09/04 Shmee AMPS 141, +2.5 116, +4.5 46 - probiotiocs and poop talk

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Looks like @Wendy&Neko is right and we are going to try for .1 next! Which is exciting but I can tell he feels like crap... I feel so bad for him. I thought his diarrhea was getting better because yesterday he had some pretty solid poops, but I found a liquid poop this morning. I took @Marje and Gracie 's probiotic suggestion and the Saccharomyces Boulardii probiotic should be arriving today - and I totally forgot to ask - so there is no taste and you open the capsule and put it in their food? I actually remember this now from when he was on antibiotics for his dental, and I just gave him the probiotics that I take. But I already have this ordered so I will take your word for it and use them. When I start with the probiotics I will forego the fiber. Does everyone else with poop problem kitties agree this is an ok plan? Just want to be sure before I go against the doctors rules and stop the fiber. Also, sometimes when I pick him up to get a BG test, he kind of growls so I think his stomach hurts I assume this is the same reasoning as the diarrhea... should I be concerned? Since diarrhea is common with antibiotics, I hope it is ok that his stomach is upset and will hopefully get better with the diarrhea soon.

Since he doesn't really drink much water and he gets most of his water intake from food, I have been trying to put a little extra water in there. Do you think its needed to give him water with an oral syringe too? The diarrhea makes me nervous he could get dehydrated, but I don't want to stress him out any more than I have to.

 

You should start slow with the S. boulardii. This is the link that the IBD group has for the use of probiotics and supplements. I use the S. boulardii for Gizmo given his IBD diagnosis. I used a portion of a capsule and mix it in to his food when he was having acute issues at the time of the IBD diagnosis. I never used fiber in Giz's diet so it wasn't an issue for me. I also switched to a raw food diet. Some cats become a bit constipated with probiotics so you will want to be attentive to what's going on in the litter box.

I would add as much water as Shmee will tolerate in his food. His getting water in his food is just fine.

The only concern I would have with the sore tummy is whether it could be an early sign of pancreatitis. Just keep an eye on him (of course, it's not like you're ignoring him!!).

 

My little guy is sensitive to probiotics. His holistic vet suggests 1/4 of the capsule for 2 days, then 1/2 for 2..., probably much like @Sienne and Gabby (GA) mentions above.

As for him not feeling well, he did just have brain surgery. I'd be a nervous wreck too, and if you are in contact with his surgeon and filling him in, (plus the help of this group), you are doing all you can. Everyone at my house has everything crossed.

Keep us updated, please.

 

Hey
Before trying probiotics I would suggest asking Dr. McCue if it’s ok. He has a wound in his mouth and probiotics are live bacteria so I would make sure there is no chance of it contaminating the wound.

 

I do think diarrhea is from the antibiotics and also the stress. How much and how often is he going? One or two small loose stools probably won’t cause significant dehydration but if he’s going multiple times a day or they are large I would consider syringe feeding water.

 

Thanks @Ana & Frosty, I was texting Dr. McCue today to tell him about the insulin. I asked about the probiotics, and he suggested "plain yogurt or an OTC product like Culturelle or Align", so it sounds like he is ok with it. I already ordered the Saccharomyces Boulardii though.. so I will have to look into the Culturelle or Align and see how different they are from what I bought.

And as for insulin he said "you can probably hold off on insulin for now, which is great news. He may need it sporadically or not at all." So I responded "I thought normal range was 80-120 and he got up to 149 yesterday and 141 today, I would rather be sure he goes into remission for good, so I was going to try .1 unit if he gets high again." And he didn't respond. I am realizing as I am typing this that I should have probably worded that differently... I hope I did not sound like I wanted to go against his suggestion but I just want to be sure we are doing this right.

 

I doubt he took it the wrong way, I am sure he is just busy and responds whenever he can or remembers too. I personally wouldn’t even know how to measure 0.1u , so I would just skip it or give him 0.25 if he was over 150. But I also follow the SLGS protocol so I’m comfortable with that.

 

He’s also out of the office 9/5-18 with limited access to e-mail. I think you are doing just fine.