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Stray kitten with parasite

post #1 of 5
6/29/11 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 
I've adopted a stray kitten and he has a parasite, it's coccidia he's been given two different medications for this and has been on them for two days but still has really bad diarrhea and unfortunately is having accidents in the house, does anyone know how long it usually takes for the medications to stop the diarrhea? When it happens I don't think he even realizes it sometimes, it's like he is just having leakage. I don't want to keep him locked up all day because of this but I also don't want ruined carpet and extra loads of laundry to do every day.

Has anyone else had a cat with this problem? When should I expect the diarrhea to stop and when should I be concerned enough to call the vet if it doesn't?

PS
How do you find out if an animal has a food allergy to say grain or chicken or something?
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post #2 of 5
6/29/11 at 10:38pm
So you were to the vet already and got the anti-coccidia meds? Good.

Im not sure when the diarrhea will stop. Although I do agree with you, the accidents arent not because he cant use the litter properly, but only and surely because he has diarrhea.
When the diarrhea is over, he will surely use the litter properly.


Allergys are often tricky to deduct, even good vet must often have weeks for exams.

The usual is to try out alternatives. And the easiest is of course to begin with the most common. One, mostly two alternatives at a time.
Say, you suspect grain. So you begin with a grain free.

(if you try with two alternatives at once, and it goes better, you must try and see with of them it was....).

The problem is, it is often clear first after up to 6 weeks. It is not always you see improvements after a few days. A worsening you can see soon, but not always improvements.

The most common are, wheat-grain, fish, ox-meat, I think.

Good luck!
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post #3 of 5
6/30/11 at 7:02am
It's OK to keep him confined while he's sick. As long as you make sure he gets enough attention and playtime, he'll be fine. It will make cleanup much easier! Coccidia is a nasty one, it can take a while to get rid of.

Most pets don't develop allergies until later in life (usually at least a year old). And, yeah, like StefanZ decribed, an elimination diet is the most common way to figure it out.
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post #4 of 5
6/30/11 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
I'm not sure my kitten was even put on the right medication. My vet gave him Flagyl and everything I've read says Flagyl is for Giardia, and that Coccidia should be treated with sulfadimethoxine or Trimethoprim-sulfa. Should I seek out another vet? Has anyone been given Flagyl for Coccidia in their cat?

Oh and the other medication is just amoxicillin.
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post #5 of 5
6/30/11 at 4:01pm
I would wait a few more days as it can take several days to see any improvement from meds. I'd confine him to the bathroom or some place where you don't have carpet and visit him frequently. If you're not seeing any signs of improvement, then I'd look for a different vet.
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