My kitten has diarrhea for weeks, acts normal, food changes didn't help?

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I suggest you have him dewormed and I would also start him on a probiotic (Fortiflora). If you do those two things and the diarrhea doesn't start to resolve in a few days then you need to take him to a vet for an exam. ( https://www.1800petmeds.com/purina+fortiflora-prod10376.html ) ( https://www.1800petmeds.com/drontal+for+cats-prod10073.html ) I don't think the oral flea/tick med is the issue but of course it can be. If you use that again in the future and the diarrhea starts again then you can probably confidently say that it is the issue in which case I would stop using it. Usually if that is the case the diarrhea starts within 24 hours of administration. Two weeks later, it is not likely. The new food is also possibly the culprit but again, you didn't switch cold turkey and it doesn't sound like he is eating that much of it anyway. Again, possible but not likely. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Please don't waste your money on those expensive grain free foods. They are not necessary to use except in extreme cases of an actual diagnosed grain allergy which is rare. Grain free diets are now linked to causing heart disease in dogs (we are not sure yet about cats). I recommend you discontinue use of that type of food. My suggestion would be to use a long term course of a probiotic called Fortiflora. Put one packet on his food every day for at least one month. This will help correct any imbalance in good vs bad intestinal bacteria. DO NOT use human probiotics or things like yogurt. Fortiflora is the best in my opinion and it is palatable so cats like to eat it. ( http://www.allivet.com/p-1890-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-fortiflora-cat-supplement-box-of-30.aspx ) As for diet. I would use this one: ( https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-care-nutrition-digestive-care-dry-cat-food/2555 ) If your local pet store does not have this food they can surely order it for you or you can order it online. If these things dont' help, he may have inflammatory bowel disease or something along those lines. You would need to discuss diagnosis and treatment with your vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

I am sorry to hear that Oliver is having prolonged diarrhea. It is good you are not ignoring it as it can be a sign of underlying issues. The steps taken so far- deworming, probiotics and diet change are all great first steps for common causes of diarrhea in kittens. As it sounds like he has had no change, I would proceed to look for less common problems. You can ask your vet about sending out a more involved parasite screen- typically sending one to the lab. I would specifically ask about tritrichomonas and giardia screening as well. In the meantime your vet may want to try a different dewormer and/or diet change (like a hydrolyzed food) as well. If all this is negative and the diarrhea persists, your vet may want to do some imaging such as an ultrasound. I hope this helps and he is back to normal soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Diarrhea can be observed with conditions such as colitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They may choose to check for parasites and to start medications for diarrhea depending on the results. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear Oreo is having diarrhea. Diarrhea in kittens can be due to a variety of reasons, including intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, food intolerance, a virus or another underlying issue. I would recommend Oreo be evaluated by a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for her diarrhea, have any necessary testing done (fecal analysis, etc) and start any treatment (dewormer, antidiarrheal, probiotic) that she may need to help resolve it. Good luck!

Hi, Chronic diarrhea, which is diarrhea that persist or on/off for a few weeks is a condition that needs to be checked and investigated by a vet. The major causes for diarrhea in kittens are: dietary (indiscretion or adverse reactions to food) , infectious (viral/bacterial), parasitic (trichomonas, giardia, cryptosporidium), and toxic causes. Other causes like metabolic, inflammatory, immune-mediated, and neoplastic more commonly seen in adult cats. Either way this will need to be investigated so it always recommended to bring with you multiple samples of faeces from different days. In addition the vet will start with supportive treatment such as antibiotic, anti-parasitic, supplements, change of diet etc. Cryptorchid means that he has undescended testicle or retained testicle, which is a genetic condition where one or both of the testicles stay in the belly, instead of being in the scrotum or sac. It is not a cause for the chronic diarrhea but will be corrected when he will be castrated. Hope this helps and Good luck