Megacolon

Has anyone tried managing megacolon with a raw diet? Just curious because if the goal is easily digestible food with low fiber, I would think raw would be helpful. Raw fed kitties usually only poop every 2-3 days, and the volume of output is less. However, the poop is usually harder and more crumbly, so maybe that would not be good for megacolon kitties? I really don't know. It was just a thought. I don't think I have heard anything about raw diets and megacolon, either positive or negative.

vball91 said:

Has anyone tried managing megacolon with a raw diet? Just curious because if the goal is easily digestible food with low fiber, I would think raw would be helpful. Raw fed kitties usually only poop every 2-3 days, and the volume of output is less. However, the poop is usually harder and more crumbly, so maybe that would not be good for megacolon kitties? I really don't know. It was just a thought. I don't think I have heard anything about raw diets and megacolon, either positive or negative.

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The tabby cat pictured at the top of www.catinfo.org had megacolon. I believe Dr. Pierson had the affected part of his colon removed, but I definitely remember him being fed raw but with guar gum added to his. She might have some answers...I have no idea what she charges for consultations though.

vball91 said:

Has anyone tried managing megacolon with a raw diet? Just curious because if the goal is easily digestible food with low fiber, I would think raw would be helpful. Raw fed kitties usually only poop every 2-3 days, and the volume of output is less. However, the poop is usually harder and more crumbly, so maybe that would not be good for megacolon kitties? I really don't know. It was just a thought. I don't think I have heard anything about raw diets and megacolon, either positive or negative.

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I was told that some brands of commercial raw add psyllium to address the fiber issue. I had originally come to the group in order to learn how to feed raw, but now that my kitty's constipated, I'm kinda scared. I would at least like to establish how often and when she should poo before I attempt something like that.

My cat has had colon issues. She almost died at one point. It was my fault; I wasn't educating myself about feline nutrition and just blindly trusting cat food manufacturer and giving her any dry food, which is the worst thing on the planet for any cats,  I found out later.

I gave her lactulose (which made her vomit sometimes-what a mess,) everyday for about two years, along with variety of canned food (which she rejected one after another or simply couldn't "pass"). Since then, I learned that Miralax is better than Lactulose, so I keep it on hand just in case though I haven't used it yet.

There is a website developed by a vet on Raw diet: catinfo.org.   Following their instruction, I started feeding mine Nature's Variety "Raw" (It's not really raw though). They call it "Catkins Diet"; basically the theory is that cats are carnivores and unlike dog's system which evolved by living with humans, cat's intestins are meant to digest meat, not grain. I was ready to make my own cat food, but since she liked Nature's Variety well enough, I didn't have to.

She did fine on Nature's Variety Raw for several years until her kidney started to show signs of wear, so I switched to Hi-Tor Neo for Renal cats, which she does well on. Initially, the vet wanted me to give her perscription diet for renal cats but it made her constipated. I think once they develop constipation problem, they will always be prone to it. I have a feeling my happiness will continue to be based on her elimination habits as long as she lives.

Currently, she is not taking anything other than pepcid AC to calm her stomach (but I kind of doubt she needs this at all); I give her sub-Q fluids 2-3 times a week to help her kidney; sub-Q also helps to keep her stool soft. She is pretty active for her age (18) and she is eating well, keeping her weight up and eliminating regularly.

One another thing I changed is how I fill the litter box; I fill it all the way to the top now so she can grab onto the side of the box. Like many cats, she sits up high to eliminate, and when the litter is too low, there is too much gap between her back feet and front, making it difficult for her to "push down" for support. I suspect she is starting to feel achy due to the onset of arthritis, I think it makes it easier for her if she could get a good grip so she can bear down. This may not work as well if your cat is a big guy/girl because his/her paws will sink down by his/her weight.

If you change anything, please, do it sloooooooowly, specially the food. Cats cannot go without eating for long period and the stubborn creatures that they are, they will starve themselves if they decide  they don't like the new food. Also, if you change one thing at a time, it's easier to tell what works and what is contributing to the problem. Do keep in mind that some things take a while to start working.

I keep a calendar and jot down things: #2, weight change, fluids given, meds. (It's easier if it's on the wall rather than a planner.) This lets me know if the pattern change, i.e. she hasn't eliminated in a couple of days. You should also jot down change of food and how much of it was given.

I know it's a lot, but one almost have to look at it like a science project, which it actually is.

Good-Luck!

vball91 said:

Has anyone tried managing megacolon with a raw diet? Just curious because if the goal is easily digestible food with low fiber, I would think raw would be helpful. Raw fed kitties usually only poop every 2-3 days, and the volume of output is less. However, the poop is usually harder and more crumbly, so maybe that would not be good for megacolon kitties? I really don't know. It was just a thought. I don't think I have heard anything about raw diets and megacolon, either positive or negative.

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I'm actually a member of the yahoo megacolon group (which I completely forgot about until today , since we were able to manage Sven's issues with Miralax), so I ventured over there to see what they thought about your theory, and you're not alone .  Many of the folks who have cats with Megacolon feed either a very good low carb canned food (or TRY to if their furkids will cooperate ) or raw!  It makes perfect sense, actually.  Even though their stools are much more firm, since they are so much smaller, and so much less frequent,they should be easier to pass.   AND, you can still use Miralax to soften them if need be, which many folks in that group do, seems like a win/win situation.

mrsgreenjeens said:

I'm actually a member of the yahoo megacolon group (which I completely forgot about until today

, since we were able to manage Sven's issues with Miralax), so I ventured over there to see what they thought about your theory, and you're not alone

.  Many of the folks who have cats with Megacolon feed either a very good low carb canned food (or TRY to if their furkids will cooperate

) or raw!  It makes perfect sense, actually.  Even though their stools are much more firm, since they are so much smaller, and so much less frequent,they should be easier to pass.   AND, you can still use Miralax to soften them if need be, which many folks in that group do, seems like a win/win situation.

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That is interesting. Raw did make sense, but I've never researched megacolon or thought much about it. So I think I need to borrow that bag of yours.

Have same problem with my cat.  He has progressed to almost kidney failure and now heart murmur .  He has had 2 enemas in the last 6 months and he cannot seem to go to bathroom although he is still drinking and going potty.  Science diet made him vomit and he quit eating just recently and only wanted Fancy feast and that was too much protein all at once.  Look at www.consumeraffairs.com/pet/science_diet.html   I wish I would have looked sooner.  Symptoms all the same for cats on the posts there.  I switched to plain old Purina cat chow and finally got him to eat.  Not sure if it is in time.  Vet has him on Asodyll probiotic and Cisipride now to help with colon.  He has lost like 7 pounds and I am very worried.  Part of problem is he is older cat also but his bloodwork initially was really good for his age.  He has not other problems.  I think it is the food.  Hills and Science Diet same company - just look at that website.

sorry website is www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/science_diet.html

 sorry I did not get the website right the first time.http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/science_diet.html

kansascat said:

 
Have same problem with my cat.  He has progressed to almost kidney failure and now heart murmur .  He has had 2 enemas in the last 6 months and he cannot seem to go to bathroom although he is still drinking and going potty.  Science diet made him vomit and he quit eating just recently and only wanted Fancy feast and that was too much protein all at once.  Look at www.consumeraffairs.com/pet/science_diet.html   I wish I would have looked sooner.  Symptoms all the same for cats on the posts there.  I switched to plain old Purina cat chow and finally got him to eat.  Not sure if it is in time.  Vet has him on Asodyll probiotic and Cisipride now to help with colon.  He has lost like 7 pounds and I am very worried.  Part of problem is he is older cat also but his bloodwork initially was really good for his age.  He has not other problems.  I think it is the food.  Hills and Science Diet same company - just look at that website.

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I'm sorry to hear about your cat.  Your circumstances may be different, since your little one has kidney disease, and kidney disease often causes chronic constipation, and is most likely what caused the large weight loss too 



Are you also giving your guy Miralax along with the Cisipride?  My understanding is that the Cisipride just help the stools pass, but the Miralax works to help soften them, so I thought often they were used together, especially if the patient is still having problems eliminating.  (although I am no expert...my guy could "go" simply by ingesting the Miralax). 

I'm glad you found a food he will eat, but are you also looking for a wet food for him.  With kidney disease, wet food is better, since as you probably know, he needs to take in as much water as possible.  Are you giving him sub-q fluids.  Have you checked out this thread?  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/119727/crf-chronic-renal-failure-links-and-experiences-with   It's long, but contains lots of good information, and some great links!

I wrote to all of you in May as OC, the stray we brought in at 6 months, had been DX with megacolon at about age 18 months. We learned that he had had multiple pelvic fractures that were left untreated prior to age 6 months and he healed in such a way that the colon was obstructed by the malaligned healing bones and, hence the megancolon developed over time. For those of you who do not know, the colon is a muscle and once stretched for a period of time, does not retract back to its original state. Hence, once with megacolon, it is megacolon for the life of the cat unless you opt for surgery to have the colon removed. We learned the surgeon could remove the colon and attach the stomach directly to the rectum. There is a chance the condition will recur with the stomach. We opted for the conservative approach, took OC home with the recommended RX diet and lactulose....both a failure. OC would not eat the food and it was tortrure to try to give him the lactulose....for him and me.

I did a lot of reading and opted for MiraLax. I called the vet (old school) who said she had heard people use MiraLax, but she had not ever prescribed/recommended it. She had a resident surgeon research the use of MiraLax for megacololn in cats and called me back to say that based on OC's weight, he should have 1/4 tsp in his food twice a day.

He likes wet and dry food, so I add the 1/4 tsp of MiraLax at breakfast and dinner to his wet. I use only that amount of food to dissolve the 1/4 tsp so that when he eats, I am sure he is getting all of it down. I then add more wet food to his bowl until he tells me he has had enough (walks away). I learned that if I mix the MiraLax with his total meal, he sometimes does not eat all of the food and that leaves me wondering how much MiraLax he actually got down. By giving him just enough to dissolve the MiraLax, I am certain every meal he is getting down as much as he needs. It had been four months and we are doing great. He has gained back all of his weight, is playful, handsome and happy.  I continue to hope that he does not build up the tolerance to MiraLax to which some of you refer. Good Luck! I hope you, too, have success! I am including a picture of my fellow.

Great news to hear that the Miralax is working well!  

I have my Boo on Miralax daily for his chronic constipation. I will say that the body does get accustomed to Miralax, so you may find that you'll have to increase the dose over time. Boo started out at 1/8 tsp daily, and now he's up to 1/4 tsp twice daily. Also, Boo likes dry food, too, but what cat doesn't? In the case of megacolon, which is a much more serious issue, I would really try to stop the dry food. You may find that he'll do much better on an all wet diet without all the carbs of dry food.

My vet recommended Royal Canin Fiber Response food also.  I just can't make myself give my cat dry food.........when it appears that his stools are too dry already!  Your post is the first that I have seen that actually says Royal Canin Fiber Response works!  I have the unopened bag right here........but it doesn't seem like the right thing for me to do!

I've heard many times that the RC Fiber Response works. It's just that a lot people also say that it works for a while, then they have to find another solution. Some people suspect the extra fiber may have caused their kitty's colon to stretch and evolve from chronic constipation into megacolon.

Thanks for your input, Raintyger.  I just don't know what to do!  I'm hoping that the extra dose of Miralax gets things moving in my kitty.  I'm also thinking of a more raw, homemade diet.  IF my cat gets through this spell of being constipated.  

Sadly Rascal did not make it and has passed. I have moved MaineCoonMom's final post about him and the tributes that followed to the 'Crossing the Bridge' forum, where members can express their sympathy.

Vinny was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2014.    With steroid treatment, he showed almost no signs of sickness for 8 months.

In March 2015, we noticed that he was having trouble defecating.    We took him to the vet and he was given an enema and sent home with Lucatose.  The Lucatose didn’t work and he was back at the vet’s office a few days later.  After the 2nd enema, the vet suspected megacolon.   Unfortunately, the second enema didn’t work so he was taken back to the vet for sedation and manual extraction.  The vet diagnosed it as megacolon and prescribed Cisapride.  We spoke about surgery but given Vinny’s cancer diagnosis, he was not a good candidate.  A week later, with ever increasing doses of the Lucatose and Cisapride, he was still completely constipated. With very, very, heavy hearts, we made an appointment to have him euthanized the following morning.

We woke up the morning of our appointment and (you guessed it) we found that he had pooped overnight.  It was small and oddly shaped, but it proved that his bowels were somewhat functional. He was in dire shape at this point (completely dehydrated, not eating or drinking) but we made it our mission to find a solution for his megacolon.   We are happy to say that within 8 days, he was pooping (almost) regularly.

Here is the regimen:

You will need:

Miralax (powder)

"Dosing" Syringes (just ask the pharmacist – they are free - get as many as they will give you)

Wet cat food (anything will do but we used Fancy Feast “Classic” since it was already somewhat ground)

A blender

Cisapride (prescription only)

Steroids (not necessary but helps appetite and fluid intake- prescription only)

We started hydrating Vinny right away with a mixture of wet cat food and water, liquefied in a blender and “fed” to him through a dosing syringe.  I had no idea how much to give him, but I think I gave him about 6 ml per hour on the first day (all day).  (It might be best to talk to your vet about how much fluid you can give your cat.  I did some calculations based on Vinny's weight (about 12 pounds) with information I found online.)

We mixed the Miralax in with the wet mix on the first day.  Twice a day, we would place the Miralax in a dixie cup and then mix it with the wet mixture and “feed” it to him via the dosing syringe.  (It's best if you let it sit for about 10 minutes so it is fully absorbed into the wet mix). We started with 1/8 teaspoon (twice a day) and increased it (rapidly within 4 days) up to 1.25 teaspoons (twice a day).   He was not eating or drinking on his own at this point, so we continued to give him the wet mix (without the Miralax) all day.   (For Vinny, he seemed to do best with around 6ml per hour.)  After the first day, we noted that he was showing less and less signs of dehydration.    

His original euthanasia appointment was on a Tuesday.   The regimen finally started working on Friday night but it came in the form of terrible diarrhea.  Three weeks’ worth of constipation was finally eliminated over the weekend – subsiding on Sunday evening.  With the onset of the diarrhea, we started cutting back on the Miralax but continued to keep him hydrated with the wet mixture.   We were still giving him the Cisapride and his steroids (which again were only prescribed because of his cancer diagnosis).  (We had abandoned the Lucatose at this point because Vinny HATED the taste and it wasn't working.  Miralax is tasteless.)  He was exhausted but showing substantial signs of improvement.

Miralax works by pulling moisture into the colon. It is critical that cats stay hydrated for it to work.  I don’t know why vets don’t recommend partial “feeding” via dosing syringe when cats are prescribed Lucatose (or Miralax).    If you find a wet food that the cat likes and you are patient and gentle with the “feeding”, it can work miracles.  We found it was easiest  to fill 3 or 4 syringes in advance and then slowly (and lovingly) feed each one by placing the syringe in the side of his mouth and pushing a small amount in.  It was a little messy, but Vinny actually started to like it.  The key is doing it with patience and love.

By the following Wednesday (8 days after his “almost” appointment), he was having occasional diarrhea and occasional wet (but formed) poops.  He wasn’t pooping every day (perhaps every other day) but he was doing great!   By the following Friday, he was like a kitten again.  We were down to 1/8 - 1/4 tsp of Miralax (twice a day) along with the 2X per day of Cisapride.  He was playing, eating (only wet food) and drinking water.  Knowing that the key to Miralax working was keeping him hydrated, we supplemented his diet with the wet mix fed via syringe.  We had tremendous hope that we had found a workable treatment plan for his megacolon.

I wish the story ended here with Vinny continuing to improve, but it does not.   About 2 weeks after nursing him back to health, Vinny was suddenly stricken by Deep Leg Thrombosis (DVT is blood clot in the leg that cuts off circulation).    We struggled with finding a solution for a few days, but his leg was too far gone.  Faced with full leg amputation, cancer, and the potential for more blood clots, we decided it was time to let him go.   

We have 5 other rescue cats (all from Persian Rescue). We would not hesitate to use what we learned about how to keep a sick cat hydrated, but our Vinny will always hold a dear and special place in our hearts.  We miss him terribly but are hoping that someone can use what we learned.

So sorry for your loss! But as you say, knowledge is power! What you have learned may very well make the difference in life or death. Bless you amid all the heartache for taking the time to share this info