Diarrhea....for 2 months

lilycurly · May 25, 2005

I am DESPERATE! Both my kittens have had diarrhea for the last two months!!!
Run to the vet, you will tell me. But I am there every week or so with the kitties. They're starting to know me by name over there. Each time they check them out, they look fine, I paid two times for stools check and got only negative results. I gave pills, drops, and special food from the vet.
NOTHING seems to work! Well, the poop get firmer the first few days on a new med...and then it's downhill again.
I'm going to the vet again tonight, this can't continue like that! And the last time the lady told me she gave me the one medication they give when nothing else works...and no results!
Could it be that they've had diarrhea for so long that their little stomachs have problems to fonction normally now?
And I was wondering...my mother says cooked carrot puree is excellent for diarrhea in new born babies...could it help my kitties too?

hissy · May 25, 2005

Two months is a long time for having diarrhea.On the stool check, what were they looking for? Did they test for giardia, coccidia? How old are these kittens and do you know their history? Was the momcat ill or do you know? What are you feeding these kittens? Diarrhea can be a precursor for some pretty nasty diseases FeLV, FIP, distemper to name a few. The concern would be at stopping the diarrhea safely, monitoring the kittens for dehydration (a real concern) and finding out what is causing it. If there are bubbles in the stool and blood, ask the vet to test for salmonella.

If these kittens were mine, depending in the age, there are several things I would try ONLY after trying other conventional meds and having them fail. I would introduce good bacteria into the gut of these kittens. You can do this several ways, through feeding plain yogurt with active cultures; giving them acidophilus powder- buy the capsules and sprinkle a little of the powder over the food. If these are bottle babies, you could be overfeeding them, feeding them to often. I would also start adding GSE (grapefruit seed extract) to their food/formula just one drop in a bottle per kitten, or two drops in canned food.

But again this would be after the vet has done everything possible, tested for all the known diseases out there. I would also start giving these kittens pedialyte to help replace all they are losing-

Good luck, I hope they find a cause

lilycurly · May 25, 2005

It's been two months...sort of on and off. Because everytime they took medications, they had almost normal stools for about two days, then it went slowly more and more soft. Talk about crushed hopes.
Both time they checked their stool, they said there was no parasyte (sp?), the second time I had even asked to check everything possible (and I guess that included Giardia and Coccidia? Or do those need some different testing?)
The youngest kitten is a bit over 2 months and the other is 4 months, they are not from the same family, and I know the sickness came from the youngest.
Right now, I am feeding them the special food for upset stomachs the vet sold me. 1/2 cup each, each day. Half in the morning half in the evening.They are both very healthy otherwise, the vets checked them for hydration, and I do to.
No bubble nor blood in the stools, it's kind of dark with some muccus though...
I tried the plain yogourt with the good bacteria...it did nothing.
Tried the GSE (with extreme care!)...nothing.
Pedialyte I will try, hope they will like it.

stephenq · May 25, 2005

Dark diarrhea, like dark chocolate is a symptom to Giardia (treatment is Flagyl). Has you kitten had a full course of both Flagyl and Albon? (Albon is for coccidia).

A negative test for Giardia and Coccidia is not conclusive proof that they don't exist, and given the length of the diarrhea I'd probably have treated both prophelactically by now, if only to rule those common causes out.

Flagyl also acts as an anti-inflammatory and this can be useful as inflammed bowels result in diarrhea.

I'm presuming the kitten has been fully de-wormed.

Also, you might consider under a vet's supervision, a 2 day fast to give the bowels a break if you've already done all the above, and then gently introduce yogurt and cooked chicken.

You might also look into a raw beef diet using raw beef sold in specialty pet stores, the raw beef contains enzymes and such that can be very beneficial with diarrhea.

Again, fasting, raw beef, these things only if the other causes have been ruled out, and by ruled out i mean ruled out via a full course of prophyllactic treatment. Neither treatment is dangerous in any way.

hissy · May 25, 2005

Also do not expect overnight results when giving good bacteria to kittens. It takes time to clear the gut of the bad bacteria. Again, I would follow Stephen's advice above, and ask your vet specifically what all he has tested for. With both of them having this problem it is highly suspect a virile disease is present. Keep them away from other cats until you know for sure what is going on.

lilycurly · May 25, 2005

Well I just got off the phone with the vet...
It seems the kitties have had all the meds possible, even for Giardia and Coccidia, all kind of worms and parasytes, etc..
They don't seem to know what to do more then I do...
I'll try what you said, I was just worried that yogourt might not be that good...because it's dairy and all..but so many people propose this...
I'm kind of dissapointed not to have access to holistic medecine, I would prefer that to all those chemicals I have to give the poor beasts...

sharky · May 25, 2005

[
Pedialyte I will try, hope they will like it.[/quote]
Try the unflavored my older one gave me a crazy look with the fruit flavored...

gayef · May 25, 2005

After two months with no concrete medical issue or diagnosis to be found, I would be suspecting dietary indiscretion - could it be that they have access to something ... foods, plants, anything ... that when ingested could be upsetting their digestive system this way? Could a family member or neighbor (if they go outside) be feeding them without you knowing about it? I would have a stern chat with everyone who lives in your house and tell them that if they ARE feeding the cats to stop it immediately and if they go outside, talk with your neighbors too - take along pictures of your cats so they know not to feed them anymore if that is what is happening.

What about your water? Are you giving them water from the tap? Do they drink from the toilets or sinks? How about the water catch-trays at the bottom of houseplants? (mine do - yuck!) If they go out, are they drinking from standing water sources in your yard? Try restricting access to any other water source but what you provide in the way of filtered or bottled water only and see if that may help.

I feel your frustration ... sometime ago, I posted of a very similar situation here with my own little girl, Lexus. Fortunately for my kitty, we were able to find the problem, but not until after a LOT of poop cleaning-up and horrible stress on my cat had happened - I found it and have pasted it here as opposed to linking to the thread:

My female Seal Point, Lexus, came into our home on November 8 of 2003, immediately stole my husband's heart and has since refused vehemently to ever give it back. He adores her with every fiber of his once-dog-person's being.

In January of 2004, Lexus began having loose stools and no matter how often she was into the vet over the next five months for this or that test, NO ONE could figure out what was wrong with her. She continued to have loose stools, but was perfectly A-OK in every other department. No parasites, none of the normal cat baddies like FIP, FIV, etc. Everyone was completely stumped. The vet finally just threw up his hands and called it "Unspecified Digestive Issues" and suggested an IBD diet. I was cleaning up cat poop which had been tracked out of the box and onto the carpet, floor and even my bed for what seemed like ever and I was so frightened that our little baby girl was deathly ill and would not see her first birthday unless we could find out for certain exactly what was wrong with her.

One particular evening, my husband came home from work to find me in a puddle on the living room floor, crying my eyes out because I was so afraid that Lexus had some horrible condition and no one could help her. I told him the vet had given up and said it was something that would either go away on it's own or it would get worse and she would die. It was right then and there that my darling husband, man o'my every dream asked me ... "Ummmmm, would spaghetti make her sick like that?" I stood all 5 feet two inches of me up and walked over to my six foot four inches worth of husband and asked "YES, it would. WHY??????"

*sigh* Hubby then began to tell me that he had been "trying since right after Christmas" to "win us that million dollars on America's Funniest Home Videos" by taping Lexus as she slurped spaghetti noodles right off of his dinner plate. Of course, he didn't take into account that those noodles had sauce on them and that sauce had tomatoes in it and that tomatoes can and DO cause diarrhea in cats!

Problem solved. Husband yelled at thoroughly. Husband immediately contrite.

momofmany · May 25, 2005

I had a similar problem with 2 kittens that had coccidia. Even though properly diagnosed (and because that disease is cyclical it may not test positive right away), the Albon treatment didn't work. We went to a high protein diet, a small amount of plain yogurt daily, lowered the amount of food. The stool got better but wasn't normal for 3 months. Then finally got medicine that is normally not sold in the states to treat it.

The one thing you may want to start doing is completely change out their litter box as many times a day as you can tolerate. Buy a couple of cheap boxes to rotate into the mix. When you empty one, bleach it out (I know it's not the best to use in litter boxes but it will kill things in the plastic) and if possible put it in the sun to dry out before you rotate it back into use. I know this sounds expensive but you don't need to add a lot of litter if you change frequently, and also use small boxes.

Good luck - I understand how maddening this can be!

tourmaline · May 25, 2005

Oh that is such a sad story. I'm so glad there was a happy ending!

My kitten had really bad diarhhea for about a month and I had all the tests, exams etc that there was. She had the hard-core deworming, stool tests, the anti-inflammatories and the anti-biotics. My vet was telling that some kittens just have loose stools until they are a year old! Yikes! I, like Gayef, was getting poo tracked everywhere, including my bed (yuck!!!!). I was very very frustrated. What cleared it up was a strict diet of Hill's I/D food. Apparently its easy on the gut. I fasted Nepheline for 24 hours to give her GI tract a break and then started with the wet I/D. After a couple weeks with normal stool I very slowly worked her back onto her regular kitten food. What started the whole mess was giving her a different food that was way too rich for her and it threw her whole system off. I only gave her a tiny bit too. Wierd. I guess some kittens have really sensitive stomaches. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain and I wish you good luck.

lilycurly · May 26, 2005

Wow!
So I'm not alone after all!
The thing is...I have no one to suspect but ME! I live alone in my appartment and they stay indoor.
I don't give them any other food then what they normally eat.
But the water...yes, yes, they do drink from the toilet...and taps...I would kick myself if THAT was the cause! (Running to get bottle water tonight.)
They also go out on the balcony (um, not sure of the word..) with me. There's often little tree thingies that fall all over the place. They both seem to love those thing. Are there trees that are known to be poison to cats? I think this one is a mapple.
I'm also giving away my Aloe Vera plant because I know it's toxic for them...I don't think they've actually eaten some of it, but I won't take chances.
*sigh* Yesterday was overcooked white rice with carrots and a bit of special food for both.
And I spent yesterday evening cooking a whole chicken to make broth and ...chicken.;P
So today I gave them the broth with a drop of GSE and a bit of rice to let their stomach rest. I might give them a bit of yogourt tonight, before their meal....

loveysmummy · May 26, 2005

Originally Posted by gayef

After two months with no concrete medical issue or diagnosis to be found, I would be suspecting dietary indiscretion - could it be that they have access to something ... foods, plants, anything ... that when ingested could be upsetting their digestive system this way? Could a family member or neighbor (if they go outside) be feeding them without you knowing about it? I would have a stern chat with everyone who lives in your house and tell them that if they ARE feeding the cats to stop it immediately and if they go outside, talk with your neighbors too - take along pictures of your cats so they know not to feed them anymore if that is what is happening.

What about your water? Are you giving them water from the tap? Do they drink from the toilets or sinks? How about the water catch-trays at the bottom of houseplants? (mine do - yuck!) If they go out, are they drinking from standing water sources in your yard? Try restricting access to any other water source but what you provide in the way of filtered or bottled water only and see if that may help.

I feel your frustration ... sometime ago, I posted of a very similar situation here with my own little girl, Lexus. Fortunately for my kitty, we were able to find the problem, but not until after a LOT of poop cleaning-up and horrible stress on my cat had happened - I found it and have pasted it here as opposed to linking to the thread:

My female Seal Point, Lexus, came into our home on November 8 of 2003, immediately stole my husband's heart and has since refused vehemently to ever give it back. He adores her with every fiber of his once-dog-person's being.

In January of 2004, Lexus began having loose stools and no matter how often she was into the vet over the next five months for this or that test, NO ONE could figure out what was wrong with her. She continued to have loose stools, but was perfectly A-OK in every other department. No parasites, none of the normal cat baddies like FIP, FIV, etc. Everyone was completely stumped. The vet finally just threw up his hands and called it "Unspecified Digestive Issues" and suggested an IBD diet. I was cleaning up cat poop which had been tracked out of the box and onto the carpet, floor and even my bed for what seemed like ever and I was so frightened that our little baby girl was deathly ill and would not see her first birthday unless we could find out for certain exactly what was wrong with her.

One particular evening, my husband came home from work to find me in a puddle on the living room floor, crying my eyes out because I was so afraid that Lexus had some horrible condition and no one could help her. I told him the vet had given up and said it was something that would either go away on it's own or it would get worse and she would die. It was right then and there that my darling husband, man o'my every dream asked me ... "Ummmmm, would spaghetti make her sick like that?" I stood all 5 feet two inches of me up and walked over to my six foot four inches worth of husband and asked "YES, it would. WHY??????"

*sigh* Hubby then began to tell me that he had been "trying since right after Christmas" to "win us that million dollars on America's Funniest Home Videos" by taping Lexus as she slurped spaghetti noodles right off of his dinner plate. Of course, he didn't take into account that those noodles had sauce on them and that sauce had tomatoes in it and that tomatoes can and DO cause diarrhea in cats!

Problem solved. Husband yelled at thoroughly. Husband immediately contrite.

Gaye,
you have given me my first real laugh of the day!!!
At least its solved now! Good news....

I was just picturing your husband's guilty face as I read that..
You should write into AFV and let them know..
Maybe a consolation prize is in order!

lilycurly · May 26, 2005

I wish spaguetti was the only problem!lol
I just heard about white clay...that it might be good. Any of you heard of it?

gayef · May 26, 2005

White clay as in kitty litter? For "poopy butt" as we call it around my house, use the regular, unscented, plain, non-scooping clay litter. Scoop and change the litter frequently and thoroughly wash the litter pan out with soap (I use the regular dishwashing liquid) and HOT HOT HOT water, rinse thoroughly and then spray it with straight, undiluted bleach - let it dry thoroughly out in the sun if possible. Until you can isolate the problem, I would do this at least once per day. Or, if you are lazy (like me from time to time *grin*) you can also use a litter box liner. If you do use a liner, watch for tearing - my cats will frequently tear the liner and so when I go to clean the boxes, it makes me spill soiled litter everywhere - yucko!

The el-cheapo litter is better, IMO for your situation. It covers better, it is less expensive and since you are scooping and changing the box more frequently, you get more milage out of it than with the pellet-type litters.

I just want to add that I DO use a better litter for normal daily use. But when my babies have a little tummy upset and poopy butt, the cheap litter is much better at serving their needs AND mine. Cleaning up after poopy cats every day for months is NO fun and so I tried just about anything to make it a little easier.

lilycurly · May 26, 2005

LOL! Thanks! The complete cleaning of the litter box is a great, yet exausting-sounding idea...lol
But the clay I meant...the person told me that it is to take oraly, as in mixing a bit in water. Now I assume this is very high-quality clay, because even people can use it, it seems...

kittenkiya · May 26, 2005

I know this is going to sound funny, but when I got Pete home, he started having runny bowel movements. I WAS going to give him some kaopectate, but instead, I got some pectin. That's the stuff that is used to firm up fruits for jelly making. I only had to give him about four treatments in about a month and a half, and he was ok. I don't know if this might help out a little.

lilycurly · May 26, 2005

Lord knows I'll try anything!! Thanks for the tip..sound logic!

kittenkiya · May 26, 2005

I used the powdered form and put in a very little bit of water to make a slurry-like mixture. I sucked that up in a small, needleless syringe, and grabbed Pete and and said "Open wide." He tolerated it very well. If it was too runny I did it morning and night. If not so bad, just either in the morning or the night. I hope it works.

lilycurly · May 27, 2005

Just a question...how old is your kittie? And how much did you give him? I was kind of scared to mess up their fragile stomachs if I gave too much!
Oh! And does it take long before it gets better? Because I gave them chicken, broth and rice yesterday (with pectin), and their poop seems kinds yellow/grenish color and .....they fart. Poor kitties.

kittenkiya · May 27, 2005

At the time, I would say that Pete was about three or four months old. I did not mix it with anything. The syringes were the small ones and I gave about .5, that is point 5 to .7, that is point 7. Not 1.0 or anything like that. Perhaps it might be worth you while to give them the pectin first, then wait a little while and then feed.

Diarrhea....for 2 months

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