My cat has had diarrhea for 3 days. What should I do for him? Should I take him to the vet?

Hi,

Last April, my 16-year-old long haired cat, Geisha, began experiencing frequent sneezing and congestion. Her symptoms worsened gradually. Her nasal breathing sounded wheezy and her purring sounded like duck quacking. We took her to the vet who treated her with antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and anti-histamine (Chlorpheniramine). When her symptoms did not improve, the vet then gave her a different antibiotic (Convenia) and a steroid (Dexamethasone). When her symptoms still did not improve, we took her to a specialist. The specialist ruled out rhinitis because Geisha’s bloody nasal discharge only occurred from her right nostril and concluded that Geisha possibly had a polyp or nasal tumor. They recommended performing a CT scan, rhinoscopy, and biopsy. They prescribed Geisha a steroid (Prednisolone) while we thought over their recommendations. Within a day, Geisha’s symptoms began to dissipate and after a couple of days, all her symptoms disappeared and she was fully recovered.

Unfortunately, in January of this year, Geisha had another relapse of the same symptoms. We brought her to the vet on 1/9/2020, who after hearing her previous history, prescribed both Clavamox and Prednisolone. They also administered a blood test, the result of which we were told was unremarkable.

Geisha’s recovery last year came after she was put on 1 tablet of 5mg Prednisolone per day. Unfortunately, the same medication regimen this time did not improve her condition. After weeks on medication with no signs of improvement, on 3/6/2020, we brought Geisha to a specialist referred by the vet. There she was given another blood test, the results of which was once again deemed unremarkable. During the same visit, we were told that only a CT scan along with a biopsy would conclusively identify the root cause of her symptoms. We agreed to the CT scan on this basis alone.

After spending close to $2,500 on the scan, we were told that the CT scan did indicate a mass but that the nature and identity of the mass could not be determined. The specialist informed us that the biopsy results did not indicate that the mass was cancerous. However, he stated that it is his opinion that the mass was cancerous, without any supporting evidence and despite the contradictory biopsy results. It is his opinion that the biopsy results are incorrect due to poor sampling. His conclusion is that we should consider pursuing radiation treatment since that would be the only resolution. So, basically, after a $2,500 expense, the vet is just as clueless about the nature of Geisha’s issue as he was before.

Geisha was returned to us after the CT scan with Prednisolone medication. We were instructed to increase her dosage to 1.5 5mg Prednisolone per day. With this increased dosage, Geisha’s condition has improved. In the month that has passed, while her condition has improved, she is still mildly symptomatic and not fully recovered and thus is still on the same medication regimen.

Naturally, my wife and I are very disappointed that we still have an inconclusive diagnosis despite having been assured that the costly procedures would be justified by the precise root cause that they would deliver. We also don’t understand why we spent money for procedures such as the biopsy only for the vet to completely disregard the results and formulate his opinion purely on conjecture. This all seems to fly in the face of the scientific method that all science is based on.

I would love to get your opinion on what you think is the issue with Geisha and what you believe the best course of action for her is based on her past year of symptoms and treatment history and also taking her age into account.

Thank you so much for your time.

I am in obx and I have been looking for help with my dog . I have saw your blog and your videos on you tube and wanted to reach out to you. My dog might have disc disease . She is in a hospital on another island down here . Actually it is my grandsons dog, he lives with me alone and this has been his best friend for 4 years . He is 11 and we adopted her . She woke up Monday and her back legs were shaky and then we took her to hospital and she has been there ever since . They have treated her with meds incase it was a bacteria or tick disease but she still can’t use her back legs. She still can’t stand . She is still in vets resting and getting great care. We don’t have much money so we can’t get her an mri but I grew up near jarretsville(went to John Carroll high) and when I saw your blog and video I thought maybe you could give us some advice. Can we email you? My email is Marygrace58@aol.com . I thank you so much! The vet here is so awesome and still gives us hope! but they are saying I might want to consider putting her down. Which I understand but I saw your videos and thought I might reach out. My grandson wants to bring her home but she can’t walk and use bathroom. Was hoping you could give us some help or advice. I just called up to your office because I was hoping to talk to you. The lady that answered the phone said this was the best way to contact you. My phone is 804 814 5068. I do not want to put the dog down. I would like to try and would like some ideas from you. Thank you for your time. Marygrace and AJ

We rescued our almost 2 year old dog in early January. She was spade in November I believe. In late February she was diagnosed with a UTI and has seemed to have issues ever since. She was given medicine for her UTI and as soon as she finished she seemed to have some more dribbling at times, and straining and not a large production of urine. We took her to the vet and they said there was some formation of crystals, her PH was high, and they recommended notto do a certain kind of testing (I can’t remember what) because she just came off antibiotics and said it wouldn’t yield true results. They said we could do a blood test and X-ray, but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. A few days later she had what I believe they called large intestine diarrhea and needed medication for that. She just finished the medication and probiotic for that this week and now she is having some dribbling or puddling issues. I noticed it yesterday, but I thought my son just scared her with his toy. Today, it was after coming in from a walk. She was laying down and peed a small puddle. She has been drinking plenty and goes to the bathroom and produces a normal amount of urine, she doesn’t seem to strain at all. Not sure if I should call the vet and what kind of tests she should get moving forward. It is getting very expensive and I can’t keep spending almost $200 for each vet visit.

Hey everyone! I was hoping I can get some insight on how to battle for ringworm in my household? we adopted a cat from the humane society and they were not aware that he had ringworm and it has passed to the 2 humans in the house and the other cats.

I’ve been doing the daily cleaning, washing the sheets, vacuuming, spraying Lysol, wiping surfaces down, etc. I got topical medicine for both humans and cats.. I have lime sulphur on order. I also have deep played my couch covered with plastic and tarp and sheets. Cat towers are outside to be cleaned and stored away until it’s over.

Is there any of suggestions? If I would lock my cat’s in the basement and keep them away from the living quarters could that possibly help keep it contained and help eliminate the issue?

Thanks in advance! I appreciate any opinions!/advice I may get! ????

Hi,

my 2 years old cat doesn’t want to eat wet food (I have tried every kind and brand ). He only eats small amounts of dry food (urinary).
In the result he is skinny (weights only about 3,5kg) and has ongoing problems with urinary tract and struvite crystals.
We’ve been dealing with these problems since he was a child and I am afraid the situation won’t change unless he starts eating properly.
I can’t afford such frequent visits to the Vet clinic, especially since he recently had a blockage and the treatment costs a lot ( vet care in Poland is really expensive too).
He is such an active cat and despite the poor diet, he still has the energy to play.
I’ve examinated his blood and everything seems fine. His teeth are also fine..I honestly tried every internet trick to encourage him to eat.
I don’t know If he is picky or sick. Is the urinary porblems affected by diet or he doesn’t want to eat becouse of the urinary tract issues..
What should I do?

Hello, I have a kitty Cheesey poof who is on methimazole for hyperthyroidism. My question is has anyone used herbs or homeopathy for this condition instead? And what has worked succesfully? Thanks

I’m taking care of a Siamese who’s over 10, an indoor/outdoor cat. I did a cbc & chem bloodwork. His BUN is only slightly elevated. His issue is throwing up daily, weight loss, & diarrhea. His vomit is undigested food & liquid. He eats very little wet food & his owner just feeds all of them the worst dry food. I give him sq fluids as needed & started cerenia. Yet this is not treating the underlying cause. Does anyone have any advice on this? I have vet bills for my cows & my cats. Yet i still want to help all the animals I can. I obviously have very little money to help though. Thanks

My dog, Max, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We are still trying to find the right dose of insulin and were making progress until yesterday. His sugar was back up to 471 yesterday when 2 weeks ago it was 275. We know cataracts are already forming but this morning before 4am he woke me up. I thought he had to go outside but when I got him, realized he wasn’t opening his left eye. When he does open it, it seems rolled back and is red. His third eyelid is also visible. The right one is better but also seems like it might be bothering him. I contacted the vet for walk in hours today but wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue and what it might be.
Thanks!

Hi Dr. Magnifico. Our cat Boogie was recently seen by Dr. Ahrens for his constipation issues, and also to have blood drawn to check his hyperthyroidism. I have a couple questions for Dr Ahrens.
I prefer not calling the office, as I do not want to pull her away from whatever she is doing at that time, and it is really hard to reach me by phone.
Can you please ask her to email me at ——— or if you could give me her JVC email address so I can email her, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Terri