Leaky Bum

catsai · May 13, 2009

So I must disclaimer this by saying it's a bit disgusting...so sorry!

My 1 year old FeLV+ boy Quigley has been going through a bit of a rough time with his bum. He has had persistent diarrhea now for while. I've taken a stool sample to the vet...no parasites. I've added pumpkin to his diet and have now switched him to a chicken and rice diet. It's not really helping. I already ordered bene-bac and plan on trying that.

He always makes it to litter box...the problem is that when he gets wound up, a small amount of diarrhea will randomly leak out of his butt onto whatever he's sitting on or happens to brush against. He hates when I go to wipe his bum and he spends a good amount of time licking it.

I don't know what to do from here...maybe another vet visit is in order? Any other ideas/suggestions? Anyone been through this before?

snake_lady · May 13, 2009

Has the vet ever checked his anal glands?

http://www.peteducation.com/article....1+2122&aid=509

Do you feed him wet food?

(my cat had chronic diarrhea during wet feedings....it took us a few months to finally sort it out and figure out how much wet he can have without diarrhea)

blueandfrodo · May 13, 2009

i was thinking the same thing about the anal glands. frodo sometimes get impacted anal glands and then spends some time licking and butt-scooting until i take him to the vet to get them expressed - usually within a day or two of seeing symptoms, depending on when the symptoms show up! he will also sometimes leave little spots around if he sits on me and drags his bum.

i think that another visit to the vet is probably best

ktlynn · May 13, 2009

Whenever my girl has loose stools she always needs a little cleanup - it's not unusual for that to happen when the stool is very soft or like liquid.

I keep a toilet paper roll near the litter boxes so I can clean her before she sits down and soils her bed, chair, etc. Like Quigley, she's not crazy about the clean-up, but there's not really any choice in the matter. I just try to be gentle and get it done quickly. It's good that your boy can make it to the box - that's less stressful for you both.

How long has Quigley been on the chicken & pumpkin? It can take at least 48 hours sometimes before you see results. You can also try baby food - Gerber stage 2 has plain chicken or turkey which is safe to use (contains NO onion) and those flavors are usually very easy on the digestive system. Try alternating the baby food with the chicken and pumpkin. Also add 1/2 cap acidophilus (available in health food stores) twice per day mixed into his food.
You may want to use a digestive enzyme called Prozyme as well - a small amount of this gets mixed into the food.

Make sure that Quigley is drinking water. Diarrhea is dehydrating, and dehydration makes cats feel miserable. It's dangerous as well.

Does the vet think the ongoing diarrhea is FeLV related or a separate issue?
How is Quigley doing aside from that?

Hope your little guy feels better soon. Please let us know.

catsai · May 14, 2009

I mix some 9 Lives into the rice and chicken for Quigley to make him eat the rice. Before that though, I had him eating Evo wet (which he wasn't fond of). I've had him on the rice diet for about a week now. At first it seemed like his stool was firming up but then it went back to mush.

I've almost completely stopped the pumpkin. I had to force feed it down his throat and he was quite unhappy about that.

I got the Bene-bac yesterday and administered the first dose.

The vet never really gave me a definitive answer about the diarrhea. When I first adopted Quigley in December, he had persistent URI's so the vet didn't think anything about the diarrhea...thought it was probably associated with the meds. When it didn't clear up after his last round of antibiotics, the vet treated him for parasites with Flagyl without even seeing him. I took the stool in and had it tested. Negative for any parasites. The vet hasn't seen him since then. I want to wait and see what the Bene-bac does and take him in if that doesn't work. I know that diarrhea can be symptom of an FeLV+ cat.

I guess I'll contact my vet and take him back in...

wingss2fly · May 14, 2009

My all had cronic runny poop. So bad we had to cover all the furniture. I had runny crap all over. I found a food that was not so pure....we HAVE to have some grains in our diet. I use Castor Pollux, now. I used EVO I used Blue Spa with probiotics, that was a mess. I give wet twice a week. I know whats best for them, but sometimes they need the good fillers. Not so much the corns, and glutens. But rice, and potato, and oat.
best of luck, PS... stool samples were inconclusive for us.

babypumpkin · May 15, 2009

Originally Posted by catsai

So I must disclaimer this by saying it's a bit disgusting...so sorry!

My 1 year old FeLV+ boy Quigley has been going through a bit of a rough time with his bum. He has had persistent diarrhea now for while. I've taken a stool sample to the vet...no parasites. I've added pumpkin to his diet and have now switched him to a chicken and rice diet. It's not really helping. I already ordered bene-bac and plan on trying that.

He always makes it to litter box...the problem is that when he gets wound up, a small amount of diarrhea will randomly leak out of his butt onto whatever he's sitting on or happens to brush against. He hates when I go to wipe his bum and he spends a good amount of time licking it.

I don't know what to do from here...maybe another vet visit is in order? Any other ideas/suggestions? Anyone been through this before?

I'm new to the CatSite group, so hope I'm posting this response correctly.
Know Quigley must be in distress, first with FeLV+ and now with diarrhea.
I am going to post some more information on parasite Tritrichomonas Foetus, but in the meantime please see the info on google.

I know you said Quigley has been tested for parasites, but for some reason, many vets are not familiar with this bug so you might want to check with him/her to determine if he tested for this parasite.

babypumpkin · May 15, 2009

I'm new to the CatSite group, so hope I'm posting this response correctly.
Know Quigley must be in distress, first with FeLV+ and now with diarrhea.
I am going to post some more information on parasite Tritrichomonas Foetus, but in the meantime please see the info on google.

I know you said Quigley has been tested for parasites, but for some reason, many vets are not familiar with this bug so you might want to check with him/her to determine if he tested for this parasite.

joni

ktlynn · May 16, 2009

Originally Posted by catsai

I mix some 9 Lives into the rice and chicken for Quigley to make him eat the rice. Before that though, I had him eating Evo wet (which he wasn't fond of). I've had him on the rice diet for about a week now. At first it seemed like his stool was firming up but then it went back to mush.

I've almost completely stopped the pumpkin. I had to force feed it down his throat and he was quite unhappy about that.

Poor little guy. All these diet changes on top of having diarrhea. And of course, you have no choice but to try these things in order to help him. If you've been giving the pumpkin for a week with no improvement, then there's no point forcing Quigley to eat any more of it.

Usually plain chicken, without rice, is enough to stop diarrhea. Because of the different diets you been trying, monitor Quigley's weight as best you can since plain chicken won't have enough calories in it to maintain his optimal weight.

Is Quigley going frequently to the litter box, or is it just that his stools are still very soft when he goes?

Originally Posted by catsai

I got the Bene-bac yesterday and administered the first dose.

The vet never really gave me a definitive answer about the diarrhea. When I first adopted Quigley in December, he had persistent URI's so the vet didn't think anything about the diarrhea...thought it was probably associated with the meds. When it didn't clear up after his last round of antibiotics, the vet treated him for parasites with Flagyl without even seeing him. I took the stool in and had it tested. Negative for any parasites. The vet hasn't seen him since then. I want to wait and see what the Bene-bac does and take him in if that doesn't work. I know that diarrhea can be symptom of an FeLV+ cat.

I guess I'll contact my vet and take him back in...

I hope the Bene-bac helps.

I've read that illness in FeLV+ kitties must be treated very carefully and monitored closely because of their status. I wonder if the UTI meds and then the Flagyl right after them was just a little too much for Quigley's system to handle. IMHO I'm not sure it was the best thing for the vet to have prescribed Flagyl without knowing for sure if Quigley even had parasites.
Every med has side effects, so they should only be taken if there's a known condition that requires treatment.

A member has suggested that Quigley be tested for another parasite as well. That's certainly worth investigating.

Perhaps you might consider a different vet with a fresh perspective - maybe one with a lot of experience treating FeLV+ cats. Since you're in NY, you could also think about taking Quigley to The Animal Medical Center (www.amcny.org). It's a large hospital staffed with many specialists in all areas of animal health.

I hope things get better for Quigley soon. All good wishes to you & your little guy.

catsai · May 21, 2009

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Poor little guy. All these diet changes on top of having diarrhea. And of course, you have no choice but to try these things in order to help him. If you've been giving the pumpkin for a week with no improvement, then there's no point forcing Quigley to eat any more of it.

Usually plain chicken, without rice, is enough to stop diarrhea. Because of the different diets you been trying, monitor Quigley's weight as best you can since plain chicken won't have enough calories in it to maintain his optimal weight.

Is Quigley going frequently to the litter box, or is it just that his stools are still very soft when he goes?

I hope the Bene-bac helps.

I've read that illness in FeLV+ kitties must be treated very carefully and monitored closely because of their status. I wonder if the UTI meds and then the Flagyl right after them was just a little too much for Quigley's system to handle. IMHO I'm not sure it was the best thing for the vet to have prescribed Flagyl without knowing for sure if Quigley even had parasites.
Every med has side effects, so they should only be taken if there's a known condition that requires treatment.

A member has suggested that Quigley be tested for another parasite as well. That's certainly worth investigating.

Perhaps you might consider a different vet with a fresh perspective - maybe one with a lot of experience treating FeLV+ cats. Since you're in NY, you could also think about taking Quigley to The Animal Medical Center (www.amcny.org). It's a large hospital staffed with many specialists in all areas of animal health.

I hope things get better for Quigley soon. All good wishes to you & your little guy.

I don't think he goes more often than my other two cats but when he goes, it definitely is liquid. Occasionally it'll look like something is forming but that never lasts. He is a pretty tiny cat...only about 8 pounds.

I'll definitely look into that parasite. Also...I am giving him the Bene-bac from the directions on the label (which is mostly for newborn kittens). What would you recommend the dosage be? I'm running out of ideas and I just want my little guy to feel better.

big kahuna · May 21, 2009

so sorry to hear this about your little buddy. I've never heard of this chronic a problem before but will keep my eyes open for any info that might help him.

Leaky Bum

catsai

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snake_lady

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blueandfrodo

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ktlynn

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catsai

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wingss2fly

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babypumpkin

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babypumpkin

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ktlynn

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catsai

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big kahuna

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