Help!!!! I don't know how to help Lucky

bjchristian7 · May 14, 2013

5-14-13

Hi Everyone:

I don't know if you remember my kitten Lucky that was a belated Christmas present from my daughter who lives in California but Lucky had chronic diarrhea, almost 6 weeks and was put on a limited diet. He's been on green pea and salmon because being disabled I can't afford the 61.00 before taxes to buy 8.8 pounds of venison or rabbit and green peas. His stools had become formed even if they were still a little mushy and I was so happy. The salmon and green pea is 26.00 for 10 pounds and I can squeeze that out. Today he's back to gassy with explosive liquid diarrhea. I can't afford the venison or rabbit on my income so I don't know what to do except to give him to the Second Chance Adoption no kill shelter. How will that help since I don't figure they take kittens with severe food allergies. I can't afford any more expensive testing.

So I need help. Please someone tell me what to do! I love Lucky and don't want him to go any where.

Here's hoping someone can help me,

BJ

mrsgreenjeens · May 14, 2013

I hope I have made this big enough for you to read

I re-read your original post, and see that your Vet thought perhaps Lucky is allergic to grains. There are other grain free dry foods out there other than what you are feeding him right now. Granted, most of them do contain chicken, but you don't know for sure that he is allergic to chicken, so you may just need to try them to find out Some of these foods are even grain free KITTEN food! Just google grain free kitten food. I found some that are even cheaper than what you are currently feeding. But you need to realize that whenever you change kibble, if you do not slowly make the change, diarrhea may occur. since he already has it, it's going to be hard to tell exactly where he stands on the new food

Is it possible to take him back to the Vet to make absolutely CERTAIN that he doesn't have one of the treatable little "nasties" that kittens sometimes have, like giardia or coccidia or something? If you can take a fecal sample in with you, they can test it!

In the meantime, give him a really easy-to-digest food: boil chicken with nothing added, and make some white rice. Give him meals of shredded chicken in the boiled chicken water broth (no bone!) with some white rice mixed in. This is not a balanced diet, but for 3 days to a week, it may help settle his tummy until the vet can get him on the proper meds.

I'd also get him on a good human probiotic - an acidophilus supplement. If you can get to a health food store, just ask someone there for the best human probiotic they have.. You want 10 billion CFU - it may be labeled "double strength." Or you can just add two capsules of a supplement that's 5 billion CFU. He should just eat it up mixed in his food . It SHOULD be given to him especially if the vet prescribes antibiotics - just make sure to give the mixture to your kitty a few hours after or before he gets the probiotics, they should not be given at the same time. If for some reason you cannot get probiotics, then you can even give him some yogurt. Just don't give him diet yogurt. (none of that fake sugar stuff). I usually gave mine plain, but I understand flavored is ok. Yogurt contains probiotics, but not nearly the same as opening up a capsule and mixing with their food.

BTW, can you not get your daughter to help you with his expenses, since she gave him to you, and she already apologized to you for giving you an unhealthy kitten, which you have fallen in love with

If you need help with Veterinary expenses, here is another thread which may help you out:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read

bjchristian7 · May 17, 2013

5-17-13

Mrs. Greenjeans answered my first cries for help b ut thought it best to start my own thread. I don't really know how to manipulate a website like this but I'll give it a try.)

My daughter who lives in California gave me a kitten as a belated Christmas present. He arrived at my place on Jan. 18th and was 4 months old, 4 pounds and I could feel all of his ribs. He's had problems with stools since he arrived. The first one he had he didn't cover up just sat on the bed looking down in the litter box and then at me. I am a disabled RN and I thought it strange that a kitten's stool looked like a human's constipated stool. He's had diarrhea on and off since he's arrived with only 3 weeks of a normal stool. He's been back and forth to the Vets at Banfield Vet Hospital almost every 2 weeks. Tylason, a storng antibiotic, and changing to a green pea and protein diet helped for a while. I can't afford expensive tests for a definative answer so when the explosive diarrhea came back on Tuesday of this week I was so upstet because I knew being disabled I can't keep pouring money into tests and medicines. So when he saw his vet Dr. Lindsey she said she didn't think it was worth spending outrageous monies on tests and so it could be inflammation so he's back taking another 14 days of the antibiotic tylason and she started him on prednisone, a steroid. She can't definitely say he has irritable bowl but I had it in nursing school many moons ago and when she talks steroids for inflammation since he's never vomited just had bad gas and stool problems I figure she is saying irritable bowel disorder. When I try to bring up the website for I keep getting site not found. So hopefully the person who has this website will contact me.

I started him on the antibiotic and steroid Tuesday evening and this morning his stool is more formed which makes me wonder if Lucky does have IBD and not food allergies. He was on meow mix kibble and for an entire month his stools were fine. I know they say meow mix is junk food for cats but since that's what my daughter's kittens had I went to that again especially being legally blind and not being able to read contents.

Lucky has had chronic diarrhea since the end of Feb. except for the week and a half he was on an antibiotic and the green pea diet. Thankfully Mr.s Greenjeans has been emailing and helping.

She thinks probiotics, I've ordered it, and a change in his diet will help. My friend who takes us to my appts. and Lucky to the vet talked me into trying the steroids since it isn't expensive. The fact that this morning his stools started to become formed makes me wonder if he does indeed have IBD. However, the vet said not to give him any thing except the salmon and green pea diet while he's taking the antibiotics and steroids. She did say if the prednisone helped he could be on a small dose every other day and have a healthy and active life.

I take shots every day and giving him a maintenance dose of steroids doesn't bother me and I can afford it.

By the way Mrs. Greenjeans said that if Lucky does have IBD dry food is the worse thing he could be on.

So the founder of the website about kittens and IBD will you please contact me? Then internet can be dangerous since it can include things not right. However, why would the vet give him diarrhea and leave him on dry food. It is a possibility that she thinks I'm feeding him dry food but she is the vet that walked me into Petsmart to the kibble. I'm so confused.

My stepfather said if he was drinking dirty water he could be getting sick. I give him water out of my PUR on my faucet and the fact that for a month he drank it without having diarrhea makes me think it's ok. Plus being home all of the time I change his water out 2 or 3 times every day.

So I'm taking Mrs. Greenjeens advice and starting a new thread. I'm not sure if I need to start a new one every time I update Lucky's story about chronic diarrhea or not but I'll try to keep it public.

Lucky is on a steroid dose that will slowly wean down to every other day. I can indeed buy the wet food in the salmon and green pea. Since I want to give him probiotics I'll buy some to put the probiotic in.

I need help!!! Lucky needs help. The vet said he was thriving and no longer dehydrated but that's because his stools had firmed up after the antibiotic and shortly after he finished the tylason then he started with explosive,m from gas, diarrhea again.

The vet said if this didn't work the only way to find out what is wrong is to do a lot of expensive tests which I can't afford. Taking Lucky to a no kill shelter will break my heart and who will take care of him there?

I look forward to hearing from any olne of you who can help my 8 month old kitten Lucky. Thanks again Mrs. Greenjeans for all of your support and help.

Lucky's human,

BJ

ritz · May 17, 2013

You do not need to start a new thread every time you update us about Lucky; it kind of confuses us/me.

If Lucky was outdoors for long, she could have drunk bad water and gotten diarrhea, which is usually smelly too. Has Lucky had a recent, comprehensive, test on her feces?

A lot of vets don't know much about nutrition, only (maybe) what they were taught in vet school, and those teachers may have been from a big name pet food company, like Purina or Hills.

I agree with Mrs. Greenjeans: put Lucky on a probiotic; and keep her on the salmon and green pea wet food. It may take a few days of both to settle Lucky's stomach/bowels down.

And yes, dry food is horrible in most cases, especially one with IBD (too many additives, chemicals).

I'm glad you're able to give Lucky shots; it's something I couldn't do with Ritz because I'm not brave enough.

PS: have you thought about getting a voice-activated computer. My best friend is blind, and she uses one at home and at work.

Good luck. And vibes to Lucky.

bjchristian7 · May 17, 2013

Thanks for letting me know I don't start a new thread. I have never done a forum of any kind so it's all new to me. I have enough eyesight to get me into trouble) so an audio computer isn't for me yet. I am still using my computer from 2001 with a program called zoom text. That makes it hard to see every thing on the monitor at once.

I thank you for your help with Lucky. He's had problems for a long time and it's not fair to continue to allow the diarrhea. He's had several expensive fecal tests and that's why he was on Alban for 4 weeks because he tested positive for the parasite infection. However when it was over the explosive diarrhea came back. So he's been on the green pea and salmon dry food for several weeks and the vet at Banfield Vet Hospital said it was ok to leave him on dry food. After reading what Mrs. Greenheans wrote I am giving him porbiotics and will get some canned 100% organic pumpkin along with the wet food with the gre3en pea and salmon. The only treat he gets is plain freeze dried salmon. He was started on the steroids Tuesday night and the probiotics last night and this morning his stool was formed even though it was mushy. I have no clue if it's the steroid, probiotics or both helping him but I'm thankful he's not having explosive diarrhea as I'm sure he is too.)

I read all about IBD on the ibdkitten.net website. I have no problems wgiving him steroids, it's an oral liquid, but if it was in shot form I'd happily give him a shot to keep him healthy.

I think starting the steroids and antibiotics is making him feel funky because he's back to laying around instead of playing fetch. However, yesterday he did have his playfulness back, but is back to laying around.

I have a friend who said he'd take me to the store of the green pea and salmon wet food and to buy some organic 100% canned pumpkin. Being home all of the time due to my disability I have time to do whatever Lucky needs done. As for cleaning up the diarrhea I used to be an ICU RN for 15 1/2 years so that doesn't bother me. However, Lucky having chronic diarrhea does. At least he's not dehydrated and is thriving. During the first part of April he was mildly dehydrated but that's been resolved.

You're right in that a lot of vets, like doctors, don't venture outside what they were taught in school. I'm quite thankful when I was googling chronic diarrhea in a kitten I came across this website. I figured there had to be a way to navigate it and thankfully Mrs. Greenjeens has helped a lot.

How do I get back on this thread to keep in touch? Being on Medicare I have to use the tools they allow. I just purchased my first talking glucose meter and they covered it.

Thank you for your quick response.

Lucky & I both thank you,

BJ

finnlacey · May 17, 2013

BJ I sent you an email! I'm from IBD Kitties.

mrsgreenjeens · May 23, 2013

Just checking in to see how Lucky is doing. Hoping the Probiotics and Pred are helping the little guy out

bjchristian7 · May 23, 2013

5-23-13

Hi Mrs. Greenjeens:

I'm so sorry as I must have typed that Lucky was a she and not a he.( The probiotics and pred seem to be working. I haven't used white rice in a couple of days and today Lucky had his first normal stool since I adopted him on Jan. 18th!!!! I'mm thinking it's more IBD than food allergies but I'm not changing anything!!!f I will leave him on the wet salmon and green pea diet mixed in with the probiotics and finish out the antibiotic and predniszone. He's back to being a frisky kitten wanting to play fetch again!! Hopefully the normal stool will keep coming! Thanks for all of the help from everyone. Fingers crossed that every thing starts working normally so Lucky can remain in my life. At least if the pred is what he needs it's a very inexpenssive med and I can afford it. I appreciate all of the wonderful support and help, BJ

mrsgreenjeens · May 24, 2013

SO glad he's doing well right now.

Fingers and toes crossed

that he continues with solid poops FOREVER and EVER

bjchristian7 · May 25, 2013

Thanks, me too!!!! I'm also happy that it's brown and not yellow. I had asked the vet about why it was yellow and she said it was more than likely due to the diet but that still didn't sit well with me. I think he had another infection or something. It's once again brown and formed this morning. I don't mind it being soft as long as there's no evidence of diarrhea.) He must be going through a growth spurt because he's eating more than he has since I switched him to the wet version of the salmon and green peas. I also am very happy that he's starting to purr!!! I've had him since Jan. 18th and he rarely purred and I was told some cats don't have a voice and therefore rarely purrs which has always bothered me.)

Again, I appreciate all of the help that I've been given on this website. I'm veyr thankful that when I was googling for help The Cat Site showed up.

Have an awesome Memorial Day weekend.

BJ & Lucky

bjchristian7 · Aug 22, 2013

8-22-13

Hi Everyone:

Just wanted to let all of you know that Lucky is healthy and his stools are normal. He's mischievious and playful. He'll be 1 year on Sept. 14th and I'll play fetch with him and give him freeze dried salmon treats. He remains on a salmon and green pea diet for his food allergies. Thanks for all the support!!!! BJ & Lucky

vball91 · Aug 22, 2013

Thank you for the update. I am so happy to hear that Lucky is doing so well. May you have many happy years together.

mrsgreenjeens · Aug 23, 2013

Yes, this is wonderful news. I've been wondering how you two were doing. So glad you gave us this update.

jcat · Aug 23, 2013

That's terrific news! That's definitely the kind of update we all like to read.

mewlittle · Aug 23, 2013

bjchristian7 said:
5-14-13

Hi Everyone:

I don't know if you remember my kitten Lucky that was a belated Christmas present from my daughter who lives in California but Lucky had chronic diarrhea, almost 6 weeks and was put on a limited diet. He's been on green pea and salmon because being disabled I can't afford the 61.00 before taxes to buy 8.8 pounds of venison or rabbit and green peas. His stools had become formed even if they were still a little mushy and I was so happy. The salmon and green pea is 26.00 for 10 pounds and I can squeeze that out. Today he's back to gassy with explosive liquid diarrhea. I can't afford the venison or rabbit on my income so I don't know what to do except to give him to the Second Chance Adoption no kill shelter. How will that help since I don't figure they take kittens with severe food allergies. I can't afford any more expensive testing.

So I need help. Please someone tell me what to do! I love Lucky and don't want him to go any where.

Here's hoping someone can help me,

BJ

try this

kibbles

Natures variety instinct LID

wet

no grain wet food

if that fails

try a homecooked or raw diet research on how to feed that

and did you try a probiotic?

he might be reacting to the peas

Help!!!! I don't know how to help Lucky

bjchristian7

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mrsgreenjeens

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