Stray with chronic diarrhea help please!

claudinekitty

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Hi everyone! This is my first post. I have come here searching for answers to Felix's diarrhea. He is my first foster cat. The rescue I got him from has basically said that it's my problem. Don't get me wrong. they have helped with Vet bills but this poor cat has very loose (drip's from his behind) bm's and a wide variety of things have been done as far as de-worming, metronidazole. Panacur. Albon and steroids. He has been on probiotics and the only thing that keeps it barely controlled is adding cooked rice to chicken baby food and some low grain cat food. Nothing is really working. 

Does any one know or have thoughts on proceeding? Should I bring him back to the vet? The rescue suggested diet changes to see if it's ibs but he has not had even one formed stool since i got him.
 

windsorcatlady

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One of my cats is allergic to fish and rice.   I give her Wellness Chicken canned and am still experimenting with the dry.  Read the labels 'cause I found out that Fancy Feast canned beef and chicken contain fish!   When she's having really bad problems I give her 1/2 a loperamide pill every day, per instructions from the vet, and it helps some.  The vet charged me $5 per pill, and then I realized that it's the same medication you can buy for humans at Walmart or wherever.   If you can't give kitty a pill, crush it and put it in a little canned food.  Fortunately the loperamide doesn't have much taste so they don't turn up their noses when you do this.
 
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claudinekitty

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I've been feeding him Avoderm  mostly dry. I tried to gradually add less chicken and rice and mix in the dry  but he's gone back to even worse diarrhea. I'm at my wit's end. Poor guy. He has put on a little weight and actually looks much better than he did at first. But it's really bad. I'll look into the loperamide.
 

shadowsrescue

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I have used canned pumpkin for diarrhea.  I also have used a product called Propectalin.  It is a combination diarrhea control ( with kaopectate) and probiotic.  You can get it from some vets, but I also ordered some online.  I have used it both on my dog and cat.  It is also available in treat form.  Has he been cleared for worms?  You can read about it here http://www.medi-vet.com/VET-Solutions-Pro-Pectalin-Anti-Diarrheal-p/16000.htm.  I think Amazon also sells it.
 
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claudinekitty

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He has been cleared of worms. I'll try the pumpkin and propectalin,  The vet is at the point of doing an internal exam because nothing else has worked. Fingers crossed. 

He's a young cat, no more than 2.
 
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claudinekitty

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Okay, How do you get a cat to eat pumpkin?
 

shadowsrescue

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I buy canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) and just put a tablespoon in his dish.  My cat loves it.  If not you can also try plain yogurt.  Do not give sweetened sugary flavored yogurt, just plain low fat yogurt.
 

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You may have to try an elimination diet using only novel proteins (rabbit, duck, lamb, etc.) and limited ingredients (Nature's Variety Instinct and Hound & Gatos are good for this).  You'll need at least three months on the new diet before gradually introducing chicken, etc. in a limited ingredient food.  

I'm assuming the Albon is for Coccidia.  Doesn't always do the trick first time around because the spores get into carpeting and can reinfect the cat.  Plus, it doesn't actually kill the microbes.  Have him retested and use Ponazuril (actually kills the microbes) if the stool is positive.  

Best wishes!

Edit: Forgot to mention Slippery Elm Bark.  It's the only supplement that really makes a difference for my IBD cat (vomiting and diarrhea are her issues).  If you're going to give it long-term, it's best to administer it at least an hour before or after a meal, and always separate from medication.  It can interfere with absorption of nutrients and meds.  It's very soothing in the digestive tract, but it won't cure a food allergy, so I wouldn't recommend trying it in lieu of an elimination diet.
 
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ladysorrowfree

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When I got my cat from the shelter he turned out to have chronic diarrhea. The vet we had at the time was mystified. I decided to try grain-free food, and started him on Innova EVO. Within 24 hours the diarrhea stopped completely, and (five years later) it has never come back. I guess some cats just cannot handle grain.
 

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Definitely rule out any bad microbes in the gut first. Next would be a reaction to some food ingredient. It could be anything so I would keep it as simple as possible. Look for a food with very few additives. Often overlooked are clean food bowls... Good idea to get them squeaky clean. Finally look into s Boulardi probiotic as it has been having good reports of success.
 

andi sioux

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reply to help kittties with the runs....make a milky water using pearl barley & mix some into food..this is for worst cases...If it is a mild case of loose poo then do the same with rice..but feed the soft rice instead of just the milky water part...Both add slowly as any food changes need to be in small servings and gradually added to noral food ...

also if you get slippery elm power and make a loose milky paste ..add a little to regular food and it will coat the intestinne lining that is caused by inflamation from irritation ..works great also recommend useing probiotics ..especially the tastey one ..fortiflora !! our kittens favorite!! encourages fussy eaters to eat. good luck !
 

catnip824

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Hi everyone! This is my first post. I have come here searching for answers to Felix's diarrhea. He is my first foster cat. The rescue I got him from has basically said that it's my problem. Don't get me wrong. they have helped with Vet bills but this poor cat has very loose (drip's from his behind) bm's and a wide variety of things have been done as far as de-worming, metronidazole. Panacur. Albon and steroids. He has been on probiotics and the only thing that keeps it barely controlled is adding cooked rice to chicken baby food and some low grain cat food. Nothing is really working. 

Does any one know or have thoughts on proceeding? Should I bring him back to the vet? The rescue suggested diet changes to see if it's ibs but he has not had even one formed stool since i got him.
Fortiflora, plain pumpkin, lactose-free yogurt
 
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ldg

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You could try turkey Beech Nut baby food for four days and see what happens. Kitties with GI problems often can't handle kibble.

I would use a supplement called Saccharomyces boulardii. You can buy Jarrow with MOS at a health food store or GNC most likely, or you can buy the brand Florastor at Walmart or Costco, the big box stores. S boulardii is so closely related to Brewer's Yeast they weren't sure it was a separate strain at first. The cat does not digest it, it passes undigested into the lumen of the intestines where it has an anti-inflammatory effect and crowds out unhealthy bacteria (prevents them from adhering and reproducing). The dose I find most effective is 1/2 capsule am and pm (one full cap a day split into two). Most cats will eat it if mixed into baby food. Beech Nut is preferred because it has no corn starch like Gerber. And Turkey is best, in case it is a chicken sensitivity, which is not uncommon.
 
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claudinekitty

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Hi peeps! I just wanted to give a happy update:

After trying many of the recommendations Felix finally got relief. After keeping him on a limited ingredient diet and a little plain greek yogurt for his snack, he finally started to have firmer stools. He is now in a forever home with his new mom!

 
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