Hello Dr. Smith,
I am writing for help with my cat, Mancini, who has had watery stools for several months. I have been giving him Gastriplex for about a month-and-a-half. After reading the information that I provide below, will you let me know if I shoudl increase the dosage from one capsule a day to two capsules a day?
Age of your pet, the breed and whether it has been spayed or neutered.�
Age: 12 years. Breed: Mix, Siamese & tabby. Neutered: yes.
What conventional diagnosis or treatments has your pet undergone?
No diagnosis though many tests. Mancini has tested negative for thyroid disease and intestinnal parasites. Bloodwork suggests no cancer. He has not had a biopsy for inflammatory bowel disease, for two reasons: (1) I had hoped we could diagnose the problem without invasive surgery (considering his age) and (2) the vet thinks that his problem is more likely an allergy to a food rather than IBD. He suggested that I change Mancini’s diet, which I did. Also, the vet is not convinced that Mancini does not have a thyroid condition; he has seen other cats test negative once then positive subsequently. For these reasons, we have not done the biopsy to determine IBD.
What supplements or medicines is your pet currently taking?
Gastriplex & Protandim.
What is your pet’s current diet?
Baked chicken breast, sauteed chicken livers, sauteed ground sirloin, Solid Golf Katz-N-Flocken kibble. Occasionally he eats some canned food (Friskies) that my other cat leaves. Mancini ate “organic” canned cat foods for a while, which I bought at PetCo: Dick Van Patten’s line, Blue Buffalo, and others. He ate them for a while then would not eat them, so I started cooking his food.
Is your pet overweight or trim?
He is thin. He has dropped from 15 pounds to 11 pounds.
Have there been any recent changes in appetite? Or changes in urination or defecation routine?
He seems hungry all the time and eats a lot (e.g., 1/2 a chicken breast at a single meal). No known change to routine in relieving bladder or bowel. However, when he feels the urge to empty his bowel, he rushes to the litter box and eliminates a very watery stool. That happens at least twice a day. I also have a pet door, so he eliminates outside as well, which I do not always know about.
Are you currently seeking help from a veterinarian? Is your veterinarian conventional or holistic?
Yes. Great vet, uses both conventional and holistic treatments.
Thanks for your help, Dr. Smith!
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry to Holistic Pet Info. It is great you have changed his diet to a partially home cooked diet, BUT if food intolerance/allergy is suspected you need to look carefully at the protein and carbohydrate he is eating. Chicken, beef and fish are common protein allergens and most grains including corn, white rice and wheat are common carbohydrate allergens. You should do a true diet elimination trial to rule out food allergies. I suggest changing to a duck and pea diet or at least a diet with a protein he has never eaten with no grains. The occasional trip to the “friskies” plate is also doing him no favors.
You may increase the Gastiplex to 2 capsules daily and I would also recommend adding Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes and Probiotics to help with digestion. Furthermore adding canned pumpkin to his diet may help slow the motility of his intestinal tract thereby absorbing water and decreasing the diarrhea. You may want to decrease the chicken liver as it contains a lot of iron, usually it is only needed 2-3 times a week, otherwise iron toxicity may result.
Best of luck.
Regards,
Colleen Smith DVM, CVA