far, none of the cats have been throwing up (knock on wood), but I do have Zantac 75 in case they do. From what I understand, 1/8th of a pill twice a day will help with the stomach acid. I'm not getting the impression that the cat who is eating grass has excessive stomach acid, though, since he's not throwing up clear foam. It seems to me like they all have a stomach virus..stomach cramps and diarrhea. They all have hellacious gas, too. :roll:
 
It may help to give a bit of probiotic - Forti Flora, Intelliflora, of a teaspoon of plain yogurt with active cultures.
 
I was looking into a probiotic for the cats, but I wasn't sure which one to choose. I'll check those out.

The dog is audibly passing gas now..it's so horrible. :shock: I wish there was something I could do to help them!
 
I added Slippery Elm Bark syrup to the dog's food; maybe that will help.

Pumpkin, the cat that ate the grass earlier, threw up the grass a while ago and there was also clear liquid. He ate some dinner, but then immediately regurgitated it all back up, then threw up in the living room and then in my bedroom. There wasn't any foam in it, so I'm not sure if I didn't spread his food out thin enough (he likes to inhale food), or if his stomach is just upset by this virus.

It has now become clear that I have way too many fur babies. This is so overwhelming. I'm still trying to get over being sick myself!
 
I've got 15 in the house, including the diabetic.

It can help to make yourself a schedule chart.
 
The animals seem to be getting better. I haven't seen any diarrhea in the cat boxes today, but the dogs still have slightly soft BMs. I have been giving the Albon once a day and adding slippery elm bark syrup to everyone's food. As soon as the animals are done eating, I have been washing every plate and rinsing them in vinegar water, just in case. I have been cleaning the litter box as soon as it is used, too. Hopefully this will all be over soon and I can have happy, healthy fur babies again.

Thank you, BJM and Kim, for the tips and helping me! :mrgreen:
 
Missy & Kitty said:
15! Wow! I don't know how you do it. Do you have an example of the schedule chart I can use?
Click to expand...
1) I have a housemate who helps w/ litterboxes
2) I did one when I had Spitzer as follows
time prescription dose frequency Notes
7:15 AM pick up food
7:15 AM sucralfate 1 mL TID must be 1 hour before or 2 hours after food
8:15 AM AMPS
8:15 AM cyclosporin 10 mg BID
8:15 AM insulin 2.5 U BID
8:15 AM metronidazole 0.5 mL BID
8:15 AM ondansetron 1/4 tab BID
1:00 PM sucralfate 1 mL TID
7:00 PM pick up food
7:00 PM sucralfate 1 mL TID must be 1 hour before or 2 hours after food
8:00 PM cyclosporin 10 mg BID
8:00 PM insulin 2.5 U BID
8:00 PM PMPS
8:00 PM metronidazole 0.5 mL BID
8:00 PM ondansetron 1/4 tab BID
10:00 PM azithromycin 0.5 mL QD
10:00 PM pepcid 1/4 tab QD
12:00 AM sucralfate 1 mL TID must be 1 hour before or 2 hours after food
 
Kim & Twice said:
Whew! Sounds like everyone is on the mend! Great news :-D Hope you're feeling better too!
Click to expand...
I am, thank you! Today was the first day that I could eat normally. I love food, so I'm pretty excited about this. Ha!

Thank you for this example, BJM! It's perfect. I can set reminders on my phone to help me get everyone taken care of. I'm glad you have someone helping you with litter boxes! I have four to clean every day, and that's plenty. I can't imagine any more than that.
 
Missy & Kitty said:
,,,Thank you for this example, BJM! It's perfect. I can set reminders on my phone to help me get everyone taken care of. I'm glad you have someone helping you with litter boxes! I have four to clean every day, and that's plenty. I can't imagine any more than that.
Click to expand...

I keep telling myself its exercise!
 
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