Sensitive Tummy

[Donna Young]

Help!!Little Cosgrove has had loose stools since we brought him home. We have put him on Flagyl, changed to a completely grain free diet, Ideal balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato (both wet and dry) and no luck. Tonight I found bright red blood in his stool. I am so distraught and frustrated. Is this a common problem with the Sphynx breed? Do I need to find a new vet? I feel so bad for my baby. Any advice would be welcome please.

 

[zoinks]

Yes it is a common problem but you should be able to get on top of it with the right food

Is his stool still runny after the switch? Was the blood fresh or old? Fresh red blood is less concerning than black/brown old blood.

Did you transition him on to his new food? (Sudden changes in diet can cause issues)

Sometimes some canned 100% pumpkin can help firm it up if it is purely diet related.

I am guessing your kitty had Giardia and that's what the flagyl was for? So hopefully there are no parasites or nasties causing the problem.

Hope he improves soon!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Cosgrove is a great name and what an adorable baby! He might just need a second round of meds. You might want a follow up visit with your vet.

Patti

 

[MollysMom]

Is the name a Mad Men nod?

It is not uncommon for sphynx to have stomach issues. How old is he now?

I agree and would follow up with the vet... bearing in mind that if a vet isn't familiar with sphynx, they may not be familiar with their sensitive stomachs.

The red in the stool is likely from irritation in the lower GI... from having runny stool. I would try some pure canned pumpkin as was suggested (the kind without spices etc) added to the current food.

The problem with runny stool (and blood) is that there can be several causes, which can be tricky to rule out. Giardia is one. IBS, food sensitivity, allergy, etc are some of the other possible causes.

Hang in there, there is a solution but you will just have to do some brainstorming with your vet, and maybe some trial and error

 

[admin]

Sorry to hear of this issue @Donna Young . Great advice thus far from the other members. If in fact you are currently treating for Giardia it is very important to be cautious with re- contamination. Are there other cats involved in the home that all share the litter box? Please read this thread about Giardia thoroughly. It sounds as if you switched food as well recently? Switching food can add/ cause tummy issues and cause the bloody stools. Until the meds have run their course, all precautions have been taken to avoid re- contamination I would just stick with one food, add a bit of canned pumpkin (not the pie filler type) to his diet and start from there. Too many changes and meds make it hard to pin point the stool issue. As always see your vet of course as needed. Please keep us posted, hope all gets better soon. Oh, and welcome!

What a cutie you have there by the way! (y)

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
A handsome, little gentleman, you have.

 

[Donna Young]

Thanks you all for the kind words and great advice for Cosgrove. Cosgrove was born March 15. We adopted him the first week of June. We do have two other domestic hairy cats, so I am going to take the advice and move forward with the Giardia precautions. Also going to give the pumpkin a try, what an interesting suggestion. Hope it all clears up soon. I also read some posts referencing a raw diet. What is that??

 

[Dallassummer]

So sorry Cosgrove is having issues! Here is info on Raw Diet http://sphynxlair.com/community/threads/so-confused.14985/

 

[Donna Young]

Hi Mollysmom, the name cosgrove actually came from my 4 year old niece. she saw his photo and said you should name him harry cosgrove. So we did.
The raw diet makes sense. If we can't get a handle on this I may have to go that route.

 

[gothicmist]

We used a probiotic powder and it worked fantastic for jedi.

 

[Embracing-Joyx4]

I agree use probotic powder@gothicmist

 

[Sphynx4sure]

I would consider that he might be allergic to chicken, if the medication doesn't help. Many Sphynx are allergic to grains, chicken, or fish.

 

[pussiette]

It is very common unfortunately and takes a great deal of trial and error if there is blood he'll need more antibiotics to stop secondary infection mine did.

 

[Donna Young]

It seems he has acclimated to the grain free diet and the stools are starting improve. I think I may have found one of the culprits. My husband was "sneaking" cat treats to Cosgrove while I was at work. I did try a little of the pumpkin too. Thanks to everyone.