My kitten has persistent diarrhea. Should I take him to the vet?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on January 20th, 2018

  There could be a couple of reasons why Rowan is having diarrhea. The change in diet (sampling the other cat's food) could be causing it. Kittens need to be dewormed regularly to prevent intestinal worms, so if he's only had one treatment with deworming medication, then worms could be the problem. Finally, it could be due to a GI illness, eating something rotten, or a foreign body. Given he's been having diarrhea over the last week, I would take him into the vet for exam. Diarrhea continuing longer than 24 hours should always being examined by a vet. The vet can diagnose the cause of the diarrhea and can treat him for it. I would take him into the vet in the morning. Good luck, I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on February 10th, 2017

  Poor kitty. Your treatment depends on the underlying cause. Most kittens have diarrhea as a result of either intestinal parasites or dietary indiscretion (eating something they don't normally eat).
  You can try first feeding Marmalate a bland diet of tuna and white rice for a few days then slowly transition back to his normal diet. You can also add 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin to his stool to add fiber and help harden the stools.
  Also you can add a probiotic to his food daily. I recommend over the counter Culturelle, as it is pretty comparable to the pet formulated ones: Fortiflora and Proviable.
  Green peas are ok to give also, but won't make a huge difference in his recovery.
  
  If his stools don't improve within 2-3 days or he gets any worse, then he needs to see your local vet for a fecal exam test to look for possible parasites and get the appropriate dewormer (i.e. Pyrantel palmoate, Fenbendazole, etc) if found. If he is found to not have parasites, then an antibiotic responsive diarrhea will be assumed to be the cause and he will likely get prescribed antibiotics to treat this.

  

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• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on September 24th, 2017

  I would deworm them with Panacur. Intestinal worms are very common in kittens, causing diarrhea. You can get Panacur from your vets office. It’s a three day course of treatment that you will need to give again two weeks after the first ends. This kills all the worms. They should then be dewormed every two weeks until they are three months old, then monthly until six months of age, after which they should be dewormed every three months. If the Panacur doesn’t help with the diarrhea, I would take them into the vet for a health check.
  
  As a side note, they are now old enough for a kitten formulated food. I would start weaning them onto one. I hope this helps!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful