11 year old Cat with constant diarrhea

Hi, first post because I'm desperate for some kind of solution to my poor cat's problem.  So he was having diarrhea a few years ago and we took him to the vet only to find out he had hyperthyroidism.  We had him treated with radioactive iodine and he was  cured, at least of the hyperthyroidism.  Unfortunately the diarrhea problems did not resolve.  Since then we have tried different hard foods in the morning including...

- Royal Canine (Digestive Care) CURRENT for about a week

- Purina Beyond (Grain Free) for about 6 months

- Purina One (Sensitive Stomach) 6 months or more

- Hills Prescription z/d (allergen free) a month, he hated it and wouldn't eat

We have tried putting him on prednisolone which worked for a few months and then didn't.  

He gets Wellness Natural Grain Free canned food in the evening with added water.  He usually eats about half a can.  He also gets urinary crystals so that's why we try to always feed canned food as well.  

He is constantly thirsty for water.  Also, he doesn't bathe himself very well lately.  He's always got loose hair and feels dirtier than normal.

I'm sure there is more info I'm forgetting but I really need some help.  I'm a 33 year old married man with two kids but I'm getting really worried about my cat and want to devote some time to finding a solution.  I can't spend lots of $$$ but am willing to spend the time.

Any help or similar experiences would be helpful.  Thanks so much!!!

Welcome to The Cat Site! There is more knowledge in these pages than one could imagine, and hopefully you will find something that works to help your cat.

Rather than repeating what has already been said perfectly, I refer you to the following thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/281370/cat-chronic-diarrhea

Specifically, read the long but thorough post by @LDG which is #17 of 22 in which she recommends again S. boulardii.  It is easy to get (Amazon) and not expensive.  The kind with the MOS tastes bitter so you cannot mix it with the food.  I have the kind without the MOS and it is OK to mix with the food but perhaps not as effective ith a more serious problem like your cat has. 

"If you have not already tried this to stop the diarrhea, it would seem to me you have nothing to lose. It is safe, and often very effective quite rapidly. It is the use of a yeast-based probiotic, Saccharomyces Boulardii with MOS (mannanoligosaccharides). If you are in the U.S., I recommend the Jarrow brand. How to use it - follow the "emergency stop diarrha" instructions: http://www.ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html"

You can search for other threads discussing chronic diarrhea by going to the top of this page and entering "chronic diarrhea" in the search box which is just below the top brown bar.  The click on the "search" button on the right and you will get a list of threads discussing this problem.  I would agree with trying the S. boulardii along with a very bland diet, and then maybe try the elimination diet to see if he is allergic to something.  I do remember one person's cat ended up being allergic to carageenan, which is in practically everything, but when she used only foods that did not contain it, his problem cleared up.

Welcome to TCS!  Sorry it's under these conditions, but most of us end up here due to some kind of health or behavior issue.  Your guy is so handsome!!

First of all, I'd encourage you to get him to the vet for a thorough check up to re-check his thyroid as well as his other blood work.  Ask for a senior blood work panel.  Also, get a fecal to rule out parasites.  You may even want to get the PCR diarrhea panel done just to make sure that there's nothing underlying to cause the diarrhea.

Secondly, look at food.  If you change dry food too quickly, it can cause tummy upset and diarrhea.  I would look for a limited ingredient food to see if that calms things down. I have a kitty who is prone to loose stools and he gets Royal Canin Gastrointestinal HE from the vet.  We mix it with the grain-free dry we feed the rest of our kitties and that keeps his poops normal.  He just can't tolerate and all grain-free diet. 

If you can, go all wet food all the time. I was glad to see you are already using Wellness brand, it really is great for kitties with digestion and tummy issues.  

I am worried about him becoming dehydrated and then urinary and kidney issues popping up as a result. If you can get him a fountain at your local Petco or PetSmart I would recommend it as he really make enjoy the fresh filtered taste from the water constantly moving.

You could also try Goats Milk - it is incredibly gentle on a cats tummy and is highly digestible. It will help him retain the calories he is loosing from the constant diarrhea and could settle some irritation he is having in his belly. You can get it frozen at most places like PetFood express, Petco or PetSmart. 

Poor little guy, what a cutie!

Just stepping in to agree with the recommendation of S Boulardii - I have been giving it to my cat to help manage her chronic loose stool. I get the Jarrow brand with MOS which, as stated above, is apparently very bitter, and cats hate it.......but my cat LOVES it! I mix it with water, and she is begging at my feet, as I am not mixing it fast enough for her. I syringe it into her mouth as she stands beside me (no holding her is required) and she licks the last bit of it out of lid I use to mix it in. Give it a go with your cat, you might strike it lucky like I did

Nightwriter said:

Poor little guy, what a cutie!

Just stepping in to agree with the recommendation of S Boulardii - I have been giving it to my cat to help manage her chronic loose stool. I get the Jarrow brand with MOS which, as stated above, is apparently very bitter, and cats hate it.......but my cat LOVES it! I mix it with water, and she is begging at my feet, as I am not mixing it fast enough for her. I syringe it into her mouth as she stands beside me (no holding her is required) and she licks the last bit of it out of lid I use to mix it in. Give it a go with your cat, you might strike it lucky like I did

Click to expand...

any idea how long it will take for the probiotics to work? I already ordered.

Thanks!

It could take a week to see results, for some it's a few days. Recommend a month of treatment though - it just really depends on how kitty responds

My cat is now on the Saccharomyces Boulardii with MOS (mannanoligosaccharides) and the diarrea got better for a few days but now it has returned.  Not sure what in the world is going on.  It's been about a week since we started.  Any other ideas or thoughts?

Thanks!

I had a similar issue with one of my cats, until I found out (purely by luck) that when I switched him to a food with NO GLUTEN, the diarrhea stopped within 12  hours. I now have all of my cats on a Gluten Free Diet. I use Fancy Feast canned - "Classic".

We took in a 12 year old cat a couple of years ago who had chronic diarrhea/loose stools.  She had been treated before we got her for hyperthyroidism but hasn't had it since then.  We tried different foods, probiotics, and I don't remember what all.

One thing that really helped with her symptoms was adding pumpkin to her diet.  Here's a thread on use and dosage:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244415/canned-pumpkin

As someone above mentioned, you might want to try some goats milk .We use Additional Answers goat milk and it has helped our kitties often

Well some good news and bad news...he's been having some solid poops but he'll also have some serious diarrhea as well.  Not sure why he's having both and not just one or the other.

Hopefully he continues to get better but I'm just not sure anymore.

I can't give him pumpkin.  I tried that a while back and he threw up very quickly.

Thank you for all the great advice!

Hi sounds to me like your baby may have some IBD symptomology.When you say he drinks a lot of water.What are you receiving in the way of urine clumps in the litterbox? lge clumps?Depends if you're using clumping.it can really guage a cat's urine output over the reg.clay style.Have you taken him to your vet? Hydration is key now & for him to drink is understandable.He will become a prune without it.Always if possible have many bowls of water available mayb in other rooms as well.have you tried a novel protein food?Novel meaning bison,venison,rabbit.not duck as it is too close to the poultry family.but eh foods you listed are find for kitties with sensitivites but with IBD it needs to be something very odd.No poultry,fish,beef etc.Slippery elm bark may help him as well.i have a few links the one from big cat which you buy the capsule of powder from a health food store.i can raise calcium in blood levels & it has slight diuretic properties.Also diarrhea apple pectin is supposed to be super.i would hunt the novel protein which you won't find at any vet or anything.Specific petstores. I  do believe Petsmart does Not get into the specialty varieties.Not here in canada anyways.You may have to call around.i usually buy two cans of each or something.So if you hit on one at least you will have another.here is the link to seb & if you google Twin labs apple pectin which is actually used is pet products for pet diarrhea they are capsule.They are bitter & recommended dosing is a pinch added to some baby food (no onions or garlic ) & syringed several times a day.Apparently stops diarrhea  dead in it's tracks.

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Here you go,

Slippery Elm Bark info:

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

Information on SEB, watch potassium in blood:

http://suziqi.nl/2013/03/21/health-benefits-of-slippery-elm-bark/

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-suppl...dientId=978&activeIngredientName=SLIPPERY ELM

http://www.articlerich.com/Article/How-to-Make-Slippery-Elm-Syrup/793942

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm

If kitty is high in calcium may be contraindicated.  HTHC.

Thanks for this info!  Yea, he's getting plenty of water.  He likes to drink out of the sink so when he's thirsty he just jumps up there and cries until we fill it up with some water.  Do you think that giving him extra food would be bad?  He's always hungry but I'm afraid to feed him more for fear it will make the issues worse.

I don't know if we're going to keep trying.  He's 11 and this is just too much.  I'm going to continue to work with him on his current diet and just see how it goes. 

I have two little kids, a job that requires me to travel quite a bit, and I just don't have the time or money to go to extremes but we'll do our best to make sure he's getting food and water that keeps him as healthy as possible.