Problems with diarrhea

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Lynn & Rupert

Lynn & Rupert

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Rupert is having diarrhea problems last few days, I am giving him pumpkin, skipped a few times, because it seemed better. Today it is worse so gave more pumpkin in amps feeding. I took a test at +3 and it was 520!! He pooped a bit ago, some solid pieces, but a lot of liquid also, then took another reading at +4.5 and he was down to 391. Not sure if the 520 was a bad reading or if the bowel movement had something to do with it. His food has not changed, nothing to explain the diarrhea, so worried about this. What other things would help the diarrhea? Miralax, or is that for constipation? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
That's what I thought too, Cindi. I know of some diarrhea medications for people, not sure which ones are safe for kitties. Thanks for your help!
 
I will check there Sue, thanks. Also wondering if maybe feeding him some boiled chicken tonight, maybe not so rich?
 
Lynn, just curious, do you feed turkey to Rupert. I remember my vet telling me a while ago that some animals can't tolerate it as it causes diarrhea. Also fish and beef are big allergens for cats. It's just an idea. Maybe you could feed one flavor for two days and see how he does with that flavor, then another flavor for two days, and so on. Just because he could eat something successful before doesn't mean that he has developed a sensitivity to it. And flortiFlora made by Purina is good for diarrhea. Also it is great to sprinkle over their food when they just don't want to eat and you need to shoot as it has animal enzymes in it that makes them eat.
 
PS. I use the pumpkin every day in Bubba's food, 1 tbsp. I put the 1 tbsp. into each section of an ice cube tray, freeze then put them into a ziplock bag in the freezer to keep the unused portion fresh until I need it. The pumpkin is great for either diarrhea or constipation, which Bubba use to vacillate between the two. Not any more.
 
I have been feeding Rupert mainly Turkey and Giblets Special Kitty, it has 4 carbs and he has been fine with it, till last couple of days. Not sure what else to feed him, fish is out (mercury) and most of the beef types are higher in carbs. But I could try some beefier ones to see how he does. I am using pumpkin, but not as much as I should be. I will start adding it daily. Do you add the pumpkin to every meal or just one? I love the idea of freezing it in small portions, I froze 1/2 can and it gets old too fast. Thanks for the tip! I will have to order some flortiflora. He still has a great appetite and has not puked, just so worried he is developing IBD or something worse. Feeling so discouraged today. :( I feel like all this for 2 months and I see no improvement, he is always hungry, just doesn't seem very happy, I didn't think I could cure him, but was hoping to at least get him regulated. Sorry for my bad attitude today, I came down with a bad cold, Rupert is having issues and it is cloudy, rainy and gloomy out. :(
 
It's okay, Lynn, you are entitled to have a grumpy day; I have had my share! Sorry you have a cold, yuck! And it is cloudy and dreary here as well. There is a chicken FF classic also. I go between turkey and chicken and do Wellness Turkey and Salmon and wellness Chcken and Herring (but only once a week for the Wellness ones). I have never done beef for the cats as it is not a species appropriate food for a cat. Plus it is one of the allergy culprits. It will be interesting to see if you remove turkey for two days and replace it with something else if it stops. And ,when you reintroduce if it starts again. Fingers and Paws crossed both of you feel better. It's still young in the game Lynn for our sugar kitties. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I can switch a few types around, but I am limited because of funds. Three other civvies to feed all wet now too. Weird how some of the chains don't carry all of the kinds, like the chicken pate, etc. I will try some boiled chicken tonight, just once though, I know it doesn't have all the vitamins, etc. they need. Thanks for the pep talk and help, Bobbie, sometimes we just need a hug! :bighug:
 
Hi Lynn, Bobbie's right we've all had those days, I had one just yesterday! I understand about the limited funds too. Have you tried 9 Lives? They have several low carb flavors and Walmart has them, as does Family Dollar. I have fed plain yogurt to my cats for the probiotics, just make sure it's the plain type & Just a small dollop. I think for tonight, the boiled chicken is a good idea. Sorry you have a cold, I'm just getting over one too, and it's rainy here too! Hope Rupert feels better.:bighug:
 
Yes, I wish I could afford to feed the Wellness because it's lower in Phosphorus, but $2/can is too high for me! I'm giving mine the 9 lives, though Colin still gets the FF because it's easier for me to figure the amount with the small cans. At some point though, he'll get on the cheaper stuff too. Don't know if you have a Family Dollar store there, but that's where I get most of mine. They usually have a good selection.
 
Sharon14 said:
Yes, I wish I could afford to feed the Wellness because it's lower in Phosphorus, but $2/can is too high for me! I'm giving mine the 9 lives, though Colin still gets the FF because it's easier for me to figure the amount with the small cans. At some point though, he'll get on the cheaper stuff too. Don't know if you have a Family Dollar store there, but that's where I get most of mine. They usually have a good selection.
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I had heard that the Dollar Stores carry it. My grocery store does carry it but only in 6 packs for flavors that I know they won't eat, or 1/2 of them are fish and beef....I want to just select chicken and turkey and a few fish. Tomorrow, I will check the Dollar Store. Glad your cold is better Sharon. I meant to comment the other day to see if you were better when I think you posted something about "smelling the insulin" on Colin and I thought, "She must be getting better"!
 
CatX4 said:
Sorry for my bad attitude today, I came down with a bad cold, Rupert is having issues and it is cloudy, rainy and gloomy out. :(
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Hi, Lynn. Just popping in to say I'm sorry that you're having a rough day ... gloomy weather + bad cold + Rupert diarrhea & trouble getting him regulated = YOU'RE ENTITLED TO BE IN A BAD MOOD!!! Hang in there; it will get better for you. We're all thinking strong, positive thoughts & sending many healing vibes to you both. Give Rupert an extra scritch under the chin for me & here's something just for you:
:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
(P.S. If I lived around the corner, I'd be bringing you ginger tea and homemade chicken soup.)
 
Awww.....you guys are the bestest! I feel better already! Plus I had some supper and a little wine with my whine. :rolleyes: Thanks for all the great info and support! Sue, I wish we all did live close by, wouldn't we have a good gab fest! Sharon so glad you are feeling better now and got your sniffer back! I also feed 9 Lives, but haven't found the best source yet. The Dollar store has it, but not much for selections, Walmart the same, I will keep looking for it though, it is around and I know some store must carry a larger variety of them. Special Kitty is not too bad, carbs low, not sure about some of the "chunks" I see in there, but the cats usually push that aside. lol Sadly, most of the Friskies are a bit high for Rupert. He pooped a bit ago, seems to be a little firmer, poor baby. So hopefully, just some tummy troubles and it will be better with some pumpkin and boiled chicken tonight. Thanks so much for your help and kind words, I am off to drink some hot tea and cuddle with some kitties! :kiss::bighug:
 
Duh! Just saw your post, Cindi about Target. Good idea, I haven't checked there yet! I also think the Super Walmart's carry more varieties, the one by me, is a smaller Walmart.
 
Hi Lynn - I too am sorry you are having a bad day - we all know the stress involved in this Does he go outside? Could Rupert have gotten into something or drank some bad water? Has he had recent antibiotics? I am a believer in probiotics - per my vets recommendation, in the off change he has some type of IBS, I give Murphy a Culturelle every day (its' a human probiotic found at every drug store) I wonder in some fiber would help firm things up - I got some psyllium husk powder at Whole Foods and give 1/8 tsp if Murphy seems constipated.
 
He does goes out on the lanai some and sometimes drinks rain water, no antibiotics right now. I will look into the pysllium husk powder. Do you just sprinkle it on his food? Thanks so much for your advice, Carol!
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
How's Rupert's diarrhea?
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Not much better, but I think he might have round worms. Ewww! Which means they all do! Quadrople ewww! They snagged a few mice that got into the house when I lived in South Dakota, so could have got worms from them (most common way). I had no idea, since they are inside kitties! The only way I found out, was there was a little bit of throw up on the lanai rug and I saw some worms, identified them as round worms, which are the most common. Figure that might be the cause and at best can't be helping. I am looking into liquid de-wormers, any suggestions of ones you have used? I might end up taking Rupie to the vet tomorrow, but rather not, they are so expensive here! :eek: Thanks for asking, Bobbie!
 
Exactly Bobbie! I have a large bowl, fresh daily out on the lanai and all the cats go for the rain water or the water in the plant saucers. I don't dare use fertilizer on any of the plants! Silly putty cats! :cat::mad:
 
Makes sense Sharon, they all seem to like it, guess it is just natural for them. I have seen my country kitties walk by fresh water in a bowl and drink out of a muddy puddle. :confused:
 
Just checking Colin's SS, do you use a magnifying glass to help see your doses? I find it helps these old eyes, but it is still difficult.
 
It's a pill. Don't know if they have it in liquid form. It gets everything, including tapeworms. Could you wrap the pill in some cream cheese or a pill pocket? Something that they would gulp up without chewing because I think it's a bitter tasting pill. If they chew it, they'll probably spit it out.
 
Oh no! So sorry to hear about the worms. Mine had worms awhile back...I just took one cat in, had them diagnosed, told them the weight of my other cats, and they gave a prescription for all. They knew if one got them, they all would. Would your vet do that?

Pill pockets work well for me...just make sure to not use an entire pill pocket. I made that mistake once and my little ones bit into the pill, ate the pocket and spit out the pill! Giving a smaller piece of the pill pocket wrapped around the pill they eat it one bite and don't know there's a pill there.
 
CatX4 said:
Just checking Colin's SS, do you use a magnifying glass to help see your doses? I find it helps these old eyes, but it is still difficult.
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No, I did get some stronger reading glasses. I didn't have the problem with the U40 syringes. I'll have to try the magnifying glass.
 
Rupert might, he will eat anything right now, but not the others. I have tried everything, they do NOT cooperate! :mad: I will have to try a liquid one and I don't see any signs of tapeworms, I know what to look for, had them before with country kitties, so pretty sure it is just round worms, from the mice.
 
I have to admit I haven't tried the pill pockets, might work if I take your advice Rachael and use a smaller pocket. Stupid worms! I worry about giving Rupert anything right now, he has so much going on in his poor little body. :( Hopefully this will help him though, so must be done. Worries me though. :nailbiting:
 
The magnifying glass helped me a lot with the U100 syringes, Sharon. It's worth a try, it also helps to see if you have any large air bubbles, which you can tap out if needed. Good luck, hope it helps!
 
Thanks everyone for your help and great advice! I will get something tomorrow, it must be done and hopefully it will help with the diarrhea and even the high numbers. Now, if I could just find a miracle pill for this pesky cold! :bighug:
 
CatX4 said:
The magnifying glass helped me a lot with the U100 syringes, Sharon. It's worth a try, it also helps to see if you have any large air bubbles, which you can tap out if needed. Good luck, hope it helps!
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Getting rid of the air bubbles was how I think I lost a unit of his PM DOSE!
 
Regarding the worms and possibly saving a little money, you might just want to drop off a stool sample so they can identify and give you the proper meds. That way you don't have to bring the cat in and save the cost of an office visit.
 
Hey @CatX4 I got in trouble on here for suggesting worm medicine, so I am gonna just say, I know my worms..;) and I'm sure you do, too.
I use a liquid suspension, pyrantel pamoate for those disgusting round worms. Got it from Amazon, cheap. I worm mine regularly, because I've seen the ugly things!
My kitties LIKE it! Yuk.
The FELINE CONSTIPATION site got me through a recent midnight emergency! OMG. It is well worth reading. I give pumpkin daily to ALL of mine, and two of them get a weekly stool softener as well. So much info in that site!
I found that mine was having terrible diarrhea around a couple of pieces of extremely hard stool that could not be passed! He was scaring me to death crying and mewling like I'd never heard before! That site got me through!
Everyone needs to read it!!
Hope this helps!
 
CatX4 said:
Not much better, but I think he might have round worms. Ewww! Which means they all do! Quadrople ewww! They snagged a few mice that got into the house when I lived in South Dakota, so could have got worms from them (most common way). I had no idea, since they are inside kitties! The only way I found out, was there was a little bit of throw up on the lanai rug and I saw some worms, identified them as round worms, which are the most common. Figure that might be the cause and at best can't be helping. I am looking into liquid de-wormers, any suggestions of ones you have used? I might end up taking Rupie to the vet tomorrow, but rather not, they are so expensive here! :eek: Thanks for asking, Bobbie!
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Oh no, sorry Lynn, been there and done that with worms......In PA, you can get the Drontal and Pet stores. You buy it by the pill if I am not mistaken, about 20 bucks and pop. If you can get them in a store or online, the link BJM provided it would save you a vet appointment. The worms do cause diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Once Bubba vomited up a tapeworm and it was moving!! When they poop them they are dead.
 
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