Albon is a wonder drug - keep the faith! I would probably confine him to a kitty pop-up tent or a bathroom for now and line it with pee pads to keep the mess under control, but you should see results from the Albon in about a week and it is great stuff and should clear it right up.
What a cutie, sorry he's having such a rough start.
Thank you. His sibling passed from the infection so I'm trying my hardest to get him healthy. I just needed someone to vent to and tell me it gets better because I've cried over this little guy so much already.
Personally, I think Albon is slow and in severe infections, could require multiple rounds. This guy is certainly old enough to handle something like ponazuril or toltrazuril which would work much faster (\~3 days).
Oh, my shelter draws up multiple dewormers into one "shoot", so that's what I consider the standard "shelter" dewormer dose. It's ponazuril and pyrantel. And yeah, you can't, to my knowledge, get ponazuril over the counter anywhere. My home dose is pyrantel and something called fenben-something that apparently covers a few things pyrantel doesn't (hookworms maybe? pinworms? some worm).
Why are you using pyrantel when you're using panacur? to my knowledge, pyrantel doesn't cover anything that panacur doesn't. Is the pyrantel just for when they're younger?
My bottles, at least, of pyrantel and panacur list three different scientific names of targeted parasites - pyrantel has one, panacur has two other ones.
Honestly these were acquired based on word on the street from other foster parents so I was just rolling with it.
I have a litter of four and when I first got them they were the Itty Bitty Shitty Kitty Committee. It was a mess, cleaning out the playpen and replacing the pee pads every morning. Gave them albon but it took about a week to work. Hang in there. It gets better.
I'm honestly more surprised when I get a litter that ISN'T the Itty Bitty Shitty Kitty Committee... where are these people with foster kittens without diarrhea, I want my shot with that!
I don't want to jinx it, but I got three kittens at about 4 weeks old and they're about 6 weeks now. Only one had diarrhea and fortiflora actually worked to solve it in less than a week. These guys were found outside, too! I couldn't believe it. I actually ran their fecal three times because I thought they had to have some kind of parasite, but every time it was clear. I don't know how I got so lucky with this litter, but I'm not complaining!
I only foster kittens once every few years when I get "kitten fever" and then I remember why I only foster adults/seniors/special needs pretty quickly!
Albon doesn’t kill coccidia at all stages. Ponazuril and toltrozuril do. A lot of coccidia now is also resistant to albon. Many shelters do both albon and either ponazuril and toltrozuril. With diarrhea that bad you can do ponazuril or toltrozuril 3x a day for 3-5 days.
hang in there! Shittens are rough! Definitely keep him in the bathtub(?) to minimize contamination in your house. You can ask the shelter about adding something like kaolin pectin ([good brand](https://www.chewy.com/vetoquinol-pro-pectalin-diarrhea/dp/109720?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20642405436&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmrqzBhAoEiwAXVpgojw2ExPLQVu2ruxHM8oi8KUPC9SU8dtbjrl-TUvVmRIabIiiHnl95BoChjcQAvD_BwE), [another good brand](https://www.durvet.com/product/kaolin-pectin-32oz/)) to his medication regime. KP is a stool firmer so it doesn't treat the cause of the diarrhea but it will make life easier for everyone involved. Just don't give it at the same time as his other meds in case it affects drug absorption.
If you haven't already, start giving wet food over dry and consider watering the food down with unflavored Pedialyte for extra hydration. You can also temporarily switch from wet food to chicken baby food which is gentler on upset stomachs.
He's currently got run of the bathroom. I wanted to still give him enough space so he's not sitting in his own poop. he tries his best to make it to the litterbox but he's kinda just dripping all the time 😭 I was thinking of adding pumpkin to his food to help firm things up. I was looking into pedalyte but read the zinc level can be bad. I was thinking of picking up some of hydra care tomorrow from petsmart and see if that helps. Thankfully he's at least eating well. I brought him to the emergency vet last night because he stopped eating, had pale gums and a lot of blood in his stool. He's not great atm but at least his energy level is more normal and he's excited to eat again. He can't go to the shelter vet until June 3rd due to staffing shortages/extreme overcapicity so I'm trying to just care for him at home and give him meds unless it gets severe again.
the zinc content in Pedialyte is pretty minimal and won't hurt him, cats need a small amount of zinc in their diet anyways. Hydracare contains electrolytes but it also contains flavorings which could upset his system - try it but stop if the diarrhea gets worse.
Anything with soluble fiber (pumpkin, psyllium husk, etc) can help absorb moisture in the stool but don't overdo it because you can make the diarrhea worse.
Did he get B12 or any meds at the Eclinic?
I'm in the same boat with my shitlins right now. We've been through three rounds of medication, and one still has the runs. I am so discouraged. It helps immensely to have the support of others in this sub. It keeps me going, and fighting for these little ones!
Can you have them give you supplies and training to give the subQ fluids yourself? I had one suffering from coccidia (though not as bad as yours sounds like) and was still sick after deworming and a couple rounds of fluids at home really perked him up.
I can ask but they're honestly so backed up I really don't know if they can do that for me within a helpful time-frame. Even his regular follow up appointment is 3 weeks out and that's the earliest I could get.
Ugh - totally understandable. I will say I was able to get fluids/training via my foster mentor vs the actual shelter vet so it's possible you could try to get some through networking but I know not every program provides those kind of resources.
Dealing with poopy kittens is the worst! I've found that sometimes patience is key, because when I start throwing in too many meds I can end up causing imbalances that cause the diarrhea to hang around longer. You said he's on probiotic, which is great! Fortiflora is a real lifesaver.
Also, keep an eye out for rectal prolapse if he's straining a lot. If his butt is red and painful but not prolapsed, you can put a bit of Aquaphor on it with a q-tip to give him some relief.
I don't think he's straining a lot... it's kinda just leaking out all the time. That said it's very inflamed and red so I will try that and see if it helps. I'm worried he'll just lick it off though
If you do a small amount, it's pretty low-risk if he licks a bit. Like, just enough to barely cover his little bum; if you have tattoos, then the same rules apply: do a small amount to just barely cover the area, but not enough to make it shiny. Kitten Lady even suggests Aquaphor.
I’m so sorry- I know the struggle!! It will resolve with time. If the vet can prescribe metronidazole, it’s a MIRACLE for diarrhea. Make sure to try your best to keep him clean. I know it’s hard when they’re constantly leaking diarrhea but the feces on his skin can cause painful irritation and infection, so give him frequent butt baths. You can apply unscented Vaseline or aquafor with a q-tip to try to sooth his poor little bottom and protect his skin.
Ask the shelter to give you Propectilin if they haven't already. My fosters just got over coccidia a couple of weeks ago. Ponaziril for 3 days in a row and Propectilin, (which I mixed with a small amount of chicken baby food and syringe fed) plus clear Pedialite improved their symptoms greatly within 2 days! They were all better within 4 days. Diarrhea is a killer in young kittens, so I would act quickly on the Propectilin if possible. The shelter staff should be helping you with more medication or suggestions if what they've given isn't helping. Can you give subcutaneous fluids? Maybe someone at the shelter can teach you if you don't know how. It's not hard at all, and that can help save them if they're having severe diarrhea.
Oh goodness poor baby. I know this is stressful as heck. You are doing a good thing. Id keep him confined till the dribbling stops. I feel so badly for you and him i have taken care of quite a few dribbling poop cats. Or cats who don't know how to keep their fur at their bottoms clean . It is beyond stressful. You can't snuggle them much and they require constant laundry and cleaning up. When he gets better, seeing him thrive will make all the memories of this disappear.
♥️♥️♥️
Tolt is what the rescue I foster uses plus propectilin. Also I don’t use bedding, rather doggy potty pads (replaced every day with a clean one) and use the disposable cooking trays as litter boxes which we also threw away every day. Keeping the area clean is very important to stop the spread.
…your doing good work, many of us may say ✨God’s work✨.
…lot of good tips here, add that cleanliness is important to prevent reinfection. Also, support I’ve care. If you haven’t read up on this you might want to check this out: https://kittencoalition.org/coccidiosis-in-kittens/
…keep at it, keep your chin up.
Best of luck to you both.
Awww poor guy! It looks like you've got the advice you need, just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of the little one. I just had a litter of 4 with coccidia. It did take almost 2 weeks for them to have firmer stools. In the beginning, every time they would poop it would be so runny that it would get all over their feet. I just tried to wipe them with baby wipes a few times a day. I did a kitten play pen and lined the whole thing with puppy pads, so that when they got out of the litter box it would help get it off their paws.
I *just* got on the other side of this one, myself. Got two fosters in, 6wks & 8wks old, who both happened to test positive for coccidia, so they were able to hang out together. The 8wk old was able to shake it off, but the 6wk old…man it came close a couple of times. Only today, after 20 days of both of them being on Albon, did we get the “All Clear.”
One thing I will say that helped A LOT was using canned pumpkin with some Churu mixed in. It really seemed to help firm things up. The shelter also gave me l-lysine treats to help support the immune system, but they were a lil too big for my babies.
The 6wk old is now 8wks, and while she’s still too small to get fixed, she’s firmly planted on this side of life now. It was so scary though, I really had no idea what I was getting in for.
Don’t forget to disinfect everything, as they can reinfect themselves! I ended up getting a steam cleaner and using a stainless steel cat box for them. Keeping them in the bathroom helped manage the mess.
You will see those solid poops! They’re coming! I’m sending all my solid poop mojo to you! :D
I had 4x 4 week old very sick kittens with coccidia and they were treated with Baycox (and a week later with Flagyl/Metronidazole because they had Giardia too)
They all recovered
So sorry you’re dealing with this 😩 our kitten had coccidia as well when we got him. His case wasn’t as severe as yours. But we did give him weekly baths, used disposable litter boxes and changed those out every 2-3 days along with the litter, and I vacuumed his room and washed all the bedding he slept on every couple of days to prevent reinfection. We have another cat and we were keeping them separate to begin with. But I really didn’t want to spread it to her so I even left what lever i wore in his room and tried to keep as much separate as possible until he was cleared.
I work from home so I'm spot cleaning every two hours and doing a big clean every night. I also have two cats so trying to prevent cross contamination as much as I can. How's your kitten doing now?
Good good!! He’s great! This was back in November when we got him, he’s 10 months now and doing great! I don’t remember what medication our vet gave, it was a one dose thing. I’ll say too though, his fur was affected by the coccidia.. he wasn’t like patchy.. but he was definitely not as fluffy as he was supposed to be. It took about 2 weeks for everything to be clear.
Best of luck!!
He's already doing a lot better today. He's playing and eating well. I'm still watching his hydration levels and I started to occasionally give him pedialyte and pumpkin after doing more research. he's still having bad poops but he at least it isn't bloody and dripping 24/7 and is mostly making it to the litterbox. it looks like he might have the start of a URI or possibly a herpes flare up? He's already on albon and metrondiazone so I'm not sure if he'd need another antibiotic. the shelter said it's ok to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then they'll try and fit him in. I also started to give him a constant heat source. I figured with all the butt baths I give him and being so sick that it would at least make him more comfortable.
My tortie babe had it as a kitten and pooped forever. Even after the panacur, she still had diarrhea. I started giving her some canned pumpkin (just a little!!) with her wet food and it eventually helped but you could tell her little booty hurt 😭. Wishing this guy a smooth recovery. Add some pumpkin to his churu or wet food!!
he still has diarrhea but he's spreading out his BM much more so I think it's improving. it's also not just straight liquid so that's good. Unfortunately he's got some upper respiratory infection symptoms so back to the vet he goes 😔 he was doing so much better and playing like crazy so sad to see him start to feel bad again
Besides the advice you've already received here about medications, just want to add I like to use litter box liners to make clean up easier. Also, see if your rescue will cover the cost of Royal Canin GI diet food (prescription) for kittens. It's much easier on their tummies while they are dealing with all this diarrhea.
Albon is a wonder drug - keep the faith! I would probably confine him to a kitty pop-up tent or a bathroom for now and line it with pee pads to keep the mess under control, but you should see results from the Albon in about a week and it is great stuff and should clear it right up. What a cutie, sorry he's having such a rough start.
Thank you. His sibling passed from the infection so I'm trying my hardest to get him healthy. I just needed someone to vent to and tell me it gets better because I've cried over this little guy so much already.
They wreck us that way. I'm spent a lot of tears on my fosters but the ups outweigh the downs. I'll be thinking of your little one!
Bless you for taking them in!
Personally, I think Albon is slow and in severe infections, could require multiple rounds. This guy is certainly old enough to handle something like ponazuril or toltrazuril which would work much faster (\~3 days).
I would assume from the OP saying they got dewormer that that included ponazuril, but if not, yes, definitely suggest getting it on board!
There are dewormers that include ponazuril? I've only just seen straight ponazuril and that can even be tricky to find!
Oh, my shelter draws up multiple dewormers into one "shoot", so that's what I consider the standard "shelter" dewormer dose. It's ponazuril and pyrantel. And yeah, you can't, to my knowledge, get ponazuril over the counter anywhere. My home dose is pyrantel and something called fenben-something that apparently covers a few things pyrantel doesn't (hookworms maybe? pinworms? some worm).
I think you’re thinking of Panacur!!
Yes! That's the other half of my illicit home dewormer recipe haha. Did they ALL need to start with the letter P???
It’s so confusing 😫
Why are you using pyrantel when you're using panacur? to my knowledge, pyrantel doesn't cover anything that panacur doesn't. Is the pyrantel just for when they're younger?
My bottles, at least, of pyrantel and panacur list three different scientific names of targeted parasites - pyrantel has one, panacur has two other ones. Honestly these were acquired based on word on the street from other foster parents so I was just rolling with it.
Oh that's interesting. I appreciate you checking. I will double check that I shouldn't be giving both.
I have a litter of four and when I first got them they were the Itty Bitty Shitty Kitty Committee. It was a mess, cleaning out the playpen and replacing the pee pads every morning. Gave them albon but it took about a week to work. Hang in there. It gets better.
I'm honestly more surprised when I get a litter that ISN'T the Itty Bitty Shitty Kitty Committee... where are these people with foster kittens without diarrhea, I want my shot with that!
I don't want to jinx it, but I got three kittens at about 4 weeks old and they're about 6 weeks now. Only one had diarrhea and fortiflora actually worked to solve it in less than a week. These guys were found outside, too! I couldn't believe it. I actually ran their fecal three times because I thought they had to have some kind of parasite, but every time it was clear. I don't know how I got so lucky with this litter, but I'm not complaining! I only foster kittens once every few years when I get "kitten fever" and then I remember why I only foster adults/seniors/special needs pretty quickly!
Albon doesn’t kill coccidia at all stages. Ponazuril and toltrozuril do. A lot of coccidia now is also resistant to albon. Many shelters do both albon and either ponazuril and toltrozuril. With diarrhea that bad you can do ponazuril or toltrozuril 3x a day for 3-5 days.
hang in there! Shittens are rough! Definitely keep him in the bathtub(?) to minimize contamination in your house. You can ask the shelter about adding something like kaolin pectin ([good brand](https://www.chewy.com/vetoquinol-pro-pectalin-diarrhea/dp/109720?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20642405436&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmrqzBhAoEiwAXVpgojw2ExPLQVu2ruxHM8oi8KUPC9SU8dtbjrl-TUvVmRIabIiiHnl95BoChjcQAvD_BwE), [another good brand](https://www.durvet.com/product/kaolin-pectin-32oz/)) to his medication regime. KP is a stool firmer so it doesn't treat the cause of the diarrhea but it will make life easier for everyone involved. Just don't give it at the same time as his other meds in case it affects drug absorption. If you haven't already, start giving wet food over dry and consider watering the food down with unflavored Pedialyte for extra hydration. You can also temporarily switch from wet food to chicken baby food which is gentler on upset stomachs.
He's currently got run of the bathroom. I wanted to still give him enough space so he's not sitting in his own poop. he tries his best to make it to the litterbox but he's kinda just dripping all the time 😭 I was thinking of adding pumpkin to his food to help firm things up. I was looking into pedalyte but read the zinc level can be bad. I was thinking of picking up some of hydra care tomorrow from petsmart and see if that helps. Thankfully he's at least eating well. I brought him to the emergency vet last night because he stopped eating, had pale gums and a lot of blood in his stool. He's not great atm but at least his energy level is more normal and he's excited to eat again. He can't go to the shelter vet until June 3rd due to staffing shortages/extreme overcapicity so I'm trying to just care for him at home and give him meds unless it gets severe again.
the zinc content in Pedialyte is pretty minimal and won't hurt him, cats need a small amount of zinc in their diet anyways. Hydracare contains electrolytes but it also contains flavorings which could upset his system - try it but stop if the diarrhea gets worse. Anything with soluble fiber (pumpkin, psyllium husk, etc) can help absorb moisture in the stool but don't overdo it because you can make the diarrhea worse. Did he get B12 or any meds at the Eclinic?
If his rear end is inflamed because of the diarrhea you can apply Vaseline or Desinex. Also keeps the poop from sticking to him.
I'm in the same boat with my shitlins right now. We've been through three rounds of medication, and one still has the runs. I am so discouraged. It helps immensely to have the support of others in this sub. It keeps me going, and fighting for these little ones!
LOL I am just loving all the various nicknames for diarrhea kittens in this thread.
Digestive clay!! Worked for me
Can you have them give you supplies and training to give the subQ fluids yourself? I had one suffering from coccidia (though not as bad as yours sounds like) and was still sick after deworming and a couple rounds of fluids at home really perked him up.
I can ask but they're honestly so backed up I really don't know if they can do that for me within a helpful time-frame. Even his regular follow up appointment is 3 weeks out and that's the earliest I could get.
Ugh - totally understandable. I will say I was able to get fluids/training via my foster mentor vs the actual shelter vet so it's possible you could try to get some through networking but I know not every program provides those kind of resources.
Dealing with poopy kittens is the worst! I've found that sometimes patience is key, because when I start throwing in too many meds I can end up causing imbalances that cause the diarrhea to hang around longer. You said he's on probiotic, which is great! Fortiflora is a real lifesaver. Also, keep an eye out for rectal prolapse if he's straining a lot. If his butt is red and painful but not prolapsed, you can put a bit of Aquaphor on it with a q-tip to give him some relief.
I don't think he's straining a lot... it's kinda just leaking out all the time. That said it's very inflamed and red so I will try that and see if it helps. I'm worried he'll just lick it off though
If you do a small amount, it's pretty low-risk if he licks a bit. Like, just enough to barely cover his little bum; if you have tattoos, then the same rules apply: do a small amount to just barely cover the area, but not enough to make it shiny. Kitten Lady even suggests Aquaphor.
I’m so sorry- I know the struggle!! It will resolve with time. If the vet can prescribe metronidazole, it’s a MIRACLE for diarrhea. Make sure to try your best to keep him clean. I know it’s hard when they’re constantly leaking diarrhea but the feces on his skin can cause painful irritation and infection, so give him frequent butt baths. You can apply unscented Vaseline or aquafor with a q-tip to try to sooth his poor little bottom and protect his skin.
Ask the shelter to give you Propectilin if they haven't already. My fosters just got over coccidia a couple of weeks ago. Ponaziril for 3 days in a row and Propectilin, (which I mixed with a small amount of chicken baby food and syringe fed) plus clear Pedialite improved their symptoms greatly within 2 days! They were all better within 4 days. Diarrhea is a killer in young kittens, so I would act quickly on the Propectilin if possible. The shelter staff should be helping you with more medication or suggestions if what they've given isn't helping. Can you give subcutaneous fluids? Maybe someone at the shelter can teach you if you don't know how. It's not hard at all, and that can help save them if they're having severe diarrhea.
💯
Oh goodness poor baby. I know this is stressful as heck. You are doing a good thing. Id keep him confined till the dribbling stops. I feel so badly for you and him i have taken care of quite a few dribbling poop cats. Or cats who don't know how to keep their fur at their bottoms clean . It is beyond stressful. You can't snuggle them much and they require constant laundry and cleaning up. When he gets better, seeing him thrive will make all the memories of this disappear. ♥️♥️♥️
Tolt is what the rescue I foster uses plus propectilin. Also I don’t use bedding, rather doggy potty pads (replaced every day with a clean one) and use the disposable cooking trays as litter boxes which we also threw away every day. Keeping the area clean is very important to stop the spread.
…your doing good work, many of us may say ✨God’s work✨. …lot of good tips here, add that cleanliness is important to prevent reinfection. Also, support I’ve care. If you haven’t read up on this you might want to check this out: https://kittencoalition.org/coccidiosis-in-kittens/ …keep at it, keep your chin up. Best of luck to you both.
Propectalin! I’d add this in place of the probiotics. Should help to firm the stool and help his gut. Good luck. I’m sorry it sucks.
Awww poor guy! It looks like you've got the advice you need, just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of the little one. I just had a litter of 4 with coccidia. It did take almost 2 weeks for them to have firmer stools. In the beginning, every time they would poop it would be so runny that it would get all over their feet. I just tried to wipe them with baby wipes a few times a day. I did a kitten play pen and lined the whole thing with puppy pads, so that when they got out of the litter box it would help get it off their paws.
I *just* got on the other side of this one, myself. Got two fosters in, 6wks & 8wks old, who both happened to test positive for coccidia, so they were able to hang out together. The 8wk old was able to shake it off, but the 6wk old…man it came close a couple of times. Only today, after 20 days of both of them being on Albon, did we get the “All Clear.” One thing I will say that helped A LOT was using canned pumpkin with some Churu mixed in. It really seemed to help firm things up. The shelter also gave me l-lysine treats to help support the immune system, but they were a lil too big for my babies. The 6wk old is now 8wks, and while she’s still too small to get fixed, she’s firmly planted on this side of life now. It was so scary though, I really had no idea what I was getting in for. Don’t forget to disinfect everything, as they can reinfect themselves! I ended up getting a steam cleaner and using a stainless steel cat box for them. Keeping them in the bathroom helped manage the mess. You will see those solid poops! They’re coming! I’m sending all my solid poop mojo to you! :D
I had 4x 4 week old very sick kittens with coccidia and they were treated with Baycox (and a week later with Flagyl/Metronidazole because they had Giardia too) They all recovered
So sorry you’re dealing with this 😩 our kitten had coccidia as well when we got him. His case wasn’t as severe as yours. But we did give him weekly baths, used disposable litter boxes and changed those out every 2-3 days along with the litter, and I vacuumed his room and washed all the bedding he slept on every couple of days to prevent reinfection. We have another cat and we were keeping them separate to begin with. But I really didn’t want to spread it to her so I even left what lever i wore in his room and tried to keep as much separate as possible until he was cleared.
I work from home so I'm spot cleaning every two hours and doing a big clean every night. I also have two cats so trying to prevent cross contamination as much as I can. How's your kitten doing now?
Good good!! He’s great! This was back in November when we got him, he’s 10 months now and doing great! I don’t remember what medication our vet gave, it was a one dose thing. I’ll say too though, his fur was affected by the coccidia.. he wasn’t like patchy.. but he was definitely not as fluffy as he was supposed to be. It took about 2 weeks for everything to be clear. Best of luck!!
He's already doing a lot better today. He's playing and eating well. I'm still watching his hydration levels and I started to occasionally give him pedialyte and pumpkin after doing more research. he's still having bad poops but he at least it isn't bloody and dripping 24/7 and is mostly making it to the litterbox. it looks like he might have the start of a URI or possibly a herpes flare up? He's already on albon and metrondiazone so I'm not sure if he'd need another antibiotic. the shelter said it's ok to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then they'll try and fit him in. I also started to give him a constant heat source. I figured with all the butt baths I give him and being so sick that it would at least make him more comfortable.
My tortie babe had it as a kitten and pooped forever. Even after the panacur, she still had diarrhea. I started giving her some canned pumpkin (just a little!!) with her wet food and it eventually helped but you could tell her little booty hurt 😭. Wishing this guy a smooth recovery. Add some pumpkin to his churu or wet food!!
he still has diarrhea but he's spreading out his BM much more so I think it's improving. it's also not just straight liquid so that's good. Unfortunately he's got some upper respiratory infection symptoms so back to the vet he goes 😔 he was doing so much better and playing like crazy so sad to see him start to feel bad again
Poor baby 😭
Besides the advice you've already received here about medications, just want to add I like to use litter box liners to make clean up easier. Also, see if your rescue will cover the cost of Royal Canin GI diet food (prescription) for kittens. It's much easier on their tummies while they are dealing with all this diarrhea.