Thursday, September 14, 2017

Bette Develops Diarrhea Due to Antibiotics; Problem Resolved with Sweet Potato

Bette is doing much better (see September 7 post.) She has developed diarrhea since Monday after a few days on the antibiotic. She is already getting Forta Flora in her food. I have added a teaspoon of baby sweet potato and that seems to have helped firm up her stool enough. For diarrhea, as long as it is not more than once a day-sweet potato, mashed banana, rice, rice water-are good home remedies. Add these to the food or give by mouth with a syringe if using baby sweet potato/banana. Forta Flora mixed into the food adds a probiotic which is suppose to help make a better gastro system (this is a really good product to use for any cat even if there are no gastro issues.) Had it been watery and or constant-more than once a day-these methods and maybe anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea medication from the vet, or IV fluids from the vet (to replace lost fluids) would help firm up the stool. There was a time when Kaopectate could be used safely (do not use Pepto Bismol) but I've since read that the formula changed and can be deadly for pets. The products have an aspirin related product which is toxic or can be if given in large or frequent doses. It's due to how a cat's body processes the aspirin. (And HCM cats may already be on aspirin for blood thinning therapy.) And some vets may not be aware of the change in Kaopectate. Be wary of any online/store anti-diarrhea medication. Check the ingredients to make sure the list does not include salicylates or bismuth subsalicylates.
Here's a Cornell University vet link about diarrhea:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/…/Health_Information/diarrhea.cfm
(From the link below:)
"Bismuth subsalicylate is the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol. Aspirin is also known as acetylsalicylate. In other words, both kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol contain aspirin derivatives...salicylate itself can cause toxicity, which is a special problem in cats, who clear the drug from their systems very slowly. This makes them susceptible to buildup of the drug to toxic levels...can interfere with other drugs that are commonly administered to pets. These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Rimadyl, Metacam, and Deramaxx as well as steroids such as prednisolone, prednisone, and dexamethasone...dogs also can suffer toxicity. Of significant concern is the risk of seemingly paradoxical exacerbation of gastrointestinal signs for which Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate might used, since salicylates can cause upset stomach in both dogs and cats."
A few weeks ago, a client at the emergency clinic where I work mentioned that she frequently gave her cat Pepto-Bismol to prevent gastrointestinal upset....
CATSTER.COM

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