Hard stools

Vet told me Parker's stools are very hard and gave me some pumpkin to help him...I have given him 2 tsp already in the last 24 hours and still had to "help him" get his poop out tonight. Just wondering how long it should take before it starts to soften it up? Poor guy

Did she say the pumpkin will actually soften it up, or just help him move it out because of the extra fiber.  I didn't think it was actually a stool softener, but could be wrong.  For that purpose, I use Miralax (think in Canada it's called something else..maybe PEG23?) or the generic of it, and it actually does soften Sven's stools.  I give it to him everyday, twice a day to keep him on track, because he has a history of constipation.

She did say it would soften them. He still goes every day...they are just really hard and get stuck sometimes. I guess I can give it another day or 2 and if it doesn't work I will look for what you've mentioned and give it a go. Thanks for the tip

Pumpkin does soften..... the dose for an adult is 1 TBSP a day - or 3tsp a day..... divided in different meals - 1 TBSP is 15cc (15ml)
It works well emptying their systems out/moving the poop along, and softening it. Give it another day or so.... It will happen....
I would make sure to feed all wet if all possible - the more moisture you have in the digestive system the better

Carolina said:

Pumpkin does soften..... the dose for an adult is 1 TBSP a day - or 3tsp a day..... divided in different meals - 1 TBSP is 15cc (15ml)
It works well emptying their systems out/moving the poop along, and softening it. Give it another day or so.... It will happen....
I would make sure to feed all wet if all possible - the more moisture you have in the digestive system the better

Click to expand...

For Bugsy, it works as well as miralax (as far as softening), however miralax is somewhat easier to give..... He pooped way more on pumpkin though, due to the extra fiber he was getting.

Carolina said:

Pumpkin does soften..... the dose for an adult is 1 TBSP a day - or 3tsp a day..... divided in different meals - 1 TBSP is 15cc (15ml)
It works well emptying their systems out/moving the poop along, and softening it. Give it another day or so.... It will happen....
I would make sure to feed all wet if all possible - the more moisture you have in the digestive system the better

Click to expand...

Ok, great. She told me to give him 2tsp a day...but I did give him a little extra anyway. Thankfully he loves it and will even it on its own.

Normally I do feed him all wet and just a few bits of kibble as a treat. However, he found my baggie of dry when I was out yesterday and ate most of. 

Here's hoping he has a softer poo soon.

Well his stool is still kind of hard and still getting stuck...Is it ok to give even more than what I am giving? Will it have the opposite affect and bind him up?

Have you tried Miralax?

Carolina said:

Have you tried Miralax?

Click to expand...

I was looking for it the other day but didn't see it. I am guessing it might have another name. Are all stool softeners created equal? Don't want to give him something I shouldn't.

No, not all stool softeners are equal!  You need Miralax, or a generic of it.  I think in Canada it's called PEG.  This is the active ingredient:  (polyethylene glycol 3350)

Good luck.  Keep us posted. 

In Canada, Miralax is sold under the brand name Restoralax http://www.restoralax.ca/ENG/index.html ...same drug, same manufacturer as http://www.miralax.com/miralax/home/index.jspa

Pumpkin really doesn't help soften the stool...it is a great source of fiber, though, and fiber is one of the key ingredients to keep things moving along.

Soft stool is all about its water content http://www.felineconstipation.org/water.html

You can read about using Miralax here http://www.felineconstipation.org/prevention.html#OsmoticLaxativesPrevent I would start with 1/8 tsp a day. If, after a few days, the stool is still hard, I'd increase the dose to 1/4 tsp.

That site http://www.felineconstipation.org/index.html is a great resource for learning about how the gut works and for "trouble shooting" when things go awry http://www.felineconstipation.org/whatgoeswrong.html as well as for treatments http://www.felineconstipation.org/acutetreatment.html

I think I've seen the restoralax. I'll check again when I get to the store.

As for the water thing, I really don't think that is the issue. Parker doesn't drink on his own but he is on a 95% wet diet plus I always add  enough water to make his food look practically like soup. So I am not 100% sure why his stools are hard. His FHS keeps him grooming a lot, I guess it could be from all the fur he eats? The vet said the fur shouldn't make it that hard though...so I don't know. I guess a stool softener is my last resort. Although, the pumpkin has been keeping him regular.

LuvMyParker said:

I think I've seen the restoralax. I'll check again when I get to the store.


As for the water thing, I really don't think that is the issue. Parker doesn't drink on his own but he is on a 95% wet diet plus I always add  enough water to make his food look practically like soup. So I am not 100% sure why his stools are hard. His FHS keeps him grooming a lot, I guess it could be from all the fur he eats? The vet said the fur shouldn't make it that hard though...so I don't know. I guess a stool softener is my last resort. Although, the pumpkin has been keeping him regular.

Click to expand...

Is he showing signs of straining? does he cry at the litterbox? You do want firm/solid stools..... If he is not straining, not have difficulties passing the stools, he should be fine..... If he is regular now with the pumpkin and not straining, you might want to reconsider the softener....

In case you use it: per my vet, regular dose was 1/4 tsp a day...... in extreme cases, 2x a day until kitty gets better......

My vet told me that giving 1 dolcolax stool softener pill works really great on cats. Bonus is the pills are teeny tiny. Like the size of the smiley face icon 

Carolina said:

Is he showing signs of straining? does he cry at the litterbox? You do want firm/solid stools..... If he is not straining, not have difficulties passing the stools, he should be fine..... If he is regular now with the pumpkin and not straining, you might want to reconsider the softener....
In case you use it: per my vet, regular dose was 1/4 tsp a day...... in extreme cases, 2x a day until kitty gets better......

Click to expand...

I've heard him cry maybe twice...but I am not sure if its because he was trying to go, or simply because he was away from me for more than a moment lol.
For the most part he goes ok but usually once or twice a week, they get stuck and I have to "help" him get them out. Or he scoots and gets it on the carpet. I check when this happens and even super fresh, for lack of a better word, they are pretty hard. Almost no give to them. He does go every day so its not like he backed up, they are just dry. Even with the pumpkin and ton of water I put in his food.

Besides water, what else can cause them to be so hard? He's been like this since I've had him. I just knew NOTHING about cats when I got him and thought it was normal. Poor guy. 

I've been following this thread and felt like I didn't have anything to contribute that hasn't already been shared, but I just wanted to second Carolina's suggestion of Miralax.  I used to give it to Callie.  Also, the scooting could be because his anal glands are impacted.  Have those been checked and possibly expressed, if needed?  Also, has his blood been checked for any kind of renal problems?

She checked his glands and they are fine. He scoots only when he has feces stuck. He had a full senior panel done and it came back perfect. She also had his liver, kidneys, thyroid (and whatever else she said that I can't remember) tested. Everything that they and she checked for is spot on. She never gave me much info on the hard stools aside from suggesting pumpkin and other "roughage" (?).

Just a reminder to please check with a veterinary professional before giving any human over-the-counter medication to your pet.

Bump...but I got some RestoraLax, as recommended, and have been giving it to Parker for a couple days and he has had 2 "normal" sized poos with no strain, no scooting and no help from me. I did not consult the vet first, which may not be so smart...but I am giving him just under 1/8 tsp and its helping. Although, I had asked them before and they said with the pumpkin and the hairball paste, he shouldn't need it...they didn't really say I couldn't try it. Regardless, these are the..err...nicest poos he's had in a few weeks. So thanks for the help! Parker appreciates it too. 

Carolina said:

Is he showing signs of straining? does he cry at the litterbox? You do want firm/solid stools..... If he is not straining, not have difficulties passing the stools, he should be fine..... If he is regular now with the pumpkin and not straining, you might want to reconsider the softener....

In case you use it: per my vet, regular dose was 1/4 tsp a day...... in extreme cases, 2x a day until kitty gets better......

Click to expand...

I am  have problems with my cat with constipation.  He was given drops by the vet and soft food but it has come back.

I bought some restoralax powder for adults and need some help in dogeage to give him and how many times a day.  Please need input.

Thank you.