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Hi!
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I have an adorable DSH tuxedo kitten (he is almost 6 months). When I first got him, he had ear mites and a problem using the litter box due to his diarrhea. I gave him the de-worm medicine twice, that went away. Now, almost 3 months later, he is having more stomach issues. Last week, he threw up for about two days straight and I got him to the vet by mid second day. They gave him amoxicillin and he improved. He was back to normal, and the vet told me to only give him the 2ml twice a day for 5 days. I stopped it after 6 days, assuming he was better. Now, three days later, he vomited all over again and had diarrhea just over the night-time. I called the vet and they are recommending more amoxicillin. I have a VERY limited budget and am a college student about to go into finals. I have little time and even less money. If this second round of antibiotics doesn't help, what should I do? If he were to have something like IBD or a kidney issue, would amoxicillin help that? Is it likely he has a more serious intestinal issue and if so, how much do all those tests cost?
Hi Heidi,
I don't think that kidney issues are a problem. They very rarely occur in kittens of this age and almost never cause diarrhea (they're more likely to cause constipation), so I probably wouldn't invest money in a blood chemistry panel, personally. IBD is also quite uncommon in kittens of this age, although there are juvenile-onset cases that can start in cats a year old or younger. IBD does sometimes respond partially to antibiotics. However, I would be surprised if this is your little guy’s problem.
I would suspect your little one has a bacterial infection that is not fully sensitive to amoxicillin. Many bacteria will respond at least somewhat to this antibiotic, but there are some that amoxicillin just won’t cure entirely. One of the more common trouble makers is campylobacter. This winter, I lost three cats to an unknown health problem. It turned out to be campylobacter! We had been trying to treat these cats with prednisone for IBD and amoxicillin for unspecified infections. All the cats showed some improvements, but no full recoveries, especially once the antibiotics were stopped. I finally made the investment to fun a full fecal exam, which ran more than 2 dozen tests. The remaining cats were positive for three different infections, but the treatment that they responded to immediately was the one for campolybacter. Only two antibiotics are approved to fully treat this bacterial infection – Zithromax (azithromycin) and Baytril (enrofloxacin).
Another common bacteria that can cause vomiting and diarrhea is helicobacter. This is less easily treated. A combination of Flagyl (metronidazole) and amoxicillin for several weeks, along with a stomach acid reducer seems the best bet so far.
You wouldn’t necessarily have to run a detailed fecal exam, which cost me $220 and had to be run at one of only a handful of labs in the country. In fact, you may not even need to run a fecal exam at all, but see if your vet would mind prescribing Zithromax instead of amoxicillin, to see if that helps (Baytril is not generally recommended for kittens). Some vets don’t carry Zithromax, and they may need to write you a prescription to buy it at a pharmacy. It usually runs around $30. Hopefully that will cure his problem.
If your vet insists on a fecal exam, I would recommend that PCR tests be performed, since fecal smears can easily miss campylobacter and helicobacter. Smears are often performed in the vet’s office. A microscope is used to look for the presence of the bacteria. But a PCR test will need to be sent out to a lab and requested specifically. Here, very sensitive diagnostics are used to check for evidence of the germs.
If all come back negative and he still has diarrhea issues, I would recommend trying a prescription diet with hydrolyzed proteins and asking about possible anti-inflammatories in case he does have IBD. Your only other next step is to have an endoscopy/exploratory done, and those run several hundred dollars (in my area, about $450-$600). In my experience, they rarely provide any answer besides, “Wow, there’s a lot of inflammation in there,” which generally only suggests the presence of IBD, considering the other causes of diarrhea have been ruled out.
Good luck! I hope he feels better soon!
Jessica
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Answers by Expert:
Jessica
Expertise
The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.
Experience
I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.
Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience
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