Ask Your Cat Question. Cat Experts Answer You ASAP.

(Not a Cat Question?)

My 8 year old cat has had diahreah for a long time ...

Sent to Cat Experts July 16 2006 at 4:48 PM
   

My 8 year old cat has had diahreah for a long time now. My vet has taken blood tests, abdominal, chest xrays, and abdominal ultrasound.   All of these tests don't show anything. They have been treating him with metrodonizal, and fiber type pills, none of which have helped him. We tried to have him eat prescription type diets, but we never found one that he would eat. Now they want to do a biopsy on him and I don't want him to be put through that unless it is absolutely necessary.
Since I don't want him to be put through that invasive and very expensive test (we have spent about $2000 on testing for him already) they more or less suggested that I go somewhere else.
I don't know what to do. Do you have any suggestions?
He seems otherwise healthy and happy.
Thank You
Arlene Marshack

 

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $8
Answer
July 16 2006 at 5:13 PM (24 minutes and 50 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

Hi Arlene-

One thing you might try before all the testing is to put him on a corn-free diet. Many cats cannot tolerate corn. I would take him off of all food overnite and give him only Gerber Baby meat (turkey or chicken) for 24 hours. See if his stool firms up with that. If it does, you may have a cat that just can't eat anything with corn. Innova, Wellness and Felidae are all foods that do not contain corn. You can try putting a little of the dry food in with the Baby Meat to see what happens. If the stool gets runny right away, then there is something else going on. I have a good friend with a boy that can only eat Rabbit. She has to order his food from www.petfooddirect.com, but since going on the rabbit and barley (or it may be rice, I'm unsure) - he has had firm stool ever since.

Please let me know if the above helps. I would try anything before going through a lot of expensive testing with the stress involved.



Please Press ACCEPT if my answer helped solve your problem.
Lori McLaughlin
Your veterinarian should ALWAYS be consulted first and foremost when your pet's welfare is at stake.
Picture
Lori -- Feline Healthcare -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2972 Cat Accepts
14 yrs health care mgmt & issues relating to cats, reproductive issues and multicat environments
Reply
July 16 2006 at 5:25 PM (11 minutes and 24 seconds later)
         
Reply to Lori's Post: All of the testing has been done except for the biopsy and all of the results were good, showing no abnormalities in the blood tests.
I also have another cat who eats the same food. If I changed the food, would it be alright for my other cat to eat it too?
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
July 16 2006 at 5:41 PM (16 minutes and 1 second later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
It would be absolutely no problem for both cats to eat the food, as they are balanced feline diets. I'm hopeful a change in diet will be all that's needed as I hate to see any pet have to go through more stress and problems than they need to. If you want, you can boil a chicken breast with some white rice and run it through the blender with a little plain unflavored yougurt rather than using the baby food. Many people don't like to fool with doing the bland diet themselves, so that's why I suggested the baby food. Good luck!

Please Press ACCEPT if my answer helped solve your problem.
Lori McLaughlin
Your veterinarian should ALWAYS be consulted first and foremost when your pet's welfare is at stake.
Picture
Lori -- Feline Healthcare -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2972 Cat Accepts
14 yrs health care mgmt & issues relating to cats, reproductive issues and multicat environments
Think you can answer this question?
Login or Become an Expert

Related Answers

 

DISCLAIMER: You acknowledge that any information you may obtain from individuals you contact through use of the JustAnswer service comes from those individuals, not from JustAnswer, and that JustAnswer is not in any way responsible for any of the information these third parties may supply. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty and no representations are made regarding the qualification of an Expert. Responses and comments on JustAnswer are for general information and are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (such as medical, legal, investment or accounting) and do not establish a professional-client relationship. JustAnswer is not intended or designed to address EMERGENCY QUESTIONS which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service.

JustAnswer > Cat Breed Info and Feline Health Care