Miralax dosing and response time

susanmartha

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Please do not have your Maine Coon put down just because he is 14...one of my Maine Coons lived to be 21; it is not uncommon for this breed to live a long life.  Take you kitty to a vet for a check-up.
 

susanmartha

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I read on the Internet that you should not give a kitty more than 1/4 teaspoon per day.  When my kitty starts to have soft stools I usually skip a dose completely and by the time he poops again, usually three days later, the stool is fine.  He has been on MiraLax for 7 years.
 

crystalluvscats

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My Question and a little of how we got here..  How long does it take before the Miralax kicks in?

my cat had to spend a weekend at the vet cause she was so blocked, she was due to have kittens and was so blocked it took her 3 days before she could pass the babies, I actually thought the mass I was feeling in her behind area was maybe a still born or a kitten stuck.  So i brought her to vet day after she delivered and it was that she was so backed up that she pushed her rectum out of place..  She has been home 2 days now and constipated once again!  She never had this problem before . I just went get some Miralax cause I found this site and read on it.. Just gave her a 1/4 teaspoon in a little tuna and that was about 20 minutes ago . she is in litter box trying once again to use it and nothing yet. How long does it take before the Miralax kicks in?
 

LTS3

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My Question and a little of how we got here..  How long does it take before the Miralax kicks in?

my cat had to spend a weekend at the vet cause she was so blocked, she was due to have kittens and was so blocked it took her 3 days before she could pass the babies, I actually thought the mass I was feeling in her behind area was maybe a still born or a kitten stuck.  So i brought her to vet day after she delivered and it was that she was so backed up that she pushed her rectum out of place..  She has been home 2 days now and constipated once again!  She never had this problem before . I just went get some Miralax cause I found this site and read on it.. Just gave her a 1/4 teaspoon in a little tuna and that was about 20 minutes ago . she is in litter box trying once again to use it and nothing yet. How long does it take before the Miralax kicks in?
It usually works within a few hours so be patient
. Make sure to give the Miralax correctly: dissolve the 1/4 teaspoon into a few spoonfuls of water first and then mix it into canned food or tuna or whatever your cat will readily eat up.

You can also try giving some plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filing). Again, give it time to work.
 

fleur4

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In my experience, if Miralax doesn't work within 12 hours or so, we give our cat ONE  Dulcolax.  But you should probably ask the vet first, Dulcolax is pretty strong.  When my cat gets so constipated that Miralax and Dulcolax don't work, we have the vet give her an enema.  Fleet makes small glycerine enemas for babies that work really well with my cat.  They're very gentle and she tolerates it very well.   Good luck with your kitty cat, she'll be fine. 
 

crystalluvscats

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Thank you so much  for your response :) The Miralax worked. She just went to litter box and did some business.. So relieved. The vet wanted me to come back and get an enema but i needed something that will help her all the time not just one time.. obviously she is suffering from this over and over again so maybe this Miralax is the answer I am looking for.. It worked and thats so great! :)I read on here that Miralax draws water to the colon so it just made sense to try it.. I am so glad i did cause it worked.. This site really helped so much with the info I was able to gather and also saved a lot of money for me.. Just spent hundreds over the weekend .. Hoping this will continue to be the answer for her .. Thank you again so much all the info I am gathering from this site will be and is so helpful now and for future.. 
 

fleur4

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That's wonderful news!  My cat suffered from constipation on and off for a long time, and usually we gave her a Dulcolax.  However, when the D didn't work, and we had to resort to giving her enemas, they were extremely hard on her body.  She wouldn't eat for two days, because she was nauseous from the chemicals in the enema.    A woman in the pet store told us about Miralax and it's been great.  You can give her a little every day, maybe add a little warm water to her food.  (I'm still mad at our ex-vet for not suggesting Miralax in the first place!)  

If your cat does ever need an enema, definitely try the Fleet glycerine enema.  It doesn't have a lot of nasty chemicals in it.  

Also, now that my cat is almost 11, she's starting to slow down a bit so we sometmes give her a little extra Miralax in her dinner.  (She usually gets Miralax in her lunch),   I'm sure you're very relieved, we love them so much!
 

LTS3

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Thank you so much  for your response :) The Miralax worked. She just went to litter box and did some business.. So relieved. The vet wanted me to come back and get an enema but i needed something that will help her all the time not just one time.. obviously she is suffering from this over and over again so maybe this Miralax is the answer I am looking for.. It worked and thats so great! :)I read on here that Miralax draws water to the colon so it just made sense to try it.. I am so glad i did cause it worked.. This site really helped so much with the info I was able to gather and also saved a lot of money for me.. Just spent hundreds over the weekend .. Hoping this will continue to be the answer for her .. Thank you again so much all the info I am gathering from this site will be and is so helpful now and for future.. 
Poop is great
Your cat must be feeling much better now.

Yes, Miralax draws water into the colon. If you just give the dry powder with food, the Miralax ends up drawing water from the body into the colon and that can result in a dehdyrated cat which could make the constipation even worse. So always dissolve the Miralax in water first and then mix it with food to prevent the cat from becoming dehydrated. If you read the Human instructions on the label it says to dissolve in a full glass of water and then drink, not sprinkle the dry powder over something like yogurt
 

purrfectpurrcy

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I'm not sure how often this thread is even read anymore but as a cat mom that deals with digestive issues in my purrfect little blue eyed Prince Purrcy, I'd like to think I know a tad about the situation. Regarding the Miralax. It's nice I can use it as I use it for myself as well so I always have it on hand. Give your baby 1/4 tsp. twice daily to get rid of constipation. If that doesn't help then you can go up to 1/2. Then after you've noticed stools a few days in a row if you want to get your baby off of it then you can step the dosing down each day by a little bit. That way it isn't too much of a shock to their system. At the same time though check the fiber content in their diet. A big reason for constipation is NOT ENOUGH FIBER. it's good to give at least one meal a day as wet and then dry after that. I give our babies one wet meal in the morn with their pro and pre biotics and they then free feed on dry throughout the rest of the day. Also when I give their wet to them I mix a spoonful of pumpkin in with each cats plate. Pumpkin has WONDERFUL fiber content in it. So if you need to add fiber to the diet, use pumpkin. You won't regret it. It works excellent. I also give my cats a pro and pre biotic every day as well which is very good for them and their guts. My babies mean the world to me so I do what I can to help prevent future health issues. The pro and pre biotic I use is all in one and it's a capsule. It's chicken flavored. I open the capsule and mix with their food and they don't even know. The gobble it right up. It is GNC Pets Ultra Mega Pronbiotuc and prebiotic Formula Sprinkle Capsules. If your fur baby goes too many days without a bowel movement then I'd suggest getting them to the vet immediately as they could have an impaction and that's extremely dangerous to their health and well being. As for the person who said to not give dry food and that it is a no no....that is incredibly incorrect. Dry contains a lot of good nutrients and proteins that a cat needs in their diet. Dry food contains different things than wet does that a cats system requires. For instance if you're giving an all wet diet and no dry and your baby is constipated, then it's no wonder. Reason being is because wet doesn't have good fiber content in it. You can get the wet with the best fiber that wet contains and it still is far below the average percentage that a cat needs to get. Dry doesn't even have the full percentage of it, but, it has far more than wet has in it. So dry is a good source of fiber for your fur baby. It is also good for their teeth and future dental health. Cats on an all wet diet will end up having horrible dental problems in life. Their teeth will start decaying and they will have excruciating painful cavities in their teeth to the point that they won't eat therefore causing weight loss, then causing more issues. It's a domino effect. Dry food actually helps aid in dental care to a certain extent. When the cat chews the kibble it runs against the teeth cleaning off the clinging tartar buildup. As you see there are many reasons dry food is healthy for a cat. Give your fur baby wet once a day then dry the rest of the time during the day. Then on top of that it's very important to make sure that your baby has PLENTY of CLEAN water readily available to them at all times. It's very important to their health as they don't have that much of a water "make up" as humans do so they need as much water as they can get in them. Promote heAlthy drinking by getting a water fountain type of water bowl for them. It's constantly flowing water and it runs through a filter so that way it is very clean at all times. If you're worried about price just get on Amazon and you can find thn for far less than what you'd expect. I found one for around $15. Plus set up a few water bowls throughout the house. We have a bowl in each room of our home. I hope this has all been helpful to you. Thank you
 

goholistic

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purrfectpurrcy, I'm glad you found a solution that works for your cat. And I agree with your points about adding in a good probiotic and having water fountains that are cleaned regularly as a way to encourage drinking. However, please be careful about making recommendations in "absolute" terms to everyone as though it is the solution for all cats. Some cats may do better with a little fiber in their diet. Some don't. Fiber can make constipation worse in some cases. Psyllium husk, for example, is sometimes recommended for bowel issues, but it is a bulking fiber and can make the bowel too large to pass comfortably. One of mine had a negative experience with psyllium husk in this regard. Some do okay with dry food. Some don't. You may feel that the suggestion to not give dry food in cases of constipation is incorrect for your situation and your cat, but dry food can be a contributing factor of constipation for others. The impaction you speak of happened twice with my Boo due to dry food. It was awful and very traumatic for the both of us! I took him off dry food several years ago, and he never had a problem since. For him, more water/moisture in his diet was the key. Chronic constipation IS serious and can potentially lead to a condition called megacolon, so resolving the constipation is critical by whatever means meets that goal, usually by trial-and-error and the right combination of diet and supplements. This isn't a debate about diet, but a clarification that there is not one solution that works for all cats.

Also, there is no evidence that dry food cleans teeth. Many cats don't even chew the kibble; they swallow it whole. Here are two articles on the subject:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/does-dry-food-actually-clean-your-cats-teeth

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/

Good dental hygiene starts with regular brushing and occasional dental cleanings at the vet if necessary. It's really no different than us humans. Eating crackers every day won't clean our teeth. We have to brush them.
 
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4cats1parrot

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I have a qustion to you miralax users. Is it o.k to use long term?? I know with humans if you use laxatives long term the bowels become lazy and they come to rely on laxatives. all of the time which is not good, is it the same for cats?

I have 4 cats two rescued from outside two seniors. I am giving Miralax to my senior girl with hyperthyroid, she is on the transdermal gel fo ears but is prone to uti's, if the vet had it here way shed be on antibiotics constantly.
She is on canned food only wellness. chicken & sardines since that is the only flavor all 4 will eat, and it costs a small fortune to feed 4 cats.. Our financial situation has changed and really I cant afford to get her in to the vet to be tested as often as she should be. My other senior cat needs dental work and cant afford to go.

I have to say I learned alot from Dr Karen Beckers site and utube videos. I agree that dry kibble is bad for cats EVEN the expensive. kind! They simply do not drink enoug water to compensate for the moisture they would get in the wild eating raw food. Since my cats are seniors I will not be switching to raw, but once they pass the other two will be! To homeaid raw. done carefully. That will solve dental issues and avoid the vet.
She does suggest if you dont switch to raw the next best thing is grain free wet food with Digestive Enzymes. She went as far as to say even cheap wet food with digestive enzymes is better than the most expensive dry kibble and I agree.

Just want to share my experience using Dry kibble in case it helps any of you esp. with constipation issues. My first cat got ddry kibble, mid line with real meat not meal or by products. She ended up with renal failure when she got to be about 13, so the next two cats I got from the shelter got high end grain free kibble, such as evo and wet food at supper...one is now hyperthyroid and the other is borderline hyperthyroid! Wow was I frustrated! And that is why I,ve switched to canned which now (not then) is bpa free.

Digestive enzymes are important, I give 1/8 of a capsule. If you think about it in the wild the veggies they get are predigested in the animals gut, so digestive enzymes will really help. break down the food especially if cheap food. if you want to try put some cooked oats in a jar in the fridge it hardens add a capsule of digestive enzymes it will soften fairly quick, try that test to see what I mean, digestive enzymes are also good for us.

Also they suggest especially to those feeding kibble to get a cat fountain, to encorage them to drink, but most fountains I found to be made cheaply and the water smelled and there is serious issues with ceramics made in china and plastic makes everything slimy even distilled water! The best fountain out there is the Glacier. Point pet fountain, I spent money on this. that was hard to spend! they arent cheap but I will not be buying a new fountain evey year or so, It has glass vinegar bottles, no plastic and safe ceramic, I clean it weekly its easy to do but have to be very careful not to drop it. You actually can talk to the guy or lady that you see in their utube videos of how to maintain it or clean it, I bought the basic which I can add a chiller down the line which apparently may encourage them to drink even more, try giving your cat cold water to know. ITS QUIET too and all my cats drink from it and there is no smell or slime, best investment I made for them it will no doubt last a long long time and considering that alot of health issues are due to inflammation this fountain may prevent issues in my younger two and hopefully ward off kidney failure in the older two. It looks a bit funny but i sure love it and so do my cats. I bought the package they suggested over the phone so I have the filters needed to change in the cheapest way. I find the filters and maintenance way cheaper and easier, this guy cares about how it works, there is a downloadable instruction manual after purchase but the utube videos are easy peasy. No more smelly water, when I clean it I swear I could drink it, no more worries.

The mirilax is working I just worry about long term, the slippery elm is good too I gave it to her when she was on the pills which upset her stomach. I am giving 1/8 tsp mixed in water at supper, I give her lunch with Acidophilus with bifidus (kept in fridge-live bacteria) i only buy from health food stores that also store it that way. that is for her gut health trying to ward off uti,s. I give a couple shots of 22ppm colodial silver. but still occassionally her urine is turning that darkish yellow orange [emoji]128542[/emoji] not sure if I should be giving more colodial silver (natural antibiotic) but I notice if I slack off on the probiotics things go south fast.

But for those with constipated cats I,d say get them on canned grain free, I gave my cats canned at supper and expensive dry in am and STiLL they ended up hyperthyroid, so avoid issues and go wet, i have dry on hand i use for bribery as a treat to let me brush teeth etc. Get a fountain a good one or try giving cold water to see if that helps, if not syringe in some water any time u think of it. Digestive enzymes too will make a difference long term. Check out DrKaren Beckers Video on best foods to feed to see why. For seniors well pumpkin only did so much and I dont think all vets tell u when medications are constipating...but it is the first thing to try. I switched my holistic vet and insisted pumpkin was not doing enough and i had to force feed it to her and she reluctantly agreed since she is old to go the mirilax route, I will only use it temporarily on the younger ones if they should get constipated, im still worried about bowels becoming lazy from it, anyone know if that can happen? Hope my experience wiyh results from using kibble and expensive kibble to wet food helps someone
 
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molly92

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I don't know if Miralax can create "lazy bowels." It should be given when the consistency of the stool is dry and hard, because it helps draw water into the stool. It should be doing enough just to get the stool to a normal consistency, so the bowels should still have to contract to evacuate it. If it's causing diarrhea or too soft stool, the dosage should probably be lowered.

I have noticed that after awhile, it's efficacy starts to fade. I find it works better now if I just use it once in a while in rotation with other remedies like added soluble fiber, which also doesn't seem to work as well after I've been using it for a long time. Probiotics and enzymes seem to be consistently helpful when added daily.

I think there are a couple of potential medical concerns about long term use of miralax floating around, but nothing that's been proven to be the case in cats. My vet has never issued any warning against it, and I've never heard any anecdotal evidence that it causes problems long term.
 

4cats1parrot

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Thank You. I will keep giving it regularly, If I stop, her stools immediately get hard, pumpkin does not help and the mirilax takes a while to work so gonna give daily and up dose only if needed. She only gets wet so not sure why she gets constipated I suspect from the thyroid meds though the vet will not confirm this or deny it.
 
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goholistic

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@4cats1parrot, thank you for educating yourself.  
  I ended up with a stainless steel fountain that I clean regularly and fill with reverse osmosis water (not tap). The cats love it. I have been using Miralax long term for my senior cat Boo because it's the only thing that seems to keep him going regularly. He's been on it for probably 4 or 5 years, and he's over 16 years old now. He's also on probiotics, plant-based digestive enzymes, omega-3 fish oil, a wet diet and freeze-dried raw (rehydrated) in rotation. This combination works, but if I stop or reduce the Miralax, his stools get very hard and dry again and he gets backed up. My vet and I decided that the detrimental effects of recurring constipation and impaction are worse that any side effects from Miralax (none that we've noticed).

For others reading, I probably wouldn't start a kitten or young cat on Miralax, though, because over a long period of time it seems they can build up a slight tolerance to it. If I had a constipated young cat, I may offer Miralax short-term to address acute constipation, but then try other methods to get it under control long-term.

I've never heard of "lazy bowels" either caused from Miralax. But I have heard of permanent damage to the nerves in the colon being caused by recurring constipation and impaction. This prevents the colon from contracting properly when bowels need to be emptied. In turn, the colon tissue stretches and the colon becomes large. This is megacolon. It has been my unrelenting duty to prevent this at all costs!
 

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My Lucy-kitty is about to turn 19 in July.  She has been in renal failure for nearly three years, and is dehydrated and has developed chronic constipation, which we have been combating with everything we can. I have been giving her sub-q treatments for many months.  Never, EVER thought I could do this at home, but I am glad I did.  It has paid off and I am happy to say that she has not had to visit her vet or the ER in months.  I also supplement this with a once-daily dose of Cat-Lax in the morning and Miralax in her food in the evening.  I also mix plenty of water in her food and got her a drinking fountain.  I am on a pretty limited income, but all of these things together do not add to much per month.  And it is definitely cheaper than constant vet-ER visits for treatments that can all be done at home. (She's had one enema, which was quite enough...(At her age, too many vet visits only stress her out, and she's just enough of a fighter that her own vet won't do any kind of thorough procedures on her unless they can gas her and knock her out just long enough to do what they need to do...and THAT AIN'T HAPPENING). Once in a while, she will have an issue passing a stool, but so far she has managed to do so on her own.  I agree with the other poster who recommended that you monitor your cat's visits to the litter box.  Whenever I hear that particular "scratching" in her box, I know it's poop time, and I am there to encourage her and to watch and document what comes out, how much, what consistency it has and the time of day.

It's difficult to see our babies go through any discomfort and I wish you the best of luck.  
 
 
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denice

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My kitties are 13 this year and I have not had to give sub-q fluids but I agree giving them at home is very much preferable to a vet visit.  Easier for both the kitty and the guardian's wallet.  My IBD kitty had them a couple of times at the vet's office before he was diagnosed and gotten on the right track.  I watched the vet do it and I think it's something I can do once I get past the fear factor of sticking the kitty.
 

wt1964

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It took me a while to get past the idea of having to stick my Lucy.  So, for the first 2-3 weeks I had to have a friend come and help, and they were good enough to do the dirty work.  But, there came a time when no one was available to assist, so I had to bite the bullet.  But everything they say is true.  It gets easier with every treatment, and when we started, it took anywhere up to thirty minutes to do.  Now, it actually takes longer to prep than it does to actually do the treatment, which generally now is done in five minutes or less.  And I have been doing it completely unassisted for months now!
 

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My cat was not having any bowel movement so we went the Miralax and enema route but it happened again 3 months later.   X-rays showed that the blockage was in the upper intestine so my vet prescribed Cisapride which is given to help with the quick passage of food through the digestive tract. It may be used to treat disorders such as megaesophagus, acid reflux disease, megacolon. It is also effective against chronic constipation and some causes of vomiting.   So far it is working though I have to admit he plays hide-and-seek every morning and evening as he knows it is pill time.
 
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