Diarrhea

Ugh. For the last few days Ringo has had diarrhea horribly. You can hear him when he goes, and it is smelly, but I don't know what caused it. All three kittens eat the same food, at the moment the EVO with herring.

I know for dogs a bit of canned (regular, not the pie filling) pumpkin can help with these problems. Is it safe for cats too? I plan on calling the vet tomorrow if he is still not "fixed" any ideas of what I can do?

Oh, he also has been trying to cough up hairballs. Could they be related? Someone told me to put a dab of vaseline on his paw, is this safe?

Canned pumpkin is fine for cats, and so is the vaseline - hairball remedy usually contains petroleum jelly or mineral oil, or a bit of both. It's just that the hairball remedy is much more palatable for a cat.

Hairballs can cause diarrhea, but he could have also developed problems with that food or have diarrhea for another reason. So a visit tomorrow is a good idea.

Vet call great idea - I'd check for dehydration in the meantime, and please do not hesitate to call the Evet if necessary at least to describe symptoms and see if you need to take in today - like human infants, diarrhea can be dangerous in kittens.

I bet it's the food (maybe too rich for his tummy) - hopefully someone with kitten experience will be along, but I wonder if plained boiled chicken, maybe with a little rice, might help - the e-vet could probably tell you if that's a good idea or not.

Originally Posted by darlili

Vet call great idea - I'd check for dehydration in the meantime, and please do not hesitate to call the Evet if necessary at least to describe symptoms and see if you need to take in today - like human infants, diarrhea can be dangerous in kittens.

I bet it's the food (maybe too rich for his tummy) - hopefully someone with kitten experience will be along, but I wonder if plained boiled chicken, maybe with a little rice, might help - the e-vet could probably tell you if that's a good idea or not.

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Since this is a few days worth of issue ... a vet should be called

I think my term kitten might be a bit misleading- he is 8lbs and 6 months old. I will definitely call the vet tomorrow. He seems fine other wise- he doesn't seem dehydrated (skin pinch) and is playing/eating.

I'm thinking when I call the vet tomorrow, I'll ask if they want a sample... since it is easy to know when he is going- it's impossible not to hear... Poor baby.

when my cats have a bit of diarrhea, I feed them a little plain yogurt and it seems to clear it right up. Just a thought. "course, not all of them like it, usually the ones who like it aren't the ones who have the diarrhea , but occationally I get lucky!

Well, I called at 9 to make an appointment for Ringo this morning, and they had an opening at ten! So, we went in and 74 dollars later...

He had no fever, and they did a float test on his fecal- that was fine. She said there were some white blood cells, so he might have too much bacteria. They prescribed him metronidazole for 5-7 days. She also said she will do another float if I bring in a sample in a couple days if he isn't better (free this time, woo!). Hopefully my little man is feeling better by then.

I found it amusing that he has gained nearly a pound in two weeks. He was 7.8 and is now 8.6!

They were highly amused by him too, sitting next to me, and occasionally laying in my arms (upside down). I could also hear them in the back having a conversation on how perfect my babies are named, lol. Apparently they are favorites of the clinic!

A couple tips about metro: it is pretty much the worst tasting medicine out there. The best way I find to give it, is to wrap it in a little bit of pill pocket, then pill it. (not feed as a treat, but actually mash a bit of pill pocket (not the whole thing), cover the pill, and pill the kitty by putting the pill on the back of the throat with a pill popper or fingers, but popper will work better. Skirting some water with a syringe right after will help him to swallow it too.

5-7 days will not kill giardia, but 10 days will... I would do 10 days to be on the safe side... Giardia do not show on all parasite tests. I would definitely not do only 5 days.

Metro is a fantastic drug, and you should see results fast.

Make sure to give him some good probiotics when he is done - I like Bene-Bac or Probios.

Good Luck!

They gave us a liquid- will it be hard to give to him then? She wants me to call back by Thursday no matter what to let her know how he is. I will ask her about the 10 day thing, and see what she says. I really hope this fixes him up, I don't like my babies sick!

I would highly recommend getting a pill. There is really nothing worse tasting than metro - truly disgusting. Liquid is going to be tough to give... Try once and see it... he is probably going to foam like there is no tomorrow.

^I seem to remember ursodiol being just as bad, if not worse. We've only had a couple people ever use that one on their cats. But for future reference that is nasty tasting. Doxycycline seems to be pretty terrible, too.

There is a way to get bitter liquid meds down a cat without getting much or any on their tongue but depending on the cat it can be very difficult. With my current bunch I wrap them in a towel (because they will drool if the med touches their tongue) and sit on the floor with them in my lap facing away from me. I then open up their mouths with one hand and aim right at the back of the throat with the syringe - it's not easy, the slightest move and you'll hit their tongue. It also only works if you're giving a cc or less at a time.

But I agree, if pills are available go with that. See if they will credit you back for the liquid.

I really do not understand why people think it's easier to get a liquid down a cat - especially a bitter liquid.

We gave him his first dose tonight. He shook his head a lot, but with Pat holding him, I'm pretty sure we got at least 90% down him. He didn't foam or spit it out, just shook his head.I will see if it gets more difficult or not. Hopefully he continues to let it not be TOO hard.

It was easy to give him his medicine today! I wrapped him in a towel and pat held his head to his chest and it was simple as could be. Poor baby, he hasn't come to say hello since..lol

Poor thing. Mine give me terrible looks, but at least the girls get over it pretty quickly. Tanna looks for her treat seconds after I put her down.

Do you have some irresistible treats around the house? If so, make sure you give those over pretty quickly or put a tiny bit of food down.

Yeah, I give him a treat after...though it has to be before Pat drops him, or I can't get him to take it.

I just toss the treats at mine since Blasa and Blann move away from me. Tanna prefers to chase her food anyways.