Clostridium Perfringens and diet

[Jane Rainey]

Our 18 week old Siamese has been diagnosed with Clostridium Perfringens and spent 4 days in hospital with chronic diarrhoea and loss of appetite. I raw fed (UK) for a few days. He loved it but I wonder if it could be linked? I stopped the raw food immediately but want him to have the best diet. Advice appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello-
I'm not completely clear, the raw feeding was prior to the hospital stay?

What was/were the protein(s) you fed?

 

[Jane Rainey]

Hi
Yes I started the raw about 3 days after arrival. He was hospitatalized 3 weeks after arrival. I used Hear Me Raw small bites beef, turkey, chicken, duck and lamb. Various flavours to try before subscribing.

 

[GoldyCat]

What are you feeding now since you stopped the raw food?

 

[Jane Rainey]

The vet recommended Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal diet. I use jarrow sboulardii probiotics. He has also had some organic cooked chicken. I am not very sure of the quality of ingredients in the RC though.

 

[Furballsmom]

There's this UK website that provides reviews of kitten foods that may be helpful, that you could use to compare with your current food;

Best kitten food 2023: Food for happy and healthy kittens | Expert Reviews

 

[Jane Rainey]

Thanks very much, I'll take a look.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It IS possible the raw food gave him the C. Perf. It has happened in the past with raw feeders. Did you call the manufacturer and tell them what happened? You probably should so they can check their food to see if it's contaminated with this bacteria.

S. Boulardi is a great thing to give, it helped another raw feeder when their cats had C. Perf. from their food.

 

[Jabzilla]

If this has turned you off from raw but you still want to make sure your kitten has a high quality diet, you can continue to give him cooked organic chicken, and cooked chicken livers with Alnutrin mixed in to make it balanced. That way he will still be getting healthy food that's high quality and without all of the junk that so many canned foods and especially "prescription" foods contain. A Guide To A Balanced, Homemade Cat Food - Alnutrin Supplements (knowwhatyoufeed.com)

 

[Jabzilla]

And if you're unable to source liver, you can use cooked chicken (or any other meat) on its own with EZ Complete to make it balanced. EZComplete Premix Information (foodfurlife.com)

 

[daftcat75]

This is one of those things that you may never know for sure. But yes, it is absolutely possible that he got the c. perf from the raw food. If you still have any of those samples left, I would call or email the manufacturer and see if you can send them back for testing.

C. perf can take awhile (two or three months) to clear. S. boulardii is the best medicine for it. You'll want to give it at least twice daily. But if he likes the stuff and eats more often than that, you can give it with every meal. The Jarrow brand with MOS is the best so you're good there. If he likes the stuff, I would add it to every meal until his poops are normal again. Then I would probably still give it for another month to be sure. S. boulardii and MOS are both structurally similar to the gut wall. C. perf likes to attach to and attack the gut wall. S. boulardii and MOS act like a decoy gut that bind the c. perf and flush it out with his poop. Because s. boulardii does not colonize the gut like other probiotics, it has to be replenished with at least twice daily dosing.

If he doesn't like the stuff, you can pack it into chicken flavored gel caps, cover those caps with his favorite food or treat, and set them on a textured surface like the carpet or a placemat so he cannot simply lick the food off and flick the capsule away. As I've discovered with my Betty, the chicken flavored capsules do help if he becomes talented at licking the food off like Betty has been doing lately. This morning, she must have licked the capsule after licking all the food off and enjoyed it enough to pick up and eat the capsule. Or at least a couple bites and a swallow.

 

[Jane Rainey]

Thanks very much for this, it's really helpful. I have just emailed the Raw company to cancel the subscription which I am upset about but dare not continue. It is very disappointing to see what these prescription diets and big brands put in their food. I am using The Cool Cat Company which is human grade meat steamed with no grain and trying to find wet food with no vegetables or cereal fillers.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Try not to be too discouraged. I have been feeding raw for almost 14 years and none of mine have ever gotten sick from it. It may have simply been a bad batch, or maybe it wasn't from the food at all.

I agree that it's hard to find a decent wet food...that's why I went to raw in the first place. But as mentioned above, you can always do home cooked meals for him if you don't want to start up any raw feeding again at some point. We actually have a Raw and Homecooked Forum. Here is thread from there: Helpful Resources: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food Forum