Jordan's vet trip

So we went to the vet this evening. No supprise to me Jordan had to be sedated to do anything with him. He had blood drawn, x-rays taken, sub-q fluids given & an ennema. Yes he was super constipated. I felt horrible when I saw how constipated he was His entire colon was full & at the top the stool was starting to double up on it's self. I feel sor of like a bad Mom. So he's got mega colon. Blood tests were run & his kidney and liver values were file. So for the rest of his life he's going to have lactulose every day. Before I went there I didn't want to have to do that, but after the doctor mentioned cancer & kidney failure I'm just fine with this. The only thing that concerns me is that he's only 4 & I wonder what he's going to have to go through when he's older? Well nothing i can do about that now. So he's spending the night in the bathroom so I can see how much he goes tonight & tomorrow he's got to go back & have another x-ray just to be sure.

You and Jordan had quite a night. You're not a bad mom. You've done the right things, and Jordan will have some meds to help him now. Did the doctor mention anything about a surgery to help this? I'm not too familiar with megacolon, but I vaguely remember something about surgery to help this condition.

Thank goodness you took him to the vet - that was a very good thing! And the fact that you are committed to long term care for him is being a great meowmy! Don't feel guilty!

I'm sorry to hear that your kitty has megacolon. I've read A LOT about it since it was believed that my kitty had it (until yesterday). It is something that requires long-term medication, but that's all that some kitties need to manage megacolon. There is an operation that's usually left as a "last resort" type of deal, but it appears to have a high success rate from what I've read.

I've been dealing with constipation issues with Bailey for over a year, so I know what you're going through. She's been getting lactulose ever since her first bout of constipation, and we've had to increase the dose quite a few times. She's only needed one enema since we got the dose right, but she's been having minor constipation more frequently lately. The x-ray she got yesterday wasn't indicative of megacolon, so I'm really not sure why she gets constipated.

Anyway, I've found it to be a HUGE pain for both of us to administer the lactulose manually with a syringe or a medicine dropper (she hates it regardless). I was giving it to her in her canned food, which was really nice, but then I'd have to give some to her manually if she didn't eat all of her food. Cats generally are not fond of the lactulose since it tastes sweet and is super-sticky. I end up having to wipe Bailey down every few days with a wet towel and comb the lactulose out of her fur since she gets it EVERYWHERE.

I know this is easier said than done, but try not to be too hard on yourself about not noticing it sooner. I still feel like a jerk sometimes about how SEVERELY constipated Bailey was by the time I rushed her to the e-vet the first time. She puked a few times over a couple of days and wasn't eating much. She was also being pretty antisocial. I still didn't even suspect anything was wrong until she started straining to poop in random places throughout the house (she managed to drop a couple in the bathroom and living room). Then I went to pet her and when her tail went up, I noticed her anus was protruding about a 1/2 inch. I was horrified!! Looking back on it, I feel bad that I waited to do anything, but constipation had NEVER been a concern with the cats I had growing up. It was something I never even thought to look out for until it happened. I think it's one of those things that you just don't really think to look for on a regular basis. Now I'm constantly lifting her tail up to make sure her bum looks normal (well, I don't think it'll ever look completely normal, but normal for her). She must think I'm crazy.

Thanks everyone. He's doing so much better today. He's been running & playing. He was even a good boy for his x-rays today. It only took one vet tech & no sedation. He's sleeping right now, but after the stress of the last two days he needs it. I don't know that he slept at all last night.

JennyJen, thank you so much. It's always nice to have someone who can identify with how I feel. I'm hoping that all he needs is the lactulose. I have to say that when I saw him running & playing and being his crazy self it felt good to see. I can't believe how differnt he was behaving before. I noticed it, but it happend so slowly that I didn't notice how dramaticly differnt he was behaving. He's a crazy cat & I love that about him. Watching him run and slide across the kitchen floor was the most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time.