We have 3 ragdolls, all still under a year old, that have had stool issues since the second one arrived. After weeks of repeated testing for all normal stuff including cultures and diarrhea panel PCRs, we finally demanded they be tested for Tritrich. The samples were sent the end of October and we received a positive test result. We decided to treat as one of our kids had severe symptoms, the worse intractable diarrhea for 24 days straight before the positive test result arrived. The few days prior to treatment she would hardly leave the litter box and in the weeks prior had started to lose weight.
I stayed with them night and day while they were being medicated should they have a reaction to the drug. They sailed through the treatment. In fact, 12 hrs after the first pill the oldest had a normal stool, 24 hrs for the other two. We were encouraged and relieved we had found them relief. However, 9 days into treatment I noticed a bit of difference in the stool and a bit of that old familiar smell. That continued through the remainder of medication and they had gone from countless dribbles to one or two stools a day within that 24 hr period after the first pill. Six days after they had finished the meds, the old diarrhea returned as it was before. We were beside ourselves. I emailed NC State and asked about it. I was told to wait several weeks after we had finished the drug and to retest if symptoms continued. It was explained to me that if the retest came back negative it could just be colon inflammation and they needed time for it to settle down.
We sent 3 new samples off on the 15th day after meds. Two tests came up negative but the third was "suspect". They said that test would be rerun, but equipment went down. So we waited from Dec 11 until mid January for this rerun. As the weeks passed the stools went from semi formed to very loose to runs and oh that smell! Meantime the lab got back up but the retest sample was accidentally destroyed so we had to send another sample......more delay. Last week we got the result back. It too was negative. I'm beside myself, my kids are all back to runs today and I don't know what to do at this point.
The only difference now than before is I've seen no visible blood or mucus (mucus was sent in initial sample but they had none for the second test). I can't help but think their results are false negatives as maybe they have a low infection, enough to still cause symptoms, but not enough to show in the PCR, a level below the PCR limit.
After we sent the second samples, back the first week of december, we started them on fortiflora, per our vet. They had been getting pumpkin twice a day since this all began last august. We saw no improvement after weeks and decided to try a product that had slippery elm and marshmallow root. It helped a bit. We then did a shock diet change and went grain free, and a couple days weren't too bad, but that too failed to help.
Our vet has said if we wish to retreat, she would support that. I don't like to medicate without a positive test result but things can't continue as they have and tho while medicated they had relief the diarrhea soon re-emerged after completing the medication. We feel confident that they did not/do not have a coinfection as all repeated tests for giardia, coccida, crytosporidim, salmonella, campylobacter, etc.......and cultures came back negative.
Has anyone here that has had a diagnosis for TF and treated for it experienced anything like this?
Thank you for any and all feedback.
KewlKat
I stayed with them night and day while they were being medicated should they have a reaction to the drug. They sailed through the treatment. In fact, 12 hrs after the first pill the oldest had a normal stool, 24 hrs for the other two. We were encouraged and relieved we had found them relief. However, 9 days into treatment I noticed a bit of difference in the stool and a bit of that old familiar smell. That continued through the remainder of medication and they had gone from countless dribbles to one or two stools a day within that 24 hr period after the first pill. Six days after they had finished the meds, the old diarrhea returned as it was before. We were beside ourselves. I emailed NC State and asked about it. I was told to wait several weeks after we had finished the drug and to retest if symptoms continued. It was explained to me that if the retest came back negative it could just be colon inflammation and they needed time for it to settle down.
We sent 3 new samples off on the 15th day after meds. Two tests came up negative but the third was "suspect". They said that test would be rerun, but equipment went down. So we waited from Dec 11 until mid January for this rerun. As the weeks passed the stools went from semi formed to very loose to runs and oh that smell! Meantime the lab got back up but the retest sample was accidentally destroyed so we had to send another sample......more delay. Last week we got the result back. It too was negative. I'm beside myself, my kids are all back to runs today and I don't know what to do at this point.
The only difference now than before is I've seen no visible blood or mucus (mucus was sent in initial sample but they had none for the second test). I can't help but think their results are false negatives as maybe they have a low infection, enough to still cause symptoms, but not enough to show in the PCR, a level below the PCR limit.
After we sent the second samples, back the first week of december, we started them on fortiflora, per our vet. They had been getting pumpkin twice a day since this all began last august. We saw no improvement after weeks and decided to try a product that had slippery elm and marshmallow root. It helped a bit. We then did a shock diet change and went grain free, and a couple days weren't too bad, but that too failed to help.
Our vet has said if we wish to retreat, she would support that. I don't like to medicate without a positive test result but things can't continue as they have and tho while medicated they had relief the diarrhea soon re-emerged after completing the medication. We feel confident that they did not/do not have a coinfection as all repeated tests for giardia, coccida, crytosporidim, salmonella, campylobacter, etc.......and cultures came back negative.
Has anyone here that has had a diagnosis for TF and treated for it experienced anything like this?
Thank you for any and all feedback.
KewlKat
