Help pls. New kitten with watery stool vet has no answers

[hzlrane]

Hi guys! I am new to this site so hope I'm posting in the correct place. I adopted an 6-8 wk old kitten two weeks ago. His first night home he had some anal prolapsing. I took him to the vet were we have been constantly for 2 weeks. she put him on kitten formula which started the most watery diarrhea I've ever seen. Which has lasted well over a week now. Almost the full two weeks. 3 dewormings, antibiotics and steroids later, the poor little guy still has diarrhea. We put him on Sheba pate' food and I started yesterday introducing like, 10 pieces of dry food in with it. Well this morning he had his first formed poop since the first night I got him. I was so excited but an hr ago he pooped again and it was diarrhea. Again frown.gif I've been reading about probiotics for gut health and digestion so I just ordered Nexabiotic 20 strain from Amazon for him. A few questions, does this sound like it will help settle his stomach? According to the vet he just has unexplained diarrhea as "some kittens just have and grow out of". And if this may help settle his tummy, how much of the pill do I give him? He's so little! 2 lbs. Thx in advance to anyone who tries to help me. I've been very discouraged trying to keep him clean and his bottom clean with all this diarrhea.
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[denice]

Given his age I would ask your vet for a PCR fecal test.  It has to be sent out, it used to only be done at Texas A&M but  I think some other places are doing it now.  It takes about a week to get the results but it checks for parasites that the float test done at the vet's office doesn't check for.  I don't know how receptive your vet would be to the idea but I would ask for it.  It also checks for bacterial overgrowth which can cause diarrhea but given this is a small kitten my first guess would be some type of parasite.

 

[hzlrane]

Well she mentioned it and said it was unnecessary because she was going to treat him like it came back positive. So she did the three dewormers over the course of the two weeks. Do you still think it could be a parasite?

 

[riley1]

Did the vet check for coccidiosis and giardiasis rather than just give antibiotics?  We only have the test for giardia at the shelter & are hearing of adopted kittens with coccidiosis.  I complain about messy stool & they keep telling me I am over feeding them, then it turns out to be a parasite.  Love working at the shelter but because we (the fosters) don't have access to a vet I am going to foster for someone else.

 

[hzlrane]

Did the vet check for coccidiosis and giardiasis rather than just give antibiotics?  We only have the test for giardia at the shelter & are hearing of adopted kittens with coccidiosis.  I complain about messy stool & they keep telling me I am over feeding them, then it turns out to be a parasite.  Love working at the shelter but because we (the fosters) don't have access to a vet I am going to foster for someone else.

She didn't check for it but she treated him for it. Albon I believe was the name for it. She started that and the kitten milk at the same time. One of those was what started the diarrhea. I don't think he had that parasite tho because he didn't have any diarrhea before the deworming. Which is the main symptom with that one. Correct? After readying for days and days, some ppl say that some kittens just have a hard time with their digestive systems. Is this true?

I don't think I could foster or work for a shelter... I get way too emotional and attached lol.

 

[riley1]

She didn't check for it but she treated him for it. Albon I believe was the name for it. She started that and the kitten milk at the same time. One of those was what started the diarrhea. I don't think he had that parasite tho because he didn't have any diarrhea before the deworming. Which is the main symptom with that one. Correct? After readying for days and days, some ppl say that some kittens just have a hard time with their digestive systems. Is this true?

I don't think I could foster or work for a shelter... I get way too emotional and attached lol.

I don't know where you live but vets here always check for the type of worm/parasite before worming.  Worming causes diarrhea as well.  Could this be too many wormings?

 

[hzlrane]

I don't know where you live but vets here always check for the type of worm/parasite before worming.  Worming causes diarrhea as well.  Could this be too many wormings?

I live in a very small town and that's what I'm thinking too was way too many and unnecessary wormers. I don't know how to get his little system back on track. The Sheba food has no artificial flavorings or preservatives. Seems like an easily digestible choice but with it being wet, will that cause diarrhea too?

 

[ldg]

I live in a very small town and that's what I'm thinking too was way too many and unnecessary wormers. I don't know how to get his little system back on track. The Sheba food has no artificial flavorings or preservatives. Seems like an easily digestible choice but with it being wet, will that cause diarrhea too?

I 100% agree with you. This kitty has had too many meds thrown at him without actually treating for something. His gut flora - which was delicate as a kitten to begin with - has been destroyed.

...but if he didn't have diarrhea before the worming - why was he dewormed? If they didn't check his stool for anything, I would be looking for a new vet. Unless the shelter did this as a matter of routine?





As we discussed in the probitoic thread, I think what this little baby needs is the human baby equivalent of a system reset. Just a plain, bland diet, and a probiotic to help re-establish some healthy gut flora. Little baby just needs some easy-to-digest food for a cat and some time to let his guts heal. :heart2:

I recommend Beech Nut or Goya baby food over Gerber as Gerber includes corn starch. Beech Nut owns Goya, and both Stage 1 foods are simply chicken and chicken broth or turkey and turkey broth - which is just the water the meat/bones were cooked in, and is essentially bone broth, which is very soothing and healing in its own right.

And a good probiotic. I do like Nexabiotic because it contains S boulardii, though many prefer Renew Life Ultimate Flora 15 billion CFU and a separate S boulardii product because it has no maltodextrin in it. Personally, I don't worry about those little things because the amount is so small. Though to be fair, there are cats that are THAT sensitive.

Vibes for your little boy! What's his name?

Oh - a warm compress on his bottom will help.

 

[hzlrane]

I 100% agree with you. This kitty has had too many meds thrown at him without actually treating for something. His gut flora - which was delicate as a kitten to begin with - has been destroyed.

...but if he didn't have diarrhea before the worming - why was he dewormed? If they didn't check his stool for anything, I would be looking for a new vet. Unless the shelter did this as a matter of routine?





As we discussed in the probitoic thread, I think what this little baby needs is the human baby equivalent of a system reset. Just a plain, bland diet, and a probiotic to help re-establish some healthy gut flora. Little baby just needs some easy-to-digest food for a cat and some time to let his guts heal. :heart2:

I recommend Beech Nut or Goya baby food over Gerber as Gerber includes corn starch. Beech Nut owns Goya, and both Stage 1 foods are simply chicken and chicken broth or turkey and turkey broth - which is just the water the meat/bones were cooked in, and is essentially bone broth, which is very soothing and healing in its own right.

And a good probiotic. I do like Nexabiotic because it contains S boulardii, though many prefer Renew Life Ultimate Flora 15 billion CFU and a separate S boulardii product because it has no maltodextrin in it. Personally, I don't worry about those little things because the amount is so small. Though to be fair, there are cats that are THAT sensitive.

Vibes for your little boy! What's his name?

Oh - a warm compress on his bottom will help.

His name is Moglee!

 

[mspurr]

I've been down this same road,until someone on this site suggested a special test for TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS, after testing positive and treating my kitten with ronidazole no more loose stool. it's more prevalent in cats than first thought and can't be detected in routine fecal tests.

 

[ldg]

I've been down this same road,until someone on this site suggested a special test for TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS, after testing positive and treating my kitten with ronidazole no more loose stool. it's more prevalent in cats than first thought and can't be detected in routine fecal tests.

This is also a reason why some kittens are thought to "grow out of" the "sensitive stomach" thing. T Foetus usually resolves on its own - within two years.

The problem is that it can be hard to find with the expensive test. Many members have had to run the test 3, 4, or 5 times before they found the T foetus.

There is a solution. Many are averse to using it, but the few that I know have done it, it worked. It's just more labor intensive: (the title reads "giardia" but it works for at least coccidia, and theoretically works for any protozoa) http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/giardia-natural-treatment-protocol/

 

[ldg]

His name is Moglee!

 

[hzlrane]

Oh my goodness there are way more parasites than I thought. I need to google about these tests you guys have mentioned. It wouldn't be very effective to test if it's so often negative tho. If that one particular protozoan (?) clears on its own, and he has it, if we did the nutrition mentioned above, would that help with his diarrhea until it resolves or would I need to take other measures for him? Also, one more question.... It was a 5 day round of albon, and I see on here ppl mentioning their kittens staying on albon for way longer periods of time. If it also isn't effective, there wouldn't be a need to repeat it as so many others do? Correct?

 

[ldg]

There are different approaches. A healthy immune system can clear it without drugs. Kittens just don't have developed immune systems. Using the probiotic supports the immune system.

As your kitty has already had antibiotics and numerous wormers, I think one step at a time is the best approach right now. :rub:

Give his system a rest, build up his healthy bacteria, and then decide if he needs to get back to the vet for further testing and potential treatment. :heart2:

 

[riley1]

Some people have luck with adding punkin to their food.  Not the stuff you use for pies. If there is a natural vet in the area they would have some.  If you live in a small town it may be hard to come by.  Trying too many changes at once may be a bad thing!

 

[ldg]

Actually plain pumpkin can be purchased at the supermarket. It does help some cats for sure. As a fiber, it helps regulate the amount of water in the colon. For a cat or kitten with diarrhea, it can help slow things down and firm things up. This can be helpful if kitty has enough immune system function to "rebuild" whatever it is that has gone wrong inside the intestines and colon. But pumpkin otherwise has no actual role in healing the GI tract or fighting nasty bacteria or protozoa. Probiotics do. And both may be useful.

But as you say, it's best to try/add things one at a time.

 

[mspurr]

my cats were tested using the colon flush method and the TF pouch test to incubate the sample,  the least expensive test about $30 , it's best if the sample tested is loose stool with mucus present  the sample quality greatly affects the result...You can have your vet send a sample for PCR testing (best) $77  the info on TF and the form for PCR test can be found at http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/docs/personnel/gookin_jody.html   if clicking the link doesn't work you can look up Dr. Jody Gookin  DVM, at NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine. I tried diet changes,pumpkin and probiotics before treating with ronidazole nothing worked but the ronidazole. if you choose not to test and treat even if the cat resolves it may still remain positive for TF and have reoccurrences of loose stools.

 

[frodgie]

My kitties watery stools were helped greatly with plain yogurt and *pure* pumpkin you can buy in a can. Sounds like kitty is being bombarded with too many medications. Try this, it works wonders! Best wishes!