Generally speaking, diarrhea can be caused by intestinal diseases themselves (primary intestinal diseases) or diseases affecting another organ (systemic diseases), which in turn affect the intestines (such as liver or kidney diseases). Most cases of diarrhea are caused by primary intestinal diseases.
Many cases of diarrhea are mild and transient (lasting only a few days) and will naturally subside. In many cases, a specific underlying disease has never been diagnosed, and cats may improve themselves or respond to symptoms and supportive treatment. In other cases, especially if diarrhea is severe or lasting for a long time, it may be necessary to investigate to determine the root cause and appropriate treatment.
Some common causes of diarrhea include:
Diet-sudden changes in diet or the introduction of new foods are common causes of mild and transient diarrhea. Usually, this situation will stabilize as the intestine adapts to the new diet. This is especially common among kittens. When kittens are artificially fed or weaned, improper feeding or overfeeding is a common mistake, which will lead to diarrhea. In some cases, older cats (especially wild cats) may eat rotten meat, which may lead to diarrhea. Some cats may not be able to stand certain foods. In these cases, diarrhea will not disappear until the diet changes-a good example is that many cats are intolerant of lactose (sugar) in milk.
Causes of infection-various infectious factors can lead to cat diarrhea. These include viruses (usually causing mild and transient diarrhea, although some viruses, such as feline parvovirus and feline leukemia virus, can cause serious life-threatening diseases), bacteria (such as Salmonella and Campylobacter) and parasites (such as Giardia, Clostridium verrucosum and coccidia). Infectious pathogens usually affect more than one cat in a family and are more common among young cats.
Dietary allergies-Although not particularly common, some cats may be allergic to something in their diet (usually protein). This usually happens after feeding food for a long time, and has nothing to do with recent dietary changes.
Inflammatory bowel disease-this is a complex group of diseases, which leads to long-term (long-term) persistent or intermittent diarrhea or vomiting in cats. It is a relatively common cause of chronic diarrhea and is related to obvious inflammation of intestinal wall.
These are usually more common in older cats. The two most common tumors in the intestine are lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. They can cause diseases and clinical symptoms by interfering with the normal absorption of food and causing partial intestinal obstruction.
Benign polyps and growths-Although uncommon, occasionally benign growths or polyps can develop in the intestine and often cause diseases by gradually partially blocking food passages.
Pancreatic insufficiency-Although this is an important cause of diarrhea in dogs, pancreatic insufficiency is rare in cats. However, the pancreas is responsible for producing important digestive enzymes. When these enzymes are not produced (pancreatic insufficiency), diarrhea will occur because food cannot be digested normally.
Vitamin B 12 deficiency-Although not fully understood, there is an important relationship between chronic diarrhea in cats and vitamin B 12 deficiency. These cats may need vitamin B 12 replacement therapy until the diarrhea subsides.
Systemic diseases-these are important considerations, although the cause of diarrhea is not primary intestinal diseases. Systemic diseases that can affect the intestine and cause diarrhea include hyperthyroidism, liver disease and kidney disease.
Signs of diarrhea
The severity of cat diarrhea varies greatly, partly depending on some potential causes. The affected intestinal area will also determine some clinical symptoms. For example, if the large intestine (colon) is affected, common signs include tension, increased frequency and mucus passage, and sometimes some fresh blood and feces.
If cats don't use litter boxes indoors, it is sometimes difficult to know whether they have loose bowels, and other signs such as weight loss may be more obvious. But if diarrhea is serious, even cats outdoors may have an accident at home, and the fur under their tails may have soft feces.
treat cordially
The treatment of diarrhea can be specific or supportive. Most cases of moderate to severe diarrhea need some form of supportive treatment, but the specific treatment needs to determine the root cause and target treatment.
First, support therapy.
Most cats with persistent diarrhea for some time will benefit from supportive treatment. This may include:
"Let the intestines rest"-In the case of acute (sudden and recent) diarrhea, staying in food for a short time (24 hours) may help to settle down. Unless otherwise specified, cats should not fast for more than 24 hours, because this may be harmful.
Diet therapy-switching to a simple and digestible diet is usually very helpful in controlling diarrhea, no matter what the root cause is. Home-cooked chicken or fish with a little white rice is suitable for short-term use, but for long-term management, a more balanced diet is desirable, and your veterinarian will be able to recommend a variety of options. In addition, diet tracking is an important part of persistent diarrhea investigation to rule out dietary intolerance or dietary allergy. In these cases, a special diet provided by a veterinarian is usually used.
Probiotics-Probiotics are living bacteria that can be provided with food. They can sometimes help control diarrhea by improving intestinal health, but not always. Some probiotics are specially developed for dogs and cats.
Liquid intake-cats may be dehydrated and diarrhea is more serious, so you may need to pay attention to liquid intake. Your veterinarian may even advise you to encourage cats to drink proper electrolyte solution instead of just using pure water to help them.
Second, the specific treatment
The specific treatment depends on the root cause of diarrhea, but these causes may include:
Antibacterial and antiparasitic drugs-If infectious pathogens are found, you can treat your cat with specific drugs and eliminate them. But antibiotics must not be abused, because it will aggravate diarrhea and interfere with other research. Unnecessary use of antibiotics will only promote bacterial resistance.
Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs-these are usually used to treat inflammatory bowel disease.
Surgery and/or chemotherapy drugs-these can be used to treat intestinal tumors.
Vitamin B 12- weekly injection of vitamin B 12 is usually used to diagnose b 12 deficiency.
Miao Yaojun tells you that the prognosis depends on the cause of diarrhea-diseases that are easy to control through diet and drugs have a good prognosis, and in many cases they will be completely solved through appropriate treatment. In other cases, continuous treatment may be required.