diarrhea x 9 days but otherwise healthy??

[twinkiefreekitty]

Hi, I haven't needed to be here for months as my cat regained a normal glucose level by changing to Fancy Feast Classic.

7 days ago I took him to the vet to get a geriatric check up and some tranquilizers for an upcoming 13 hr moving trip. I mentioned to the vet that Winny had been having an unusual bout of diarrhea for the past couple days. I even took a sample in with me.

All blood labs came back normal, including glucose. They didn't do any testing on the diarrhea sample. They gave Winny a shot of antibiotics and sent us home with Clavamox, which we're nearly done with. Diarrhea did not change with the antibiotics.

I suspected that it might be the food. Either a change in ingredients or that the grocery store had let the food spoil by leaving stock in the loading bay heat too long (this happens with their milk). I bought new cans of FF Classic last week. Diarrhea has not changed much, still very watery.

Winny is still playing, purring, cuddling, eating, drinking. Perhaps not as vocal as usual but otherwise acting himself. He's hitting the litterbox with each bout of diarrhea. Not much is coming out. I'm at a loss to know what to do. It doesn't seem like a 12lb animal can thrive for long with this level of diarrhea.

Our vet clinic is very nice, but they are mainly dogs and I don't feel happy about paying another $300 for tests when it could just be the food.

Anyone got any ideas for what to do at home? We live in Oklahoma and were flooded a couple of weeks ago, still no hot water, have already paid out for a plumber to fix the sump, need another one to replace the water heater, still no visit from the insurance agent, and I'm moving out of state in less than a month. So, although I'd love to take Winny straight back to a vet, I am gun-shy these days about vets who can run up $300-$600 bills on testing without being able to tell me what is wrong.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

Did the diarrhea come after the flood? Could Winny have been exposed to some of the flood water? If so, he could have picked up a parasite of some sort from the water. I would take another stool sample in and have it tested.

 

[KPassa]

I think Debby might be on to something as it does sound almost parasitic in origin, like coccidia (both of my boys had it when I first got them and the symptoms sound the same). In that case, Clavamox and antibiotics won't really help. Usually, the cat's own immune system can naturally fight it off, but sometimes they need assistance (both my boys got Albon and one of them even needed two rounds of it before it cleared from his system).

In the meantime, I've heard pumpkin helps really well for both diarrhea and constipation (plain pumpkin, no spices). You might want to give that a try.

ETA: only way I know of to test for coccidia is the stool sample, so the fact they didn't test that makes me even more suspicious that this might be the cause.

 

[BJM]

Some infections/infestations may not show up in every sample.

Possible causes of the diarrhea:
campylobacter
cryptosporidium
Giardia
Coccidia
Salmonella

worms of all types do tend to be visible in high enough concentrations: tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms

Some reading about the digestive system on the Merck Veterinary Manual here, including details about various problems.

 

[sophie]

Hi! Is there, perhaps, a kitty safe anti-diarrhea pill that could be given just to deal with the symptom? Dehydration sounds like a real possibility in these circumstances. Looking for the cause is necessary but symptom relief might be really a positive step. Anyone? Best wishes with your move, Sophie

 

[BJM]

1/4 teaspoon of psyllium mixed in the food might help bind up some of the liquid and give it form.

 

[Phoebe_TiggyGA_NortonGA]

you could also add acidophillus to the food (the active ingredient in yogurt) - this helps with digestion. Available in the refrigerated section at the health food store in capsules - I open the capsule and mix into food - especially when introducing new foods.