May Have Given My Little Guy Too Much Psyllium (Metamucil)

mayadot · Jan 24, 2014

Hello fellow friends to cats,

My almost 10 year old cat Christopher Robin (we call him "Nub" as a nickname because he has a short, nubby tail) has been having some constipation issues recently. The vet prescribed laxative for a couple of days (Laxatract) until the stool was soft, and then I was told to add crushed psyllium husks to his food (I'm currently in Amsterdam and here it's called Iso Gel but I'm told it's like Metamucil). The vet tech who gave me the instructions said to "add some to his food" and when I asked her to be specific about how much she said "maybe 1 teaspoon, it doesn't really matter, it's not precise."

Tonight I added 1 tsp. to his wet food, which I mix with water anyway (maybe about 100-150 milliliters) and gave it to him. Then I went to read more about it online and saw that most sites recommend a much smaller dosage, starting at 1/8th of a teaspoon and up to 1/4 of a teaspoon. Some sites also seem to recommend a tremendous amount of water to be added (some up to 1 cup!). When I realized that I may have given him too much I ran and took the food away and replaced it with food with no psyllium in it, but he had consumed quite a bit already and I'm not sure how much of the psyllium he ate.

I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this and whether I should worry about him eating too much of it, or not having enough water. I tried to coax him to drink more water by offering a bit more food with lots of water in it but so far he's not going for it.

Is this an emergency? Is there anything I can do at this point, or anything I should watch out for?

Any advice or calming words would be very much appreciated.

fleabags mom · Jan 24, 2014

The only person to ask for sure is a vet, but personally speaking I would think this was ok, as it's just the once. It acts a laxative but mainly with water to bulk it up. It may have no effect on your cat at all because he didn't eat all of it, it may make him go to the toilet easier and on the other hand it may give him constipation if he's had not enough water. As you gave him extra water with the meal & husk, I should imagine that will not be the case. I would just give a vet a phone call in the morning and keep an eye on your little kitty.

Oh, does your kitty like chicken? When my cat had a UTI, I boiled up chicken with water, shredded it up and gave him some with the boiled water. He ate the lot! He still likes it so I still give it to him 2-3 times a week to keep flushing stuff though. You could always try something like that tonight or tomorrow, as an idea for more liquid.

Good luck!

mayadot · Jan 25, 2014

Thanks very much for the advice. Unfortunately the vet's office is closed for the weekend. I am keeping a close eye on him and he seems to be okay, but hasn't pooped yet. I guess my concern is that the psyllium seems to bulk up quite a bit, so I'm worried that he will become more constipated, and I'm not sure what I should do if he doesn't end up pooping today or tomorrow.

I do have Laxatract remaining so I could give him that if he's not producing anything, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea in combination with the psyllium? I can call the vet on Monday morning, but I'm also not sure whether it's safe for him to have all that poop in him and not go for a couple of days?

fleabags mom · Jan 25, 2014

It's up to you, but I personally wouldn't give yet another laxative. I would increase the water somehow, or try the boiled chicken or some other method and see how it goes first. If you feed any dry food with the wet, I'd keep that away for a bit too, until all goes back to normal, esp if not much of a drinker.

oneandahalfcats · Jan 25, 2014

mayadot said:
Thanks very much for the advice. Unfortunately the vet's office is closed for the weekend. I am keeping a close eye on him and he seems to be okay, but hasn't pooped yet. I guess my concern is that the psyllium seems to bulk up quite a bit, so I'm worried that he will become more constipated, and I'm not sure what I should do if he doesn't end up pooping today or tomorrow.

I do have Laxatract remaining so I could give him that if he's not producing anything, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea in combination with the psyllium? I can call the vet on Monday morning, but I'm also not sure whether it's safe for him to have all that poop in him and not go for a couple of days?

Hi there: Sometimes giving insoluble fibre like psyllium or pumpkin can work to ease or prevent constipation but giving too much can have the opposite effect and make things worse as you suggested. It is really important that water intake be regular, especially with the psyllium. I would make the strong suggestion NOT to give any additional psyllium but rather concentrate on getting more water into him, until you can speak with a vet (rather than the vet tech) to get more instructions. I think you could safely give a bit of the Laxatract to keep things soft. If you had given too much, you would be seeing diarrhea by now. A little light, gentle massage of his belly moving from the top to the end might help to relieve any trapped gas and can sometimes have the effect of peristalsis in helping things to move along.

As a last thought, you might want to call the number for your vet and see if their voice message provides an after hours or emergency number to call to see if you can speak with someone today.

Hope this helps and that your kitty will go very soon.

mayadot · Jan 25, 2014

Update: Nub did poop this afternoon quite a bit, though it was quite runny. Not completely liquid but kind of gelatinous, I guess from the psyillium. I felt relieved and had hoped everything was okay, but tonight he didn't eat his food. He took a few bites, but rejected most of it, pawing at the floor as if to cover it up for later. This is EXTREMELY unlike him (he is about to be 10 and I have never seen him reject food, not even when he was fully blocked with urinary crystals several years ago). He's one of those cats who is always hungry and will try to eat anything.

It was stormy out during feeding time and he sometimes gets scared during storms, but even then I've never seen him reject food before, so I'm not sure if that's the cause. Aside from this he seems to be acting normally. He is alert and walking around, he spent the day in his usual routine, sleeping in the usual spots and coming to cuddle, and he urinated. I checked his gums and they look to be the normal color from what I can tell. I tried a few different ways of getting him to eat, giving him more dry food, changing the food for new food and warming it a little, and putting it right in front of him a few times, but the most he took was a few bites before walking off. Again, normally he's the kind of cat who scarfs down his food quickly and then tries to eat his sister's.

Should I worry about constipation or worse, obstruction, even though he pooped earlier? Are there other potential causes of not eating that I should worry about or signs to look out for? The vets will be closed again tomorrow so my only option would be to take him to the emergency clinic if need be, which would be stressful for him and obviously expensive, so I'm just trying to assess the urgency of the issue. I hope it is okay that I'm not taking him in tonight, since he seems to be acting otherwise okay and he just had blood work and a physical this week and those were normal.

I'm grateful for any feedback as I get very nervous about what constitutes an emergency. Thanks again.

oneandahalfcats · Jan 25, 2014

mayadot said:
Update: Nub did poop this afternoon quite a bit, though it was quite runny. Not completely liquid but kind of gelatinous, I guess from the psyillium. I felt relieved and had hoped everything was okay, but tonight he didn't eat his food. He took a few bites, but rejected most of it, pawing at the floor as if to cover it up for later. This is EXTREMELY unlike him (he is about to be 10 and I have never seen him reject food, not even when he was fully blocked with urinary crystals several years ago). He's one of those cats who is always hungry and will try to eat anything.

It was stormy out during feeding time and he sometimes gets scared during storms, but even then I've never seen him reject food before, so I'm not sure if that's the cause. Aside from this he seems to be acting normally. He is alert and walking around, he spent the day in his usual routine, sleeping in the usual spots and coming to cuddle, and he urinated. I checked his gums and they look to be the normal color from what I can tell. I tried a few different ways of getting him to eat, giving him more dry food, changing the food for new food and warming it a little, and putting it right in front of him a few times, but the most he took was a few bites before walking off. Again, normally he's the kind of cat who scarfs down his food quickly and then tries to eat his sister's.

Should I worry about constipation or worse, obstruction, even though he pooped earlier? Are there other potential causes of not eating that I should worry about or signs to look out for? The vets will be closed again tomorrow so my only option would be to take him to the emergency clinic if need be, which would be stressful for him and obviously expensive, so I'm just trying to assess the urgency of the issue. I hope it is okay that I'm not taking him in tonight, since he seems to be acting otherwise okay and he just had blood work and a physical this week and those were normal.

I'm grateful for any feedback as I get very nervous about what constitutes an emergency. Thanks again.

Oh wonderful to hear that Nub went.Very good! Depending on how long he had gone without defecating, he may still have more to unload.

Being constipated is not a very comfortable situation for a cat to be in so I would chalk the not eating up to this, coupled with maybe feeling a bit anxious due to the storms. When cats are in a very bad way in terms of acute constipation, they tend to be very lethargic and inactive, which doesn't sound like this is the case with Nub. Hopefully he will go some more, and then will most likely feel like eating again.

mayadot · Jan 25, 2014

Now he just woke up suddenly to throw up, but only produced some spit/water with a tiny amount of food in it.

He hasn't pooped again (once a day would usually be normal but in this case I'm wondering whether he should have pooped more). I'm definitely worried about constipation at this point, but am nervous to give him the Laxatract since he's been having all these issues and already had diarrhea earlier. I think at this point I will need to take him to the emergency clinic in the morning, I hope that he is okay to wait and that it's nothing serious

oneandahalfcats · Jan 26, 2014

Hi Mayadot, how is Nub doing today? I hope since you posted last that his constipation and eating is improving and/or you have been able to get him in to see the vet. Please post an update when you can to let us know how he is doing.

mayadot · Jan 26, 2014

Nub and I just got back from the emergency vet but unfortunately they couldn't provide many answers. The vet checked him for constipation but said that she could not find much of any poop in any parts of his digestive tract. She tried giving him food but he also refused to eat it, but she did manage to force feed him a little bit with a syringe.

The vet also gave him subcutaneous fluids and a morphine-like pain killer, and said that he needs an ultrasound because basically it can be many things from this point. She said she couldn't feel any foreign objects in him and that it seems like he was uncomfortable when she touched his belly but not in tremendous pain, so it's probably not that he ate something bad, but just in case he did she decided not to give him any nausea medication.

Now basically I have to monitor him tonight and hope that I can get him to eat, otherwise force-feed him a little bit every few hours, and hope that I can get an ultrasound appointment for tomorrow.

She said that he could stay in the emergency hospital overnight for monitoring and it was difficult decision to make but I thought that he would feel more relaxed and comfortable at home so I hope I made the right decision.

Regarding the constipation issues, she did say that from feeling him it seems he had an anatomical problem that will make it more difficult for him to poop (she drew a diagram of it basically like a cone shape) and I guess this happened from muscle damage? I don't know if that's what's considered 'megacolon'? her English was not great (we are currently living in Amsterdam) but she seemed to suggest that he would need to take lactulose for life and if that didn't work would require surgery?

That's a secondary problem to the current issue so I will deal with it once I figure out what's going on now, but any feedback on either issue would be helpful, as would be positive vibes.

Thanks very much for checking in.

oneandahalfcats · Jan 26, 2014

mayadot said:
Nub and I just got back from the emergency vet but unfortunately they couldn't provide many answers. The vet checked him for constipation but said that she could not find much of any poop in any parts of his digestive tract. She tried giving him food but he also refused to eat it, but she did manage to force feed him a little bit with a syringe.

The vet also gave him subcutaneous fluids and a morphine-like pain killer, and said that he needs an ultrasound because basically it can be many things from this point. She said she couldn't feel any foreign objects in him and that it seems like he was uncomfortable when she touched his belly but not in tremendous pain, so it's probably not that he ate something bad, but just in case he did she decided not to give him any nausea medication.

Now basically I have to monitor him tonight and hope that I can get him to eat, otherwise force-feed him a little bit every few hours, and hope that I can get an ultrasound appointment for tomorrow. She said that he could stay in the emergency hospital overnight for monitoring and it was difficult decision to make but I thought that he would feel more relaxed and comfortable at home so I hope I made the right decision.

Regarding the constipation issues, she did say that from feeling him it seems he had an anatomical problem that will make it more difficult for him to poop (she drew a diagram of it basically like a cone shape) and I guess this happened from muscle damage? I don't know if that's what's considered 'megacolon'? her English was not great (we are currently living in Amsterdam) but she seemed to suggest that he would need to take lactulose for life and if that didn't work would require surgery?

That's a secondary problem to the current issue so I will deal with it once I figure out what's going on now, but any feedback on either issue would be helpful, as would be positive vibes.

Thanks very much for checking in.

Sounds like the vet thinks it might be megacolon which is a loss of nerve function and in turn, motility in the colon. But it might also not be the case too. X-Rays or Ultrasound are important to know for sure. Very good to hear that the vet didn't find that Nub was impacted however!

The Lactulose will help to manage the constipation, but it would be good to find a better way. The tenderness in the belly sounds like Nub could be struggling with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) of which some of the symptoms include stomach upset, tenderness and pain, vomiting of bile, diarrhea and sometimes constipation. If this is the case, a change in diet in combination with medication therapy is the usual approach. You might want to bring up this possibility with your vet and see what she thinks.

I have a male cat who has been dealing with constipation on an off for the past two years. Through different approaches including Cisapride (a medication to treat megacolon which you may come to learn about at some point), I discovered Slippery Elm which is a natural herb that has been proven to be effective in helping to manage both IBS and constipation. Once this current crisis is over, I have an ongoing thread here which documents my experiences with using slippery elm to manage constipation, as well, there are other posts and threads here on Slippery Elm, IBS and Constipation and many good references and resources online about all three. Here are a few to get you started :

Information on IBS : http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-in-Cats.html

Information on Constipation : http://www.felineconstipation.org/

Information on Slippery Elm : http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

Sending lots of positive vibes for continued healing, and that Nub will eat for you in the coming days.

redcat57 · Jan 26, 2014

A note on psyllium. In humans it can work for either diarrhea or constipation.
For constipation the water swells it and helps lubricate the passage. In diarrhea it helps absorb the liquid the body is making, and slows the transit through the system.

Unlike some of the other fiber choices, it doesn't tend to make as much gas, which means less cramping potential.

I don't know if these effects transfer to cats. I think the biggest risk would be not enough water. But if you are mixing it with water that should reduce the problem. Some humans take it in capsule form so it can cause blockages. The fiber tries to expand and they haven't taken the water for it to suck up.

Let us know how it goes with the vet.

mayadot · Jan 27, 2014

Thanks for the feedback everyone, and I will look into the Slippery Elm once his tummy settles. He had an ultrasound this morning, and they found that there was in fact a small piece of poop clogging up his system, and the diarrhea was I guess going around that. The vet said that he was given a medicine to stimulate the movement of his intestines, as well as a laxative, and hopefully he will poop it out soon!!! I am frustrated because I believe that it was the excessive amount of psyllium that the vet tech told me to give that caused this problem.

The vet also was able to force-feed him additional food, thankfully, and I will leave him there a few more hours for her to try to get more food into him. Here's hoping he feels better and is okay once this ordeal is over...

oneandahalfcats · Jan 27, 2014

Oh my. So this obstruction is what was causing the discomfort and lack of eating. Poor kitty. Well I am glad you were able to find out what the problem was with some certainty. Hopefully this last bit will move through Nub soon, so he can begin healing from this. Let us know how he makes out in the next few days. Take care.

mayadot · Jan 28, 2014

Thank you. Unfortunately he didn't poop overnight except for a small amount of diarrhea, so now i'm waiting for him to have an xray to see if the poop moved and then the vet will call me to figure out the next steps.

I started a new thread since the issue is now specifically constipation-based, but I will let you know how it goes. Nub and I appreciate the vibes and I just hope he is a healthy happy kitty again soon

May Have Given My Little Guy Too Much Psyllium (Metamucil)

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