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Old March 18th, 2019, 03:45 AM
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RUSTYcat RUSTYcat is offline
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Hi Ria and welcome to the forum !

I suspect that her gut bacteria/flora have all but been destroyed, starting at first with the Clavamox and then the others, particularly the clindamycin.

I'll give you a quote from someone with whom I used to regularly correspond - it's in two parts and very specific to what you're dealing with:
"As to a healthy probiotic, Fortiflora is not it. It is mostly animal digest and has just one strain of probiotic in it. If it hasn't helped the diarrhea, it isn't going to. Mia needs her healthy flora replaced, meaning she needs a good acidophilus + bifidus based multi-strain probiotic. One well accepted by cats is the people probiotic, Renew Life, Ultimate Flora, 15 bn CFU. Give 1/2 capsule on or in food 2x a day, at least 2 hours after antibiotic administration, and continue it at least a month after you finish the antibiotics. Vets investigating the area and that present at conferences support the use if human probiotics in cats, and at the much higher doses than cat probiotics. The "give animal specific strains" is hogwash. There are exactly five studies attempting to identify the natural bacteria in cat huts - it is nascent research, and they really have no clue yet. Acidophilus and bifidus strains were found, and we at least have one study indicating cats benefit from acidophilus as we do.

In the meantime, to help stop the antibiotic-induced diarrhea, use S boulardii. You can buy Florastor at Costco or Walmart. Give 1/2 capsule 2x a day mixed into a bit of Beech Nut baby food. This is a yeast-based probiotic, a close cousin of Brewer's Yeast. It is actually the most researched probiotic there is, and it is used by UC Davis in cats to treat antibiotic-resistant C diff. It is used in many hospitals to treat antibiotic-induced diarrhea. It is not metabolized, but passes undigested into the intestines where it works locally in the lumen. It helps restore normal function, and creates an environment where the healthy bacteria can thrive. It also reduces inflammation. Unlike the strains in the Renew Life, it does not populate the gut, and will be out of her system completely within 36 hours of stopping it.

Health food stores often carry Renew Life probiotics and Jarrow brand S boulardii with MOS. This can also be used instead of the Florastor."
I'd just add that Gerber stage 2 meat types (baby foods) are now the go-to for this type of thing with cats (or for inappetent cats)

I would also be adding some plain pumpkin (not pie filling) into her wet food. Pumpkin is the most marvelous regulator, working either to firm up watery stool or soften otherwise hard dry stool. Here' a trusted reference (the entire site should be a must-read pre-req for anyone with cats!): Feline Constipation.org - Prevention - Fiber

As for what started all this, a short note to self, Ria: most of the out-of-the-blue 'cat colds' are viral in nature, so antibiotics are useless. You might want to consider symptomatic relief in future....reliable backgrounder and simple treatments here: Harpsie.com - Cat Flu.
Quote:
She was sneezing, had eye & nose discharge.
Those are textbook examples of a herpesvirus outbreak. Look for the L-lysine reference in there, it's well-known to manage these.


I'm very curious.....what is this anti-diarrheal drug they are suggesting?

Hope this helps!
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