Following are selected posts to Holisticat on the subject of diarrhea. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utlize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!
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Hi Virginia-
<< What can I do for a queen who is having running bowels? She is on raw meat diet as are the other ones in my household. No one has them but her. Now she has 5 kittens who are 4 weeks old which I don't see where this has anything to do with it. What can I give her? >>
I hafta second Kathy's slippery elm suggestion. The stuff works like a charm. I sprinkle a little on the cats' food whenever they have loose-r stools and the problem is gone in a day or two. The digestive enzymes may help over time, too. I also add those to the daily food mix.
Vick, Skippy, Sam, (Mad) Max and Jezebel
In a message dated 98-08-10 13:15:38 EDT, you write:
<< I know you guys have the answer for me, especially after reading how knowledgeable you are on constipation, but remember when you give me the name of the herb or supplement to give them you have to tell me where to get it and what it looks like. >>
Try Slippery Elm. It comes in powder or capsule. You can sprinkle powder on the food, but I believe it has a stronge taste (never tried it myself!). If your cats are pillable, I would get the capsule form and pill them. I get it at my large drug store, also available at health food stores.
Many of the remedies for constipation and diahrrea are the same, because they work on regulating the bowels rather than firming or loosening the stool itself. Therefore, you can try psyllium husks (like metamucil but get an unflavored brand) and sprinkle it on their food. Just remember to add water, or make sure somehow they get extra water (by syringe, whatever).
Judy has had success with her Rudy (IBD/CRF) kitty with some fiber supplements she found. For fiber, if you can't find the psyllium, try wheat bran. Mix it in with the food, it's pretty tasteless.
If it has an unusual color or odor, (not just poop odor) you may be dealing with a parasite or bacterial infection, in which case I would have different advice.
Hope this helps, Jane (and we won't tell anyone about the butt wiping
stuff)
Lee, Cleo, Kiki, Kelly and the Peach
In a message dated 8/10/98 1:15:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jane@ writes:
<< Cat Diarrhea Okay, I know there have been a lot of posts lately for constipated cats, but what about the opposite problem? >>
Slippery elm is great for both problems, since it regulates the gastro-intestinal tract. Just open a capsule and sprinkle on the food. If that's not enough, give the cat an entire capsule.
Elaine Crews, N.D.
<< Cat Diarrhea Okay, I know there have been a lot of posts lately for constipated cats, but what about the opposite problem? >>
Pretty much the same remedies, 'cause diarrhea and constipation have basically the same cause. Slippery elm, psyllium, pumpkin. For diarrhea, though, you should fast the cat for at least 24 hours (nothing but water or maybe chicken broth), then start slowly with something easy on the stomach but very wet.
Peggy
Hester and Elleander
Re Slippery Elm
It's not the taste that's bad, it's the smell, and a really effective
way of putting a cat off the food it's sprinkled on, unless the cat has
no nose!
Julia
(actually, we've found it to be pretty useless for diarrhoea or constipation
here. Rhubarb for constipation, GSE for diarrhoea.)
* * * * * * * *
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 21:01:30 +0100 (BST)
From: Julia Craig-McFeely <julia.craig-mcfeely@
Subject: [HOL] diarrhoea and other long-term digestive probs
We have had a lot of success with cats with persistent digestive problems
(daily vomiting, persistent diarrhoea) by giving a regular dose of Aloe
Vera. One cat even had surgery (unsuccessful) which couldn't
run her problem to earth. Charcoal, acidophilous etc. calmed her
tummy (with a fish and chicken only diet), then GSE in the water to keep
it from multiplying bugs, and .5 ml aloe concentrate every day. Now
she is fine, fat and winning prizes at shows, as well as having a litter
of the biggest
kittens I even saw.
I have had litters of kittens who repeatedly left soft poop though it never degenerated to real slush. I tried everything I could think of and in the end (after nearly a month of messing around, I gave them each a very tiny dose of colloidal silver. Problem vanished and never came back.
Slippery elm was the one thing that seems to have no visible effect at all, which makes me wonder if what we have over here is different from US Slippery Elm. You CERTAINLY can't make a syrup with our stuff!
Julia
Sorry to hear about the little one having diarrhea. I agree w/ Lee - the milk is probably not a good idea since so many cats are lactose-intolerant. Maybe get some lactose-free milk like that Ultramilk or Cat Sip stuff I see at the stores.
Deli Cat has preservatives and dyes that are probably too much for the tiny little guy's system.
I'm no kitten expert but my instinct would be to give him some chicken
broth a la Frazier. And u can lightly cook some chicken breasts,
add some rice (white only; brown is harder to digest) and mix in a blender.
If he won't eat it, try to get him to lick it off your finger or even smear
some on his nose or paws. If all else fails, force-feed it via a plastic
syringe. I've rescued a lot of
kittens who came to me w/ this problem. I put them on a sorta
modified BRAT diet for kitties.
Also, do u have Dr. Goodpet's Feline Digestive Enzymes? They are available at PetsMart. U can add that to the food as well as some psyllium husk (unflavored Metamucil will do) w/ lots of water.
Slippery Elm is always a good standby. I think Lee mentioned that too.
Hope Gordon feels better real soon. Gentle purrs from exotic ex-mama
cat Hunny Bunny who is our resident Queen
Mum.
Sandy
Hi all
Krista, so you don't know for sure what's causing the diarrhea? Antibiotics didn't help, hmmm. Sandy's acidophilus advice is good. I would also suggest digestive enzymes (if it hasn't been mentioned already), a little bit of canned, plain, unflavoured pumpkin, and if he'll eat it, a teeny bit of cinammon (like 1/8 tsp or less at a time). Keep up the water, that's a good thing. Are they both eating okay? I know it's important to get them eating a good food, but maybe for now it's most important just that a)they eat something on a regular basis that their systems can adjust to and b) that they eat, period. Something easily digestible is boiled chicken and white rice, but make sure you really really cook the rice, overcook it and add more water than you need to. I get this wonderful sticky rice that's ready in 15 minutes, not minute rice but easy to cook.
Good luck, Krista and hugs to Madison and Gordon
Take care
Kathy and the cats
Hi all
Vick, there are a bajillion reasons for diarrhea. I do understand your
panic, and since Sam has a history of pancreatitis it might help to "bland"
his food for a few days, do the chicken and rice thing if he'll eat it.
Kashmir gets (or used to, anyway) diarrhea when she's upset about something,
and when she eats dry food. Does Sam have access to anything he doesn't
normally eat? (How long has this gecko eating been going on? Are they Florida's
answer to mice? If it's been awhile that may not be causing the problem.)
I agree with you about not just stopping it, and I agree about the vitamin C. It's been awhile since Sam had the crystals, right? I think it's Diane Stein who says it can take up to 6 months to heal scar tissue, but if Sam doesn't have any litterbox issues these days it may be safe to cut the C and not worry too much about the crystals. If you're still worried, you may try adding horsetail to his food, though I don't know if it's the kind of thing that's safe to use long term. Maybe a week on, a week off? But that should help with urinary probs while the C is decreased.
Now if that doesn't help, (bland food, cutting back the vit C), you might have cause for concern. Oh yeah, does he get digestive enzymes? Acidophilus or yogurt? If not, they'd make good additions. Oh, yes, and pumpkin. I forgot about the pumpkin, but that's more of a remedy than a standard addition.
I hope Sam's feeling okay. He's not puking, is he? Is there any way you can limit his access to the geckos for a few days?
Take care
Kathy and the cats
<< Sam had a very liquid poop on Sunday. So I made some slippery elm syrup, and have been giving 1 1/2 -2 cc's each time I feed him (about 1/3 teaspoon) to help keep it a little more formed. In case he's trying to detox something, I don't really feel good just making the diarrhea STOP, ya know?>>
I agree w/ you Vick about identifying the cause but in the meantime, what u are doing is crucial i.e keeping him from getting dehydrated. If he's eating pretty close to what he has been in the past, and now this problem has occurred, then clearly his body's trying to say something by eliminating the toxins from the system. Is anything else diff about him? No fever etc., right?
<<Anyhow, he's still pretty loose- and STINKY. So, I flipped thru
Frazier's book this a.m. and hit panic mode- diarrhea is one of the
symptoms of pancreatitis! He is also not eating as much as usual and
>>
I don't have my Reps handy but the stinky part rings a bell w/ some remedy Irecently looked at. What are the other symptoms of pancreatitis? Does he have any of them besides the poop thing? You said he doesn't look jaundiced, so that has to be a good sign, right?
<<lizards. I haven't seen any skinks around, but Sam's eating a gecko every few days. He could be getting diarrhea from that.>>
Iks-nay on the ecko-gay for sure. Don't wanna scare anyone here but as an aside. Yrs ago, when I lived in NY, my neighbor's cat died after eating a lizard. Who knows, it could have been a freak thing but u just never know:(
Try Frazier's chicken broth fast (that doesn't sound right - a fast where u eat even just 1 thing isn't technically a fast, is it?) or maybe some chicken breast - raw since it is easier to digest than cooked - blended w/ a gummy non-Basmati type of rice.
You know my favorite - psyllium husk mixed w/ lots of water to make it soupy or a psyllium husk capsule chased w/ a syringe of water. If he seems dehydrated, try some unflavored Pedialyte. Put some ACV or rosemary in it to balance out the sodium since they are both hi in Potassium. Course Slippery Elm is great stuff so that should help. How about some Marshmallow? It's very soothing like the SE and in light of his UTI problem, should help w. that too.
<<stopped his 500mgs of C a day, but am concerned about his crystals- so am thinking about 500mgs every other day, now.>>
Every other day sounds good for now, till he gets over the runs.
<< Also, all he eats is canned food, with raw beef chunks every few days. Maybe the canned food alone is doing it? Or the beef was less than perfect? He doesn't scarf the beef down, and doesn't eat all of it, so maybe it's not good....>>
Unless either the beef or the canned (what brand, btw) is too alkaline, they shouldn't cause a recurrence in his UTI, I wouldn't think. As to diarrhea, this isn't a new regimen for him, is it?
Good luck to poor Sam..just when he was doing so well from the spraying
thing <sigh> BTW, Booey came out last nite and immediately
sprayed on the privacy screen in front of his sisters' litterboxes...somedays
I just want to scream! Fortunately, no one can hear me where I live
so I do just that! LOL
--
Sandy, owned and operated by::
Hunny Bunny, Boo Boo, Missy, Pigpen, and Tasha (in spirit)
<<It could very well be IBS, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has experienced this kind of problem.>>
Hi everyone,
Judi, have you tried canned pumpkin? I think that worked the best for Rudy (probable IBS), but the prob was that he wouldn't lick it up regularly. Slippery Elm also worked, but not as well. Right now, I give him a fiber supplement, called FiberSol by TwinLabs. It's keeping everything in check, and if I decide to skip a dose, he gets diarrhea. We can't figure out Rudy's underlying prob, and he's had this poop prob since 1990. My vet said that some critterz just need more fiber.
What did the vet say about the elevated creatinine level? I'm sure it's unrelated to the soft poops, but that in itself raises a red flag (in my eyes)!
Hi all,
I thought this info about stools was interesting. More stuff to follow.
Color:
Cause of chronic diarrhea over a week's duration is difficult to diagnose and requires laboratory analysis.
--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweetie T'ing
Hi all
DIARRHEA - food passes rapidly through the small intestine, incompletely digested and arrives at the rectum in a liquid state.
Causes:
Diarrhea is not a disease, it is a sympton, you need to remove the underlying cause. The cause of chronic diarrhea over a week's duration is difficult to diagnose and requires laboratory analysis.
--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweet T'ing
Dear Kathy,
Poor Kahmir; I'm so sorry to hear she's still not feeling well!
Well, here's all I can think of to add to what you're doing (good luck
with the broth and homeopathy, sounds like the best things to do).
Raspberry leaf tea is excellent for diarrhea in cats. You can get
it at a good health food store, either the leaf itself (my preferred method,
assuming it's fresh)or tincture/extract. Be sure it's pure leaf of
the raspberry plant, not a tea that's flavored with raspberry! I
brew a strong tea by putting the leaves in just-boiled water and letting
sit a few minutes, then strain and give a teaspoon or two at a time, every
couple hours or so until I'm sure the
diarrhea is gone. If you get the tincture, put a few drops in
a tiny bit of just-boiled water to let the alcohol evaporate off.
For mild cases, one or two doses is usually enough, but it's extremely
safe so use your own judgement. It's given to pregnant women all
the time. The only drawback would be a small amount of tannins (like
a lot of teas) which wouldn't be good for the kidneys in huge amounts longterm.
It's healing to the digestive tract and amazing for loose stools.
It's a little bit anti-microbial and cleansing, so might really help with
whatever's going on. You could give it with the broth by syringe.
I would also include your acidophilus with that, although I wouldn't give
any other supplements right now. BTW, I've found that turkey is a
little better with loose stools than chicken.
We'll be sending you lots of good thoughts, prayers, and healing purrs!
Laurie (Wildflower) and Tribble (who says, yum, raspberry leaf tea - good stuff that makes me feel better!)
Hi Kathy
You prob have Frazier's recipe for making slippery elm powder into syrup, but if not: 1 tsp powder in 1/2 cup cold water, mix together, slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. It'll be mucilaginous by that time. Cool to room temp, store in fridge, use within 5 to 7 days.
Since Frazier's book is the one book you don't have, I thought I'd type out what I could find that might be applicable - makes me feel less helpless :(
For vomiting, she suggests withholding food for 3 hours (ha! that's not the problem...) and if no vomiting recurs, give 1/4 c clear broth (chicken or veg) with 1 tsp slippery elm syrup. Continue to fast the cat on the broth and slippery elm for 1 to 2 days, then gradually reintroduce regular food.
Diarrhea:
She says that strangely, extreme dehydration can produce diarrhea,
which clears up after the cat is hydrated.
Diarrhea for 1 day:
Withhold all solid food, put the cat on a fast of High-Calc Chicken
Broth, feed 3 to 5 times a day as much as the patient wants, remove the
leftovers between feedings. Alkalize the system (diarrhea almost always
indicates a hyperacid system), by adding 1 tablespoon of kombu seaweed
broth to the chicken broth each time you feed. Soothe the intestine by
giving 1 teaspoon slippery elm syrup before each meal - it's soothing,
alkalizing and full of minerals. Restore the balance of friendly bacteria
in the intestine by adding 1 teaspoon unflavored liquid acidophilus to
chicken broth - use vegetarian acidophilus that contains no milk or lactose.
Alkalize and purify the entire intestinal tract by giving 1/8 teaspoon
liquid chlorophyll or Green Magma 3 times a day, either in the chicken
broth or mixed with a teaspoon of the broth and given as a liquid medication.
Herbal remedy: if there is irritation in the intestine, golden seal infusion
will soothe and provide a tonic for the entire digestive tract. Put five
drops golden seal extract into 1/2 cup water. Give 1 to 2 teaspoons twice
a day between meals (at least 2 hours before or after
food). Or give 1/4 dropperful golden seal elixir 20 mins before meals.
Discontinue after 5 days.
(Elixir: Into a new one-ounce glass dropper bottle put 2/3 bottle full of distilled or spring water and 3 drops of herbal tincture. Cover and shake vigorously 108 times, hitting bottle against a thick rug or padded arm of a chair each time. Shake 12 times before each use. Dosage is 1/4 dropperful 20 mins before meals. Keeps in fridge 7 days.)
Diarrhea for 2 days:
Follow previous suggestions. Consult vet. Watch for any other symptoms.
If stool has a strong smell or if there is flatulence, give a charcoal
capsule or tablet after the slippery elm syrup twice a day. Continue to
withhold solid food and fast on chicken broth.
Diarrhea for 3 days:
Follow previous suggestions, consult vet by phone or visit. Continue
chicken broth fast. Give 3 cc plain, unflavored Kaopectate 3 times a day
using a dropper or syringe. Be sure cat is drinking water or broth (atleast
30 cc daily) to prevent dehydration.
Diarrha continuing unabated on 4th day
Take cat to vet for diagnosis. Ask vet if cat seems dehydrated; if
cat has no heart probs request subqs.
Force feeding:
She suggests for better control over the size and speed of the successive
squirts don't press the plunger with the thumb tip. You will gain wonderful
control if you place the end of the plunger against the heel of your thumb
(the base down in the palm). Heat the liquid to between room temp and baby
bath temp.
Oh dear, I wish there was more I could do. Hope your baby is feeling better this morning. :)
--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweet T'ing
<< This comes from Schwartz's book, _Four Paws Five Directions_ Dietary recommendations for acute bouts of diarrhea-- stop *all* dry and solid foods. Use broths made from miso or chicken and rice.>>
Susan, this was one of the first things I was going to suggest, but I know that some people don't like to fast kittens or older cats on just liquids. I've found it really gives their tummies a rest though, and can sometimes help. If there is really a concern about them keeping their strength up, a little honey could be used which also has slight antibacterial properties.
<< Herbal recommendations for chronic watery diarrhea, pasty stool
w/ food particles are as follows: "Cinnamon Bark, Elecampane, Ginger Root,
Sage, Chamomile: These herbs can be used individually or in combination
to strengthen the
qi and warm the spleen/pancreas.>>
Elecampane is usually used for respiratory problems according to a reference I have, but it also says it's useful to stimulate digestion. Ginger is often recommended for nausea, but might be helpful in this case if you want the warming effects. She may have mentioned sage for the tannin (astringent) properties, but it's not one I would have thought of for diarrhea. Chamomile is always soothing for most kind of tummy problems.
<< White Oak Bark. This Western herb is used as an astringent for strengthening the muscle tone and surface of the intestine. Use 1/2 teaspoon to 1 cup boiled water." pp324-26 >>
Willow bark should *not* be taken by cats - it's poisonous to them, but couldn't tell you for sure about white oak. I think, though, sometimes, people use generic terms in books when it comes to some trees/plants.
I'm going to make an additional suggestion that I tried myself this
winter and is recommended in Pitcairn's book. Give 1/2 to 2 teaspoons
of roasted carob powder up to three times a day; I mixed it with a little
water, honey and cinnamon. I think the mix I wound up using was around
2 teaspoons of carob, about 1/2 teas. of cinnamon and just enough honey
to sweeten it a bit. It worked quite well for me when I had the flu
this winter. She'd want to give a pretty small amount probably depending
on the age of the kittens. I also wouldn't use it in combination
with other herbs unless perhaps the ginger or chamomile. In David
Duke's book "The Green Pharmacy" he used carob when he had an attack of
food poisoning while in Panama and it worked well for that. He also
cited a study where infants with bacterial or viral diarrhea were given
carob powder. The children given
the placebo had diarrhea for about four days; the ones given carob
only had it for two days, so it must help some.
The two references I used for the above were The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal and The Green Pharmacy. I think if after trying some of these herbs, there were still problems, I would try opening a capsule of Kyolic odorless garlic (do they have that in England?) and sprinkling some in the chicken broth.
Julia, I cc'd a copy of this to your friend - hope something helps her
fur babies!
Leah
Hi everybody,
Julia, I'm sending this to the list in case it might help others and
in case others w/ a stronger background in herbs can warn you
away from anything that might not be the best for kitties. This
comes from Schwartze's book, _Four Paws Five Directions_
Dietary recommendations for acute bouts of diarrhea-- stop *all* dry and solid foods. Use broths made from miso or chicken and rice. Avoid raw foods as these are difficult to digest. Schwartze recommends using fluid replacers for babies (1/2 the baby dosage for cats (so maybe half that for a kitten). After two days of broth, solid foods can be re-introduced. (Boiled potatoes are soothing and anti inflammatory for the colon).
Herbal recommendations for chronic watery diarrhea, pasty stool w/ food particles are as follows:
"Cinnamon Bark, Elecampane, Ginger Root, Sage, Chamomile:
These herbs can be used individually or in combination to strengthen
the qi and warm the spleen/pancreas. Use 1/2 teaspoon powdered herb
to 1 cup boiled water. Steep twenty minutes and strain. Use
1 to 3 dropperfuls depending on the size of the animal and the severity
of the symptoms, twice daily with food.
White Oak Bark:
This Western herb is used as an astringent for strengthening the muscle
tone and surface of the intestine. Use 1/2 teaspoon to 1 cup boiled
water." pp324-26
Please wait for feedback from Sandy, Leah, and others who know herbs for cats better than I.
Susan
KECrews@ wrote:
<< Aloe is excellent for absorbing toxins and promoting growth
of friendly colon bacteria. In my experience with my cats, I have not seen
a laxative effect.>>
I'm embarrassed to say the Megan has had diarrhea to varying degrees
for months -- since around the time of her cat-companion's death last spring.
She's been treated for worms and giardia and she's been checked for other
disorders and, though she has cancer elsewhere, no long-term medical digestive
problems have been found by a vet. She's been getting
aloe for about 4 or 5 months twice daily. She also gets pectin,
digestive enzymes, slippery elm and raspberry leaf tea. She was getting
cinnamon but apparently hated the taste/smell. She got a new homeopathic
remedy on Sunday and after reading the beginning of this thread, I stopped
her aloe on Tuesday. She has since had 3 PERFECT stools -- the first time
since last June! I can't say that the aloe was causing the diarrhea but,
in Megan's case at least, it wasn't what stopped it either.
This isn't to say that I don't think aloe helps the digestive system -- Megan has always been a rebel so it may just be that it didn't help *hers.*
susan
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