High WBC In Feces, multiple vet visits, and still no answer. Help :(

psattory

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In October I adopted the love of my life, Maizey. She knows how to make me smile with all of the silly little things she does. As a pet parent I am very concerned. She has had loose stool since I got her. All parasite tests have come back negative both times I've gotten them done. She is still her spunky kitten self and shows no signs that she is in pain but I can't get her loose stool under control to save my life. Last time my vet did a stool sample (In December) the White Blood Cell count in her feces was rather high and I was given some antibiotic  to give her for 5 days and ID food. I was told after the bag was gone to switch her back to the food that I was feeding her (Purina Kitten Chow). The loose stool went away while she was on the medicine and the food but came back when I switched her food back. My own medical training would tell me that it has something to do with the food but my vet doesn't seem quite convinced. I was thinking maybe IBD or something along those lines but again I can't be sure. She Eats, Drinks, and Plays normally. I need some advice, The vet is becoming rather expensive and as a college student I can't afford much more. But I refuse to give up my baby. 

Any Ideas?
 

goholistic

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If I may speak [type] bluntly, Purina Kitten Chow is a terrible food that is full of fillers and grains. This alone could be causing the diarrhea.

If you fed her this food since you got her, and she's had diarrhea since you got her, and the diarrhea returned when you put her back on the Kitten Chow, this tells me that it is the food.

IBD is possible, but I would look into switching her to a better quality diet.
 
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psattory

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That was my thought but my vet doesn't seem to get that and told me to put her back on it, so that's what I did. I take her back next week so the vet and I can discuss a "long term" plan. I went and picked up some more ID food today and they told me to watch her over the weekend and see if that fixes anything. So we'll see how that goes. I guess I never thought of that food being bad for them since that's what most places seem to feed the kittens that they have. I need to do more research i suppose. Thank you so Much for your help!
 

fleabags mom

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Does the vet sell you the Purina.....? If so, enough said! Vets make money on everything they sell and at the end of the day it is a business. I'd never buy any food from a vet for that reason alone. Cor, I sound like a conspiracy theorist!  Good luck with your kitty, I hope you find something to suit your cat and don't worry about what the vet says.
 
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goholistic

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I guess I never thought of that food being bad for them since that's what most places seem to feed the kittens that they have.
I'm not sure what you mean by "most places", but if you mean shelters, that is because it is cheap and they can feed a lot cats at a lower price.

There are a lot of us that can suggest foods and a direction that you could take. The Hill's i/d food, unfortunately, also has by-products, grains and fillers (see: http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-id-feline-gastrointestinal-health-dry.html). It is probably okay temporarily to get her diarrhea under control, but then it would be good to slowly transition her to something better and start incorporating some wet foods, as well. You can start a new thread in "Cat Nutrition" to talk about food specifically.
 
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psattory

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The vet prescribed her Science Diet ID for digestive health and she seemed to do fine on that so I will finish off the bag I just bought today and see if it helps her. I am not really thrilled with the vet that I go to and I am looking into switching to the clinic that my boyfriend's sister works at (She is a Vet Tech and says her Vet is very knowledgable). And yes by "most places" I meant adoption organizations and pet stores that I've talked to. I guess the people around here don't know their facts very well and I should have done my own research. I have heard good things about blue buffalo. Have either of you fed your cats that brand? 
 

fleabags mom

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Don't think you can Blue Buffalo that in the UK. Just a though - is your cat on dry or wet food? A bag sounds like dry. I'd never feed a cat dry food other than the occasional treat. Wet all the way, so much better. Wondering if dry just doesn't suit your cat?
 
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psattory

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I am finding out so many things that never crossed my mind. I have two cats but I got my 16 year old when I was very young so my parents always took care of taking her to the vet and whatnot. But this has been quite a journey with Maizey because this is the first time I'm doing everything on my own. 
 
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psattory

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She is on dry food right now. I will talk to the vet and see what wet foods are available and that are good for her when I go next week. And I am sure you could find the ID food online but I just looked at the link that GoHolistic posted and there are byproducts in that food as well. I will have to look for a food with no byproduct that is good for her digestive tract. I just want my little fur ball to feel better because I imagine that having loose stool can't be pleasant for her. 
 

fleabags mom

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I really would consider limiting dry food, it's pretty bad for cats all in all, truly it is. I would rather feed a cat on run-of-the-mill cheapish wet food than the best dry food in the world.  Have a google about the debate and perhaps you could try getting some wet food and just see if things improve with the stools within a week. You may just be pleased with the outcome. I am actually surprised the vet hasn't already suggested this to you - I'd have thought changing the food type would be the first step, rather than test for bugs.
 
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psattory

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She ran every test in the book and I paid a whole bunch of money. She hasn't suggested wet food yet but I might give that a try as well. I will run to the pet store tonight and see what I can't find that has no biproduct  to mix with her dry food. 
 

fleabags mom

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Ouch... Just a thought, sometimes changing a diet can upset a tummy too, so perhaps gradually give less and less dry over the week until completely wet? Then after a few days of just wet, you should be able to see if the dry food was the culprit.  Good luck with it all, I really hope it works and you have a nice simple solution.
 

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Definitely get her on a better food.  Most rescues get their foods donated to them by the food companies and or short dated foods from the pet stores so they don't really have a lot invested into nutrition.  Cats need moisture in the diet, they need to be on either canned food or raw, no dry.  Vets really don't know all that much about nutrition (even my dad who has been a vet for 40+ years admits I probably know more about cat nutrition that he does).  They just don't teach it all that much in vet school, and all the vets get are the companies (Hills, Purina, Royal Canin) cramming information down their throats about it.    i/d is chock full of ingredients cats can't digest and shouldn't have (corn being the main culprit).  http://catinfo.org/  is an excellent source of information regarding cat nutrition.  This site has a lot of good information about ibd http://ibdkitties.net/ and has some dietary recommendations for it. 

  Has the vet sent off a fecal panel?  There are parasites etc that can be in there that can't be found on a normal fecal done by the vet.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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If you go over to our Nutrition Forum, you will see several "stickies" in the light blue box just under the "start a new thread" button which are links to articles about nutrition and how to chose the right cat food, etc.  I think you'll find these of interest.  And CPRCheetah is correct in that most Vets don't really know too much about nutrition, so you can't really "trust" them in that area.  They DO  mean well, but just aren't well trained. in it
 
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psattory

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She has sent out several fecal samples. I just talked to her today and she said that she wants to do blood work and run more tests but her stool seems to be improving with this ID food. I started her on this food on Friday and today it seems to be more "solid" than it was before the food. The vet is going to call me in about three weeks to see how she is doing and to make an appointment. She doesn't seem to think that the food could be the culprit and because she is only 8 months old that IBD isn't a concern "as it usually happens in older cats" (in her words that is). I am doing some research on food and nutrition this week and when this food is gone I will put her on something better for her. If she is doing well on this food I'd hate to waste it because it's so expensive. 
 

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Do you know exactly what she is testing for with the fecal samples?  Is she sending out for a PCR panel?  That one detects some of the harder to detect "bugs" that are pretty easy to eradicate, but really hard to diagnose, and do cause diarrhea. 

Honestly, I've never heard of anyone ever saying they found WBC in feces before
.  Normally WBC is determined from a blood test.  I must say I'm thoroughly confused by this.  And also by your Vet saying she doesn't think it could be IBD because she's only 8 months old, AND that she doesn't think it's food related when she is already seeming better with a change in her diet  .  What is your gut feeling about this Vet?  Do you feel comfortable with her? 
 
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goholistic

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   IBD can happen to any cat at any age. Cats are all different and respond differently to the things they are exposed to. I don't have much experience with young cats, but from what I've heard it seems they are more susceptible to parasites and what not. So its definitely a first step to rule all those out, which [I think] you are doing.

If she is improving on a different food and that is the only variable that has changed, I can't see how one wouldn't think it was the previous food that was causing the problem. 
 
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