Savannah F5 recurring diarrhea

[Kaorin]

Hello lovely people,

My F5 lady (now nearly 2 years old) has always had very soft stool, but she's been healthy and active, and the vet didn't find anything wrong with her. Introducing new food, though done very slowly, has always upset her digestive system and led to diarrhea for one or two days - but that's nothing to worry about, she's just very sensitive. And then everything went back to normal. We finally found two brands that agree with her and her companion.

Now she's been on the same food brands for almost a year and normally everything's okay. But once every two months or so she has this horrible diarrhea for about 4-5 days where she messes up the litter box and then subsequently doesn't even go in there anymore but shits next to it / in the bathroom that is next to the litter box. It's annoying, but I can't really be mad with her because normally she uses the litter box just fine and is an little angel.

The weird thing is that the other F5 we have is one the exact same food and he has always been perfect - no issues at all.

I feed Applaws (chicken and tuna variations) and all Princess types (but no lamb, since they it doesn't agree with them) and Orijen for dry food. Sometimes I throw in some raw or boiled chicken with broth in there, because they like it - never had issues with chicken. We don't have any plants in the house they could've eaten and don't leave the kitchen open, so they can't get to anything they shouldn't eat.

Frankly, I'm clueless. I will go to another vet soon - maybe he finds something. Until then - anything I could give her that could help her digestive system or counter the diarrhea? I've read that pumpkin should be good and there's a type of Applaws with pumpkin - anyone any experience with that?

Thanks!
Kaori

 

[admin]

Hello lovely people,

My F5 lady (now nearly 2 years old) has always had very soft stool, but she's been healthy and active, and the vet didn't find anything wrong with her. Introducing new food, though done very slowly, has always upset her digestive system and led to diarrhea for one or two days - but that's nothing to worry about, she's just very sensitive. And then everything went back to normal. We finally found two brands that agree with her and her companion.

Now she's been on the same food brands for almost a year and normally everything's okay. But once every two months or so she has this horrible diarrhea for about 4-5 days where she messes up the litter box and then subsequently doesn't even go in there anymore but shits next to it / in the bathroom that is next to the litter box. It's annoying, but I can't really be mad with her because normally she uses the litter box just fine and is an little angel.

The weird thing is that the other F5 we have is one the exact same food and he has always been perfect - no issues at all.

I feed Applaws (chicken and tuna variations) and all Princess types (but no lamb, since they it doesn't agree with them) and Orijen for dry food. Sometimes I throw in some raw or boiled chicken with broth in there, because they like it - never had issues with chicken. We don't have any plants in the house they could've eaten and don't leave the kitchen open, so they can't get to anything they shouldn't eat.

Frankly, I'm clueless. I will go to another vet soon - maybe he finds something. Until then - anything I could give her that could help her digestive system or counter the diarrhea? I've read that pumpkin should be good and there's a type of Applaws with pumpkin - anyone any experience with that?

Thanks!
Kaori

Hi Kaori,

Just wondering what tests have been run? has a full PCR diarrhea panel been run? Do you give the cats tap or bottled water?

Is the Applaws you are feeding the full complement or just the Applaws chicken, which is not meant oi be used for full time feeding? YOu could try the chicken and pumpkin...but I cannot remember if it is for feeding all time or just as a supplement.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

As Paige says, it is important to first establish what testing has been done by your vet. Some vets will have simply done a fecal float test and that is not enough to rule out all infectious causes of diarrhea. The PCR diarrhea panel is going to detect some other common causes of diarrhea.

And the subject of water may indicate whether it is possible your cat is being exposed to giardia regularly. Unfortunately, tap water can contain giardia in low levels (it only needs to be reported &/or treated if above a certain level) and some cats will be more sensitive to this than others.

You can try a probiotic to try to get her gastrointestinal tract more balanced with "good" bacteria to resist any exposure to bad ones...

Oh and she is spayed? Just thought I'd ask as I know some female cats have loose stools when in heat...

 

[Patti]

I agree wholeheartedly with running a diarrhea PCR panel and adding probiotics to the diet. You can also add fiber to the diet, such as unflavored psyllium to help bulk up the stools. Some cats just have more sensitive stomachs. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is another cause of diarrhea and can sometimes alternate between diarrhea, normal stools, and constipation.