Is this standard vet procedure?

kas

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Hi all! I am new here and have a question about stool samples. My new adopted kitty has had bloody, loose stool so I took a sample to the vet and it came back positive for coccidia. Ok. So we got some albon for Abby to take. At the end of the 10 day run, her stool is still loose. I am sure from all the research I have done on the net and in my cat veterinary book that it will take more than one course of albon to cure this. In fact, it might never go away until she is old enough for her immune system to take care of it on its own. Well, the vet wouldn't give me more albon without doing another $30 stool check. It came back positive, just as I thought. So we got more albon.

My question is, shouldn't the vet know this already and just sell me the albon? An if the stool is still loose after this course, should I have to pay another $30 for the test, or is my vet just hosing me? I want what is best for my cat, but I am thinking they just see me as a dollar sign. Anyone else with experience dealing with this pesky protozoa?

Abby is 4 months old and has mittens. She is such a lover kitty. Thanks for your help in advance!
 

sharky

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Abby sounds lovely...

Yes for many vets that is standard, in some practices once you are esablished they may give you med s without stool sample, blood or seeing the cat but this is rare ... In your case YES a stool sample was needed to verify for legal issues but charging that much is a tad unusual
 
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kas

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I guess I am just not sure on the legal issues. All the info I have read says more courses will be needed. And since I live in Washington State, the price is probably normal. We are taxed out the ying yang here. I am really tempted to look for another vet, but we have been going to these guys for 10 years with previous pets and they are close to my house. The care is good, I just sometimes feel they are requiring things that aren't needed for those with common sense. Hmmm. Maybe I am just in a tiff that they didn't believe me when I was right. Like Lucy from Peanuts says, "If everyone agreed with me, they would all be right!"


Thanks for getting back to me so soon. I can't wait for this stuff to work on her. At least she is keeping it in the box!
 

alicatjoy

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I second that Abby sounds precious...

As far as your issue with the vet, I do believe the vet is not being unreasonable. I work as a vet tech assistant at a busy clinic and we, too, would ask to see the kitten following the medication course as well as do a repeat fecal float and/or smear. In fact, it would be unlikely that we'd even do a second fecal without a recheck -- especially since the kitten is so young and has, what sounds like, a more severe case of coccidia.

I recently went through coccidia with a 10 month old kitten who showed up on my doorstep. We treated with Albon for 10 days and then had a repeat exam and fecal float and smear done. The cat was negative at that point. But, re-infection at home is a possibility and you're correct that not all cases respond to an initial course of treatment. The cat I took in was in a bad state, but responded well and is now 100%. However, at that time, we also used Hills I/D prescription food so that it would be easier to digest. That helped firm up his stools during treatment as well. And, at the same time, we also gave him Pyrantel as a dewormer (1x at the initial time of diagnosis and 1x at the follow-up appointment).

My point is that each cat or kitten is different, but your vet's recommendation is not out of the ordinary. In fact, I'd be concerned if your vet did not want to re-check the stool. And, to be honest, I'm still surprised the vet did not want to see your kitten again. I would have made it a point to have the kitten seen again as coccidia in kittens can lead to dehydration and other medical issues. And, where kittens are concerned (especially at 16 weeks), they can go downhill quickly. And, while you've been given a second course of Albon, I would consider seeing the vet to ensure that there's nothing else contributing or adding to your kitten's condition.

As for cost, depending on what was done, $30.00 is a bit high. But, it also depends on where you live. My clinic's fecal float is $17.95, but a smear is additional which would bring the total to around $22.95-$25.00. And, coccidia can be difficult to find in a small sample so I will not pass judgement on the cost since I'm not sure what or how the stool sample was looked at. And, since coccidia is present, it's not unusual to also see giardia or other parasites. If this continues, I would quickly make an appointment to see the vet and ask for another type of medication as well as information about possibly switching to a more easily digestable diet. You've not mentioned what or how you're feeding, but that, too, can be contributing to the diarrhea. In short, I think your vet was right on about re-checking the stool, but, if it were me, I'd have pushed for a vet visit as well.

Good luck with Abby and let us know how she's doing...

One last thing, and you may already know this, but Albon is not a cure for coccidia. It doesn't make it go away. Rather, it just suppresses it enough so that the cat can build up an immune response that will help it overcome the infection.
 
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kas

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Well, she has been seen once and will be seen again on Thursday as she is due for shots. She is eating Blue Buffalo kitten food for her dry and a mix of Fancy Feast, Gerber chicken, and canned pumpkin twice a day. I thought she was going to die for a couple of days. She developed an URI and could hardly breathe. We used a humidifier, but that didn't seem to help. She quit eating and drinking for two days, so I was using the syringe to squirt water and babyfood mixed with water and pumpkin into her cheek pouches.

We made it through that. Now she is a little pig. She will end up looking like a pumpkin if she isn't careful! Or if we aren't careful, I should say!
 

sharky

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If you are willing what area of washington are you?
 
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kas

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Ugh! That little stinker was getting in my way while I was typing a reply. She loves to try to catch the letters and the cursor. Well, she just deleted my message by stepping on something. I guess it was too long and drawn out! I need to get to bed, anyway. I will give you all her life story (since we have had her, at least) tomorrow!

Kas
 
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kas

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Oh! Hey! It looks like she hit "send" instead of "delete"! What a smart kitty!

We are in the Renton area. Are you here, too?
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Kas

Oh! Hey! It looks like she hit "send" instead of "delete"! What a smart kitty!

We are in the Renton area. Are you here, too?
No but then the rates are very normal
... I am in Idaho near Spokane
 

kody's mom

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Kody has an ongoing issue with soft bloody poop. Having had all the tests (an endoscope--which I think is just like our colonoscopy), bloodwork, fecals, etc. he was diagnosed with Colitis two years ago. He gets so absolutely stressed out when we have to go to the vet (& so do I), that for his problem the vet usually just calls me back and lets me pick up a prescription for metronidazole. It really surprised me the first time he did it, but he has seen me with Kody, and my past cat and dog so often--maybe that is why.

I took him in Monday though, because it just seemed worse than before--lots of blood and clear mucous-- and I wanted him to be seen again. Anyway when I do go in the fee for the office visit is $64.50, and since he totally
me by pooping on the table, they did a Fecal Exam/Direct for $15.80 and a Fecal Spun with Boosters for $53.00. We never had this Fecal Spin before--I don't think--does anyone know what it means "with boosters"? I need to call them back and see what that would have been testing for, but of course when I was standing there paying the bill (& gabbing) I didn't even notice what I was paying for.
 
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kas

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ok. So the albon was $17. I guess that is about right. I start it again this afternoon. She is still on the amoxicillin. Are these all right to take together? I read on here where someone's vet told them not to. Confused on this one.
 
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