diarrhea following Tapeworm medicine

[megsRN]

I recently adopted a 4 month old all white female kitten from The Humane Society. Her name is Buttercup, well on the ride home she had diarrhea all over my lap that reeked something horrible. This continued outside of the litterbox for a few days. I called the Humane Society and they said she had been dewormed and it might be from the medicine. She eats and drinks all the time, plays with other cats etc. Well a few days later i notice white rice that is moving so I knew right away it was worms. Called back and explained what I found, they said its a tapeworm and that I needed to get her into the Vet ASAP to get treated. I took her to vet and was given a pill (forgot name) that is given every 3 weeks X 4 doses. I gave her the first dose and right away the diarrhea cleared up, no more accidents on the floor, everything fine, then about 1 week before next dose her poop became watery again and had that awful smell, as well as it was not in litterbox. I went ahead and gave her the next dose a few days early; however, it has been almost 2 weeks and she is still having diarrhea about 8 times all over the house, sometimes in litterbox. There are no more worms. I called the Vet and explained what had been going on and they suggested an OTC Kaopectate 1mL up to 4 times a day. So I started her on this 2 days ago and the only thing I have noticed is a slight thickening of her poop but still on the floor and still not firm like my other cats. I guess Im wondering what is the deal, as well as why she continues to go on the floor sometimes and other times in box. Also why for the 2 weeks her diarrhea was gone did she not have one accident on floor? Any information would be great!!

Megan

[megsRN]

You know I just got off the phone with Vet and they said that it sounds like "coccidia" too! They said it's common following tapeworm removal And that it's a parasite from a parasite (tapeworm), so I gotta bring her in next week! Thanks for the information!

Megan

[nancyjac]

From your description it sounds more like coccidia to me.  This is not a worm but a single celled intestinal parasite.  It is quite common and easily cured, but the tapeworm meds and other dewormers won't help because it is not a worm.  To be sure what is causing the problem and therefore how to treat it, you need to get a stool sample examined under a microscope.  Prolonged or severe diarrhea can also cause dehydration which is also a major concern.

[opus88]

hi and welcome to you Buttercup and Oreo, I hope we can help.
Yes the tapeworm medicine can definitely cause the diarrhea especially in a kitten....and she is no doubt having alot of rectal/bowel discomfort too both due to the medication and the diarrhea....when a cat is having discomfort they will try and tell us in the only way they know how, in most cases thats doing something inappropriate like messing outside the box when its a bowel issue.
she is perhaps not always able to make it to her box as the diarrhea may come on quickly or unexpectedly. you may want to try just a 1/4 teas. of pysllium in her food (wet food) until this passes..
I'll give you a site with more information on tapeworms.
Hang it there this is something easily cured and kitty will be healthy soon

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/tapeworms.html