Constipation

Hi! I am so happy to find this site and hope someone can give me some advice. My 16yo baby got hit 3 weeks ago. I am allergic to cats so she was outdoors. There about 3 cars that go up our road a day so it is usually safe. I wish I could have kept her inside.

Anyways, her back legs have healed beautifully. She can walk, walk quickly, and even climb. The right was broken close to the top and the left was just slightly broken. Now the problem is her going poop. The vet cleaner her out over a week ago and said she was very optimistic but she had a more narrow passage but still room.Well,we are having problems again.

I have lots of questions. The vet told me to add Metamucil to her food. She will not eat it at all. I then added pumpkin which she did eat but that didnt' help. I did some research and some that say adding fiber bulks up the fecal matter. Seems to me we don't want it to bulk up on her already having a more narrow passage. I read that I can give her Miralax. They say that helps and will not bulk it up but just make it soft. I started giving that to her Saturday about 1PM. I have been giving her about 1/4 tsp a day. So far we have no results. It really seems this vet doesn't want much  more to do with it. I however feel after almost 17 years I have an obligation to try and make her well instead of just giving up. I love her so much. She is not in pain and is still as loving as always. I do need to figure out this bathroom issue though. I read Miralax can take up to 4 days to work. We are on day 2 1/2 as of right now. I wondered about an enema. Is that something I should try? She is eating and drinking great and she pees all the time so no issue there. Any advice would be so appreciated. I'm just at a loss of what to do. Oh, she is inside now and I take allergy meds when I need to. NO WAY am I putting her back outside. Wish I would have just brought her inside earlier.

Hi,

You can try using  CAT LAX which is sold by all vets.

All the best,

Vios

Are you feeding her wet food?  If so, try mixing plain Miralax (it's a powder and is found in the pharmacy section with the other medications for bowel problems) into the food twice a day.  Use just 1/4 teaspoon. You can also use slippery elm bark.  Scroll down a bit on this page for information on dosing:  

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm  

stephanietx said:

Are you feeding her wet food?  If so, try mixing plain Miralax (it's a powder and is found in the pharmacy section with the other medications for bowel problems) into the food twice a day.  Use just 1/4 teaspoon. You can also use slippery elm bark.  Scroll down a bit on this page for information on dosing:  

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm

Click to expand...

Yes I am using canned food. I have been doing some Miralax but no results yet. Now, I just actually looked back there for the first time. She is swollen and hard in that area. I don't know what to do. I just put a little petroleum jelly back there hoping maybe that might help somehow. I read somewhere over the last several weeks about doing that. It looks like its getting there just not coming out. 

You may have to take her to the vet for an enema. Although some people do give their cats enemas, it is advised to do it at the vet. Miralax does take time, usually about 3 days.

The vet told me to watch for bowel movements at least every 2 days or for soft poop. Over 2 days or hard poop, he said it is time for the vet.
 

You can try hairball remedy, although Miralax seemed to work better for my cat.

Do you know if the problem is gut motility? Sometimes cats with injuries have nerve damage and may need medication to help move the waste through their gut. My vet prescribed cisapride for this. (somewhat expensive) I was also looking into l-carnitine, as this has been used successfully with human babies and increases the gut muscle tone. I would ask vet about this since l-carnitine can affect the thyroid; it is used for hyperthyroidism.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=KK...hild "the little colon that couldn't"&f=false

Is she getting enough exercise? If she was outdoors before, she probably had more daily movement. Exercise can impact gut motility.

Do you know if she has an obstruction? Maybe a hairball? This can be detected with x-rays.

If your vet is not interested in your situation, you should get another vet.

No obstruction. She was going and has now just stopped so I don't think it would a motility issue. I have been taking her in the fenced back yard and making her walk. When it is cold and messy out I just take her to different parts of the house and make her walk. She has no problem at all getting where she wants to go.

I get the feeling this vet thinks she is too old to do much. In the beginning I was told she would heal. Then when she couldn't go to the bathroom I was told if they cleaned her out it should work and fix that problem. I'll call the vet today and see what they say. I can't take her until tomorrow since my dh has my car at work (his is in the shop). I'm just praying we see some kind of improvement today since today is day 3 of Miralax. I want her to be ok so badly. Thanks so much for all of the advice. Its nice to have a place to ask questions.

Are you giving her the Miralax twice a day?  the 1/4 teaspoon twice a day?  Has she had any movement yet?  If she's eating normally, this is definitely too long.  You said you put some petroleum jelly on her backside...did you gently rub her, kind of like a momma cat would do to stimulate her kittens to poop? (just trying to figure out what might help).  It sounds like she's got a hard plug that needs to get out of there so she can start pooping normally.  I'm surprised she is continuing to eat like normal.  Usually cats who are constipated start declining to eat.

that she gets that plug out sooner than later

Hey guys, what about just pumpkin?  (or is something stronger needed)?

I know it can be used for either constipation, or diarrhea, but just have to watch how much to give, starting w/ a teaspoon 2XS/day in wet food.