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Post by pixiepops on Apr 21, 2015 19:12:32 GMT
I have just noticed today that Dexter has been using the litter tray a little more than normal. I checked it the last time he went and noticed that his stools, although appear to look normal and are solid, look very dark (almost black in some cases). I am now worried that something may be upsetting his stomach or that something else is wrong.
We havent changed his food, he has been drinking water normally and using the litter tray normally up until the last 24 hours where he has been using a little more than normal. He hasnt lost any weight, hes been eating fine, playing and being his usual self. I will be making an appointment for the vet for him as soon as there is one available.
Anyone any ideas what could be wrong? I would use google to look up problems, however, it tends to give you the worst case scenarios as opposed to practical advice
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Post by gypsy on Apr 21, 2015 20:18:13 GMT
Hi Well...there are various reasons for melena if thats what this is. Do you feed a raw diet? Has Dexter had medication recently for any reason ie NSAIDS? Any kind of trauma/accident recently? It coud be anything from inflammatory bowel, parasites, stomach ulcer, undigested blood from eating raw food, a reaction to mediction, liver/kidney problems and worst case scenerio intestinal cancer (but other symptoms would be evident too and unlikely at his age) I would check his mouth, just in case he has any oral injuries such as a broken tooth etc, as this could also cause blood to appear in the stool. Edit; could Dexter have been eating grass recently because I've noticed both my dogs and cats can produce darker stools after eating grass.
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Post by pixiepops on Apr 22, 2015 18:18:13 GMT
Hi Well...there are various reasons for melena if thats what this is. Do you feed a raw diet? Has Dexter had medication recently for any reason ie NSAIDS? Any kind of trauma/accident recently? It coud be anything from inflammatory bowel, parasites, stomach ulcer, undigested blood from eating raw food, a reaction to mediction, liver/kidney problems and worst case scenerio intestinal cancer (but other symptoms would be evident too and unlikely at his age) I would check his mouth, just in case he has any oral injuries such as a broken tooth etc, as this could also cause blood to appear in the stool. Edit; could Dexter have been eating grass recently because I've noticed both my dogs and cats can produce darker stools after eating grass. I feed him some raw on occasion, however, he has not had any recently. He hasnt had any medication at all for anything and the only "trauma" I can think of was when he lost his footing in the cat tree and feel (quite a height), however, at the time the vet said he was perfectly fine (this was about 6+weeks ago). I am now thinking he has a problem with his jaw, or that he has maybe swallowed a tooth (wont let me near his mouth though so vet can check that) as he keeps making this strange, almost gagging motion with his mouth and rubs his paw on the one side of his face during and after eating. I hadnt noticed it before, but I noticed it today after I fed him he came straight to me. No access to grass at all, hes an indoor kitty. He has a heart murmur so when this occurred my brain went into overdrive overthinking what could be wrong (which is why google is the wrong place for me lol). Hopefully it is something as simple as a broken tooth. Thank you for your reply gypsy
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 22, 2015 18:29:13 GMT
Sounds like it's to do with his mouth from what you've said. Hope he's okay or that it's easy to fix!
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Post by tonib on Apr 23, 2015 12:55:09 GMT
Sorry to hear about Dexter, pixiepops. Hope the vet can give you some reassurance & help hom. Sorry I can't add anything more to what has already been said.
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Post by pixiepops on Apr 23, 2015 14:18:15 GMT
Thanks everyone. The vet has had a look and have given him some pain relief for now to see how he goes. He barely ate the last 24 hours so I was super worried but since the pain relief, he has been back to eating and has perked up quite a bit. The vet did mention that his gums were looking slightly paler than normal. Good news is his stools are now not as dark. They couldnt see anything obvious wrong with his mouth but had said, thats not to say there is nothing wrong. The pain relief has worked so hopefully we can get to the route problem. I do think it was his mouth, hes been eating all morning (obviously making up for the last 24hours) and he hasnt been playing about with the side of his face or making the gagging motion after/during eating. Back to the vets in a weeks time to see how he is getting on
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Post by tonib on Apr 24, 2015 9:45:21 GMT
Glad to hear Dexter is eating again, the pain relief must have dine the trick. Hope they can get to the root of the problem.
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Post by pixiepops on Apr 24, 2015 12:57:31 GMT
We had him at the vets again this morning as he we believe he ate a cotton bud -_- Worried sick, but the vet said he will be fine. They were going to xray him, but they dont think it would show up so ive to keep an eye on him for the next 48 hours to see if he goes off his food again or is sick. In regards to his mouth, they had another look at it and since last night his wee gums look inflamed so they now know that it is some type of infection he has, they said it could have been the way he ate his dry food, if a bit was a little crunchier than normal its possible hes cut his gum and thats how the infection started. Got a cream now that I have to rub on his gums once a day Hes been eating a lot more today so definitely think the pain relief worked. EDIT: Also his stools are now back to a normal healthy colour so it appears his mouth was the cause
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Post by tonib on Apr 24, 2015 14:00:58 GMT
Sorry he had to go back to the vets pixiepops - what a tinker eating cotton buds! But at least they were able to see his gums whilst the previous state was fresh in their minds so are able to provide treatment.
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Post by pixiepops on Apr 24, 2015 16:11:49 GMT
Sorry he had to go back to the vets pixiepops - what a tinker eating cotton buds! But at least they were able to see his gums whilst the previous state was fresh in their minds so are able to provide treatment. They certainly keep you on your toes!
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