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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Cat sick for months :(
My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago. We took him to the vet along with a feces sample. They said it was probably coccidia (he was a feral rescue kitten) and put him on antibiotics and Albon. He seemed to get a little bit better for a week or two, then got bad again. We took him to a different vet who has better weekend hours. They found no signs of coccidia, but put him back on Albon just in case, plus an intestinal antibiotic and an anti-diarrheal. No improvement after 10 days. We took him back. They gave us a hypoallergenic food, Hill's something-or-other A/P maybe? Sorry, the bag's at home. Two new antibiotics and an increased dosage of the anti-diarrheal medication. It's been another 10 days. Still no improvement. Of course, this is all extra fun because he's a medium haired cat, so we have to clip his behind once a week, which he does not enjoy, and we line the room where we keep the litter box with paper since he won't go in the box while he's sick. He's had a low-grade fever the whole time, but his fur is shiny, and he's still playful and happy, though he's starting to lose a little weight. So now we have a choice - endoscopy or observation in a controlled environment at the vet's office for several days. I don't know which one will be more stressful for him. He's such an awesome cat; I really hate to put him under either stress. A friend is pushing us to try a raw diet in case it's a food allergy even to something in the hypoallergenic food. Of course, there's no guarantee that he would not be allergic to whatever raw diet we might try, and there are added risks associated with raw diets. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm really starting to worry, and costs are really mounting up. -- Jennifer > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. > He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago. We > took him to the vet along with a feces sample. They said it was > probably coccidia (he was a feral rescue kitten) and put him on > antibiotics and Albon. He seemed to get a little bit better for a week > or two, then got bad again. Did they test for Giardia? http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart/catHealth_ailments_diseases_giardia.html How about Distemper? http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart/catHealth_ailments_diseases_panleukopenia.html IBD? http://www.bestfriends.org/members/health/felinflbwl.htm > He's had a low-grade fever the whole time, but his fur is shiny, and > he's still playful and happy, though he's starting to lose a little > weight. Was he tested for FIV and FeLV to rule them out as causes of the fever? > A friend is pushing us to try a raw diet in case it's a food allergy > even to something in the hypoallergenic food. Of course, there's no > guarantee that he would not be allergic to whatever raw diet we might > try, and there are added risks associated with raw diets. My opinion: IANAV... If you really think it's his food, try just giving him plain, boiled chicken (human-grade) for a few days with a liquid vitamin supplement (ONLY vitamins to be sure it doesn't trigger allergies). If that helps, THEN look into raw diets. If it were MY cat, I would do the endoscopy before the observation, but only after ruling out every other virus and bacteria that might cause it and changing the food as I said above. There IS a chance it is cancer or pancreatitis, but I wouldn't think the chances are very high in a cat so young. Again, IANAV, so take this for what it is: my opinion as a cat owner.  Signature-- ~kaeli~ A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. > He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago. We [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > -- > Jennifer Jennifer: Sorry for your problems. I'd suggest getting on pet medical insurance, but they don't cover pre-existing conditions. I'm currently looking at switching my cats to a raw diet. Right now I switch between Wellness Kitten formula & California Natural Chicken & Rice... I would NOT reccomend switching to raw while the cat is sick, it'll just further complicate the issue. As to what's wrong with your cat...? I wish I knew, I really do... Please keep us posted.... Here's some links on raw catfood: http://www.pet-grub.com/ http://www.ehow.com/how_12698_make-homemade-cat.html GOOD LUCK!!!!! SignatureMathew Butler to 2 kittens: Chablis & Muscat En Vino Veritas > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. > He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago. If your cat has had diarrhea for two months, he is probably dehydrated and may need fluid therapy to replace his losses and restore electrolyte balance. Do his gums and mucous membranes look tacky or pale? When you pinch his skin on the back of his neck, does snap right back into place or does it stay in a tent position for a few seconds? Also, do his eyes appear slighty sunken? We > took him to the vet along with a feces sample. They said it was > probably coccidia (he was a feral rescue kitten) and put him on [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > plus an intestinal antibiotic and an anti-diarrheal. No improvement > after 10 days. We took him back. Actually, it sounds like Giardia or a gastrointestinal obstruction to me -- which is probably why your vets couldn't find anything on a routine fecal exam. The fecal sample needs to be centrifuged in a zinc sulfate solution for about 5 minutes - standard floation procedures don't detect Giardia. Centrifugation is necessary to force the Giardia cyst to float in zinc sulfate - then the slide must be read right away because Giardia cysts start to shrink and change their form. You might to mention this to your vet and ask him about a course of Albendazole. At this stage, however, I'd probably order x-rays to rule out a gastrointestinal foreign object - which can produce the *identical* symptoms that you have described. I'm particularly concerned about the fever. Certain types of gastrointestinal obstructions (linear foreign bodies) can pleat and cut through the intestine wall and lead to pertonitis and sepsis. So, I'd be in hurry to get some x-rays - or ideally, ultrasounds. Best of luck. Phil "Phil P." <phil@maxshouse.com> wrote in message > Actually, it sounds like Giardia or a gastrointestinal obstruction to me -- You might to also mention Trichomonas to your vet - its a organism that looks almost identical to Giardia but doesn't respond to treatment. > You might to also mention Trichomonas to your vet - its a organism that > looks almost identical to Giardia but doesn't respond to treatment. Another thing you might want to explore is Camphylobacter. It only responds to eurythramicin and produces very similar symptoms to those you describe. Helen M Boo has had all of his shots, including distemper, and he was tested for FIV and FeLV before we adopted him. I will being all of this up with my vet on Friday, though. Thanks very much for the informative and helpful responses :) -- Jennifer > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. > He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago... <snip long story> X-rays - negative. Giardia - negative (they had tested for that before but hadn't mentioned it). Trichomonas - DH forgot to ask about that one. Blood tests - some possible indicators of pancreatic or viral problems but nothing striking. Not sure how they worded it since my husband took him to the vet. The vet seems to think that there's still a good chance that it's a food allergy. We have an appointment with an internist in a week and a half and they gave us another anti-diarrheal medication for him... Bional? Bional? Bio-something. Boo's still acting normal - playful, shiny fur, healthy gums, and the weight loss was in my imagination, apparently, because he weighed the same at his most recent appointment. So, I guess we keep our fingers crossed that it's just an allergy and that he's show more improvement with more time on the new food, and then see what the internist has to say. Possible pancreatic problems sounds kind of scary though. Even something viral could be bad. Augh. Thanks again for the feedback. -- Jennifer > > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months ago. > > He started having bloody, mucousy diarrhea about two months ago... [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > then see what the internist has to say. Possible pancreatic problems > sounds kind of scary though. Even something viral could be bad. Augh. One endoscopy, two biopsies, one month, and $1400 later... It's not viral. It's not bacterial. It's not cancer. It has nothing to do with his pancreas. Two regular vets plus one internist have run out of tests to give him. It's "severe, chronic bowel inflammation" with no perceptible cause, but "probably due to something in his environment". We're starting a course of steroids and anti-inflammatories today. He's still on the z/d prescription diet. Huge relief that it's not something that's going to kill him soon. Smaller relief that it's nothing that will require surgery (though that would be a nice, concrete solution to the problem). He's still otherwise healthy and happy, although they shaved his front legs for the endoscopy and he looks really silly right now :D -- Jennifer > > > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months > ago. [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > -- Bless you for taking such good care of him. I hope it proves to be something that changing his diet will ameliorate. You don't have any insects around that he could be eating. I've heard certain insects can cause this. > > > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months > ago. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > -- > Jennifer > You don't have any insects around that he could be eating. I've heard > certain insects can cause this. I wondered about that when we started restricting his diet, actually - I see the occasional spider, but that's about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he catches and eats one once in a while, but I'm not really sure how to prevent it. It's not like we're infested; I see maybe one spider a month... -- Jennifer Hi, Jennifer. Willie has the same thing. He's on steroids, flagyll & pepcid AC. He still has diarrhea and flatulence, but has gained a lot of weight back, and no longer vomits. I have tried switching to NO GRAIN food. The only dry that fit the bill (I have too many cats not to free feed dry) was Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea. But that gave other cats diarrhea and flatulence!!! Innova has recently come out with a no-grain dry diet called EVO, and I've tried it. The cats love it, so I just ordered $100 worth of food. I hope it helps. I would not feed Z/D. I did try it out of obeisance to the doctor, but it has grains and mystery meats, and I don't feed that kind of junk to my cats. And it didn't help the problem, anyway :) The canned foods I've been feeding also have no grains. I've had success getting them to eat Wellness and Artemis canned foods. Good luck and keep us informed. >> > My poor Boo is about a year old; we adopted him about six months > ago. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > -- > Jennifer Flagyll will cause vomiting, diarrhea and gas. I had to take my cat off it. Then I had a dog come through that they said had parvo (was never tested) but was reacting to hookworm treatment. She was on Flagyl, took her off she made a full recovery. I am not a fan of this stuff. Both cases were lost causes to the vets. The cat unfortunately did not make it. Purrs to you Xellos. Shadow Walker > Hi, Jennifer. Willie has the same thing. He's on steroids, flagyll & > pepcid AC. He still has diarrhea and flatulence, but has gained a lot of [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > -- > > Jennifer That's a bit upsetting, since it is prescribed to actual prevent these problems. Should I consider this anecdotal, or do you have other evidence that it can cause these problems? Willie was seen by a gastroenterolist, and that is who prescribed it. > Flagyll will cause vomiting, diarrhea and gas. I had to take my cat off > it. [quoted text clipped - 64 lines] >> > -- >> > Jennifer Here are some side affects http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/fla1178.htm What side effects may occur? Side effects cannot be anticipated. If any develop or change in intensity, tell your doctor immediately. Only your doctor can determine whether it is safe for you to continue taking Flagyl. Two serious side effects that have occurred with Flagyl are seizures and numbness or tingling in the arms, legs, hands, and feet. If you experience either of these symptoms, stop taking the medication and call your doctor immediately. More common side effects may include: Abdominal cramps, constipation, diarrhea, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, upset stomach, vomiting Less common side effects may include: Blood disorders, confusion, dark urine, decreased sex drive, depression, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, dry mouth (or vagina or vulva), fever, flushing, furry tongue, hives, inability to hold urine, increased production of pale urine, inflamed mouth or tongue, inflammation of the rectum, irritability, lack of muscle coordination, metallic taste, occasional joint pain, pain during sexual intercourse, painful or difficult urination, pelvic pressure, rash, stuffy nose, vertigo, weakness, yeast infection (candida) in vagina http://ibscrohns.about.com/cs/prescriptiondrugs/p/medflagyl.htm Side Effects - Flagyl [Metronidazole] Prescription Drug Common Side Effects: Diarrhea dizziness or lightheadedness headache loss of appetite nausea or vomiting stomach pain or cramps Less frequent or rare: change in taste sensation dryness of mouth unpleasant or sharp metallic taste Less common any vaginal irritation, discharge, or dryness not present before use of this medicine clumsiness or unsteadiness mood or other mental changes skin rash, hives, redness, or itching sore throat and fever stomach and back pain (severe) For injection form Pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling over vein in which the medicine is given http://www.medicinenet.com/metronidazole-oral/article.htm SIDE EFFECTS: Dizziness, headache, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, change in taste sensation or dry mouth may occur. If these effects persist or worsen, contact your doctor. Unlikely but report: seizures, loss of consciousness, tingling of hands or feet. Very unlikely but report: unsteadiness, mood/mental changes, rash, itching, sore throat, fever, severe stomach pain, vomiting, vaginal irritation. This drug may cause urine to darken in color. This is not harmful. In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. > That's a bit upsetting, since it is prescribed to actual prevent these > problems. Should I consider this anecdotal, or do you have other evidence [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > >> > -- > >> > Jennifer |
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