Soft yellowish stools with slight blood tinges.

First of all let me just say that I am already shamed to have to be asking for this sort of help. I have never before been  unable to afford to properly care for my animals and it does hurt my "pride" already to come here to you all like this. Being an active member of a Reptile Forum for years, I know how frowned upon these sorts of post are. All I can say is I need to put my cats health above my own comfort right now, therefore I am asking for your help. Please go easy on me. 

I brought Sophie home as a "Foster" on the 22nd. A coworker of a friend was moving and simply could not take her with them. They were threatening to take her to the shelter and after seeing a picture of her my heart just couldn't allow that to happen. They assured me she was healthy, dewormed and had her first shots. When I arrived to get her though, I saw a very frail thin kitten. They said she was five to six months old though she doesn't look like she could be more than three months to me. They had to  have sprayed  her down with some sort of spray to cover her smell because at least she smelled clean when I first held her and then ...  on the car ride home we had to pull over the stench was so bad I almost vomited. 

We got her home, flea ridden, the inside of her ears were black and her very first bowel movement was yellow and soft with obvious tapeworms in it. I also immediately recognized the smell. Yes, it was the same smell that permeated from this poor baby. So, while I feel horrible that I can not afford to take her to a vet, I know that our home and my care is above what she was getting. She had to have been horribly neglected. Also, having volunteered at Animal Control before I know her chances of escaping euthanasia had she been turned in in the condition she was in when I got her would have been slim. 

I clipped her nails and gave her a bath in Dawn to combat the fleas her first day. I washed her ears out first with water and a cotton ball and then used a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water on a cotton ball to clean them once per day for four days and am happy to say those issues seem to be resolved. I wormed her with Drontal Allwormer and have seen no more worms in her stool since. I will worm her again at two weeks after her first dose, then four weeks and then every three months. I started her on 500 mg Llysine twice a day to help boost her immune system and gave her unflavored pedialyte to help with dehydration. I expected the diarrhea to ease with the wormer. But as it hasn't I suspect either Coccidia or Gardia. I have began giving her 1 tsp pure pumpkin three times per day and it does seem to be helping to bulk up her stools a "bit" but they are still soft yellow and slightly blood tinged. 

MAIN QUESTION  

Which leads us to the next course of action I would like to take for her. I actually have Metronidazole but am not sure of the exact dosage I would need to give her and am nervous about going ahead with it without some reassurance. The form I have I bought for my reptiles. It is in a powder form and is pure Metronidazole. I am unsure if the tablets typically given to cats is or not? I would assume so, but I hate to assume!

Here is what I have at home at the moment. http://www.bigalspets.com/metronidazole-5-g.html

Would I dose this the same as I would dose the tablet form? I realize as a powder I may have a hard time getting her to accept it. I know it has a bitter taste. I would still like to try if I could find the correct dosage. 

I need to clear up, other than the diarrhea, she appears to have made very fast progress! She is very active, inquisitive and extremely affectionate and has no other signs of any other serious illnesses I have looked up and worried over. Other than a swollen little belly after eating that goes down throughout the day you would never guess she had ever been so sickly and neglected now. Even the stench is gone from her fur. I do not even need to clean her back legs anymore, she appears to have found a way to use the restroom without getting it all over herself now that she feels better! 

So, please, any recommendations of what I could do for her now would be very much appreciated. And if Anyone has any reassurance on which dosage I could give her of the Metronidazole please rest assured I have already read the possible side effects and the uses for it. I feel the possible benefits would outweigh the small risk in a low dose, short term usage. I simply want to give her the very best treatment I can considering. 

Thank you in advance for any advice! 

I apologize for the book long post. I am still very interested in any opinions anyone would like to share please? 

Sophie, well she already has a piece of my heart and I desperately want to make sure I am doing all I actually can. 

If there were something more I could give up to help her I would, including finding her a more financially stable home, which I am working on right now. 

Perhaps I should make a shorter, more direct post with only my main question in it? 

I am sorry I do not have any advice as far as the medical issues go .

Would it be possible for an animal shelter or rescue group to take her  ? One that could see to her medical needs ?

I don't know the dosage for metronidazole, but I wanted to say I think what you have already done for this poor kitty is wonderful. 

Maybe a post that mentions your question in the title would get a more helpful response?

I do know some vets (not many) that work on a sliding scale and offer discounts to those that don't have the money. There are also some programs that will offer general exams, vaccinations free or very discounted as well as getting her spayed.

In my area i only know of one vet  that works on a sliding scale but a co-worker uses her and feels very comfortable taking her animals there. The only reason I don't go is the location. My vet is a lot closer but also a lot more expensive but my Vet over time has given me discounts, samples and even free overnight stays so building a good relationship with a good vet can be worth it. It might be a good idea to google/call around and see. Also, a rescue group might have some resources that can help you as well.

The only place I would say to stay away from is Banfield but that is just because I have heard horrible stories.

I don't know the right dosage of the metronidazole and I don't know if I would guess without asking a vet first. There is always a chance you can get your new baby seen by a vet without breaking the bank.

Just a thought, sometimes vets will help stray and abandoned cats for a discounted rate if you wanted to mention that. It's not exactly a lie but it depends on what you are comfortable saying.

If you called your vet and told them the story and that you do not have much money to spare at this time. Ask if they would just do a stool test? Without a exam to find out for sure whats going on. then they would prescribe the liquid form at the correct dose and shouldn't cost to much.. just a thought

SophiesHooman said:

 
I apologize for the book long post. I am still very interested in any opinions anyone would like to share please? 

Sophie, well she already has a piece of my heart and I desperately want to make sure I am doing all I actually can. 

If there were something more I could give up to help her I would, including finding her a more financially stable home, which I am working on right now. 

Perhaps I should make a shorter, more direct post with only my main question in it? 

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 @SophiesHooman    , How is Sophie feeling today ?  Hope all is going well ..