Aa
Cat with liquid bowels for almost a week, Metronidazole not helping... please help.,
My kitty Ms.Vicky has had very foul smelling stool her whole life, sometimes soft, but rarely without some other cause. She has been on a grain-free diet for most of her 12 years of life and has been on a hypoallergenic diet for the last 6 months (Royal Cainin PV). Last Friday, she started having liquid diarrhea several times a day. By Monday, I took her to the vet, who prescribed Metronidazole (Flagyl) and a prescription canned food by Hill to help firm her bowel movements. She has endured 6 days of liquid bowels, 3 of which have been on medication... and the ONLY things that have changed are the color of her liquid (was always mustard-ish...now chocolate-colored) and the putrid smell has diminished. She is still experiencing explosive liquid movements several times a day.
Otherwise, she is behaving completely NORMAL. All blood work and stool sample tests are negative. ANY IDEAS?? How long should this medication take to work? Can she have parasites that they did not find in their tests? I don't want to go crazy treating only symptoms...hoping to find the actual cause.
Otherwise, she is behaving completely NORMAL. All blood work and stool sample tests are negative. ANY IDEAS?? How long should this medication take to work? Can she have parasites that they did not find in their tests? I don't want to go crazy treating only symptoms...hoping to find the actual cause.
Oh, great to hear Mom. Probably was the antibiotics. Sometimes they complicate things, but all seems like it is getting back to normal.
Thank you for the update
Thank you for the update
I went back to same vet & requested another stool exam. Test results from lab came back negative again.
I stopped meds & I/d food on Sun. By Tues morning, stool was back to normal. I'm sure the antibiotics did "something" but the side effects caused the symptoms to continue for longer than I could handle. She stayed on their recommendations from Mon to Sun...6 days. A total of 9 days of diarrhea was too much. She seems normal now...yet somewhat soft, as usual for her. The stink is still down too.
I stopped meds & I/d food on Sun. By Tues morning, stool was back to normal. I'm sure the antibiotics did "something" but the side effects caused the symptoms to continue for longer than I could handle. She stayed on their recommendations from Mon to Sun...6 days. A total of 9 days of diarrhea was too much. She seems normal now...yet somewhat soft, as usual for her. The stink is still down too.
Sounds like you are meowing up the Right tree, but with the wrong Vet.
How does a Vet not see worms ?? I don't know, is that possible? That is why you need a new one. I have no idea if what you are seeing are worms, but obviously there are some things there that should not be, so OFF to your Vet or a new one.
Thank you for being so thorough in your answers.
The Stress factor is a given with the new roommates. That 3rd cat may have been the culprit in giving Ms. Vicky some worms--all 3 cats need to be tested. If one has them then there is a good chance they all have them.
If one cat is treated and the other 2 are not than the worms are just running in circles re-infecting.
In my opinion you need to get all the cats to the vets, and see if the newbee has brought in some uninvited guests. Whenever we brought a new cat into the rescue they went into isolation until they were given a clean bill of health. That was the only way of not passing on unfriendly neighbors in the form of parasites, or viral infections.
Thanks for the update and keep us posted.
CML
How does a Vet not see worms ?? I don't know, is that possible? That is why you need a new one. I have no idea if what you are seeing are worms, but obviously there are some things there that should not be, so OFF to your Vet or a new one.
Thank you for being so thorough in your answers.
The Stress factor is a given with the new roommates. That 3rd cat may have been the culprit in giving Ms. Vicky some worms--all 3 cats need to be tested. If one has them then there is a good chance they all have them.
If one cat is treated and the other 2 are not than the worms are just running in circles re-infecting.
In my opinion you need to get all the cats to the vets, and see if the newbee has brought in some uninvited guests. Whenever we brought a new cat into the rescue they went into isolation until they were given a clean bill of health. That was the only way of not passing on unfriendly neighbors in the form of parasites, or viral infections.
Thanks for the update and keep us posted.
CML
I just wanted to add... When I said Antar throws up often, I meant 2-3 times a week.
After further thought... and another self-test, I'm strongly confident that the vet did not do a thorough enough job on the stool sample. I just did another laymen check of her stool (stool and water in a ziplock bag) and found what looks like many more of the same clear tiny looking worm-like things floating in the water.
If I'm right... than she just needs to be wormed... maybe some Panacur and some Advantix or something like that. (Ivermectin maybe?)
I think my boy may have the same problem with different symptoms... he throws up often and has recently developed a brown eye discharge the past few weeks. After reading a few websites... it seems like they may both need a multi-layered approach to a parasite treatment.
From what you have all read here... does my self-diagnosis seem remotely correct to you? ... or am I possibly meowing up the wrong tree? I'm no expert... but "something" is in her poop that is clear tiny and string-like.
If I'm right... than she just needs to be wormed... maybe some Panacur and some Advantix or something like that. (Ivermectin maybe?)
I think my boy may have the same problem with different symptoms... he throws up often and has recently developed a brown eye discharge the past few weeks. After reading a few websites... it seems like they may both need a multi-layered approach to a parasite treatment.
From what you have all read here... does my self-diagnosis seem remotely correct to you? ... or am I possibly meowing up the wrong tree? I'm no expert... but "something" is in her poop that is clear tiny and string-like.
I'm going to try to respond to every topic here...
Good News... she doesn't appear any worse.
Bad News... she doesn't appear any better.
DEHYDRATION: This is my biggest concern beyond the diarrhea. I have been keeping a close eye on her for dehydration and she doesn't seem to be exhibiting obvious signs of it yet, which is shocking to me, unless I'm doing the "check" wrong. She is a Turkish Angora with a lion haircut, so it's impossible to see much behind her neck (long hair). Beyond that area, she snaps back pretty fast, but it is starting to slow a little. I would gladly give her IV fluids... or bring her to the vet for them... and I will call them Mon and see what they say.
FOOD ISSUES ??
ROYAL CANIN PV: My 2 cats have been on this food for about 7 months. (not a recent switch) I am NOT a fan of this food... never was. I was actually hoping to change it. (long story... and not related to MsVicky) A different vet thought my other cat had a food allergy that was causing him to throw up often. They were on grain-free or low-carb dry foods for most of their lives. When manufacturers change formulas, they have gotten sick and I have changed their food.
HILL i/d CANNED: My cats have been on dry-free-feeding their entire lives. Every time I try to give them wet food, they often have diarrhea... even if it is tuna in oil (which I give them a few times a year as a treat). I don't know it this is ADDING to her problem, or not... but the wet food seemed to have eased my boy's (Antar's) throw-up issues.
I think wet food has been helping Antar not throw up as much as in the past... but I do NOT think that the i/d food is helping MsVicky at all. I'm not sure if it is the food itself... or because it is wet food.
STRESS: MsVicky has been under more stress than normal since August when I combined a household with another one that includes a 3rd cat and a dog. My 2 cats primarily stay in one room... guarded by a dog gate... and sneak out occasionally to explore when the dog is sleeping. They are getting braver and coming out more often than they have ever come out... so YES, the stress is higher for the last several months... but there hasn't been any additional changes in the last WEEK that would make MsVicky start to suddenly have liquid bowel movements every day. She has not had a single formed stool since it began.
BLOCKAGE?? Is it possible that she may have a blockage that is causing her to have liquid poop, even though she is not throwing up at all?? The vet never took an xray.
CAT IBS: Personally, I don't believe in feline IBS any more than I believe in human IBS. I think that is a diagnosis that they give you if they can't come up with an answer and you clearly have symptoms that can't be ignored. In my opinion, it has to be caused by SOMETHING... whether a food allergy or missing enzyme (same issue forwards or backwards)... or a bigger un-diagnosed problem that they cannot find.
FLAGYL: We decided to try Flagyl because I thought it might be a parasite issue that they didn't see... and the vet told me that it would help her with her diarrhea. I has had NO POSITIVE EFFECT, except it has changed the color and smell of her stool. Personally, I do not think the testing that was done was very comprehensive.
TESTING DONE: Blood work and stool sample which was several hours old at the time I gave it to them. I don't know how comprehensive the stool sample tests were... but I personally tried looking myself on another day... mixed with water in a plastic baggie, looking through it... and I could swear that I saw something that looked like a clear thin-celled broken piece of skin of some sort mixed in... but it was hard to see. Parasite???
(I'm still responding to all of your comments... but wanted to post what I wrote so far so it doesn't accidentally delete)
Good News... she doesn't appear any worse.
Bad News... she doesn't appear any better.
DEHYDRATION: This is my biggest concern beyond the diarrhea. I have been keeping a close eye on her for dehydration and she doesn't seem to be exhibiting obvious signs of it yet, which is shocking to me, unless I'm doing the "check" wrong. She is a Turkish Angora with a lion haircut, so it's impossible to see much behind her neck (long hair). Beyond that area, she snaps back pretty fast, but it is starting to slow a little. I would gladly give her IV fluids... or bring her to the vet for them... and I will call them Mon and see what they say.
FOOD ISSUES ??
ROYAL CANIN PV: My 2 cats have been on this food for about 7 months. (not a recent switch) I am NOT a fan of this food... never was. I was actually hoping to change it. (long story... and not related to MsVicky) A different vet thought my other cat had a food allergy that was causing him to throw up often. They were on grain-free or low-carb dry foods for most of their lives. When manufacturers change formulas, they have gotten sick and I have changed their food.
HILL i/d CANNED: My cats have been on dry-free-feeding their entire lives. Every time I try to give them wet food, they often have diarrhea... even if it is tuna in oil (which I give them a few times a year as a treat). I don't know it this is ADDING to her problem, or not... but the wet food seemed to have eased my boy's (Antar's) throw-up issues.
I think wet food has been helping Antar not throw up as much as in the past... but I do NOT think that the i/d food is helping MsVicky at all. I'm not sure if it is the food itself... or because it is wet food.
STRESS: MsVicky has been under more stress than normal since August when I combined a household with another one that includes a 3rd cat and a dog. My 2 cats primarily stay in one room... guarded by a dog gate... and sneak out occasionally to explore when the dog is sleeping. They are getting braver and coming out more often than they have ever come out... so YES, the stress is higher for the last several months... but there hasn't been any additional changes in the last WEEK that would make MsVicky start to suddenly have liquid bowel movements every day. She has not had a single formed stool since it began.
BLOCKAGE?? Is it possible that she may have a blockage that is causing her to have liquid poop, even though she is not throwing up at all?? The vet never took an xray.
CAT IBS: Personally, I don't believe in feline IBS any more than I believe in human IBS. I think that is a diagnosis that they give you if they can't come up with an answer and you clearly have symptoms that can't be ignored. In my opinion, it has to be caused by SOMETHING... whether a food allergy or missing enzyme (same issue forwards or backwards)... or a bigger un-diagnosed problem that they cannot find.
FLAGYL: We decided to try Flagyl because I thought it might be a parasite issue that they didn't see... and the vet told me that it would help her with her diarrhea. I has had NO POSITIVE EFFECT, except it has changed the color and smell of her stool. Personally, I do not think the testing that was done was very comprehensive.
TESTING DONE: Blood work and stool sample which was several hours old at the time I gave it to them. I don't know how comprehensive the stool sample tests were... but I personally tried looking myself on another day... mixed with water in a plastic baggie, looking through it... and I could swear that I saw something that looked like a clear thin-celled broken piece of skin of some sort mixed in... but it was hard to see. Parasite???
(I'm still responding to all of your comments... but wanted to post what I wrote so far so it doesn't accidentally delete)
Please get her to a vet to see if she needs IV fluids. Watery stools will dehydrate her, and this has been going on for a while, right?
Wow....so many great responses. This was my first post ever. I promise to respond to all of them later today & try a few suggestions. She hasn't gotten any better...poor girl. At least she "seems" to feel ok...but I know cats are great actors to hide weakness.
To be continued...
To be continued...
I agree abt the commercial junk out there dande...I have Nemo on a homemade diet d/t his urinary crystals and he would NOT eat commercial canned food that he needed he was such a kibble head. he's been on it for 3 yrs and very healthy:)
however be cautious you can only feed the steamed chicken for a few days/weeks to get Vicky's gut time to heal than you will need to either feed a canned grain free commercial diet that agrees with her or a homemade one BUT...you WILL need to find a recipe like the one Dande sent you a link for, all these homemade diets need the proper supplements like Taurine, also the right ratio of phosphorus to protein...all has to be BALANCED...very important!!! or kitty will get extremely ill.
I can give you all that info if you like...where and what to order:))
however be cautious you can only feed the steamed chicken for a few days/weeks to get Vicky's gut time to heal than you will need to either feed a canned grain free commercial diet that agrees with her or a homemade one BUT...you WILL need to find a recipe like the one Dande sent you a link for, all these homemade diets need the proper supplements like Taurine, also the right ratio of phosphorus to protein...all has to be BALANCED...very important!!! or kitty will get extremely ill.
I can give you all that info if you like...where and what to order:))
That's it! Probiotics! Opus..thank you hon! I used to put probiotics in my cat's food. Also, fish oil for his omega, and I would even buy kitty vitamins. Abby did very well on the raw diet. I firmly believe those commercial foods are a harmful and make our pets very sick. I would stop that royal canine food and do the chicken recipe Opus suggested. I am positive you will see improvement in Vicky's health.
I agree this could well be IBD, however am I reading yr post right...that she began the liquid diarrhea after switching her to royal canin? And became even worse after trying the hills prescription diet?
Both of these are sold thru Vet clinics however are among some of the worse diets on the market, can't blame the Vets they are pushed these foods by very good salespeople. Both are loaded in carbs/grains the very worst thing you want to be feeding to any cat wth bowel/digestive issues.
I had to learn that the hard way, my one kitty wth lifelong diarrhea issues was pushed these foods an steroids as a band aide solution. Eventually resulting in her death.
Dande is right, I wish I too had learned how to make a homemade diet for her at the time.
If that's not possible right now than for the time being I strongly suggest stop those Vet diets, feed her a bland diet of steamed chicken just temporarily as you cannot keep a cat on meat alone without the proper supplements. But do so to give her gut sometime to calm down.
She will also need a good probiotic if you are interested I can suggest a safe one for cats that my own boys take
Both of these are sold thru Vet clinics however are among some of the worse diets on the market, can't blame the Vets they are pushed these foods by very good salespeople. Both are loaded in carbs/grains the very worst thing you want to be feeding to any cat wth bowel/digestive issues.
I had to learn that the hard way, my one kitty wth lifelong diarrhea issues was pushed these foods an steroids as a band aide solution. Eventually resulting in her death.
Dande is right, I wish I too had learned how to make a homemade diet for her at the time.
If that's not possible right now than for the time being I strongly suggest stop those Vet diets, feed her a bland diet of steamed chicken just temporarily as you cannot keep a cat on meat alone without the proper supplements. But do so to give her gut sometime to calm down.
She will also need a good probiotic if you are interested I can suggest a safe one for cats that my own boys take
Hi Vicky's mom. I hope your kitty is doing better today. I do not understand why the vet is giving her Flagyl unless she has parasites, which doesn't seem to make sense because she is indoors. Does she have parasites?
Looks like you may have an IBD cat. My cat suffered from this condition for many years. He had awful diarrhea and blood in the stool, but would act normal otherwise. Now, I'm not saying Vicky i an IBD cat because she would have to go thru a Biopsy to rule this out. But the symptoms are very similar, if not the same, as my own cat's symptoms. I used to buy him commercial grain free diets and none would ever seem to work. Not cool.
I wish you'd get a diagnosis so we know what the problem really is. But, have you tried switching her to a different diet? If yes, what brands have you previously tried? And what if you ty this for about 3 weeks and see how she does: home-made diet.It isn't difficult, but you need to do some homework. She may get better, and you may not even need to take her back to the vet's office....ever! Please read the below.The website helped me a bunch and educated me on cat nutrition. All the best to you both.
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood
Looks like you may have an IBD cat. My cat suffered from this condition for many years. He had awful diarrhea and blood in the stool, but would act normal otherwise. Now, I'm not saying Vicky i an IBD cat because she would have to go thru a Biopsy to rule this out. But the symptoms are very similar, if not the same, as my own cat's symptoms. I used to buy him commercial grain free diets and none would ever seem to work. Not cool.
I wish you'd get a diagnosis so we know what the problem really is. But, have you tried switching her to a different diet? If yes, what brands have you previously tried? And what if you ty this for about 3 weeks and see how she does: home-made diet.It isn't difficult, but you need to do some homework. She may get better, and you may not even need to take her back to the vet's office....ever! Please read the below.The website helped me a bunch and educated me on cat nutrition. All the best to you both.
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood
I forgot to mention. If your kit has been having watery stools for a week, he may be very dehydrated. If so he will need IV fluids, so let your vet know, unless you know how to give them?
To check for dehydration you need to grab the fur at the neck (where mother kitty's scruff their babies" lift it up and let go. If it springs back in place that is good . If it takes very long then there is dehydration.
Thanks,
CML
To check for dehydration you need to grab the fur at the neck (where mother kitty's scruff their babies" lift it up and let go. If it springs back in place that is good . If it takes very long then there is dehydration.
Thanks,
CML
Hi Mom,
I am going to assume Ms. Vicky is the little girl in question?
Well her blood work is ok. Metronidazole is usually prescribed for parasites, but I guess general diarrhea would also warrant this. So if you say she is also clear of parasites, it could be the meds. They are pretty harsh, and can rip up a cat's digestive tract, just like in humans.
I would talk this over with your Vet and see if there isn't something else he could give , but I do think she needs to come off the present antibiotics, they are just a contributing factor to her diarrhea now.
In the meantime, try cooking up some rice and mixing it with the prescription food. Rive is binding, so it may help firm up the stools.
Could also be the new prescription food. That should have been mixed with her present food little by little until she is able to tolerate All new food. Cats are funny little creatures , very picky and very sensitive to NEW things. So I would also ask if she has been under any additional Stress. That will cause digestive problems and diarrhea.
I am sure others here will have better idea's as to what might be going on. But the Vet consult is always a good first line of defense
Good luck to you, Mom, and Ms. Vicky
Keep us posted, please.
CML.
I am going to assume Ms. Vicky is the little girl in question?
Well her blood work is ok. Metronidazole is usually prescribed for parasites, but I guess general diarrhea would also warrant this. So if you say she is also clear of parasites, it could be the meds. They are pretty harsh, and can rip up a cat's digestive tract, just like in humans.
I would talk this over with your Vet and see if there isn't something else he could give , but I do think she needs to come off the present antibiotics, they are just a contributing factor to her diarrhea now.
In the meantime, try cooking up some rice and mixing it with the prescription food. Rive is binding, so it may help firm up the stools.
Could also be the new prescription food. That should have been mixed with her present food little by little until she is able to tolerate All new food. Cats are funny little creatures , very picky and very sensitive to NEW things. So I would also ask if she has been under any additional Stress. That will cause digestive problems and diarrhea.
I am sure others here will have better idea's as to what might be going on. But the Vet consult is always a good first line of defense
Good luck to you, Mom, and Ms. Vicky
Keep us posted, please.
CML.
I forgot to mention... she has been an indoor cat since I found her in my yard at approximately 8 weeks old.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Cats Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
