My cat has bloody, loose stools after deworming. What's wrong?

I'm sorry Apple isn't doing well at the moment! There are a number of other causes of blood in the stool such as a bacterial infection, viral infection, a foreign body, eating something rotten, giardia, coccidia, or damage to the GI tract among other causes. I'm not sure if the vet did a fecal float to check to check for parasites, but giardia cysts are often not detected with this test because of their small size, and will often require a special zinc sulfate flotation solution for detection. You can ask your vet if they have done this test to check for giardia as a possible cause of her bloody stool. Further tests may be needed as well such as blood work, a urinalysis, x-ray of her abdomen, or an ultrasound of her abdomen. I would speak to your vet to see if one of these tests could be done to help diagnose the cause of her symptoms so she can be treated. I hope this helps, best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This really depends on a lot of factors. It depends on how much blood Tiger may be losing and if this is truly from diarrhea being caused by the parasites. If a diagnosis of parasites was established and you are giving the deworming as instructed by a veterinarian then it would be reasonable to see if this was just a one time episode of bloody stool and to have him examined if it continues. However, if a diagnosis has not been established by a veterinarian, I think it would be best to have a veterinarian look at Tiger as this diarrhea and bloody stools may be unrelated to parasites in which case it is not going to improve with the dewormer. Good luck and have a great day!

I suspect food allergy or IBD. I recommend you try the following: 1. Change the diet to Purina ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. I have had a lot of luck with clients using this diet and it has really helped. Change the diet slowly over a week's time to prevent further GI upset. ( https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/cats/sensitive-stomach-skin-cat-food ) 2. Start her on a good probiotic made for cats like Fortiflora. It comes as a 30 day course. I would do all 30 days. ( https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.com/products/fortiflora-cats-probiotics/ ) If after this, no improvement or the problem returns then more testing for IBD would be needed. I would not be worried about the blood unless it persists for days on end. I know it is concerning to you but it is just from the colon being irritated. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Blood in the stool is very worrisome to owners and I understand that but if it is a one time occurrence I would not be overly concerned. The most common reason for this colonic irritation is internal parasites. I suggest you speak to your vet about deworming. The two common parasites to cause blood in stool is hookworms and coccidia both of which are treated with different dewormers. You should have your vet run a fecal test first to figure out if that is the underlying reason. I would also suggest you start her on a probiotic and use it for at least 2 weeks. I recommend Fortiflora but any probiotic for cats should be OK (no human probiotics). ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purina-FortiFlora-Cat-GR-1/dp/B019K79PZY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=278E7D3H93B4O&keywords=fortiflora+for+cats&qid=1560006557&s=gateway&sprefix=fortiflora+for+dogs%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-3 ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

It is possible that this particular stool was difficult to pass and you helping to remove it may have caused a small amount of bleeding from the rectal tissue. Cats can become constipated, and if she has been passing less stool than usual, straining to defecate and had a decreased appetite I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. There are some other things that can cause blood in the stool as well including intestinal parasites, colitis or even inflammatory bowel disease. If the blood is persistent you should make an appointment to see your veterinarian as well.

parasite such as worms are a possibility, but there can also be bacteria such as coccidia that can cause that too. Any vet or pet store sells general dewormers over the counter. The most common options contain an ingredient such as pyrantel. If you can find one that contains praziquantel, this will cover tapeworms also. Your vet can check a stool sample to verify what parasites, if any, are found.

Poor girl. It sounds like she may have a bout of colitis (inflamed colon) which is common following a tapeworm infection. You can try treating her with probiotics, Culturelle over the counter, to see if this clears things up. You can also try adding in 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in her food daily to add fiber and help bulk up her stools. I would also recommend feeding her a bland diet of boiled plain chicken or tuna and white rice for about 7 days, and then slowly transitioning her back to her normal diet. If her diarrhea and straining does not improve within 3-4 days, then its best to take her to your vet who can test her stool and make sure there isn't something else going on. If it is just a bad case of colitis, then a short course of antibiotics will likely resolve things. Best wishes with Stockings and I hope she feels better soon. Take care.