? Chronic diarrhea

Hi,

My kitty, Silver is a diet controlled diabetic and has been insulin free for 2 years.

Now we have a new problem. He has had chronic diarrhea for several weeks. Sometimes three large ones a day. I have been to the vet and firstly was given antibiotics (metronidazole). He was okay when he was on them but it started back immediately they finished. Took him back and they did a full blood panel which came back normal except a higher than usual SDMA. I was given more anitibiotics (Tylosin) and steroids as vet is suggesting IBS.

He has been on the meds for 4 days and was fine until this am - when the diarrhea is back with a vengeance. I called vet who had initially suggested putting Metamucil in his food then said no, now said yes again. Am soo confused and thought I would come here and see if anyone can help.

I am also leaving the country for three weeks on Friday next week and am scared to leave him with a sitter until I know he is okay. Vet is not helping much. I don't know what any of this might be doing to his numbers and am planning to check tomorrow. He is eating and drinking normally.

Help please!

 

My cat had it for a few weeks and FortiFlora sprinkled on her food cleared it up in a few days. I suspect she has IBS. Try pumkin too... It strangly can help with both diarrhea and constipation.

 

Thank you so much! He had Fortiflora from the vet the first time he was antibiotics so perhaps it was that that cleared it up. I'll get more and see.

 

I have been giving it for a few months now. Pricy but it gets her to eat (she barely eats. I think she has a bad sense of smell) and keeps her from the runs. Amazon has a decent price.

 

Does Metamucil do the same thing?

 

Metamucil is for constipation. No not the same.

 

Hmmm I read on here that it can be used for diarrhea too. I'll try the foriflora first tho.

 

It's fiber... It could help... It's not the same as FortiFlora though which is a probiotic, not a source of fiber.

 

My boy has suspected IBS and has chronic diarrhea too. The FortiFlora helps a ton. It also seems that he LOVES the taste of it. Pro-pectalin is an anti-diarrhea with probiotics and seems to work well for us also, he just hates the taste - it's a paste instead of a powder like Fortiflora. You can get both of these on the internet, amazon or chewy.com. You could try these and *if* they don't work try switching Silver to proteins like duck, venison, quail, anything but turkey, chicken, beef (or whatever you feed regularly) and see if that helps.

 

I have a kitty with IBD who had diarrhea for the entire first year I had her. Fortiflora helped but as soon as I took her off of it, the diarrhea would start again. Through much trial and error we found the foods that were least apt to cause gastric distress for her, and discovered the wonders of SEB (Slippery Elm Bark) and s. boulardii. She was getting 1/2 capsule of s. boulardii with breakfast and dinner, and, if she was having a flare, SEB at lunchtime. She has been med-free now for several months, with (finally!) no recurrence of diarrhea! If she starts to show signs of loose BMs I immediately restart the s. boulardii and it clears up right away.

NOTE: Be cautious giving steroids, they are a frequent cause of feline diabetes! Since your kitty already has FD that is diet controlled, they could throw him out of remission and cause him to need insulin again.

 

Hi. What is boulardii?

I realized today that I am not 100% sure which cat is having the diarrhea. I work 12 hrs out of the house and come back to find it. I presumed it was my boy as he is the only one who ever poos outside the litter box. Today I saw my girl doing it.

Upset with the vet as I called and he said he didn't know why Silver was on steroids and antibiotics. Crumbs he was the one who prescribed it! He said to return all meds for a refund and use only the foriflora. Losing faith they know what they are doing.

 

From webMD:

"Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast, which is a type of fungus. Saccharomyces boulardii was previously identified as a unique species of yeast, but is now believed to be a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast). Saccharomyces boulardii is used as medicine.

Saccharomyces boulardii is used for treating and preventing diarrhea, including infectious types such as rotaviral diarrhea in children, diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal (GI) take-over (overgrowth) by “bad” bacteria in adults, traveler's diarrhea, and diarrhea associated with tube feedings. It is also used to prevent and treat diarrhea caused by the use of antibiotics.

Saccharomyces boulardii is also used for general digestion problems, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBD, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), Lyme disease, a bowel disorder called relapsing Clostridium difficilecolitis, and bacterial overgrowth in short bowel syndrome. ....

How does it work?
Saccharomyces boulardii is called a "probiotic," a friendly organism that helps to fight off disease-causing organisms in the gut such as bacteria and yeast."

We call it s. boulardii because "saccharomyces" is just too much of a mouthful, lol! If you are not sure which cat is having the diarrhea it would be safe for them if you wanted to put them all on s. boulardii until it clears up. My first concern, though, would be what is causing the diarrhea, especially if more than one cat is experiencing it.

I understand your concern about the vet! Prescribed meds and doesn't remember, then says they aren't needed and to return them??? Doesn't instill much confidence, I have to agree!

 

I think we're going to give this a try. The other things I mentioned have helped but if I run out or forget to give him the FortiFlora, well it's bad. Cleaning water poop off the floor at 3 AM because it woke me with the smell isn't fun...for either of us.

 

Any recommendations on brands to buy/not buy?

 

I use NOW brand from amazon.com.

 

Do you give a whole capsule? @Squalliesmom

 

Thank you for the reply. I've discovered it's my girl Sasha with the diarrhea and hers were the blood tests that showed low white blood count and slight signs of dehydration. Any ideas what I can do? Vet is hopeless. Thanks.

 

Personally after this I'd want a full blood panel and chemistry panel. There are quite a few things that can cause low WBC. Maybe go for a second opinion at another vet? They may have more knowledge on this than your current one.

For the time being maybe try feeding her wet food with a little added water.
I hope your girl gets to feeling better soon

 

Welcome to our world! There is a great webpage www.ibdkitties.com. My cat Tribby was at the vet for chronic diarrhea when she was diagnosed with diabetes. Almost a year ago!
The most frustrating thing is that just when you think you have figured it out a flare up occurs and you are back yo square one.
A lot of good tips mentioned already. I'll try to list most important first..

B12 injections are crucial. A cat looses b12 stores in as little as 4 days of diarrhea. If it's depleted the diarrhea cannot stop. Most people give b12 by sub q injection. Tribby gets sub q fluids daily which I simply add the b12 to once a week.

S boulardii. Yes! Yes! Look up the emergency stop method. It can really help.
Slipoery elm gel. Made by adding the powder from capsules to a 1/2 cup water brought to a boil. Turned off, mixed in and let cool. Keep in fridge. 3-5 mls 2 or more times daily. Soothes the entire digestive system.
A raw diet. My cat did the best both diabetes and IBD on a raw complete diet purchased and / or homemade.
Regular probiotics. Fortiflpra is ok. Not the greatest ingredients. A human grade probiotic is better quality and less expensive.
Size 3 capsules. I got mine from Amazon. Place all the meds in them that are yucky. Great for ER dosing of boulardii.
Sub q fluids. During chronic diarrhea it's easy for a kitty to get dehydrated. Sub q fluids at home are so helpful. Most cats get 50-100 mls a day.
Prednisolone or budenisone are good steroids to keep the inflammation of IBD down. They do affect bgl so keep that in mind.

IBD can be tricky to treat but it is possible i promise. The more you know they best you can help. Not a lot of vet's are overly helpful. If finances are not an issue maybe a referral to a vet internist?
Good luck and please msg me if you have any questions.

 

I give 1/2 capsule twice a day, mixed in with food.

 

HERE is a great site for information on diarrhea and treatments.