Our question this week was:

I bought a kitten a week ago from a breeder. She is a 9 week old Mojave Spotted. She was given liquid worm medicine right before I took her home. She developed diarrhea about 3 days after I got her. She hasn't had much of an appetite and she doesn't do much except lay around. She's had her first shots and the only changes have been her food, from Purina kitten chow to Purina one kitten chow.

JoAnn Harper



Answer

Thanks for your question. Diarrhea is a relatively common symptom in cats and kittens. There are multiple underlying causes. Diarrhea can occur from food changes, eating some other treats that she is not used to, infectious bugs such as a variety of bacterial, viral and parasites, medications, intestinal obstruction or metabolic disorders.

If the diarrhea is combined with her being lethargic, I'd recommend that you take her to your veterinarian for evaluation. I'd hate to overlook something that is serious and it is better to be safe than sorry.

They will most likely want to check a fecal sample for parasite evaluation. Based on their physical examination and how sick they believe she is, they may also recommend x-rays or blood work.

Here is an article that might be helpful that discusses many of the potential causes for diarrhea.

Best of luck!


Dr. Jon




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