Issues with loose stools since switching to all wetfood

[Bella's Mom]

Hi everyone,

I switched my cat to all wetfood since being diagnosed and she been having loose stools or diarrhea for the past couple weeks. I switched her back to her regular food (which is under 10% carbs) since I thought Fancy feast may have been the cause but it still seems to be continuing... she’s still eating and drinking water normally and it doesn’t seem to be affecting her that much.

Any advice or ideas for me? She has a vet appointment on Saturday.

 

[Idjit's mom]

I am responding to bump up the post and hopefully more members will see and respond. I have read that a tsp of plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) can help with both loose stools and constipation. Alternatively, using probiotics can be helpful also. I have used RenewLife Ultimate Flora Probiotic Extra Care (30 billion live cultures) from Walmart when Idjit had the "runs".

Sometimes, a transition to an all wet diet can wreak a little digestive havoc, especially if it's rather abrupt. The probiotics should help the intestinal flora recover. And it may be the Fancy Feast is just not her cup of tea. Not all kitties do well on every canned variety.

My DH asked how Bella was doing yesterday, he really is enthralled with that beautiful kitty.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

Might be worth trying a probiotic to see if that helps. Flortiflora helped clear up my cat’s diarrhea and a lot of cats like the flavor, but I don’t think it’s a good probiotic overall. I now use proviable, which I got several recommendations for and it seems to be good

 

[Margie and Jackson]

It took me months to switch Jackson from purina dm to a better and cheaper food. He got really sick when I tried to do the switch in just 10 days or so. I had success by giving him the new food a little at a time, sometimes just every other day. I also found he has trouble with shredded foods like tiki and Miko. Pumpkin, probiotics and such helped us too.

 

[JoyBee&Ravan]

What a coincidence! On the Lantus forum there is Bellasmom" and her name is Jamie also!

As far as feeding Dry Food,first I would ask you to please read the yellow sticky note by Dr. Lisa Pierson
Info Dry Food - PLEASE consider more than just carbohydrate content

I've been on the Lantus forum 18 months. I've seen cats go into remission just by eliminating all dry food.It's advisable to transition them gradually off the dry food so they don't get an upset stomach.

If you come to the forum there are very experienced people there that can help you. Nearly everyone has switched to either Lantus Or Levemir Insulin.

It's a lot of things to learn but just like with anything new it eventually gets a lot easier. The people that advise you really do know more than most vets do. You'll get a lot of great advice & support along the way!

The vets all seem to recommend the Alpha Trak (expensive!) Most of the people here use a Human meter. If cost is a factor A Relion Meter & strips are what I've been using the entire time. The strips are $20 for 100 at the Walmart. ( When you test at home it can get costly .)

Best of Luck to you & your Beautiful Bella! Hope to see you on the lantus Forum!

 

[Bama Kitty Mom (GA)]

Florastor has been used by some on the forums for kitty diarrhea.

 

[(GA) Gypsy's Parent]

My cat has 13 days with NO INSULIN. Just from switching from premium dry food to Hill's Prescription m/d. I'm now looking for a better wet food, but Gypsy is so picky, I was surprised and fortunate when she gobbled down the Hills. I'm hoping to find a better quality we food that is lower in carbs that she likes. Even if I can get to the point of 50/50, it will be better.

I had an old cat (18-19) with a variety of medical issues who had diarrhea, gas and frequent litter box visits. Meds for diarrhea caused constipation. She bounced around from one to the other depending on side effects of other meds. She was skinny and losing weight. The vet recommended probiotics, but she wouldn't touch the powder on the wet food or eat the chews. It wasn't until the vet told me about Nutramax Proviable-DC in capsules (she was easy to pill) that the problem was solved. It took a few weeks to work, but in the last two years of her life, her litter box solids were perfect.

There are a ton of probiotics out there and they all claim to have some special magic ingredient. But they are all unregulated supplements. I would select one from Amazon with lots of positive reviews and try that one. I'm not sure what the difference between human and pet probiotics might be. The Florastar looks like it might be worth trying.