I'm so sorry to hear that Starr is having diarrhea problems again. I know you and I have been dealing with this with our two cats for quite some time and have shared information to try and help each other. I was so happy to learn of the Taste of the Wild grain free food from you and while it wasn't right for Jimmy and his IBD issues, it was just the ticket for George, who also had diarrhea but not to the extent that Jim had it. George is still on the Taste of the Wild and doing well, so thank you so much for that tip!
It sounds like you need to find some solutions and soon!
I can't remember if I have read in any of your past posts if you had tried Metronidazole with Starr. Jimmy was put on it 6 years ago when he was found by someone wandering the streets and near death. The SPCA took him in and then he was placed in a clinic for a month. They treated him with Metronidazole the whole time and he got better and better and then I later adopted him. Since then, I had always had him on Prednisilone, sometimes by pill and sometimes by transdermal ear gel. His diarrhea never cleared up but he still seemed happy and it was supposed to help his asthma. I didn't realize that Metronidazole can be used on and off to help cats who suffer from IBD so it didn't occur to me and for whatever reason, wasn't suggested to me that I try Jimmy on it again.
When Jimmy fell seriously ill last month and was rushed to the vet, that's the first thing they put him on. He was on it for 2 weeks and was doing so well and then when it ran out, he started to get a bit lethargic and his diarrhea was back and was like water and then worse! I did some Googling and found that most cats are on this for 4 weeks to get them back on track so I asked for some more and the vet gave me two more weeks of it. Within 2 days, he was so much better and as I posted in his thread, he actually pooped a 'real' poop the other day. It hasn't been consistent but I know if I only fed him the dry HypoGastro food, he would have regular bowel movements. I keep giving him a little of the wet Hypo because he looks so forward to it but I'm going to eventually switch him over to just dry.
Maybe you could ask for a two week trial of Metronidazole. It's fairly bitter so they usually compound it into a chicken suspension. Jimmy hates it so I just draw it up in the syringe (less than a ml) and quickly squirt it in his mouth. He forgives me a few minutes later once the taste is gone. lol
I think you can order them in flavoured chews as well but if Starr is finicky and might not want to eat the chew one day, then the liquid would be the better way to go. It's an antibiotic but I believe it helps with the issue of inflammation in the intestines.
I'm hoping to only have him on it for a few more days and then hopefully the diet will be enough.
Here are some links on IBD and Metronidazole:
IBD/Metronidazole
another link
Unfortunately alot of the sites don't go into great detail about Metronidazole (Flagyl) but the do mention it as a treatment for inflammation and IBD.
Also, I can't remember if you tried Starr on a Hypo diet or not. I think I remember reading at one point that you had tried Z/D.
Prayers that Starr will get better soon.
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