Persistent diarrhea in kitten

[kenbrynn]

Hi all,

I got my new kitten (Puff) when she was 8 weeks old in November, and since that time she has had diarrhea constantly. It is smelly, occasionally with mucus and/or blood, and soft serve ice cream consistency. The most inconvenient aspect is that it's liquidy enough that it stays on her butt, and if I don't wipe her butt for her after every time that she goes, it gets all over everything. She has had completely normal kitten-like activity level and weight gain throughout this, so really the only symptom is the diarrhea. She had all her routine kitten check-ups without anything abnormal.

I took her to the vet as soon as I got her at 8 weeks. Stool testing was negative and she was given a de-wormer. I started her on purina pro plan for kittens, which is likely different than what she was on before, so we attributed her diarrhea to an abrupt change in food. Plus, her and I were traveling a bit at the time which probably caused stress. When it didn't clear up, though, our vet put her on 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. This resolved the symptoms completely, but as soon as she finished her course they immediately recurred. So, we did another 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. Same thing. She was then given a 1 time dose medication for tapeworm I think? We tried switching to Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach diet with no change. The vet kept her overnight and re-tested her stool, which was again negative. She is now eating Hills z/d for elimination diet and she is currently taking Panacur to cover for whipworm. I honestly feel like the diarrhea has worsened since we started Hills z/d, which was 1 week ago. She's also been taking probiotic all of this time, basically everyday since I got her.

I'm really at a loss for what to do. I've spent so much money and I feel like we've gotten nowhere. I'm worried that we will keep ordering tests and spending money with no results, so I'm hoping that by posting here maybe someone will be able to recognize what this could be, and help point me in the right direction. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Hi all,

I got my new kitten (Puff) when she was 8 weeks old in November, and since that time she has had diarrhea constantly. It is smelly, occasionally with mucus and/or blood, and soft serve ice cream consistency. The most inconvenient aspect is that it's liquidy enough that it stays on her butt, and if I don't wipe her butt for her after every time that she goes, it gets all over everything. She has had completely normal kitten-like activity level and weight gain throughout this, so really the only symptom is the diarrhea. She had all her routine kitten check-ups without anything abnormal.

I took her to the vet as soon as I got her at 8 weeks. Stool testing was negative and she was given a de-wormer. I started her on purina pro plan for kittens, which is likely different than what she was on before, so we attributed her diarrhea to an abrupt change in food. Plus, her and I were traveling a bit at the time which probably caused stress. When it didn't clear up, though, our vet put her on 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. This resolved the symptoms completely, but as soon as she finished her course they immediately recurred. So, we did another 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. Same thing. She was then given a 1 time dose medication for tapeworm I think? We tried switching to Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach diet with no change. The vet kept her overnight and re-tested her stool, which was again negative. She is now eating Hills z/d for elimination diet and she is currently taking Panacur to cover for whipworm. I honestly feel like the diarrhea has worsened since we started Hills z/d, which was 1 week ago. She's also been taking probiotic all of this time, basically everyday since I got her.

I'm really at a loss for what to do. I've spent so much money and I feel like we've gotten nowhere. I'm worried that we will keep ordering tests and spending money with no results, so I'm hoping that by posting here maybe someone will be able to recognize what this could be, and help point me in the right direction. Any advice is appreciated.

For diarrhea, try adding boiled chicken or purée pumpkin to her food. Both are high in fiber and both can help kitty become more "regular".

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Have you tried going back to her 'old' food and continuing with probiotics? Has she had intensive blood work done to see if there are underlying issues that the metronidazole might have helped with? I think having blood work done instead of keeping on treating her with fecal tests and antibiotics might be worth the money.

 

[LTS3]

Which probiotic are you using? It may not be working well enough for your cat. There are lots of different probiotics out there. You can even use Human ones. There's info here:

Prebiotics & Probiotics for Cats: Healing Inflammation and gut dysbiosis

How to restore gut health, not just manage symptoms, in feline IBD

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

Probiotics Search - Human Grade and CFUs

I've been trying to find a good probiotic. All my research has results in some questions: Human probiotics - Have heard different stories on whether or not to give to a cat. Have heard that you shouldn't give them to a cat because some human strains could irritate them. Have also heard that you...

thecatsite.com

S. boulardii may also help. The first link above has info on how that helps with diarrhea.

Give the Z/D food trial at least 13 weeks to help with the tummy issues (or not) before trying something else. There are commercial limited ingredient diets you can try if the Z/D doesn't help.

100% Rendered Free Cat Food | RAWZ
BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Grain Free Wet Recipes - NutriSource Pet Foods (not exactly an LID food but some of the canned are novel protein)

 

[Babypaws]

Since I just lost my little Tiger because our regular vet didn’t see the real problem and was putting him on pain killers and antibiotics, which seemed to be making him worse. He got so bad I ended up taking him to an Emergency Vet hospital. They determined he had a additional issue than what my vet thought. They did tests but because he was so sick they recommended me to bring him to a critical animal hospital in Boston. Long story short, he passed away on Monday.
I wouldn’t let your little one to continue with med after med. if your vet can’t find what’s causing the issue I would invest in taking him to Emergency Vet. I think they are better qualified.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Babypaws My heartfelt condolences for your loss of your precious little Tiger.
K kenbrynn Hello and welcome to TCS! Personally, I would not feed those brands. Vets, like human-specific doctors, are heavily influenced by the biomedical empire and by the "pet" food companies, many of which are owned by the same corporations as the drugs. No surprise there! Most vets push Hills very strongly for this reason. I do not like the brand or the ingredients (a lot of their food contains pork, which is a poor quality protein. Many vets who truly care for cats caution NOT to feed pork to cats) and would opt instead for higher quality brands. I feed Blue Buffalo and Soulistic, available at Petco.com and many other venues selling supplies for cats.
Though I have not had this problem personally, I have heard that S. boulardii can be very helpful, and also pumpkin (make sure it does not contain spices. Tinned pumpkin pie filling often does.) but I would definitely change vets if at all possible. I have not found emergency vets to be superior to the "regular" kind; vets are individuals and I would leave that choice up to the individual. But your kitten's vet may not be the best one. A kitten having chronic diarrhea is fragile and at risk for dehydration and other medical problems. The cause needs to be found quickly, and treated and cured.

 

[Docs Mom]

[QuoUOTE="kenbrynn, post: 5324378, member: 10057646"]
HiI all,

I got my new kitten (Puff) when she was 8 weeks old in November, and since that time she has had diarrhea constantly. It is smelly, occasionally with mucus and/or blood, and soft serve ice cream consistency. The most inconvenient aspect is that it's liquidy enough that it stays on her butt, and if I don't wipe her butt for her after every time that she goes, it gets all over everything. She has had completely normal kitten-like activity level and weight gain throughout this, so really the only symptom is the diarrhea. She had all her routine kitten check-ups without anything abnormal.

I took her to the vet as soon as I got her at 8 weeks. Stool testing was negative and she was given a de-wormer. I started her on purina pro plan for kittens, which is likely different than what she was on before, so we attributed her diarrhea to an abrupt change in food. Plus, her and I were traveling a bit at the time which probably caused stress. When it didn't clear up, though, our vet put her on 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. This resolved the symptoms completely, but as soon as she finished her course they immediately recurred. So, we did another 2 weeks of metronidazole and probiotic. Same thing. She was then given a 1 time dose medication for tapeworm I think? We tried switching to Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach diet with no change. The vet kept her overnight and re-tested her stool, which was again negative. She is now eating Hills z/d for elimination diet and she is currently taking Panacur to cover for whipworm. I honestly feel like the diarrhea has worsened since we started Hills z/d, which3 was 1 week ago. She's also been taking probiotic all ewof this time, basically everyday since I got her.

I'm really at a loss for what to do. I've spent so much money and I feel like we've gotten nowhere. I'm worried that we will keep ordering tests and spending money with no results, so I'm hoping that by posting here maybe someone will be able to recognize what this could be, and help point me in the right direction. Any advice is appreciated.
[/QUOTE]

 

[tarasgirl06]

My post disappeared. I would not feed any cat the second brand you've listed, as I do not believe the quality is good. Vets, like doctors for humans, are encouraged to prescribe certain drugs or foods by the manufacturers. That does not mean they are the best or even good.
Though I have not had this problem, I would encourage getting a second opinion if at all possible. I know it may be difficult during this time.
I have heard that S. boulardii is helpful in some cases, but not being a vet, I would only strongly encourage veterinary advice on this.
Pumpkin, without any spices, is helpful in diarrhea OR constipation in some cats; mixing a spoonful or two into their wet food provides extra fiber.

 

[Annette A]

Dear Ken,
It'd be good to take the test results and see another vet or Internal Med. Maybe you just need a better probiotic that has Sacchromyces Boulardii. Also, look up the Purina Fecal Chart which shows 7 types of stools so when you talk to the vet, you're speaking the same language. There's actually 4 stages of diarrhea! The following is lengthy, but the details might be helpful.

I’m going thru something similar with my other cat. She had a stubborn UTI that took 2 courses of Clavamox to resolve, leaving her with loose stools,"antibiotic acquired diarrhea". The vet suggested probiotics to firm 'em up so tried Purina Proplan---didn't work because it only had one strain which she threw up due to all the additives because she’s sensitive. Then I tried Tomlyn-didn’t throw up, had lactobacillus, but still soft. Then I tried Good Guts, threw up, due to additives. Started mixing 1 teaspoon of organic pumpkin to each meal which helped some, but not enough so vet gave Metronidazole. Stools firmed up. Started introducing RC Multi Hydrolyzed diet due to suspected Irritable Bowel Disease contributing to loose stools.

7 days later, right after my other cat died, stools became watery logs. Alarmed, I dropped off fecal samples and asked vet if cats can develop C. Diff. due to reports of people increasingly coming down with it due to antibiotic use and asked for Fecal Float and PCR and TLI/CobalFolate feline GI panel blood test . When he saw her, he ordered an ultrasound right away which showed the small intestine severely inflamed.. It was a tough because my cat is early kidney stage disease and IBD, and fecal tests would take time so decided to have steroid shot for severe belly swelling and prednisolone although it would depress the immune system. Then over Sunday, my cat became ravenous, skin and bones, and diarrhea increased to the point she looked like a crumpled up cat that I had to double drip her!!! I was glad to already have a hydration kit due to kidneys, and lucky to have found thecatsite where I saw the article TROUBLE IN RAW PARADISE where Sacchromyces boulardii was mentioned-the local Sprouts grocery store had the Jarrow Sacchromyces Boulardii in stock so started kitty that night. By Monday am, she looked a little better, and results were in---C. Diff toxin A and B, so vet gave Metronidazole, and I continued with S. Boulardii. By only day 3, the stools were firm and brown, like #2 on the fecal chart, which didn't happen when it was Metronidazole by itself.

Please be on the look out for your kitten's stools worsening. C. Diff can multiply when most of the good bacteria have been killed off by antibiotics. I need to give 2.5 billion CFUs twice a day for a month, then go on a maintenance dose of S. Boulardii and other strains indefinitely to prevent recurrence. I'm also giving B12 because her level was low; they say most cats with diarrhea are likely to be low. If so, ask for Methylcobalamin, the better form of B12. I was able to phase out the steroid because the swelling was primarily due to the C. Diff infection, not IBD.

My cat is putting on a little weight every day, but it is a slow process, but I'm so thankful she's headed in a better direction.

All the best

 

[Babypaws]

I’m so glad your other kitty is doing better. It’s so nerve wreaking trying to figure out the best option to do to help them. I’ve often wish they could talk and tell us what’s going on.
Bless you and your kitty

 

[posiepurrs]

What type of testing was done on the fecal sample? Truthfully, it sounds like Tritrichomonas Foetus, which usually does not show up on an in house stool test. The best way to diagnose it is with a PCT test sent out to a lab. The metronidazole will help alleviate the symptoms while on it sometimes but they come back after finishing the course of medicine. Tf is a protozoa and so far the only effective treatment is ronidazole. which the last time I researched (when I was writing an article for Cat Talk magazine) it was only 67% effective. Usually cats with TF will in time stop the loose stools and only have occasional bouts of it. It usually isn't fatal (I have never heard of a cat dying from it) and it is WAY more common than people realize with some estimating something like 80% of cats are infected but asymptomatic.

 

[Lulu&Finn]

I dealt with this same thing with Lulu. It wasn’t until they did a full stool panel that they found what was causing it. I believe it was a parasite that doesn’t show up when they do regular stool sampling.

 

[Caspers Human]

Truthfully, it sounds like Tritrichomonas Foetus...

I just did some research. I think you might have something there.
When I first read the symptoms, I thought that it might be Giardia until I looked up T. foetus.

Not only does T. foetus cause symptoms similar to Giardia, many doctors mistake it for Giardia.

Like posiepurrs says, it's more common than many people think. It's common enough to say that "it's going around."

Like Lulu&Finn says, it doesn't show up on the usual tests and you have to be looking for it in order to find it.

I won't go so far as to say your problem is T. foetus but I would certainly say this could be a "lightbulb moment."