Coccidia :( Please help!

[catladyntrainin]

Hey y'all!

I'm new to this forum, but from reading some of the other posts, I am pretty glad I stumbled upon it. Anyway, I recently bought a kitten that supposedly had all his shots. Just to be sure, I brought him to my vet and it turned out he had ear mites, tapeworms, and coccidia. If that wasn't enough, the family that had him was calling the poor baby Tatianna, thinking he was female. Anyway, newly named Hermes received medication to treat all of his problems. For the coccidia, he was prescribed Pronazuril (spelling?) and Albon. He finished the Pronazuril and today is the 5th day that I gave him the Albon and I was given a prescription for 7 days. However, it seems like his diarrhea is getting worse. Today is the first day that I have seen a bit of mucous and blood in his feces. I am really worried. Does anyone know how long it takes for the Albon to work? The vet told me to bring him back if he still has diarrhea on Monday, but I was trying to get a second opinion seeing how I don't have another $108 on hand to bring him back to the vet. Any and all help will def be appreciated. I feel so bad for the poor baby and his big brother Spartacus is dying to play with him.

 

[peachesxo]

Antibiotics often upset their tummys because while they get rid of the bad bacteria and stuff that's causing the issue they also get rid of a lot of the good bacteria in their stomach as well... throws everything off balance which causes the diarrhea. My kitten is having a similar reaction to her meds and instead of me bringing her back in my vet prescribed me a probiotic paste which I picked up there to give her an hour or so before her other antibiotics. I just started her on it yesterday but it seems to be helping already... maybe you could call them and ask them about getting that? It was about $35 I think.

 

[catladyntrainin]

Thanks so much!!!! That makes sense.
 

 

[mrblanche]

Coccidia is an opportunistic infection that is normally kept in check by the cat's own immune system.  It has a habit of flaring up if the cat is under stress or otherwise ill. 

If it's not improving, call the vet and explain your financial problems.  No good vet will just blow you off, they will try to work with you.
 

 

[angels mommy]

You can also check your local health food stores & ask if they have a probiotic specifically for pets. (I know the brand "Jarrow" has one). It shouldn't cost as much as the Vet's, but worth checking out. Otherwise, something from the vet would be recommended, as it may be a little stronger.