New here and fighting giardia! :(

Hi! I am new to the forum here, and decided to join today because of the fight we are having with Giardia in my newly adopted kittens.

First, some background:

My name is Rebecca and I have 2 human kids (whom I homeschool), 3 cats, a dog, 30 chickens, 2 roosters, 2 rabbits, and 10 ducks. You could say I am a bit of a critter lover in general. This past July, I lost my 13 year old Sissy kitty to stomach cancer. I adopted her 11 years ago along with her companion (raise together from birth but not litter mates), Blue. Blue has been so lonely since she passed. He is now 14 and I decided to get him some company. I went to the local humane society and came home with Rex - a 5 month old kitten. Rex was wonderful from minute one. He walked in like he owned the place. However, Rex is a total alpha and loves to play rough. Blue is not into playing much at all anymore, and while he does enjoy Rex's company and doesn't cry all the time anymore, I decided Rex needed a buddy his age to play with. Off I went to the humane society again and I picked up Bear.

Fast forward a few weeks after Bear came home:

Bear had been having a few poo accidents around the house and I noticed that both kittens were having less than solid stools. Then, my older cat Blue started doing the same. We headed to the vet and after much ado, ended up with a diagnosis of Giardia in Bear.

Unfortunately, Blue had already contracted the Giardia from Bear (so had Rex, but Rex is so young and healthy that it hasn't phased him a bit and one day on meds produced normal stools once again!). Blue has a lot stacked against him right now - he had underlying thyroid issues that were not caught until he presented with dehydration from the giardia. He was also found to have a URI (from the shelter kitties) and a tooth that was getting infected. Now he has pink eye on top of it all.

I feel so stupid bringing shelter cats in on my older cat without isolating them for awhile first...but I took every precaution I knew to take: we went straight to the vet from the shelter both times. I gave them de-wormer, had fecal floats done, put on flea meds, you name it! I did the best I could...but I never even knew giardia existed!

Right now, I have Rex and Rosco (my dog) out in the house - they are both on meds as a preventative, but neither have runny stools. Blue is also out in the house. He has softer stools and is on meds for thyroid and giardia. He never misses the litter box. I am cleaning with bleach and giving him water from a syringe and watching him eat his food to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated again. His pink eye is being treated and it looks a whole lot better too. He is acting himself and doing well despite all of the challenges.

Bear is isolated in the bathroom. There was a time when he was so bad off with the diarrhea that poo was squirting from his bottom without him even being able to stop it! He is on Metronidazole for the giardia, Albon as a precaution for coccidia (none was seen, but they want to be safe), and centrine to stop the diarrhea. I am feeding him plain rice mixed with his food in a an attempt to harden the stools.

My issues is that I have no idea when I can let the poor guy back out into the house. He is pitiful in the bathroom, but with the occasional dribbling poo and missing the litter box, I am afraid. He has not had an accident in the bathroom but the litter box is right there. This is just so hard. I am trying to homeschool my kids, disinfect my home, take care of a very old cat with multiple issues, and isolate/care for a kitten with giardia. Please help!

If you go to the end of this, thank you so much for taking time to read it all!

First of all, I'm so sorry! All of our kitties are rescue kitties, and most came with health problems. Our latest one (Chumley) was a serious challenge with diarrhea - his, we don't yet know the cause, but before him, Billy has issues with giardia.

A couple of quick questions.

How long has he been on the meds?

And you meant you're using chlorine to clean the litter boxes, not the spots where the cats went diarrhea out of the box?

We have a cat with an autoimmune disease, so when Billy was rescued, he had to stay in "quarantine" at the vet until we knew he wasn't bringing anything home with him. He was there two weeks, and he didn't have diarrhea by the time he came home.

Chumley, we had to fast for 24 hours then put him on boiled chicken and rice - with the metro and centrine, and even then his stool became soft, not normal. We're now taking him to a holistic vet, trained in chinese and western herbs, and I'd have to check his health journal, but the chinese herbal treatment she gave us for his diarrhea worked, and within a week if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by LDG

How long has he been on the med?

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Bear started the meds on Thursday in full dosage. He was given 1/2ml as a "precaution" at the ER vet last Sunday (the 9th) because they didn't see the giardia. I took him back to the vet Thurs (13th) and they saw the giardia. They upped his dose to 1ml at that time - so he has been on full dose (1 time a day) for 5 days today.

Originally Posted by LDG

And you meant you're using chlorine to clean the litter boxes, not the spots where the cats went diarrhea out of the box?

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I am using a bleach spray to clean the floors, the litter boxes, etc. I alternate that with using a pink colored industrial cleaner that my vet uses at his office (3M Phenolic Disinfectant Concentrate). I change litter once a day and clean it out several times a day, spraying it each time with the pink stuff when I finish scooping. I also wash the scoop in hot water and spray it with the pink stuff.


TOnight, I noticed that even though Bear is no longer dribbling little piles of stool, his rectum is very raw and red and it is oozing and staying wet...causing him to continue licking it. I am really about to cry!

First of all, welcome to TCS!! I'm sorry you're here under such a stressful situation, but I hope you'll find lots of help and support. Most of us here have shelter kitties and understand the joy of adopting a cat and bringing him/her home only to have the kitty negatively affect the resident cats.

First of all, for his sore bottom, ask the vet for Neo-Predef http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=10024 . it helps ease the soreness and rawness of their little bottoms. Carolina turned me onto this when my little guy was having stool problems. She claimed it worked wonders for her Bugsy. Fortunately, we didn't have to use it, but it's nice to know stuff like this exists.

Use an enzymatic cleaner to clean the spots on the floor so the kitties won't start using those for the litter box. You can get Nature's Miracle at most pet stores, but it's not the best stuff around. I can't remember the name of the good stuff, but someone will hopefully come along with that.

Are you giving them a probiotic?

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Are you giving them a probiotic?

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Thank you for the suggestion. I put a tiny bit of vaseline on it tonight just to see if it would help and since I don't have anything else. Of course, I can't let a cat with a leaky bottom come back into my main house with my kids, so that breaks my heart!

Yes, we are giving a probiotic. It is a powder that has to be mixed with a bit of wet food, but both Blue and Bear gobble it right up.

Be careful with the vaseline as they'll lick that off and it'll help lubricate the poop chute. It's sometimes a no-win situation, isn't it?

Glad you've got him on a probiotic! That will help tremendously!

Also, you might want to take a deep breath and know that it will be okay. Do something to relieve some stress, a bath, a nice walk, or something like that. Kitties will pick up on our stress and that will just stress them out more.

Make sure to spend as much time with him in the bathroom as possible so he knows you still love him and want him. I'd say after he's gone for 24 hrs leak-free he can go back into the general population. You might want to add several more litter boxes for him throughout the house just in case he needs them. You can use those disposable aluminum cake pans for temporary litter boxes.

Aww, man, I hate to hear that!! I just had a similar situation with a kitten I got for Christmas, only that kitten didn't get better and is still in the hospital, and the vet recommended we surrender him back, it broke my heart and I cried for days. . I made the same mistake with letting the kitten around my other cat and she got sick too. She got better and we adopted new kittens.

I really feel for you, I'm a stay at home mom of two girls and I understand how stressed out you must be. But know there are lots of nice people here and you WILL get through this and will have a healthy household again.

I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm pretty sure the antibiotic for the giardia is a 2-week course? (10 days at a minimum!). The metro is an antibiotic that normally doesn't cause diarrhea, but the albon itself can also cause diarrhea - so even with the probiotic and the centrine, your little baby is facing quite the challenge right now. Sadly, I think it may take the full two weeks for his diarrhea to clear up.

The probiotic ought to be given at least four hours after any antibiotic and several hours before any antibiotic, but definitey not at the same time as any antibiotic.

Which probiotic are you using? Some have great luck with Fortiflora, especially if it's antibiotic-induced diarrhea, but for Chumley it REALLY made things MUCH worse. We purchased a probiotic of a combo of acidophilus and bifidus from the health food store, and that really helped. Many give just acidophilus.

I do agree with Stephanie - I think it actually best to use an enzyme cleaner for the poop spots. There are three really good ones, two of them available only online: Nok Out and Anti-Icky Poo. Nok Out is available at http://www.nokout.com and Anti Icky Poo is available at http://www.catfaeries.com. I don't know where you get Urine Off, but I know I've seen it in stores. We use Nok Out, it's fabulous.

If they're all on simultaneous treatment for the giardia, then a day after he stops leaking sounds like it should be just fine. If their treatment for giardia will end before Bear's does... then I hate to say it, but it's best to keep him isolated until he's finished the course of meds for the giardia and coccidia.

Bear is on the Metro for 10 days. The rest of the cats are only supposed to be on it for 5 days (but I am not sure I will stop!).

The vet gave me Fortiflora and so far, both cats seem to be tolerating it okay.

I do have some of the poop spot stuff with enzymes, and I will use that in the bathroom when I clean. Bear has used the litter box every time since the oozing poo stopped. His bottom is just raw and a little wet right now...I am not sure how to explain the difference in the "oozing." The first time it happened, it was like playdough squirting through the little toys that make "hair" and that sort of thing. Now it is just a general wetness that is brown tinted if you try to wipe it off his bottom. He is diligent about licking it and I think that is what is making his bottom raw and red.

That powder stuff will probably help him. It'll ease the pain and discomfort and that will help it heal and reduce the swelling.

Poor little guy. I sure hope he's feeling better quickly so he can get about bringing the house in order!

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Poor little guy. I sure hope he's feeling better quickly so he can get about bringing the house in order!

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Me too! We only got to love on him for a week or so before he had to go into isolation. He still loves me, though...he looks up at me with this big eyes and meows and rubs around my leg when I go in to fed, change litter, clean, etc. I have to stop and love on him - he is just the sweetest little guy!

Awwww..... it's so tough when you have to deal with stuff like this right off the bat. Poor little guy.

Continued

I have had Bear in isolation in the bathroom since Friday afternoon. He had a can of wet food (ate the whole darn can!) that night and Saturday morning, he had HORRIBLE diarrhea everywhere. His litter box was full, there were spots of diarrhea on the floor. It was awful. Well, I cleaned all of that up and he had been going to the litter box consistently since then (he had accidents in the house prior to this, but we just assumed they had been from the giardia issues too). Well, today, I happened to pull back the shower curtain and he had had diarrhea 3 times in my bath tub! YUCK! One of the piles was definitely OLD. The other two were not hardened yet...but they were mucous filled and I am wondering if they just do not harden with all of the mucous in them.

Now, I am not sure if this missing the litter box thing is a behavior issue or if it is just the giardia. I am getting so tired of this. I haven't even gotten to love on this poor kitten. I am so annoyed with that shelter he came from! He is only 5 months old. I have spent a fortune in vet bills just trying to keep him alive and he is still a BABY! He was born in that shelter! Could they not have done a better job than this with him!?

I wish I had some answers for you.
This must be terribly frustrating for you and really miserable for your cat.
What has your vet told your about this?

Hopefully some members will have some useful feedback for you.

I feel that the best idea is to seek the vets advice - any giardia needs to be treated before you can do anything else - good luck

Originally Posted by initforlove

I feel that the best idea is to seek the vets advice - any giardia needs to be treated before you can do anything else - good luck

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We are under vet care. We have been medicating Bear for 6 days now and he is isolated. I typed a long post in this forum yesterday about him.

Hi Rebecca,

The meds won't work right away, they need time to help balance out the system. You can help him by feeding him just a bit of Nancy's yogurt (plain) with active cultures. Most kitties really like the taste and will lick it off your fingers. For his rawness, you can use desitin, but you can't and don't need to use a lot of it. if you have rubber gloves (surgical type) use that to apply the ointment, just a dab. It will help his rawness.

I've been there done that so many times and learned the hard way that although you are to clean up with bleach and hot water, if you wipe out the kitty's scent in the litter pan, he will become confused and start missing the litter pan. Scooping the waste and then scrubbing with just hot water won't eradicate the kitty's signature scent.

I hope you are pushing fluids? Pet fountains (Drinkwells) are great when kitty is losing so much fluid. If he doesn't want to drink out of the fountain, float a ping pong ball in the water to encourage him to drink. there is a vaccine for this disease, but it is rarely used because this disease can be treated fairly successfully. What puts the kitten into danger is the watery stool and the threat of dehydration. You can also add just about three drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) into the drinking water to help the kitty. You can buy this at a good health food store.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I stopped rescuing at-risk kittens late last year, but I have weathered many a giardia and coccidia storm here.

Best of luck

MA

Bella came to me with Giardia and Cocidia (feral kitten), she had such bad diarrea that she couldn't hold it. She walked and poo would be running out of her... it was aweful, I tried putting her in the bathroom but it was still a huge mess. I ended up buying a large metal dog crate for her, that worked waaaay better than the bathroom!

You might want to try that, it's easier to clean crap out of a kennel than all over the house lol.

Hope he starts feeling better soon! (btw, I have a Bear too!)

Hi, sorry you are going through this ordeal... My cat just went through 98 days of diarrhea, so I sort of can relate with these issues ...
A couple of things: For his raw bottom, my vet gave me a powder called Neo-Predef - it was nothing short of a miracle for Bugsy... It is an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic powder - it works like a charm, his bottom will be in top shape in no time! For probiotic, he prescribed me Proviable-DC.
It is 500 times stronger than Fortiflora, plus has other strains that Fortiflora doesn't... My two vet clinics told me it is as good as it gets as far as probiotics goes, and cheaper than Fortiflora too, since I buy it on Amazon for $37 for 80 capsules. In talking to my vet, he said Metronidazole is not a broad spectrum antibiotic, and it will not kill the probiotic, so you can give it at the same time, you do not need to wait long hours in between the two.
I see that you mentioned the other cats were going to be treated for 5 days... if their problem is giardia as well, the consensus seem to be a 10 day course...
Good Luck!!

Originally Posted by KatKisses

Bella came to me with Giardia and Cocidia (feral kitten), she had such bad diarrea that she couldn't hold it. She walked and poo would be running out of her... it was aweful, I tried putting her in the bathroom but it was still a huge mess. I ended up buying a large metal dog crate for her, that worked waaaay better than the bathroom!

You might want to try that, it's easier to clean crap out of a kennel than all over the house lol.

Hope he starts feeling better soon! (btw, I have a Bear too!)

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I am actually heading out ot get a dog crate in just a few minutes. He poo'd in my bath tub yet again last night.