Hard white specks in cat stool

[dontcry]

I have an 8 year old male cat who never had any gastrointestinal issues till I took him to the vet a month and a half ago (For a check up, but he wasn’t sick) and that vet administered the 1 year Purevax rabies vaccine. I thought that was harmless but 2 days later he started having liquid diarrhea about ever hour for 2 days straight. We took him to an ER vet when he stopped eating and vomited once. The ER vet treated him and he was fine when we brought him home later that day. It’s been about a month and a half and his stools have never returned to normal. I’m convinced the rabies vaccine did this. His stools have been a mix of 50/50 normal with diarrhea. Today he had a much lighter poop that looks almost a pale color. I’m going to post pictures. My concern is the color, and you can clearly see these little white dots that are hard, I’ve touched them and examined them myself. Gross I know but I would do anything for my cat. The new vet we’re seeing did a fecal test and it was negative for parasites. Everything I read online says tapeworm but I don’t think it is, he’s had a negative test and the white specks don’t move, they’re hard. Please help me. I’m worried my cat has some kind of liver issue and my husband doesn’t think it’s time to take him back to the vet. The poor cat has been through a lot of stress already and I don’t want to take him anywhere unless I have to. The first picture is the diarrhea 2 days after vaccination, and the second picture is the stool he passed today.

 

[verna davies]

Could the white bits be from the litter? Maybe send the photos to your vet as the fecal test was negative. As for the diarrhoea try s boulardii, a quarter of a capsule mixed into his food twice a day. You should see a difference in a couple of days.

 

[dontcry]

Thanks for the reply. Could you tell me what specific brand to buy? I bought fortiflora and I know that stuff is pretty good. My older cat has had issues with runny stools and fortiflora has worked for her. I’m just waiting for him to have a BM. The white dots isn’t from the litter unfortunately. It’s coming from inside him. For the past month and a half every time he goes I see those white little specks/dots/etc. I’m really concerned about the color of his stool, it looks very light and pale. My husband says the color doesn’t concern him it’s other changes in his behavior- and so far he’s acting completely fine. What do you think ??

 

[verna davies]

This is the one I use, both my cats seem to eat it mixed into wet food without a problem and has worked well. You can buy smaller amounts so shop around.
Jarrow Saccharomyces Boulardii + MOS (5 Billion per Capsule, 90 Vegan Capsules) : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

 

[stephanietx]

I was also coming to recommend s. boullardi. We have used Jarrow and Now brand. Both work well.

What are you feeding him? Wet or dry or a combination? Have you changed foods recently?

 

[dontcry]

If they sell it in the US I will buy it from Amazon. Thank you for recommending it.
I have not changed his diet. He gets a variety of canned food. (Tiki cat + weruva in all flavors and textures) and I give him metabolic hills prescription food on occasion. He mostly eats just wet food. Could he have suddenly developed an intolerance to his food after having a bad reaction to the vaccine? I’ve been buying this food for years and he’s never had any issues before. It’s just really strange and mind boggling.

 

[verna davies]

The vaccine could have upset his system and it may take a little time to settle back down.

 

[dontcry]

I can't help but think so. I read that in rare cases vaccines can cause organ damage. I do worry excessively and I have been wrong about so many things so I don't want to try and diagnose my cat. I'm a googler so when I read about light color stools being a pancreatic or liver problem I really start to freak out. The ER vet wasn't sure what was his problem, she said it could be IBS, pancreatitis, or intestinal disease. I'm just completely baffled as I never thought this cat had ANY issues with his digestive system because he's always been fine. His bloodwork was a little all over the place (three different vets in about a week) back in Oct. his most recent bloodwork showed everything within normal range. He's somehow gained 3 pounds since then. His belly looks a little bit bloated but that has not changed in years. He is now 16 lbs. I don't know if any of this is relevant but I just wanted to add.

 

[verna davies]

We cant help but worry, they are so important to us. Like you I worry, google, worry some more. My vet has actually told me to stay off the internet. Try to relax, get the s boulardii and give it a few days to work. It may help if you just feed the same protein instead of feeding a variety.

 

[stephanietx]

If they sell it in the US I will buy it from Amazon. Thank you for recommending it.
I have not changed his diet. He gets a variety of canned food. (Tiki cat + weruva in all flavors and textures) and I give him metabolic hills prescription food on occasion. He mostly eats just wet food. Could he have suddenly developed an intolerance to his food after having a bad reaction to the vaccine? I’ve been buying this food for years and he’s never had any issues before. It’s just really strange and mind boggling.

It's very possible, but I am thinking that it's probably the vaccine that doesn't agree with his system. You could always tray an elimination diet and stick to one food for a week and see if anything changes. Then gradually add in additional food one at a time to see if it causes the diarrhea to return.

 

[dontcry]

I am going to do an elimination diet with his current food. I'm just giving him 2 different cans (out of like 20) I may have to change brands. I hope it's not a vaccine reaction because it's been a month and a half. Reactions are typically mild and last a few hours or days. So this scares me a bit.

 

[dontcry]

I bought the jarrow bouldarii, I hope it works for my cat. Thank you in advance if it does. I am trying not to worry but I get concerned when the color and consistency of his stools change, they were always normal and perfect for 8 years up until now.

 

[verna davies]

Let us know how he is doing.

 

[dontcry]

I will keep you updated

 

[dontcry]

I’ve been giving him fortiflora and it’s working to stop the diarrhea, but the color of his stool looks yellow. Should I be concerned?

 

[verna davies]

The top stool looks fine so I shouldn't worry. See what the next one looks like.

 

[dontcry]

I called the vet's office and spoke to a vet tech who saw that same picture. She didn't seem too worried. She said that if there's no blood then its not that concerning. She said the probiotic could be causing the stool to be that color. He's somehow gained a few lbs since this all started (Oct. 21st) and his belly looks a little big. I've noticed for a long time, probably years, that he's had a big belly like this, but I'm not sure if it's getting worse, or I am just finding every little thing to get worried about. Let me know what you think. (3 vets have seen him in the past month and a half and didn't mention anything about it) 2 of the pictures attached you can't see the belly as bad. I was never concerned about his belly like I am now, because of the diarrhea and all the changes.

 

[dontcry]

he's about 16 lbs so I am trying to get him to loose a bit of weight. His belly feels soft and doesn't hurt when squeezed.

 

[verna davies]

His coat is fabulous. His belly does look a little big but he doesn't look very overweight to me. Do you know how many calories a day he eats? The recommended amount is about 220 a day for a 10lb cat, that being the average weight but more if he is an active cat. If you dont know how many calories he eats a day, try to count them over a 24 hours period.

 

[dontcry]

Thank you. I give him baths and brush him frequently. I give him 2 cans of food a day, the food I give him is Weruva and/or Tiki cat. they're similar, high protein, low fat, low calorie. these cans are about 50-75 calories each. How can he be gaining weight