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Megacolon diagnosis

post #1 of 3
7/8/10 at 10:28am
Thread Starter 
Bickford was rushed back to the vets today with another round of constipation. He's been diagnosed with megacolon, which means the muscles of the colon are not able to push feces through efficiently. MiraLax or lactoluse alone will not help and the vet is going to put him on another medication to address that particular problem once he's through with this crisis. (He's getting an enema now and I'm waiting for the call when they're done.) Anyone else dealt with this? I have another cat with asthma, and thankfully the other 4 seem healthy for the moment.
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post #2 of 3
7/8/10 at 1:05pm
I dealt with megacolon in Ootay for many years.

By the end of her life she was on:

mineral oil 2 ml twice a day
psyllium 1/4 tsp once a day
cisapride 2.5 mg 3 times a day,

and still had trouble.

Megacolon is just what it sounds like the colon is stretched out of shape caused by chronic constipation. Cisapride (propulsid) is a motlitiy agent, meaning it keeps the muscles moving to help keep the stool from sitting in the megacolon. the laxatives of course help keep the stool soft.

Laxatives (mineral oil or lactulose) should be given on an empty stomach at least an hour before a meal or any other medication, as they will interfere with the absorption of nutrients and medicines. Cisapride can be given with food, or about 15 minutes before food.

it becomes a real balancing act but it doable.

Bickford should be put on an all canned grain free diet, and add as much water as he will tolerate to that canned food.

Feed smaller meals more often.

I personally do not like lactulose. Ootay loathed it and it is so sticky and gets in the fur. It must be washed off immediately. Ootay's tongue would get stuck to her fur when she tried to wash it off, is how I discovered that.

My vet eventually had me switch Ootay to mineral oil, and I gave that by putting it in a tiny amount of canned food. I didn't count that bit of food as part of her daily intake. Mineral oil has no taste, and most cats eat it mixed in a little food quite readily.

How old is Bickford? If Ootay had been younger and stronger I would have opted for the surgery to remove the megacolon. But it was too late for her by the time it was diagnosed.
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post #3 of 3
7/8/10 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 
Bickford is 12. The vet told me to give him the cisapride on an empty stomach but never gave me any restrictions on the laxative. I moved him from lactoluse to MiraLax because of the stickiness - the vet thinks they're equally as effective. Surgery was not recommended because of his age and the fact that my vet feels it may ultimately be ineffective (the stretched colon can become distended over time.) I'm also getting the Drinkwell fountain I have out of storage and hooking it up again for him.
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