Isospora in cats

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 13:57:17 GMT

This cat is actually 10 months old when I've double checked - I'm assuming it still makes sense to treat if the D+ doesn't resolve? Cat still happy and gaining weight but diarrhoea apparently persisting.

RE: Isospora in cats

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:56:28 GMT

[quote userid="4181" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/medicine/f/discussions/24102/isospora-in-cats/226664#226664"]Sulfatrim must be high up on the cascade?[/quote]

Yes, I've used Sulfatrim in puppies and kittens with isospora.

RE: Isospora in cats

Rob Loxley — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 22:41:06 GMT

Sulfatrim must be high up on the cascade?

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:43:16 GMT

No worries, I was just curious as it doesn't seem very clear what to use first.

RE: Isospora in cats

Sarah Wheadon — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:39:05 GMT

To be honest, I can't remember - it was off the shelf in the large animal dispensary and I'm not in work today. We administered it orally in the practice.

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:07:05 GMT

Do you mind telling me which brand of product you used and how you went about administering it?

RE: Isospora in cats

Sarah Wheadon — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:01:08 GMT

I've used toltrazuril in a young kitten, advantage is it's a one-off treatment, but disadvantage is it tastes foul. Interested in this thread as I've seen several cases in puppies in the last year as well.

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:10:23 GMT

Thanks Kate I think you're right. I've also read about Toltrazuril (Procox/Baycox) use.

RE: Isospora in cats

Kate Richardson — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:17:33 GMT

In a young cat like yours I would treat, trimethoprim sulphonamide 30mg/kg bid for 2 weeks, or sulfadimethoxine (I think it's a poultry preparation- not actually yused it myself) - it doesn't usually cause symptoms of diarrhoea in adult cats.

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 11:45:59 GMT

Thanks Bob, I forgot to say that I have just treated the cat with panacur for 5 days at 20mg/kg - giarida dose in the BSAVA formulary, but no improvement. I asked the lab how likely a false negative was and they weren't sure so my thinking was along the same lines as you.

RE: Isospora in cats

Bob Russell — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 11:25:24 GMT

If there is even a hint of giardia in the history (even if a subsequent negative test) then retreating with panacur is cheap and worthwhile. If symptoms have resolved I tend not to worry. Not sure how zoonotic this is but I do warn owners to step up their personal hygiene when handling.

RE: Isospora in cats

Bibs — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 21:44:32 GMT

I'm picking this one up and seeing if any replies appear. I have been seeing a 4-5 month old cat that came from a rescue. The owners tell me cat had giardiasis while at the rescue centre, was treated and has since had a negative faecal sample. The cat had normal faeces the first few days in the new home. Then a few days in started with have "loose" faeces and increased frequency but not profuse D+. He is happy and well otherwise with a normal appetite, gaining weight and no other signs.

I suggested the usual hills I/d and pro-biotic for a few days. I got a 3day faecal sample because they were very keen to check for giardiasis - this came back negative (negative for campy/salmonella/crypto too) but positive for Isospora. I have not checked for tritrichomonas yet and I have not run bloods or done any imaging. I thought that the faeces would normalise give time as the signs seemed mild. Sadly the owners have reported no improvement after giving a week or two of time. Also, now the cat seems a bit uncomfortable when passing faeces.

What I have learned about Isospora tells me I don't really need to treat it unless it's ever severe and even then it's not going to get rid of it, just suppress it. Is this correct in this situation? if I do need to treat it then what do I use? I will probably run bloods and check for other potential causes anyway but feel insecure about ignoring the Isospora diagnosis.