Tritrichamonas?

[Breheart]

Thanks Per & Paige. I generally don't like to encourage someone to treat without their vet's involvement but in this case, it sounds like the vet either doesn't want to be bothered or is uninformed & afraid to prescribe the necessary meds.

Yes I agree, this sounds like exactly the case..

 

[Lori Greer]

That link is currently out of stock Also one concern I have is the dosage, that is a falconry site and the medication is for pigeons. How do I know it is the correct amount for my cat if not too much or too little? I am worried about Keljin having unresolved and permanent bowel damage, the last 3 months has seemed way too long and my vet is too slow and too expensive to make me want to continue.. I have been beating myself up over what to do now. Thanks for the info though Lori, very helpful!

You need to go to this link and educate yourself.
http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/docs/documents/ownersguide_tfoetus_revised_122009_final.pdf
If you are comfortable proceeding without your vet's involvement than I would check Foys Pigeon Supply or Mike's Falconry Supply to get the meds. You need a scale and accurate weight of your boy before anyone can help with the correct doseage. If you are not comfortable then you must find yourself another vet that is willing to work with you on this.

 

[Patti]

That is great Trish.. I have yet to find just the right vet I haven't made a decision yet, but perhaps searching around vet to vet is an idea. I would love having a vet that can work with me, rather than avoid. My current vet actually was a classmate with Dr. Gookin, they were classmates 4 years ago. Just dumb markups from her clinic to send it over makes it $160 rather than the initial $77.. I think I would want to test to know for sure about this underlying cause, I am not sure how easy it would be to find a vet who would give treatment without testing first.

You can send a specimen to Zoologix. The website says to email for a quote, but I believe it runs around $99: http://zoologix.com/dogcat/Datasheets/FelineDiarrheaPanel.htm

 

[Per Lausund]

You can read this as well: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16734086

 

[Wyldthingz]

TF is very hard on kittens- it can dehydrate them, cause them not to thrive and gain weight. I had a whole litter hit with it years ago. I was a breeder's nightmare but fortunately, I only had a few adult cats and the litter of kittens. I had to get the meds compounded but dosed accurately, they recovered in 3 days from symptoms which to me was heaven. They treatment had to be longer but at least the kittens were gaining and not having the squirts constantly!!! TF is not a natural parasite in cats but effects and lives in the colon. It causes fiercely strong smelling diarrhea. The meds effect the liver but the liver is very renewable organ. My kittens recovered and I did not have it again but I did treated every cat in my household.

Unlike giardia which is very resilient to drying and cleaning, Tri Trick f. does not survive well outside the body and can be eliminated with careful and constant cleaning. I think some cats can be carriers. I spayed and placed the mother as a pet as I was highly suspicious that she was a chronic carrier.

Yes, a breeder can elimate it but it takes some effort and knowhow.
When my kittens got it, little was known. Even my vet had not heard of it in cats and the test we had to run was extremely delicate, had to be stored correctly, cultured for 14 days, and was actually for cows! It is nice that PCRs can test for it now although they are much more expensive, at least they are accurate.

 

[Kronos]

Well after finishing his third round of metronidazole, Kronos's diarrhea has slowly been coming back. Today I finally took a sample in and am having a PCR GI panel done. It checks for TriTrich as well as many other things. I thought it would be a good idea to check for more, just in case.

Last I heard, Keljin is still a bit drippy, I think Bre is on the verge of having the PCR panel done as well.

 

[admin]

Yes, sounds like it may be TriTrich...there is a PCR though, specifically for TriTrich...are you talking about the new one that is being used?

 

[Kronos]

The vet said this one is a GI PCR Panel.

 

[admin]

I don't think it is the same TriTrich PCR...that one is a special PCR panel...many vets are not well-versed int eh Tritrich arena...mine wasn't and he is a cats only ;-]

 

[Kronos]

My vet has been calling colleagues and labs and putting together treatment plans for me. I have been playing phone tag with her back and forth, as my questions arise, she calls the lab and colleagues, learns, and then calls me back. This test is going to cost $145, and they discounted it for me which I am thankful for.

I still want to treat for tritrich even if it comes back negative. I WILL change vets if I am not happy after this test is over and I see what conclusion my vet comes to.