chronic soft, peanut-butter colored stools - clostridium +

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and this is very long. I'm so sorry, but I'm desperate and feel every detail might be important. Here goes...

I have 2 cats, approximately 3.5 years old, who have suffered with chronic loose or soft stools since the day I brought them home. Their stools can range in consistency from:

• soft but formed, and a little mushier towards the end of the BM
• mashed-potato/cow-pile like in appearance
• to outright watery squirts running down the wall. 

Most of the time their stools are the color of peanut butter, shiny and/or glazed with mucous, but on occasion they can be greenish or greyish in color. They also smell extremely foul (eggy), and once dry, have the odor of cheese. One cat seems to struggle with this more than the other and can become lethargic during these bouts, though he continues eating, and on occasion he has even projectile-vomited his food. He also seems to have an insatiable appetite. The other cat is petite in comparison, but seems to be fine with his diarrhea - no real change in behavior.

Stool tests for ova & parasites over the years have come back negative, though one tested positive for coccidia and roundworm as a kitten, and the other tested positive for giardia as a kitten. Both were treated at that time. These tests have been repeated over and over again, always negative since, and my cats have done several rounds of metronidazole ‘just in case’ they were still harboring the giardia. I have also tried a variety of probiotics (FortiFlora was one of several - helped some at first, but eventually seemed to trigger the squirts), digestive enzymes (ProZyme was one - forms their stools up some, but their stools remain soft and yellowish), Kocci-Free (gave them the squirts), prescription diets, grain-free foods - everything I could think of.

Last week we sent a stool sample in for a variety of PCR tests on the less resilient cat. The only organism that was found to be present was ‘clostridium perfigens’, which my vet explained usually doesn’t cause problems in cats. I also noticed going through his records that he tested positive a while back for cyniclomyces guttulatus, a type of yeast. I believe my vet had told me that this type of yeast was non-pathogenic. She said she consulted with an infectious disease specialist and that he had recommended a 6-week course of low-dose metronidazole for the clostridium perfigens. I’m reluctant to try this because repeated 10-day courses of metronidazole over the years never seemed to completely normalize the color and consistency of their stools in the past. It helped form their stools up some, but never completely, never enough - so why not try something ELSE?

Today I took the ‘less resilient’ cat in for some blood work to test his liver, kidney, and heart function. Sometimes he will actually PANT when he is having these bouts of diarrhea, usually before he vomits, but (strangely) also when I'm preparing his meal in anticipation of it. This is why my vet is running a cardiac panel on him - but again, both cats are experiencing this diarrhea, not just one. No blood lab results yet, but at this point my vet is leaning towards food allergies. I’m reluctant to chalk this up to food allergies yet, however, because both cats seem to be experiencing the same bowel issues - so both just happen to have food allergies? I’ve owned so many cats over the years and never had to deal with chronic digestive problems like this, and I adopt 2 from the same shelter and both happen to have food allergies? I suppose it’s POSSIBLE, but is it likely? This leads me to believe that they are somehow sharing a bug.

My questions for you are:

1. I know my vet said that clostridium perfigens and cyniclomyces guttulatus aren’t usually culprits in cases of chronic diarrhea, but can it be possible, and should we be taking these positive findings more seriously? Should we consider trying an antibiotic OTHER THAN metronidazole to treat the clostridium, perhaps clindamycin? And why are we ignoring this yeast (cyniclomyces guttulatus)? Shouldn’t we at least try a course of nystatin for this?

1. How reliable is PCR testing for tritrichomonas foetus, another bug I’m worried about? Though the PCR for it came back negative, the specimen sent was NOT collected during an active bout of diarrhea and was NOT kept warm - in fact it was refrigerated - and from what I’ve been reading, these 2 things can result in a false negative. They seem to have A LOT of the symptoms, yet their vet didn't  seem to like my challenging this negative PCR even though I’ve been adamant that the sample must be collected when active diarrhea is present. How likely is it for me to find a vet willing to try a course of ronidazole on them in the absence of a positive result?

1. Is Saccharomyces Boulardii, a yeast, safe for cats? I’ve been reading that this might be beneficial for both clostridium and certain types of yeast at least. Not sure about the tritrichomonas.

Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. These cats have been to at least 3 or 4 vets, I’ve spent probably a couple of thousand dollars (no exaggeration) - still without answers and no consistent/long term improvement in their stools, and I feel helpless to help them. My one cat, Willow, lays their lifeless and sighs when he experiences a flare-up, which is what he is doing right now.

I can't really address all of your questions, but S. Boulardii has been used very effectively against clostridium by at least two members here. I can't seem to find their specific threads on it, but here's a recent article that addresses it. http://www.thecatsite.com/a/should-i-give-my-cat-probiotics

I don't have any info on how reliable the PCR test is for tritrich, but given that it was negative, if I were in your shoes, I would probably treat for the clostridium with S. Boulardii first. If that doesn't work, then I would explore other options.

This is something you can easily treat from home. Diarrhea is usually caused by parasites. You might want to go to the vet and have a complete blood count done, as diarrhea can be the result of many different illnesses. An x-ray may also be a good idea.

Thank you vball91 for the link. I have some s. boulardii in my cabinet, but was reluctant to use it.

LillyDSH, my thoughts exactly! - parasites. Actually even my own doctor believes parasites are the cause of many diseases that affect humans, and pets are probably even more at risk.

I did take my one cat in for bloodwork today, but I'm not sure if they did a CBC on him. I wanted them to, but the vet that he sees wasn't there today to ask.

I recommend purchasing a supplement called Only Natural Pet Probiotic Blend. It contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus thermophilus, FOS and sodium. While this will help, you probably are dealing with some type of parasite. The most common parasites in cats are roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and stomach worms. I, myself, have suffered from roundworms (have no idea how I ingested them). Make sure the vet does a CBC. Anytime you are dealing with chronic diarrhea, a CBC is necessary to rule out serious illnesses.

God I hope they did a CBC. I know I asked for her to check everything a while back. I do believe a bug is behind this, but the vet acts like I'm high when I push it. I'm also still very concerned that it might be tritrichomonas. PCR negative or not, it was not collected when his diarrhea was severe. I can't post the link yet, but I read a story online and it described their condition perfectly.

I think I still have a probiotic in the fridge from before. I'm not sure what's in that one, but I'll have to check. I'll probably just end up trying the one you suggested though because FortiFlora isn't doing it.

Funny you mention your having worms. My own doctor is treating me with chlorine dioxide because she suspects I have parasites, and next month at full moon she wants me to do a parasite protocol - mebendazole & everything. I know I have diatomaceous earth for the protocol - tried that on him, and he threw up a few days after I started. I have pyrantel pamoate for the protocol and was considering trying that on him, but I want to make sure his organs are functioning properly before I start trying other things. Wish I could find a vet that thinks like my own doctor. Funny thing is I didn't think I'd ever find a doctor for myself willing to think outside the box - got lucky with her.

If they had worms would they show up on a regular stool check or not? What about tapeworms? Wouldn't I see them?