Why does my cat have recurring diarrhea? What should I do next?

Stray cats can pretty nasty parasitic infections. I would check to see if the vet ran a fecal examination + a Giardia test. Both of these can pick up on many parasites that can cause persistent diarrhea. However, if these tests were already done and were negative, then additional testing may be needed to find other not so common causes of diarrhea like the one ran by Idexx. Http://www.idexx.com.au/pdf/en_au/smallanimal/reference-laboratories/diagnostic-updates/realpcr-canine-feline-diarrhea-panels.pdf Any pet with diarrhea should be on a broad-spectrum dewormer, probiotics and potentially and antibiotic for treatment regardless of any of the tests mentioned above. I would suggest going back to the vet for additional treatment and these additional tests if not done already.

Routine bouts of diarrhoea are caused in most cases by one of the following; Gastrointestinal parasites such as worms Food allergies In rare cases IBD or gastrointestinal tumours can be to blame. This is more likely in older cats. I would start by deworming Doughnut. If you have done this in the last 12 weeks or the diarrhoea returns in a few weeks please post another question and we can try the next step. In the meantime at home; Rest his gastrointestinal tract for a few hours Provide a bland diet of boiled boneless chicken breast Reserve stock from the boiled chicken breast for rehydration

That is a very difficult situation. You may talk to your vet about treating for giardia (even if the test was negative), IBD, food allergies, an aggressive dewormer, running a GI panel, or referral to a specialist in internal medicine. The next step may be biopsies through exploratory surgery or endoscopy. Many cats with diarrhea of unknown cause will respond to a prescription hypoallergenic diet.

Hi. It may be a parasite that isn't picked up on a regular fecal sample. You may need to have a fecal culture done. These more specified tests will check for things like cryptosporidum, c. Diff, salmonella, campylobacter, etc. It may also be a viral infection of some kind that isn't picked up on fecal or blood. I think you should talk to your veterinarian about making sure all 6 pets are treated at the same time, and that the environment is fully cleaned and decontaminated. All bedding and bowels washed, litter boxes disinfected, etc. If you would like to discuss more with more specifics, feel free to open a consultation

Alfie could have a parasite, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperthyroidism, liver/kidney disease, etc. Since it has been a week, it would be a good idea to have full blood work, fecal test, and x-rays done to rule out potential causes. I would also recommend switching to a hypoallergenic diet, like d/d, and see if that helps. A medication called Proviable KP may also help. If your vet didn't already prescribe Metronidazole (Flagyl) than that could be tried, too. If the diarrhea persists than an intestinal biopsy may be needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The next steps for me would be a deworming and switching to a prescription GI diet to see if that helps. If no improvement, abdominal ultrasound and full bloodwork are indicated. Best wishes to you and Sven!

Congratulations! It is good you brought a stool sample in. Some worms do not shed eggs often and do not respond to routine dewormers so I would put in the back of my mind that he may need a thorough stool panel done at a reference lab. Other thoughts include: stress colitis (especially if Onyx came to you very recently!), diet changes, bacterial overgrowth (typically respond to antibiotics and probiotics), and irritable bowel syndrome. I would ask your vet about basic diarrhea treatments and if that does not help, then I would want to pursue bloodwork and a send out stool panel. If you still do not get an answer I would consider imaging like an ultrasound. I hope this helps and that Onyx is better soon!