HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
We treated our new 5 month old kitten for Giardia for 3 weeks. He came from Colorado which has a high incidence of this parasite. He is now Giardia free but has chronic diariah, better known at our house as runny buns. The vet put him on a prescription diet with a low residue but after one week the diariah had only gotten progressively worse. I pulled the food and started feeding him baby food from the grocery store. I chose foods that had no added ingredients, i.e. turkey, chicken, beef, and lamb with rice. I also included greenbeans and carrots and sometimes a little yogurt. It started clearing up almost immediately and within a week he was forming normal stools. I decided to integrate the kibble back in to his diet so gave him what was a very small portion along with the baby food. YUCK! Within 5 hours he had the runs again and it was a mess! I then ordered the original food that the breeder had him on thinking this might work. By the time it arrived the diariah had cleared up again on the baby food and I tried this kibble but now we're back to the runs again. I will give this kibble more chance but are there any ideas out there as to what is going on. What in the kibble that he could be alergic to? And could a cat live a healty life on baby food, maybe along with feline vitamins? I have two cats, so feeding the same thing would be wonderful, especially if I could just leave it out for them both. It's a pain to separate them for feeding and I don't think the other cat eats well if it's not out all the time. Any advice out there?????
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
Did your vet do a fecal to ensure the giardia was actually eradicated? If not, it is time for a new fecal to be sure. Giardia can take a long time to eradicate and without a fecal to confirm, you have no way of knowing if it is in fact gone.
Next, what is the brand type and name of the food you are currently feeding him? Is it a high quality kitten food or an adult food?
Baby food is not appropriate for any kitten or adult cat, unless it is only used as a tempter in times of illness. It does not contain the necessary vitamins/nutrient/minerals for felines. Some baby foods also contain onion or garlic powders, which are toxic to cats.
Get your kitten back to your vet or a new vet promptly, get a new fecal done to rule out other parasites, GI tract bacterial infections...this may include testing for salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter, other types of worms and parasitic infection. Discuss the diet you're currently feeding with your vet, he should be able to recommend the correct type based on exam, any weight loss, dehydration, and the fecal results. In the meantime, do not feed him anything outside of his normal food, including people food, treats, vegetables, etc unless expressly advised by your vet.
Next, what is the brand type and name of the food you are currently feeding him? Is it a high quality kitten food or an adult food?
Baby food is not appropriate for any kitten or adult cat, unless it is only used as a tempter in times of illness. It does not contain the necessary vitamins/nutrient/minerals for felines. Some baby foods also contain onion or garlic powders, which are toxic to cats.
Get your kitten back to your vet or a new vet promptly, get a new fecal done to rule out other parasites, GI tract bacterial infections...this may include testing for salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter, other types of worms and parasitic infection. Discuss the diet you're currently feeding with your vet, he should be able to recommend the correct type based on exam, any weight loss, dehydration, and the fecal results. In the meantime, do not feed him anything outside of his normal food, including people food, treats, vegetables, etc unless expressly advised by your vet.
..........Traci
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
Both of my cats have tested negative for the giardia following their treatment, which we did 3 rounds of. They are indoor cats and tested negative for any other parasites etc. when I first got them and took them to the vet (other than the Giardia.) I'm fairly confidant it is not parasite related. The vet suggested it may be chronic inflamatory bowel disorder which I have to question since it always clears up on the baby food.
The food they started on with the breeder was Life's Abundance Cat food, then I switched to Iam's gradually, then to Eukanuba Low Residue, which is a prescription, and now back to Life's Abundance. None of the baby food had any onion or garlic, I purposely chose the food that didn't have extra additives.
My vet is out of the office today but I will talk to her tomorrow. The cat is gaining weight and has lots of energy so I don't think this is a time crisis. I absolutely will deal with it closely but wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions.
The food they started on with the breeder was Life's Abundance Cat food, then I switched to Iam's gradually, then to Eukanuba Low Residue, which is a prescription, and now back to Life's Abundance. None of the baby food had any onion or garlic, I purposely chose the food that didn't have extra additives.
My vet is out of the office today but I will talk to her tomorrow. The cat is gaining weight and has lots of energy so I don't think this is a time crisis. I absolutely will deal with it closely but wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions.
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
When I rescued Gwen and her kittens, it was "runnybuns" galore for weeks! They tested negative for parasites and were given Albon and Probiocin for the diarrhea. It was all trial and error with different brands of cat food but what finally helped everyone regulate was Science Diet for Sensitive Systems (dry) and Science Diet turkey with giblets (wet). Everyone still eats the SD but can eat different wet flavors.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
I will again advise you to discuss this thoroughly with your vet, and not take this into your own hands.
If food allergies, chronic diarrhea, etc are problematic, it is important to understand that the diet should be given up to 4 weeks or longer to show effect and hope for improvement. If there are intermittent bouts of diarrhea during the dietary change, these can be treated with various methods advised by your vet (anti-diarrheals, fiber additions, acidophylus, etc), but the dietary approach should continue if it appears to be working for the long-term. Eukanuba low-residue is an excellent diet, but there are also various other veterinary prescription diets that may be approached.
It is uncommon for a 5-month-old kitten to develop inflammatory bowel disease....this is a condition that mainly affects older adult cats. However, fecal smears and floats can rule out parasitic infections as well as bacterials, and I would again recommend a new fecal and/or culture to ensure that salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter are all ruled out (parasitic infection could still be a concern despite the early deworming when you aquired him). Aflatoxins in the most recent kibble you're feeding may also need to be ruled out. (although this would be rare, it would be worth it in the event all of your cats have diarrheal episodes)
He could also probably be graduated onto an adult maintenance diet at 5 months, although preferrably at 6-8 months of age. Your vet can give you more advice on that based on his general health status and development.
Personally, I would recommend Science Diet kitten or adult maintenance, but if the diarrhea continues, you will need to commit to further diagnostics to find the cause of the diarrhea.
If food allergies, chronic diarrhea, etc are problematic, it is important to understand that the diet should be given up to 4 weeks or longer to show effect and hope for improvement. If there are intermittent bouts of diarrhea during the dietary change, these can be treated with various methods advised by your vet (anti-diarrheals, fiber additions, acidophylus, etc), but the dietary approach should continue if it appears to be working for the long-term. Eukanuba low-residue is an excellent diet, but there are also various other veterinary prescription diets that may be approached.
It is uncommon for a 5-month-old kitten to develop inflammatory bowel disease....this is a condition that mainly affects older adult cats. However, fecal smears and floats can rule out parasitic infections as well as bacterials, and I would again recommend a new fecal and/or culture to ensure that salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter are all ruled out (parasitic infection could still be a concern despite the early deworming when you aquired him). Aflatoxins in the most recent kibble you're feeding may also need to be ruled out. (although this would be rare, it would be worth it in the event all of your cats have diarrheal episodes)
He could also probably be graduated onto an adult maintenance diet at 5 months, although preferrably at 6-8 months of age. Your vet can give you more advice on that based on his general health status and development.
Personally, I would recommend Science Diet kitten or adult maintenance, but if the diarrhea continues, you will need to commit to further diagnostics to find the cause of the diarrhea.
..........Traci
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
foxnote, I just want to repeat what I told you in PM here as well. My changing food to the Science Diet for Sensitive Systems was only after all tests had been done and probable causes were ruled out.
Get together with your vet to discuss another fecal exam and a diet plan. Good luck and keep us posted.
Get together with your vet to discuss another fecal exam and a diet plan. Good luck and keep us posted.
Re: HELP! My cat has the runnybuns.
"Runny Buns" 
We named one of ours "Squirty" because she did the same thing when we first brought her home as a kitten from the shelter. Whatever it was went away on it's own. ...FWIW.
We named one of ours "Squirty" because she did the same thing when we first brought her home as a kitten from the shelter. Whatever it was went away on it's own. ...FWIW.