Acute diarrhea treatments in cats?

Diarrhea is a symptom that something is not going well in the cat’s intestine. Vomiting and acute diarrhea in cats, as well as urinary problems, are the most frequent causes of visiting the veterinarian.

There can be several problems that cause diarrhea in cats and, therefore, it is important to go to the vet to find out the cause.

How to identify diarrhea?

A cat suffering from diarrhea has the soft or watery stools, lighter or darker than normal colors, may also have mucus or fresh blood. In addition, the cat can make more efforts when defecating.

Symptoms will depend on the part of the intestine that is affected:

• Small intestine. Diarrhea is abundant and the animal ends up losing weight.
• Large intestine. The cat has a hard time defecating and the feces are small, very numerous, and sometimes you can see mucus or fresh blood.
• Combination of symptoms of the small and large intestine. It is what happens most of the time.

If the cat uses the sandbox, it will be easy to identify the type of feces in order to inform the veterinarian. However, for cats that do their needs outside it can be more difficult. We can look at the base of the tail and anus of the cat in case stool has stuck.

Causes of acute diarrhea in cats

Diarrhea can be caused by many types of diseases, so we must rule out some causes such as parasites by stool samples:

• Supercharging in kittens. In lactating kittens, an excess in the number of doses, especially if it is bottle-fed, is a very common cause of acute diarrhea, just as a lack or decrease in breast milk can cause these problems by underdevelopment of the intestinal tract.
• Diet change. An abrupt change in diet can cause acute diarrhea, so it is best to introduce the new food gradually.
• Alimentary intolerance to some kind of food. Normally, the food that causes it is checked with elimination diets.
• Infection by bacteria, viruses or parasites. Infections are usually very contagious, so if you have more than one cat at home and see diarrhea, it is best to isolate it. Some infections can be very dangerous such as panleukopenia; Salmonella Y Campylobacter They are two very frequent bacteria that cause diarrhea, while, in terms of parasites, giardias, coccidia and worms are common in small cats.

Treatments of acute diarrhea

Diarrhea can become chronic. In the case of acute diarrhea in cats, the veterinarian will try to cut the symptoms through medication and keep the cat like this until it regains its intestinal balance.

The treatment depends on the cause that causes acute diarrhea, and there are tests to detect the presence of certain parasites such as giardias, also of diseases such as parvovirosis.

A sample under the microscope can also help the veterinarian identify other parasites or bacteria.

The duration of diarrhea is important for diagnosis and treatment. Sometimes, It may be necessary to rehydrate the animal for the amount of water lost in the feces.

After a time of fasting a soft diet is recommended, which can always be homemade following veterinary indications, or cans of wet food for gastrointestinal problems.

The shots should be small and offered several times a day: For example, in three or four shots to avoid an overload of the intestine.

In the following days, depending on how the cat evolves, The soft diet should be gradually changed to normal eating, for what you have to always comply with the duration of the medication to cut the diarrhea.

Once the medical treatment is finished, we will observe if the animal adapts well again to its diet and the diarrhea does not appear again.

Acute diarrhea in cats is most common, but there are also other diseases that cause chronic diarrhea such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Let’s see below what is the ideal and most effective treatment of diarrhea in dogs and cats, and what are the possible causes of such pathology. Read more “