16 wk old Kitten with Persistent Diarrhea

[cet]

My kitten has had diarrhea, like level 7 stool diarrhea, for 2 going on 3 weeks now. The vet has him on Metronidazole and Fortiflora. We have not done an xray as his stools are normal in coloration and smell, there's no signs of obstruction, he is eating and drinking normally, and is still gaining weight. The fecals have come back NPS both times now and our pet insurance listed gastroenteritis as a pre-existing condition and refuses to cover further treatment.

Any tips or suggestions? He was on NV Instinct Kitten both dry and canned before we switched to Hills Kitten dry and Wellness Core canned. I'm at a loss of how to give him some relief. He currently wears a cone to stop him from licking himself raw.

 

[StefanZ]

Its no medical advices, but having much diarrhea, he loses much salts and electrolytes. Som more salts in food is necessary.
Begin with a little extra salt in his fluids. Later on you can elaborate this...

Raw goats milk cant hurt, may help...

 

[cet]

I will try that then, he gets some solid gold broth tune or salmon every other day but I'm assuming that's nowhere near enough. I'll give it ago.

 

[Sarthur2]

You can mix unflavored Pedialyte into his wet food at each meal - say, a tablespoon or two.

How old is your kitten? How long has he been on the metronidazole?

You can put coconut oil on his bottom to soothe and help heal.

It could be an allergy to an ingredient in one of his foods.

 

[Tobermory]

Welcome to TCS! I'm sorry your little guy is having this problem. (What's his name, btw?)

I see you're giving him Fortiflora and Metronidazole. A couple of things there. Antibiotics are given, of course, to kill bad bacteria. But they don't just target the bad, they also kill the good ones--which is what probiotics are! So you should give them at least two hours apart or the Metronidazole will kill the good bacteria, too.

Secondly, Fortiflora is very tasty to kitties because of the animal digest in it, but it doesn't have much in the way of probiotics in it compared to many other varieties. Many people have found that a yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii is much more effective in combatting diarrhea (and antibiotics don't affect it so they can be given together). There's a brand called Jarrow that several members use. Here's an article on probiotics you might find helpful: Should I Give My Cat Probiotics? – TheCatSite Articles

Would switching to raw help clear up the diarrhea? Some cats respond beautifully to raw and it solves their diarrhea problems completely. Making cat food is quite labor intensive (I speak from experience) and while it's cost effective in the long run, there are a lot of upfront costs for the grinder, supplements, containers to store batches in the freezer and refrigerator, etc. You can start out with commercial raw to see if that will at least help the problem. Many cats (mine, for example) don't like frozen raw, but they do like the freeze-dried raw, which you rehydrate before serving. But you can try both. Northwest Naturals, Stella & Chewy, and Primal are popular brands. I like NW Naturals because it has a lower bone content (about 7% instead of 10%) because the higher bone content causes my cats to become constipated.

It's also possible that your cat is allergic to one of the proteins you're feeding. Chicken allergy is common. In that case, you'd need to do some elimination trials.

I hope this info is helpful, and other members may chime in with helpful suggestions as well. Of course, always check with your vet before changing up anything s/he has told you to do!

 

[cet]

Welcome to TCS! I'm sorry your little guy is having this problem. (What's his name, btw?)

I see you're giving him Fortiflora and Metronidazole. A couple of things there. Antibiotics are given, of course, to kill bad bacteria. But they don't just target the bad, they also kill the good ones--which is what probiotics are! So you should give them at least two hours apart or the Metronidazole will kill the good bacteria, too.

Secondly, Fortiflora is very tasty to kitties because of the animal digest in it, but it doesn't have much in the way of probiotics in it compared to many other varieties. Many people have found that a yeast-based probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii is much more effective in combatting diarrhea (and antibiotics don't affect it so they can be given together). There's a brand called Jarrow that several members use. Here's an article on probiotics you might find helpful: Should I Give My Cat Probiotics? – TheCatSite Articles

Would switching to raw help clear up the diarrhea? Some cats respond beautifully to raw and it solves their diarrhea problems completely. Making cat food is quite labor intensive (I speak from experience) and while it's cost effective in the long run, there are a lot of upfront costs for the grinder, supplements, containers to store batches in the freezer and refrigerator, etc. You can start out with commercial raw to see if that will at least help the problem. Many cats (mine, for example) don't like frozen raw, but they do like the freeze-dried raw, which you rehydrate before serving. But you can try both. Northwest Naturals, Stella & Chewy, and Primal are popular brands. I like NW Naturals because it has a lower bone content (about 7% instead of 10%) because the higher bone content causes my cats to become constipated.

It's also possible that your cat is allergic to one of the proteins you're feeding. Chicken allergy is common. In that case, you'd need to do some elimination trials.

I hope this info is helpful, and other members may chime in with helpful suggestions as well. Of course, always check with your vet before changing up anything s/he has told you to do!

His name is Maki! I had no idea I should be giving them with a time gap inbetween! I'll definitely implement that into our feeding schedule. I appreciate the link, I'll look into it ASAP.

Yes, most of the organs in my area are bulk buy only which is why I'm considering raw. Do you think the higher bone content would be beneficial in this case or should I still to the 7% instead. He's only 4 months.

I've considering finding an all stage fish-based food to eliminate poultry as that is for sure constant between the brands I have tried on him.

 

[cet]

I didn't realize Pedialyte came in unflavored but I'll definiely look into it. I feel so bad I haven't figured this out yet.

He's 4 months and has been on it for like a week and a half now? He's got a total of 14 days he will be completing, we for sure got through the first 7 days but I havent' counted.

 

[Sarthur2]

One of the side effects of metronidazole is diarrhea, even though it treats the causes of diarrhea. You might want to check with your vet about stopping early.

Also, you may want to look into a sensitive stomach dry food such as this by Blue Buffalo:

BLUE BUFFALO Sensitive Stomach Chicken Recipe Adult Dry Cat Food, 7-lb bag - Chewy.com

It’s tiny little pieces that are easy for kittens to eat.

 

[cet]

That's ironic. I'll discuss pulling him off of it.

I have looked into that, I've also been looking at poultry free kitten or all-life stages kibbles to determine if it is some sort of protein sensitivity.