Expert: Jessica - 12/7/2010

Question
I have a cat, 5 yrs, that has lost alot of weight, and has diarrhea.Have taken her to my vet, where she was wormed, and given a shot of convenia.This was 4 weeks ago,still thin and has loose stools.She eats well, drinks, uses litter pan,grooms, and seems to be a normal cat, cept for the 2 sympotoms. No labs were done, or tests. Any ideas on what I should do next?  

Answer
Hi Dawn,

I'm a little curious as to why the vet chose Convenia to treat a cat with diarrhea.  This isn't the first choice for most gastrointestinal infections, so unless other symptoms were found on her exam, I'm wondering what the suspected diagnosis was.

At any rate, I think you should follow up with the vet and see if she should be put on a different antibiotic that treats a broader spectrum of germs that cause diarrhea.  Most of the time, metronidazole (Flagyl) is the first choice.  This takes care of some protozoan germs as well as bacterial infections, and it also has anti-inflammatory properties.  Convenia only treats bacterial infections and is not specifically labeled to treat intestinal infections.  

It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a stool sample in for a fecal analysis, either.  This can help check for parasites and bacteria that might require an antibiotic besides Flagyl to treat.

You may also need to discuss a diet change with your vet.  Some cats are intolerant of food ingredients, especially grains like corn.  In general, the fewer grains in the food, the better.  My cats eat a grain-free food, and this has helped most of them.  Those who eat canned food only seem to do even better.  If no commercial food fits the bill, there are many prescription foods for cats with dietary intolerances that use alternate food ingredients, which your cat may tolerate better.  But some cats have trouble digesting proteins, and these kitties need to have the proteins hydrolyzed (broken down into amino acids).  These are available in prescription foods such as Hill's z/d.

If none of the above help, your cat might be suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).  This is similar to human Crohn's Disease.  In this case, she may need daily prednisone to help control inflammation in her bowels and help clear up diarrhea.  The prednisone can be tapered down to the lowest effective dose once her stools have firmed up.

Best of luck!

Jessica