Catsu's not so well?

doshin

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One of out cats is having rather loose stools with a little blood coming out at the end on top of it.

He has as well always had some skin problems on his back. If we as much as lightly pet him there,

he starts to vigorously chew and lick on his paws.

I'm wondering if these two symptoms are related in some way? We thought the back problem was fleas in the beginning

but it remains rather chronic even after applying the flea treatment on the back of his neck.

He's seems to be sleeping a bit more than usual and is at times a bit lethargic these days as well.

There are times however that his energy is high and seems to be fine.

Am trying to avoid taking him to the vet here in France being the one that's close to us in completely incompetent and even killed

our beloved Winnie with a massive dose of cortisone.

Any ideas?
 

Kieka

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Sorry, he needs a vet. Are there any others in your area or within a reasonable travel distance? 

I would say the two problems are not interrelated from what you have said. One is internal and one is external. There are just too many things that can cause loose bloody stool; some are serious and others not so much so. 

If there is absolutely nothing else to be done and you want to try avoiding the vet, you can try putting him on a bland diet of boiled chicken and plain white rice (very important that it has no seasonings) for a few days in hopes that it is just basic diarrhea or constipation issues. See if that calms down whatever his tummy problems are and then try reintroducing his normal food. If it comes back redo the bland diet and try a different food. If the bland diet doesn't eliminate the problem at any point then something more serious is going on and he needs to have x-rays and blood work to see what is going on. 

Also, you need to check for dehydration. Pinch the skin between the shoulder blades and if it takes more than a one count for the skin to go down you need to increase hydration. You can mix unflavored Pedialyte with water and offer it to him. I know I have seen other homemade version on here before but I don't know any effective ones off the top of my head. 

If you do have to go to the vet, take charge of the visit. And I highly encourage a vet visit because of how serious bloody stool can be especially if you are citing lethargic behavior too. Tell the vet from the start exactly what you want them to do. Make sure they do nothing without your approval and verify dosage and medications prior to authorizing them (JustAnswer is great for this. You pay a small fee, $22 last time I did it, and get a licensed vet to answer you questions. Just run everything by them and explain you have limited vet access with hesitation about that vet so you want a second opinion and to know what exactly to ask for at the vet). With what you have said I would refuse to leave the room or let them take the cat out of my sight and would want to verify dosage on anything prior to them giving it. I know some vets might prickle at that but my vet shows me everything before she does it without me asking so others don't have a problem with transparency.

My best guess is you would need an x-ray to rule out an obstruction if there is any bloating in the abdomen. Blood work to check for infections and blood count. Personally, I would have my vet do sub Q fluids, antibiotics, a B12 shot and dewormer to cover the bases initially if there was a delay in test results.
 
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doshin

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Thanks so much Kieka,

A good vet is quite far from us, but as you've recommended, we should probably make the trip with him.

I'll see if he'll go for the chicken and rice in the meantime and check closer his hydration.

He seems to be drinking enough though.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Whlle you're trying the chicken and rice, try adding in a daily probiotic to it.  It's ok to use a human variety.  I give my guys 1/2 capsule in the morning, then the other 1/2 capsule at night.  I just dissolve it in a little bit of water, then mix that into their wet food.   Or if you don't have any probiotics handy, try giving him  some full fat yogurt.  Any flavor is ok, just make sure it doesn't have artificial sweeteners in it.  That will provide him with natures' probiotics, always good for the gut flora.

BTW, a little bit of red blood after a bowel movement is usually nothing to worry about.  As long as it's just a tiny bit.  That's usually from constipation, and believe it or not, often constipation and diarrhea go together.

As to his skin issues, can you see anything, or is it just him reacting to your touch?  I'm wondering if it's some sort of nerve/pain issue? 
 

catdaddy007

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On elf my cats had the exact same issues, except her skin problems were on her inner thighs. It was a food allergy- I posted the following in another thread:

"One of my cats had bloody diarrhea for a long time from right when I got her and we could not figure out why. She also had raw patches on her skin that she would pull the fur off of. Finally the vet thought it could be a food allergy, but the 'special' diet she was given by the vet (Hills) was pretty crappy with a lot of ingredients like wheat and corn that cats would not normally eat, and it didm't really help. Allergy could be anything- fish, beef, corn, milk, wheat, soy, etc. The only way of knowing for sure is to do an 'elimination diet'. Start with a single protein that your cat has never had. I started with rabbit- canned from Natures Variety and raw nuggets from Primal. Use commercial products to ensure your cat is getting adequate nutrition- taurine, vitamins, etc. Feed her only this food, no treats or anything else, until you see her improve. Once the symptoms have cleared up (should take a few weeks) start adding one more single protein at a time until the symptoms come back- then you know what is causing it. So start with rabbit, then add chicken, if she's fine then add fish, and so on. I found out my cat is allergic to fish, so I now feed her chicken and turkey, and never dry food! I read all ingredients carefully as many foods have fish added for flavour. I found that Friskies chicken pate and chef's dinner work for her, and President's Choice chicken if you can find it where you are. There are of course many good high-end foods with limited ingredients as well in better pet stores.

Many people do not realize that small cats would not eat fish in nature, unless they found one dead on the shore or something. Cats don't catch fish. They also don't kill large animals like cows, nor do they drink cow milk, or eat corn or soy. They do get some vegetable matter in the stomach of their prey, but this material has been partially digested and broken down by the mouse or bird or squirrel, whatever they are hunting. Cats do need a bit of plant fibre in order to keep their gut microflora healthy- their digestive bacteria."

-The other thing i would say is to make sure you cat does not get any milk. Cow's milk is NOT digestible by most cats.

Good luck!!
 
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