Maggie & Pie

Maggie has had ongoing problems with intermittent soft stools and diarrhoea since being in the shelter. This has been investigated further with faecal analysis and multiple different treatment trials including antibiotics and anti parasitic treatments. Despite treatment, Maggie has continued to have ongoing soft stools. Given the unresponsive nature of the diarrhoea, given the high stressful environment of the shelter, we believe Maggie's soft stools are most likely stress related, and unlikely to resolve without being settled in a home.

Maggie has been started on a sensitive stomach diet Hills Science Gastrointestinal Biome Digestive/Fibre Care, and when she is at home she should ONLY be fed this food, no other treats or extras. We believe that Maggie's diarrhoea should resolve within 2 weeks of being in her new home, at which point we recommend attempting to slowly wean her onto a normal cat food.

If the diarrhoea resolves with the Hills Biome food, but recurs when another food is introduced, there is a chance that Maggie may have ongoing sensitive stomach problems, in which case the Hills Biome will need to be continued long term.

Maggie was noted to have some issues with limping in shelter. When examined we found that she had painful hips and so this was followed with an X-ray. Maggie has severe hip dysplasia, meaning that her hip joint (a ball and socket joint) doesn't fit together properly. This is something she was born with, but her previous owners allowed her to become morbidly obese and therefore this has caused her significant pain. Became Maggie needs to stay on her biome diet, we recommend being very strict with how much she gets. Please ensure she is kept separate from her brother around meal times to ensure she is only getting her portion of food. Once Maggie reaches her ideal weight (likely around 4.5kg) then she will unlikely have pain and lameness. There is however a chance that she will continue to be lame, in which cause medication may be required to manage her arthritis. She may require a surgery in future to remove the ball part of the joint, but as a last resort. 

Please ensure that you have read and understood this report carefully, and raised any questions or concerns with the shelter veterinary staff. 
Thank you again for taking home Maggie, wishing you the best of life together!

The diagnosed problem(s) may continue to afflict the animal after rehoming and may require further veterinary treatment with associated costs in the future.