Still having diarrhea

[lv4dogs]

I am in need of some suggestions here for my cats. They STILL have diarrhea.


It all started a little over 2 weeks ago. Both cats have diarrhea. Meko is 2 years old, Tiki is 7 months old. They are fed Innova cat food and I checked with the company & they have not made any changes to the food & I even bought a new bag anyways.

They both had a fecal float test & a smear done under the microscope, all 4 fecal tests came up negative.

They were dewormed with Drontal.
They each were on Albon & Metronidazole for 5 days, which helps with diarrhea, cocidia, gardia (sp?) and one is also an antiobiotic.

Tiki's stools were starting to firm up 2 days ago, still a little runny but a lot better than they were. But then yesterday they went back to being diarrhea.
Meko's third eyelids were slightly elevated for almost 2 weeks, they went back down to normal a few days ago & have stayed there ever since.

Meko's diarrhea is a little worse than Tiki's so she went back to the vets last night & had a CBC done. Everything was normal. My vet is going to talk with other vets in her practice to see what we should do next.

Does anyone have any ideas on what may be causing this?

What I can do to help their stools go back to normal? I know rice & pumpkin can be fed to help firm them up but wouldn't that just be a cover up, a temporary fix?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Diarrhea can be very difficult to get rid of - trust me. I've been fighting CJ's diarrhea since we got him in January, and we're finally now starting to get answers.

Yes, I've heard rice and pumpin is good, also yogurt. What I've been told is that once the "natural flora" of bacteria in the intestines is off balance, it can be a long time before they get back in balance.

The acidopholus (sp?) can help and maybe your vet can give you some idea of where to get some, but it can also be found in yogurt like someone mentioned in another thread. My problem was getting CJ to eat any of the pumpking, yogurt and acidopholus. He is such a picky eater that he turned his nose up at everything, and he is not an easy cat to use the "open up and shove it in" technique. ;)

My vet gave me some stuff.....can't remember the name of it....but it was in a syringe type of tube and it was supposed to promote the growth of the "natural flora." He also said that it takes time, sometimes lots of time, so starting and stopping different techniques will only confuse the intestines, thus promoting the diarrhea more instead of beating it. He said you have to stick with one regime for awhile to make sure it's not helping.

He also said that usuall the diarrhea is harder on us than it is on the kitties, so not to worry too much. Yeah, right! was my answer to that comment. ;)

Hopefully the vet can give you something to try so you at least have hope. Not to dash that hope, but with CJ, it seemed that everytime I tried something new, it worked for about a week, then it was right back to the ol' diarrhea again, so if you noticed my thread in Cat General, he finally had the allergy testing done. It's quite expensive and a last resort, so hopefully your vet will have other things to try that will work before it comes to that point.

Good luck and let us know what he says. Seems diarrhea is a somewhat common problem and it's highly likely that others will be able to benefit from what you learn out of this.

[Jessika]

Well if they can't pinpoint a problem that is causing the diarrhea to BEGIN with, I don't think that would be "masking" a problem, you know?? I think my main concern would be potential dehydration if they've had diarrhea for awhile, but I'm sure you know to watch for that and make sure they stay hydrated. :) I can't think of anything else to do to help you so I'm sorry :(

[lv4dogs]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

My vet just called me back. She suggested that I try Science Diet W/D. :( I'm sorry but I hate that stuff. Corn gluten meal is the second ingredient :eek: and it's also used as a weight management diet. My cats are on the slim side. Not skinny, they are healthy but they sure don't need to be on a weight management diet.

She also wants me to give them 1 teaspoon of metamucil (sp?) to their food twice a day.

Since I was just researching this & the only reasone she's wanting me to try it is for the fiber content I think I'm going to call her back & see if I can try something else. Like just adding a supplement thats high in fiber to their diet?

I am kind of upset as all of this just sounds like a cover up to me. Sure I don't want diarrhea but I don't want to make it go away by adding supplements & the such that just cover up the problem. I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to know what is causing it & treat the cats for whatever it is.
Sure I understand that not much else can be done, we've done tests, tried meds etc... and cats can't talk but still.

Does anyone know of an over the counter feline diet that is high in fiber BUT one that is NOT low in fat?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Try the hairball formulas. I tried that with CJ and it helped immensely! Even now that he's taking the pred. he still gets major diarrhea if I give him regular food instead of the hairball formula. He gets Science Diet Senior Hairball formula. He loves it and it really helped.

Like I said, sometimes these issues take awhile to clear up. I don't think that your vet is trying to mask the problem, just giving you some ideas to try to help them get back to their normal "cycle." If there are no parasites present, it's really difficult to figure out why cats experience diarrhea and a lot of times it will just go on the record as "idiopathec diarrhea" which means they haven't got a clue why it's happening, so getting an absolute definite reason why your two are experincing this might never happen.

Also, it's not unheard of that cats develop an allergy to foods they have been eating with no prior problems. I know Jenluckenbach was also experiencing this same frustration with one of her kitties, so you could do a search to see what finally worked for her.

Like I said, it takes time. We humans are always so impatient and we want to see immediate results. Unfortunately, these diarrhea problems don't cooperate as fast as we humans would like them to, and it's so very frustrating for us, but we have to learn patience. ;)

[lv4dogs]

Well if they can't pinpoint a problem that is causing the diarrhea to BEGIN with, I don't think that would be "masking" a problem, you know?? I think my main concern would be potential dehydration if they've had diarrhea for awhile, but I'm sure you know to watch for that and make sure they stay hydrated. :) I can't think of anything else to do to help you so I'm sorry :(

Yeah, I guess thats true. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!

[Craftlady]

We switched to Nutro line of cat food. Cleared Skinny's diarreah up within a week if my memory serves me. All I know is 2 years later no diarreah :)
I've introduced good quality can food (PetSmarts brand and Nutro brand) without problems.

Skinny had MAJOR coccidea problems for 2 months. We switched vets after 2 months, our new vet (and current one) went the change in food route because he felt the antibotics which we were on for over 2 months were useless at that point. He was correct.

I would seriously look into good quality food minus all that byproduct/corn crap and see if that doesnt help.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that your cats are still having problems. :( I also feed my cats Innova cat food in both wet and dry. My kittens also had diarrhea for quite a long time and I think that they're finally becoming better. Maybe your cats are sensitive to the herring meal that is used in the Innova brands. I sure hope that something will work for them soon. Good luck. :)

[lv4dogs]

We switched to Nutro line of cat food. Cleared Skinny's diarreah up within a week if my memory serves me. All I know is 2 years later no diarreah :)
I've introduced good quality can food (PetSmarts brand and Nutro brand) without problems.

Skinny had MAJOR coccidea problems for 2 months. We switched vets after 2 months, our new vet (and current one) went the change in food route because he felt the antibotics which we were on for over 2 months were useless at that point. He was correct.

I would seriously look into good quality food minus all that byproduct/corn crap and see if that doesnt help.

They are in Innova food which is an excellent food! I feed my dogs Nutro so I have nothing against it but I personally think Innova is better.

But maybe their bodies are changing... maybe the Innova just isn't working for them anymore?

[lv4dogs]

I'm sorry to hear that your cats are still having problems. :( I also feed my cats Innova cat food in both wet and dry. My kittens also had diarrhea for quite a long time and I think that they're finally becoming better. Maybe your cats are sensitive to the herring meal that is used in the Innova brands. I sure hope that something will work for them soon. Good luck. :)

I suppose their bodies could be changing but I find it odd that BOTH cats would change at the SAME time.
They've been eating Innova ever since I got them, Meko's been on it for 2 years, Tiki's been eating it for about 4-5 months. No problems until now.

I think I'll try them on a hairball formula of a decent brand. I know Innova doesn't have such a diet so I'll see if Nutro makes one.

[lv4dogs]

I LOVE my new(er) vet! They rock! Took me almost 2 years to find a good vet in my area & I couldn't be happier. It was well worth the wait to find them!

Anyways she called me back before I even had a chance to call her & ask her about the w/d.
She saw Meko once but not Tiki. Anyways she remembered seeing Meko & remembered that she's at a slim healthy weight so she had to call me right back to tell me that that's probably not the best thing for them to be on. AND before I could even mention it she reccomended me buying a decent hairball formula at the pet store instead of the expensive new purina veterinary diet thats high in fiber & bland that they sell at their office!
She said that since the hairball formulas don't have as much fiber as she'd like the cats to be on that I should add a small small amount of pumpkin to their food. Like a tablespoon twice a day. And use the metamucil (sp?) twice a day.

She said to try this for 2-3 weeks and if there is no improvement to bring them in then. Of course if it worsens I should bring them in sooner.

So I'll be at the pet store tonight, then the grocery store.

[Jessika]

she reccomended me buying a decent hairball formula at the pet store instead of the expensive new purina veterinary diet thats high in fiber & bland that they sell at their office!

:o :o :o :o

Wooow that's rare a vet will do that, because they usually "HAVE" to recommend the food sold in their office because that particular company sponsors them or something. I LIKE your vet!! :D :D

[lv4dogs]

:o :o :o :o

Wooow that's rare a vet will do that, because they usually "HAVE" to recommend the food sold in their office because that particular company sponsors them or something. I LIKE your vet!! :D :D

I know! This vet office really rocks! This is not the only thing have done, they always go above & beyond to make sure that both people & pets are happy!
If I would of known they were this good I would of went to them years & years ago!
I will reccomend this vet to EVERYONE in this area!

[lv4dogs]

Well after almost an hour in the pet store last night comparing the fiber levels in the cat foods while also ensuring that the fat & protein levels remain kind of high I left the store with Science Diet Hairball Adult formula. :( I'm kind of dissapointed as I don't like to feed any diet with corn in it (corn gluten meal is third on the list and ground whole grain corn is sixth on the list). And I've never been a fan of Hills Science Diet. But I have to think of what may be best for my cats at this point. It has the most fiber and still a decent amount of fat & protein. :D
I figure since I am switching them over gradually they'll still be getting some good food, Innova for a while. And hopefully they won't need to be on it that long either.

If for some reason they will need to be on it long term I'll find another brand even if the amount of fiber, fat & protein levels are slightly less. Or maybe add some Innova (or other decent food) and serve it mixed half & half.

[TopCat3]

Well after almost an hour in the pet store last night comparing the fiber levels in the cat foods while also ensuring that the fat & protein levels remain kind of high I left the store with Science Diet Hairball Adult formula. :( I'm kind of dissapointed as I don't like to feed any diet with corn in it (corn gluten meal is third on the list and ground whole grain corn is sixth on the list). And I've never been a fan of Hills Science Diet. But I have to think of what may be best for my cats at this point. It has the most fiber and still a decent amount of fat & protein. :D
I figure since I am switching them over gradually they'll still be getting some good food, Innova for a while. And hopefully they won't need to be on it that long either.

If for some reason they will need to be on it long term I'll find another brand even if the amount of fiber, fat & protein levels are slightly less. Or maybe add some Innova (or other decent food) and serve it mixed half & half.


May I ask you what is your concern about Hills Science Diet w/d and what your concern about cornmeal in the diet?

I ask because my Cleo had Hills feline w/d for quite some time due to loose stools and did very well on it. Colette has fared very well on Hills Hairball formula too just recently. In fact when I ran out of it she chucked up again :rolleyes:

Thanks for your input, we all want to do what is best for our furkids.

Now Cleo is on Walthams renal :( due to age and early renal failure.

Colette has some of that (or she'll steal Cleo's) and Hills furball.

I'd be interested to know what your concern is with the w/d and cornmeal, thanks.

[Jessika]

May I ask you what is your concern about Hills Science Diet w/d and what your concern about cornmeal in the diet?

Corn is generally the #1 ingredient used as a filler in most pet foods. Corn is not easily digestable and goes straight in and comes right back out as nice little packages on your front lawn. :)

[lv4dogs]

May I ask you what is your concern about Hills Science Diet w/d and what your concern about cornmeal in the diet?

I ask because my Cleo had Hills feline w/d for quite some time due to loose stools and did very well on it. Colette has fared very well on Hills Hairball formula too just recently. In fact when I ran out of it she chucked up again :rolleyes:

Thanks for your input, we all want to do what is best for our furkids.

Now Cleo is on Walthams renal :( due to age and early renal failure.

Colette has some of that (or she'll steal Cleo's) and Hills furball.

I'd be interested to know what your concern is with the w/d and cornmeal, thanks.

My concern about the w/d is that it is a weight management formula (w=weight, d=diet). My cats like I metioned before are on the slim side (healthy but slim) & to put them on a weight reducer diet is just asking for more trouble.
Sure the amount of fiber in it would probably be great for diarrhea problems but the fact that it has low sources of protein, fat & carbs is not good for my cats.

And my problem with corn, any corn products is just that, it's corn. Have you ever looked at your feces after eating corn? It looks the same when it comes out as it did when it went in. Gross but true. Corn is a filler, it has no nutritional value. It's useless.

Science diet has other fillers too. Too many for my preferences.

[Bonny]

I have been having problems with my out door cats also with diarrhea. I got some cleared up & used Pepto Bismol but I have one kitten that keeps spreading the diarrhea. Anyhow I think she is the one spreading it. I plan to try yougart on her next. I wonder if there is some kind of bug going around causing the cats to get the diarrhea. Someone dumped off a stray kitten & it started up after she was here. The stray kitten does not have the diarrhea though but maybe she is the carrier that brought the bug here. I plan to call our veterinary tomorrow & see what else we can do. They eat purina dry cat food & don't get table scrapes & clean fresh water everyday.