Diet to manage megacolon

katruble

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Thanx for info about baby food. Gracie .my kitty with the medgacolon, does not care for the pumpkin either .my younger cat, Phoebe, seems to want to eat everything that the other cat should be eating .I will pick some of that stage two baby food up keep it on hand .in the meantime I'm mixing MiraLAX and water and putting it on the canned food. It's just harder to control the amount she will get versus the lactulose that I could measure in a syringe.
 

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The average dosage of Miralax for a 10 pound kitty is 1/4 tsp. 2x daily, however some vets start off at 1/8 tsp. 2x daily. It is dose-to-effect, so you start off at a low dose and then increase (up to a maximum) as needed.

Miralax is odorless and tasteless, so you can mix it into a small portion of food to make sure she eats it. Then offer the rest of her meal.
 

katruble

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The average dosage of Miralax for a 10 pound kitty is 1/4 tsp. 2x daily, however some vets start off at 1/8 tsp. 2x daily. It is dose-to-effect, so you start off at a low dose and then increase (up to a maximum) as needed.

Miralax is odorless and tasteless, so you can mix it into a small portion of food to make sure she eats it. Then offer the rest of her meal.
 

katruble

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Thanx for info. Gracie weighs 14.3. I started her with 1/4-1/3 x 2 a day. Since she just had an enema yesterday morning there's probably not much to work on other than her appetite is really good today. I have diluted some of the MiraLAX in her's syringe in water and give it to her like I used to give the liquid lactulose and then some of that I squirt on her wet food. I will email vet on Monday assuming he is there . I want to ask if diluting and giving it to her that way is fine .my guess it is because she's getting more water this way .she never drinks from a bowl. This cat site is giving me more information than what I have been getting from my vet. on this it's very frustrating for all of us when our cats have megacolon isn't it?
 

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Hi katruble,

You may want to get a different vet. The reason why your vet may not seem that supportive is that megacolon and chronic constipation remedies are trial and error. So it takes a long time and it doesn't work out a lot of the time (meaning no improvement and you end up giving cisapride and Miralax, which a lot people try to move away from). Holistic and integrated vets approach pet care with a long-term treatment viewpoint.

Diluting and using a syringe with the Miralax is OK, but it is easier if you simply mix it with the food. Plus when you syringe liquid into your kitty you do run a small risk of it going down the wrong tube and causing problems, some of which can be more serious than just coughing.

The increased appetite is actually good news because that means the enema did its job, and now there is room in the colon.

Are you using cisapride, too? Megacolon cats usually require something more than Miralax. MIralax softens the stool so that it will pass easily. Cisapride creates gut movement, but it does interfere with the body's natural motility and eventually can require higher and higher doses until it is ineffective. If your kitty is older this may not be an issue. If it is then I would strongly recommend a holistic vet, one that will work with you on solutions.
 

katruble

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Gracie was diagnosed in 2011 with megacolon. For 3 yrs she was fine . Now since Jan 2014 she has had cisapride increased & lactulose. After this Wednesday's episode and her visit to the vet Thursday I have decided to take her off lactulose and that's why I'm trying the MiraLAX .my vet used to have a partner at his practice who's kitty had megacolon also and she was a great help but she moved out of the area.what do you know about anti-constipation products from
allergicpet.com?
 

katruble

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megacolon/60#post_3586907"]Hi katruble,m

You may want to get a different vet. The reason why your vet may not seem that supportive is that megacolon and chronic constipation remedies are trial and error. So it takes a long time and it doesn't work out a lot of the time (meaning no improvement and you end up giving cisapride and Miralax, which a lot people try to move away from). Holistic and integrated vets approach pet care with a long-term treatment viewpoint.

Diluting and using a syringe with the Miralax is OK, but it is easier if you simply mix it with the food. Plus when you syringe liquid into your kitty you do run a small risk of it going down the wrong tube and causing problems, some of which can be more serious than just coughing.

The increased appetite is actually good news because that means the enema did its job, and now there is room in the colon.

Are you using cisapride, too? Megacolon cats usually require something more than Miralax. MIralax softens the stool so that it will pass easily. Cisapride creates gut movement, but it does interfere with the body's natural motility and eventually can require higher and higher doses until it is ineffective. If your kitty is older this may not be an issue. If it is then I would strongly recommend a holistic vet, one that will work with you on solutions.
[/quote]
 

katruble

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Gracie has had three enemas since early February and one manual clean out.I have always liked my vet for regular things but part of this is just his over laidback personality. he said she should have surgery but but I told him she's almost 11 I am not putting her through surgery .I wouldn't do it to her.
 

katruble

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Hi Raintyger - sorry I am having issues trying to reply this with my iPhone it doesn't give me a lot of space and I keep hitting quote instead of reply .one of Gracie's other problems is she has a crack in her pelvis bone and that makes the opening in her bone structure smaller than it should be .which I'm sure contributed to the early constipation problem .I got her when she was maybe 4 & half .she's such a sweet kitty good but bossy disposition .I'm hoping the changes I'm making with her treatment will be good. Thanx for your help.
 

raintyger

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OK, things with the vet make more sense now. I'm assuming you're going to a traditional vet. There is not a whole lot of medications available for megacolon. Mainly it's lactulose/Miralax and cisapride. When the efficacy of these wear out it is common to move on to surgery. The surgery is very invasive, though, and life will not return to the way it was afterwards, although most owners will say it is an improvement. For instance, because there will be no colon, sometimes the cat can't sleep on the bed anymore due to leakage problems. To be fair, though, enemas are very stressful on the kitty, too.

Holistic/integrated vets will try other things such a coconut oil, sub-Qs, B12, aloe, etc. But it is a lot of experimentation and it can be stressful trying different remedies and then anxiously seeing if it works or if you need another enema. The Yahoo! chronic constipation and megacolon group discusses a lot of these remedies. I suggest you sign up with them.

One thing that is of concern is your cat's age. 11 is not too old for a surgery, but if you spend a lot of time trying to find a holistic solution and come up empty handed a few years later, a major surgery may not be a good idea. Please take this into consideration. Also consider that most remedies will work--but often will stop working after a few months.

Also, the pelvic bone--do not feed insoluble fiber, which bulks up the stool. Bulking up the stool will only make matters worse because there will be more stool to pass through a smaller opening. Most prescription food for chronic constipation/megacolon is very high fiber. This could also be why your vet is pushing for surgery, since he doesn't have food options to give you.

Sorry, don't know anything about the remedy on allergicpet.com. The nux vomica is an ingredient that is used to treat constipation, though.
 

katruble

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Back again! I'm keeping a close eye on Gracie ,last couple days she seems to have slowed down and I'm not sure if it's the colon or the warmer weather and humidity. I've been doing the MiraLAX probably three quarters or more of a teaspoon a day in her wet food or water .because she'll need more fluids in her whole system because fluids going to the colon by the MiraLAX .she never drinks from a water dish so I have to give her new little water from the syringe. she's active she's playing she's bossy to her furry sister . I am going to go to a couple other vets in my area for second opinion and maybe check out other options. I received my products from allergic-pet.com and going to keep the anti-constipation drops. but return the lax-eze. it is a fiber product and the last thing my megacolon kitty needs is more fiber because causes more stool & possible blockage.
 

katruble

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YEA I am so excited and this is the only place I can cheer about it because you people will understand .I was getting concerned about Gracie because it only seen little bits of stool and tonight she pooped a total of almost 8 inches ! I know it sounds gross but I hope you understand what this means to me! The last time that amount came out of her happened with an enema. this time she's done it with her wet food ,the MiraLAX and the extra water I'm giving her .thank you for all your advice .
 

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My cat is an 11 1/2 year old Siamese seal point purebred named Nala (from the Lion King Movie) Two years ago she began with constipation and vomiting but not always together but it did happen sometimes a lot sometimes not so much but constipation was chronic. I was given Lactulose twice a day to syringe down her throat which called several rhinitis which is a sinus condition so I stopped the lactulose which was not very effective and switched her to Miralax2x per day fluctuating from 1/4 to a 1/2 teaspoon a day depending on the severity of the constipation. She was also put on Cisapride 2 times per day and now has been increased to 3 times per day but this never made her poop regular 2 years later she still does not go but every 3 to 4 days but stools is soft and easy to pass. I mixed the miralax in a teaspoon of wet food in the morning and in the night that is the best way for a cat to take it and she was given dry food for her main meal at those same times...

This has been the regimen for 2 years now until 2 weeks ago when my cat was vomiting profusely immediately after eating her dry food and teaspoon of miralax. After 2 days of this I took her to the vet we always have gone to and a week later she had severe Pancreatitis due to the vomiting and she was blocked with poop from head to toe Not hard actually soft it just was not moving. They did x-rays, enemas, and sent her home with morphine for the pain of the Pancreatitis attack and anti inflammatory pills as well as anti nausea.  The vet also told me her colon was not stretched like Mega colon it looked normal but surgery may be an option if nothing else works. They told me I would have to go to the University that no local docs do the colon resection surgery so I immediately began to hysterically cry stating I cant afford what an University pet hospital would cost I will have to put my cat down. I was a wreck its one thing to put your cat down because it has cancer that is bad or has come back then id feel justified to put her down but to put her down knowing this surgery will help her but I cant afford it took a toll on me emotionally and my 14 year old daughter. My 14 year old daughter posted on Facebook a post begging someone to please help us save my cat and when I read that I almost passed out. This has been a horrible 3 weeks now of worry and fear.

My baby was so sick I never seen her this bad and really down I was scared to death to the point I bought a carrier to strap her to my chest and went every where with her including all around the house and she laid her head on my chest an slept. At night she slept on my pillow she was that ill. She started to do better last week and just days ago she started vomiting again but this time I went to a recommenced vet for a 2nd opinion which I suggest everyone does on top of turning to forums like this and Google Google Google about the disease and changed of food. Back to my story, I posted a sad post on Facebook I was so upset and the owner of the hair salon I go to responded and told me to go to her vet she was personally calling him to get me in for a 2nd opinion. The on call doctor called me to find out what was wrong and even though I was not a new patient yet she took the time to listen to my cats history and gave me an appointment the next morning. I went to the new vet and I hope he is right but much to my surprise he said unless he is missing something my cat does not need surgery that she is not a Mega colon cat but instead he felt IBD was the underlying problem. Motility is an issue for my cat as I said she does not for 3 to 4 days and stool is soft thankfully to Miralax so a motility problem exists even if it is not Mega colon.

The vet put her to sleep do extract all the stool with a colon flush and digging it all out with his fingers she was impacted with and give her 1 steroid shot that lasts a month to bring the inflammation down. When I went to pick her up he said he was shocked to find her stool not hard not soft but like plato stuck to the walls of her colon. He said usually it is hard but not clay like so suspicious about that as that could be food who knows. I recommend a colon flush to anyone out there with a constipated cat and one that gets back upped because this gives the cat a fresh clean colon and helps movement but does not sure the problem of course. He told me he does do colon resection in his office reasonable but he strongly felt changing my cats diet who fix this problem or at least make it better as no disease is fixable. The new vet asked me what food did my previous have her on and I told him for two years she was on Fiber Response dry kibble and never ate canned food her whole life because they said it will ruin her tooth that canned food was no good for animals period. He told me she should never have been on the Fiber Response dry because that is 4.7% fiber high in fiber and the last thing my cat needs is a lot of fiber she needs low fiber like 1%, low carbs, no grains and high protein all meat based, no plants or additives etc.

He told me to also stop the I/d gastro wet food I only used to mix her miralax in twice day, he said to donate the old food or throw it away. He googled a world known professor and Veterinarian at a University in Michigan on what is the best cat food to feed your cat that has IBD or Megacolon. This professor called the my new vet right away and told him the best food out there is Evo 95% it is slightly costly but is 95% all meat, low fiber, low carbs, no grain and high protein the best for cats with these conditions and no more dry food ONLY canned because dry is not good and very little water for the colon. So I said what about her teeth and he said it wont ruin her teeth and right now do we worry about her teeth or colon? I said colon. He said no more dry food only canned wet.

So it has been two days now since Monday from the 2nd opinion and colon flush and on the Evo 95 chicken & turkey and going to buy duck flavor this weekend vet said Duck or venison is the best if it cant be found then chicken and turkey mix. She had her first stool today soft and greenish could be from the colon flush and the old stool coming down no diarrhea just soft so I was happy to see her go since she had not gone in 7 days straight. Like the vet said vets, physicians of humans don't have all the answers they have extensive knowledge but don't have the answers to it all. He said my cat is unusual and he is not sure what the outcome will be but wants to try changing diets see how she does and leave surgery as a last resort.

This is my story and it has been a roller coaster or worry and fear and grief I have not been able to breathe and even thought I have a new vet with new ideas I am still leery scared what if it don't work...So I wanted to share my experience and advice about this brand wet cat food for cats with Mega colon and IBD issues. Feel free to ask me questions, share your story or give me advice I am open to it all. I learned a lot on this forum from other peoples posts I hope I can give back the same...

Karin Marie
 

katruble

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Karin- I agree! Last week I was very scared and frustrated not knowing what to do with my kitty .she does have Megacolon but she had so many enemas lately .this forum ,the information from people helped to me make a decision that my vet couldn't help .I took her off lactulose and put her on MiraLAX .she is on cisapride which helps her colon move .I am sorry to hear the hell you been through with your kitty .unfortunately the fiber food was the worst thing she could've been eating. I had a vet told me one time my cat needed more fiber and it was the last thing she needed .thank goodness we have people on this forum that has experienced by trial and error or really good vets and have worked out the situation . As for the dry food being better for teeth I think we both been told that the one . A vet told me that the carbs in dry food is worse for tartar . my kitties been eating canned for three and half years and her teeth are in excellent shape. I hope things get better for your kitty . It is really nerve-racking and heartbreaking watching them go through this and expensive but we love our kitties don't we .
 

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Hi there, I think my cat is just presenting with megacolon and she is only five years old. I feel your distress and only wish I could offer more solutions myself. Please keep us updated on Gracie!
 

katruble

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Historian- thanks on your inquiring about Gracie .right now she seems to be eating all the canned food I give her that has MiraLAX mixed in it.sometimes I put a little water on it because the MiraLAX will draw fluids from her body to her colon. I have to keep her fluids up she never drinks from a dish. I hope the best for your kitty .I am sorry to hear your kiddies been diagnosed with megacolon . I don't feel a lot of vets are really informed on what it is all about .that fiber is not the helpful thing. it can make it worse .stay in touch , will work through all of this ,right?!
 

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Historian- thanks on your inquiring about Gracie .right now she seems to be eating all the canned food I give her that has MiraLAX mixed in it.sometimes I put a little water on it because the MiraLAX will draw fluids from her body to her colon. I have to keep her fluids up she never drinks from a dish. I hope the best for your kitty .I am sorry to hear your kiddies been diagnosed with megacolon . I don't feel a lot of vets are really informed on what it is all about .that fiber is not the helpful thing. it can make it worse .stay in touch , will work through all of this ,right?!
I may have mis worded my last post. She has not yet been diagnosed with mega colon but I suspect based on my limited knowledge and the symptoms I see that she may be heading that direction. Obviously I am no vet and trying to diagnose myself would be silly so we will see what the vet says during follow up visits and examinations. But yeah, my kitty is suffering bad constipation. And has been for as long as two plus weeks as far as I can tell. I am slowly adjusting her diet with a few select foods to see what works. Mostly wet and just a little bit of dry. I am glad to hear Gracie is eating! Sounds like a good sign. Yes, we can wobble through this with our girls together! Let's definitely keep in contact.
 

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YEA I am so excited and this is the only place I can cheer about it because you people will understand .I was getting concerned about Gracie because it only seen little bits of stool and tonight she pooped a total of almost 8 inches ! I know it sounds gross but I hope you understand what this means to me! The last time that amount came out of her happened with an enema. this time she's done it with her wet food ,the MiraLAX and the extra water I'm giving her .thank you for all your advice .
You go ahead and cheer, cheer, cheer! I definitely understand how happy you are to see her poop! When our Salem was having problems with his mega colon and he had a poop my husband and I would literally cry and jump up and down whooping and hollering. I feed Salem baked fish 2 times a day along with some lactulose in both meals and he hasn't had a problem pooping for years now. His teeth do get covered in tartar since he is not eating dry food so we take him to the vet once a year to get his teeth cleaned. He is now 8 years old and is doing very well. Keep us in the loop on Gracie. Have a wonderful day!
 

siameselove03

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Katruble hello:)

I am new to this forum and I hope each person who writes me is receiving my response to them personally. Thank you for writing me it means the world to me and to sympathize with my agonizing situation that I have endured and continue to endure as I wait to see if this new food will work. This forum is wonderful I told my new vet about it, it helps to read people In similar situations and reading resolutions that they implied to there cats life in turn gives us a path of hope to try what they have and hopefully it works for our cat. I am glad I got a second opinion, I needed a new vet fresh mind new ideas and boy it went from Mega Colon to IBD imagine that from surgery needed to no surgery huge turn around I just hope my new vet is right. My friend uses him and swears by him I am told to trust him so I do. But I am still leery with worry and probably will be. She vomited this morning and I freaked out I called the vet and he said don't panic it will take time to adjust to new food it may or may not work if not must move on to another brand although Evo 95 duck flavor is the best. IBD and Mega colon cats need a low fiber diet of 1%, low carbs, high protein and grain free....All natural meat no plants or preservatives and Evo 95 is pricy but provides a well balanced diet for cats with these to horrible intestinal diseases...Yes if you read my post to Denise do not use lactulose it is no good use miralax 1/4 teaspoon twice a day mixed in the wet food for your kitty, you may have to increase to 1/8 teaspoon like I do from time to time depending on the constipation...

Gracie is in my prayers I feel bad for you, you have It bad as I do if there is anything I can do for you please reach out and touch I will check my emails and respond. You are not alone as this is a place we all need  one another and have one another we must stick together. I wish I was able to give my cell number out on here and email address but the site wrote me when I tried and told me I could not do it, if you know a way around it let me know would love to talk to you anyone for that matter than just confined through email...Low fiber is the best and yes these vets telling us to feed our cats high fiber like my old vet had my cat on for 2 years was the worst thing she could ever have done. I should have googled back then and not put all my trust in her...Damage is done by a high fiber food which starts in the stomach onto the colon... My cat to had several enemas and not one worked I had to have to the vet put her to sleep and literally dig the stool out I suggest you do the same for Gracie it will help her bowel move better...

I am here for you if you need me.....I'm sending kisses and hugs to Gracie:)
 
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