Elimination diet was working, now isn't

Kelly Ahern

I have a question about the elimination diet my kitten is on? The kitten had coccidia at 3 months old, was on antibiotics for about a month before it cleared up. Kitten has since had chronically loose stools. I tried pro-pectalin, worked for a little while, then stopped working. The vet now has kitten on elimination diet of Royal Canin v/p. The diet seemed to work very well for almost 4 weeks. Now the kitten is having loose stools again (the kitten is now 7.5 months old). I heard elimination diets last 8 to 12 weeks. Should I keep the kitten on it for another month, even though the loose stool has come back? At what point do I give up and go back to the vet? We also tried forti flora before te elimination diet and that didn't help at all.

Paula K-

I'm not sure what V/P is but I'm sure it's full of bad ingredients. You're better off trying human strength probiotics. Fortiflora is great to get a cat to eat but it doesn't have enough probiotics in it to really make a difference. Try a general probiotic with various strains in it, and also one called S. Boulardi, which works really well on diarrhea. Make sure there are no harmful ingredients in whichever one you get (no sugars or additives). You can get them as capsules and sprinkle them into the kitten's food. Good luck! I've done many elimination diets for allergies and I've found that you can generally do a better job with limited ingredient commercial food rather than spending all that money on prescription food. It's possible that it's an ingredient like corn or wheat that is the problem and not the protein.

Beastie_and_the_Boys

Usually these diets that use hydrolyzed protein can be helpful because the proteins are already broken down and so don't trigger an allergic reaction. The fact that she's still having the loose stools would seem to show either that could be that she's allergic to something else in the food besides the primary protein source, or that her problem isn't a food allergy. I would definitely get in touch with your vet's office and let them know what's happening. They should be able to tell you if what you're going through is to be expected or if another exam is in order. In the meantime, probiotics are good, and you can also try adding some fiber to her diet with a little canned pumpkin mixed in. You might also talk to your vet about an enzyme supplement. Sending purrs...keep us posted! |:|

Kelly Ahern

The v/p is venison and pea. The vet doesn't want them on the hydrolyzed protein (like science diet i/d) because they are kittens and both still growing (they will be 8 months on the 21st). I called the vet to let them know what is going on and they said the doctor will call me. I'm just so frustrated and fed up. They are healthy otherwise. I'm just worried if the loose stools continue if will cause other health problems down the road.

Paula K-

Did the vet suggest another fecal exam? Is it possible the coccidia isn't completely gone?