Tritrichomonas

[Swtrktn]

I have had a hard time with my baby Savannahs over the last two years. I purchased my first Savannah (F3 - Siris) in 2014. The poor little guy came home with Trich. It was so bad that not only did he test positive with the PCR, which was a backup to confirm the diagnosis, but it showed up on a slide as well. We underwent the Ronidazole treatment and his digestive track was finally normal. (He passed away a few months later of FIP at 7 months of age)

About a year later I was ready to bring home my new baby (F3 - Phanes). Phanes came from the same breeder as a replacement for Siris. Phanes too came home with similar symptoms, so I immediately went to the vet and requested a PCR for Trich. Since he did not have a sample to give, they sent me home with Metronidazole. A few days later I was able to drop off a sample to be tested. The test results were negative. His symptoms returned after the Metronidazole treatment, so he was tested for every other parasite (PCR), which also returned negative results. After extensive conversations with the vet, we agreed that it would be alright to treat Phanes with the Ronidazole I still had from Siris' treatment a year prior (stored in the freezer). About 2 weeks after the treatment, his symptoms returned again. At this point, we tried a pre/probiotic treatment which was unsuccessful as well. We again ran his stool through a third PCR, which again returned negative results. The vet then decided that Phanes may have an undeveloped digestive track, so we have increased his fiber and gone to a raw food only diet. This has proven to be unsuccessful as well.

I recently purchased a new Savannah (F2 - Nyx) for a playmate for Phanes. Nyx came home October 23 and was completely healthy. This morning I was near the litter box when Nyx used it, and he is now experiencing the same symptoms as Phanes (runny/liquid diarrhea and decreased apetite).

At this point, I have to believe that Phanes and Nyx do have some sort of parasite. I have placed a call into the vet and am awaiting their call back. In the meantime, I wanted to see if anyone has experienced anything similar? Could the clinic's laboratory facility produce multiple FALSE negative results?

My anxiety regarding the matter is growing rapidly. Any advice from past experience or professional expertise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I haven't had any experience with Tritrich but I am curious what Phanes breeder is doing about it. Seems that the health guarantee of your contract should cover this situation. She has sent you 2 sick kittens and needs to do something to ensure her cattery is healthy. Until a diagnoses and treatment is found for Phanes, I would keep the 2 cats apart. Even though they both appear to suffer the same illness, it will be easier to treat and control the issue if they are not together, especially if Phanes has other as yet undetected issues going on.

I'm very sorry that you're dealing with health issues in your kitties.

 

[DumaLove]

If the sample doesn't happen to have the parasite it could be false negative. We're the sample you brought actually diarrhea? If not, wait for a diarrhea sample to bring. If they were, you may need to do a colon flush to get a proper sample. Some things hide high in the digestive tract.

 

[Patti]

I agree with Heather - it is actually not uncommon to get a false positive reading if they are not actually shedding the protozoan at that moment. Try to get a fresh sample once the kitten has diarrhea and take it directly to the vet for testing. Some even suggest inducing diarrhea in order to get the best sample possible. Tritrich can be nasty to get rid of. You might also consider washing your litter box(es) out daily with bleach or similar disinfectant.

 

[Swtrktn]

Thank you all for your feedback, I appreciate the support in dealing with this matter.

I agree with everything you have suggested and will do exactly that.

I spoke with the vet yesterday afternoon, and they agree that the test results could produce a false negative. However, the samples I provided were all diarrhea. I would think that out of one of them, it would show. Unfortunately, not all of the PCR tests were specifically for Tritrich. (I assume this is why it was overlooked). We have an appointment to run another Tritrich. test and get their weight so we can order another round of Ronidazole. I am hoping that the second round for Phanes will kill this ugly parasite, and the first round knocks it out for Nyx as well.

In the interem, I am completely replacing litter and wiping down the boxes with Clorox twice daily. I have even added an auxiliary box for further comfort.

Thanks again!

 

[Swtrktn]

I haven't had any experience with Tritrich but I am curious what Phanes breeder is doing about it. Seems that the health guarantee of your contract should cover this situation. She has sent you 2 sick kittens and needs to do something to ensure her cattery is healthy. Until a diagnoses and treatment is found for Phanes, I would keep the 2 cats apart. Even though they both appear to suffer the same illness, it will be easier to treat and control the issue if they are not together, especially if Phanes has other as yet undetected issues going on.

I'm very sorry that you're dealing with health issues in your kitties.

When my first Savannah was diagnosed with Tritrich., I immediately contacted the breeder to let her know. Her response didn't seem to indicate that she thought it was a serious issue. I agree that she should take every precaution to ensure that her kittens are healthy upon purchase. I have spoken to others that have purchased kittens from her (different generation than Siris and Phanes), and they have not had any intestinal issues with their kittens/cats. I am thinking her facility separates the different generations and only her F2 queens are infected. Either way, we will be having another discussion regarding this issue.