New here and fighting giardia! :(

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strange_wings

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Frequent urgent diarrhea gets difficult to control. On top of that his butt is probably sore.

You said he's going a lot. One reason he is probably going in the tub, too, is because it's so much larger than his litter box and because (to him) his litter box it already full. Some cats are very bothered by a box being even a bit dirty.
The only solution to that is adding another box, using a much larger box, or cleaning it multiple times a day.

Has the vet mentioned anything about using a more sensitive stomach/GI food right now? His GI is probably pretty mixed up from all of this. Mention it to your vet if you're not doing this already.

Also get him on a probiotic ASAP. The meds will wipe some of that out, but they're also taking care of all the intestinal flora right now - that will only compound the diarrhea issues. You could go with the basic bene-bac or ask your vet for a better one with more/different strains of beneficial bacteria.
 
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bluerexbear

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Thank you. We are using Forti-flora with him as a probiotic. I also do clean his litter box several times a day and I also change the litter completely once a day. I called my vet this morning and he is putting Bear on d/m food. $28 for 6 pounds *sigh* This has really been a tough adoption. I am honestly just so frustrated and saddened.


Originally Posted by strange_wings

Frequent urgent diarrhea gets difficult to control. On top of that his butt is probably sore.

You said he's going a lot. One reason he is probably going in the tub, too, is because it's so much larger than his litter box and because (to him) his litter box it already full. Some cats are very bothered by a box being even a bit dirty.
The only solution to that is adding another box, using a much larger box, or cleaning it multiple times a day.

Has the vet mentioned anything about using a more sensitive stomach/GI food right now? His GI is probably pretty mixed up from all of this. Mention it to your vet if you're not doing this already.

Also get him on a probiotic ASAP. The meds will wipe some of that out, but they're also taking care of all the intestinal flora right now - that will only compound the diarrhea issues. You could go with the basic bene-bac or ask your vet for a better one with more/different strains of beneficial bacteria.
Click to expand...
 
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Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Thank you. We are using Forti-flora with him as a probiotic. I also do clean his litter box several times a day and I also change the litter completely once a day. I called my vet this morning and he is putting Bear on d/m food. $28 for 6 pounds *sigh* This has really been a tough adoption. I am honestly just so frustrated and saddened.
Click to expand...
I take in strays, they usually come with something wrong with them. So I know how it is to have to deal with just trying to get the poor kitties healthy.

I'm glad to hear that you called the vet this morning.
I really hope the food makes a difference. Did the vet suggest you gradually transition him onto it or just go ahead since his current food isn't doing him much good? If they didn't say, call back and ask (or ask when you pick it up).

Do you notice if the fortiflora is helping much? It may be that he needs a different probiotic - just like with people, cats can respond better to different ones.

Do you notice if his butt is red or raw looking? If it is, tell your vet about it as they may be able to give you something to help him.
 
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bluerexbear

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Not great. He is still having the diarrhea in the bathtub - once overnight and once this afternoon. My husband brought home a huge dog crate and he is now in that with his litter box, bed, food, and water (and two toys). I did put the hooded litter box in his crate so he can hop of top of the box and at least move around a little in there. Poor kitten.

He is still having the diarrhea and my vet says that I haven't given the meds enough time to work. It has been a week tomorrow! I would have thought I would see something by now!
 
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bluerexbear

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Oh! Well, that is good at least. Maybe there is hope!
 
xocats

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Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Oh! Well, that is good at least. Maybe there is hope!
Click to expand...
There is hope ...
as difficult as this is for you and your kitten, by coming here for support, you are no longer alone with this difficult challenge.


I asked a mod to merge your two giardia threads so that the feedback you have received will be in one place.
 
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bluerexbear

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Thank you...that will be helpful.
 
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bluerexbear

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Bear is still not getting better.
I also stopped the Metro for my other cats since thir stools had been solid for DAYS now and they finished their course of meds...and this morning, it was back to runny poo for them too. I am honestly broke and fed up at this point. Poor Bear has no life at all and nothing I do is helping him one iota. How long do I keep at this? Part of me says to return him to the shelter since he has not been well since I brought him home. It is a no kill shelter and this is not fair to me to have to spend so much time and money right off the bat on a kitten that was supposed to be healthy. But then I think of my older cat too - and would it be better if this cat wasn't here to re-infect him.


The cat lover in me is fighting me, though. How could I return a cat to a SHELTER?
I just want to CRY!
 
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Hang in there sweetie.
The stress of being at the shelter will only make things worse for him.


Talk to the shelter about helping with the bills. They didn't adopt you a healthy kitty.

But if you're other kitties are back to runny poo now... seems like they may still be fighting giardia.

If you need to, talk to the vet about paying the bill over several months.
(That's what we do. In fact, whenever we can, we pay the vets to keep a credit there, just for emergencies that may come up).

You are scooping the boxes frequently and bleaching the boxes frequently? I did find this: http://www.vetinfo.com/cgiardia.html Now it says the panacure (fenbendazole) is given for three days, but I do know that for most the course is 10 days.

This is info you already know, but you may appreciate seeing it laid out: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/giardiasis.html

How long has he been on Metro and Panacur? You may need to give it the full 10 days.
 
carolina

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IMHO you need to see another vet... This one undermedicated your cats, which didn't help a bit. I hope you did the full 10 days for the other cats... Having poop solid for days is not good enough reason to stop the medication. If the vet gave them 5 days, I would go back and request a round of 10 days.
To be honest though, I would rather go to another vet and have him pick up where this one left off. Ask people who you know and have pets about their vets... It is a good way to find one.
 
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