Newly diagnosed megacolon kitty- not responding to lactulose or miralax!

Hi, I'm new to the forum and have been trying to read up on the very helpful advice people have shared about their own megacolon experiences but I haven't found anything like my own experience and I'm at my wit's end!

Ghibli is a sweet 9 year-old 22-pound cat, probably part Main Coon. He's never been a big eater- he's just quite large (big paws etc.) A couple of years ago he was diagnosed with diabetes, but fortunately he responded immediately to the DM canned food and was only on insulin for a few days. A year ago, he started getting constipated, so we would give him a little laxatone here and there through the week. That was fine until a month ago- I'd been trying to reduce the laxatone for fear of the diabetes coming back (the vet expressed concern about the sugar)- he got really backed up and finally cleared out after several big doses of laxatone. Ever since he's been chronically constipated and doesn't respond to any treatments. He's been in at the vet several times for repeated enemas and barely responds to those. They did an xray and diagnosed megacolon. For the past 2 1/2 weeks, he's been on ever larger doses of Lactulose (9 ml a day plus 2 of cisapride) to no avail. Just tiny little drops of diarrhea here and there. I switched him to 1/2 teaspoon of miralax yesterday, and again this morning and now he's bloated and uncomfortable, but no diarrhea or anything coming out. I gave it to him in a syringe to keep him hydrated.

Foodwise, they tried him on an OM wet food for weight management, but he would only lick the gravy and leave the chicken pieces to dry out. Then last week they gave me the IAMS low residue intestinal plus to try, but he won't even look at it. It is pretty gross- like heavy wet concrete. I mixed it into a slurry with water as the vet requested but since he won't eat it... Since yesterday I've given him some canned fancy feast as the vet's office was closed for Easter and at least he ate that! He really prefers dry, but that's just not practical with his constipation issues.

Does anyone know of a similar case they can point me to? Hopefuly where a treament was sucessful! I'm going to have to go back to the vet this afternoon but they seem to be confused also.

Oh, I'm so sorry you're here under these circumstances! My cat Tim has had a couple of terrible constipation episodes and our vet warned us of the possibility of megacolon, which is my fear.

First, and I think you know this, if Ghibli hasn't had a bowel movement in 2 1/2 weeks, he probably needs to be cleared out again. I didn't even notice my poor cat was backed up until he was throwing up and having difficulty breathing and it was a medical emergency. He required multiple enemas and manual extraction to get it all out. I would not wish that on any cat and I don't want mine to ever go through that again.

Second, you know to keep him hydrated and on wet food. But if he won't eat what you offer, that's no good either. Have you tried non-prescription canned food? Maybe you can blend non-prescription with prescription to get him to eat. If your vet is thinking low residue, then look for foods with lower fiber and mostly meat. I would stay away from grains and too many vegetables. My cat has a lot of other problems in addition to constipation, so my food choices are limited. But there are a lot of good canned foods that could meet your needs.

Do you know why Ghibli was getting constipated? Were his stools hard and/or dry? Or do you think something happened with the nerves in his colon and he can't pass any stool? My fear for my cat is the latter. However, if it's the former, you can do something about that, but it might require some experimentation once this crisis passes. I am seeing a holistic veterinarian who put Tim on a daily probiotic to help with his digestion. We are also experimenting with small amounts of psyllium to soften his stools and help move them along, but without adding bulk. As I am in the process of weaning Tim off cisapride and he's no longer 24-hour-on-the-dot regular, I don't know with exact certainty how these are working, but they seem promising. Others have had great success with slippery elm bark, which is also a form of fiber as well as mucilage, to keep things moving. Some people give small amounts of miralax every day. Every cat is different.

Keep detailed notes regarding what he eats, what you give him, bowel movements. I received that advice here and started taking detailed notes just over a month ago. I am so thankful for those notes today.

Maybe, once you get Ghibli cleared out, cleaning up his diet with alternative food choices and supporting his digestive system with probiotics might help; you should discuss with your vet. If he has megacolon, he'll likely need to stay on some medications, but if his digestive system is functioning properly, you might not need as much.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for your reply- it really helps just to have a forum to talk about it! I have read a little bit of your Tim's case as I dip in here and there to the forum posts, trying to learn more.

Ghibli has been cleared out a little by recent enemas- he was kept at the vet's for a couple of days 2 weeks ago to assess his situation when he was super blocked up, and after multiple enemas, and some attempts at digging out while under anaesthesia, he had a big poop 24 hours after the last enema. Then after a week of taking low doses of lactulose and cisapride he still hadn't moved anything on his own. Last Friday he had another enema from the vet- which led to some diarrhea the next day. That helped him out, but he's still not getting anywhere on his own, even with much more lactulose, and now miralax (the lactulose ran out, so it seemed like a good time to switch...)

I will try mixing the low residue food with something more savoury this evening- maybe the vet will allow me a few grains of dry food to entice him.

I've been reading about slippery elm bark, and hope to add that in the next few days- I am keeping my fingers crossed that the miralax starts taking effect- it seems like so many have had success with it when lactulose fails The vet would like to get his stools as soft as possible to get them out.

Your advice about taking notes is great! I thought I could keep track but it does get very hard when you've got multiple doses of things at different times of day, and after a couple of weeks it just isn't clear anymore!

We don't know why he started getting so constipated- nothing changed in his diet or lifestyle. Last week after the enema they said he has a bit of a stricture at the opening now, from scar tissue, which is likely making pooping even more of a challenge. I've been giving him anti-inflammatory at the site as a result too...

Poor guy- he acts normal most of the time and it kills me that we haven't seen any results. I'm so afraid of surgery, but I guess I need to start reading up on those cases too.

Hi there .. I am sorry to read about the circumstances that brought you here ..

It could be that the laxatives you have been using are coming to the end of their effectiveness. Laxatives are not designed to be used long-term but as a temporary relief of occasional constipation. When laxatives are used long-term, the body becomes dependant on the action of the laxative to keep stools soft, but the result is that the colon forgets how to function and in turn loses its natural ability to contract and push feces along the digestive tract. When you stop or reduce the amount of laxatives after a long period of use, this can actually make things worse with the constipation, as the body is still dependent on the laxative to do the job of the colon.

AbbyNTim mentioned Slippery Elm which is a supplement that I have some experience with and turned to as my big male cat had been dealing with constipation for some time. He was once diagnosed with megacolon as well, but through much trial and error, we have come to believe that his problem has stemmed from poor digestion.

If your kitty has a genuine situation of megacolon, it could that he will need to stay on cisapride if there has been substantial nerve damage due to repeated episodes of constipation. That said, my preference is to always attempt to treat issues as naturally as possible and would suggest that you look into Slippery Elm and a couple of other things such as Probiotics and B-12 injections, to see if these items can be used instead of the laxatives, and potentially, without the need for cisapride. Both SEB and B-12 come with the benefit of helping to promote motility as they work to improve nerve ending function in the digestive tract. I don't know whether you have done any reading on cisapride, but there are very definite serious side effects with this medication, which is why it no longer is available for human use. For this reason, it is worth making the efforts to investigate other means of managing the megacolon.

Below are two links to information about Slippery Elm :

This first link is to a page written by Dr. Jean Hofvre, DVM, where she discusses Slippery Elm : http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

This second link is to a thread that I have here, which documents my use of Slippery Elm, as well as posts from other member contributions regarding their use of SEB, and personal stories regarding their own cats with constipation : http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270597/slippery-elm-bark-wet-food-managing-constipation

I wish you and your kitty all the best ... He sounds really lovely and I hope that you can discover the right mix of supportive therapies and aids to effectively manage this.

Thanks onandahalfcats!

I started giving him slippery elm a few days ago, which he seems to enjoy in his food (whew!) especially the gravy-like aspect. I haven't seen results yet, but I feel better about it than the mass amounts of sugary laxatives they have prescribed alongside the cisapride. I find the megacolon diagnosis sudden and puzzling because he hasn't had extreme constipation before, though definitely dry turds that changed all of a sudden a year ago, and the vets don't seem to have a lot of experience with cats that don't respond to lactulose and cisapride. Nor had they heard of alternate treatments with miralax/restorelax and slippery elm!

It really seems like his poo is all soft now but his sphincter is just so tightly squeezed he can't get it out. I wonder if there's some way to encourage numbing or loosening? I have an appointment with a megacolon specialist tomorrow so hopefully they'll be able to give me more knowledgeable advice and a sense of what might be happening in his system. I have never been very disciplined about my own body, eating, and natural therapies, but for my boy I'm ready to start! I think there must be a better way than this randomized "Oh, just give him these 3 different laxatives in high doses multiple times per day," without analyzing what might have changed in his food, and what food might offer a different balance for him.

Thanks for the B12 and probiotic suggestion- another good direction to investigate!

You're very welcome .. Glad to read that you have been able to get started with the SEB. I sincerely hope that it can be the miracle herb for your kitty that it has been for mine and so many others! ..

I hope that the visit with the specialist goes well and that you and he/she are able to make a plan to manage this situation naturally, as much as possible. If you can get to the heart of the cause for the constipation, this is half the battle, and knowing the cause for the constipation can result in a more targetted approach when you eliminate other things, rather than trying different things in order to solve the puzzle. Your comment about a tight sphincter makes me wonder if there is some anxiety or stress at work, that prevents your kitty from relaxing when defecating? Or is the tight sphincter due to a medical reason?

Best of luck tomorrow! .. Let us know how things go.

ghibli said:

It really seems like his poo is all soft now but his sphincter is just so tightly squeezed he can't get it out. I wonder if there's some way to encourage numbing or loosening? I have an appointment with a megacolon specialist tomorrow so hopefully they'll be able to give me more knowledgeable advice and a sense of what might be happening in his system. I have never been very disciplined about my own body, eating, and natural therapies, but for my boy I'm ready to start! I think there must be a better way than this randomized "Oh, just give him these 3 different laxatives in high doses multiple times per day," without analyzing what might have changed in his food, and what food might offer a different balance for him.

Thanks for the B12 and probiotic suggestion- another good direction to investigate!

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Glad to hear Ghibli is enjoying the SEB! Let's hope the fiber and texture encourages him to go! And definitely look into the probiotic; getting his digestion working better may help a lot.

You mention Ghibli's sphincter is squeezed tight. One thing I suspected with Tim, and our holistic vet mentioned at our last appointment, is stress. If there is anything going on that could stress Ghibli, he may not relax enough to go. And it may cause digestive upset - runny or hard stools. As an example, Abby and Tim experienced their first significant earthquake about a month ago. Neither cat went for nearly 48 hours, which had me on edge. (And previously, when we went on vacation and boarded the cats, Tim held on to his stool for 6.5 days until we got him home. This was with daily cisapride and laxatone, plus super doses of laxatone given by the vet on days 4, 5, and 6; cats can hold it when stressed!) Also, I've been very stressed with Tim's various problems, thankfully mostly resolved, and the process of weaning him off cisapride is more stressful for me than I thought it would be. I think my stress is stressing Tim, so I am taking steps to relieve my own stress to help my kitties relax. At the same time, I am adding a small amount of calming treats to both cats' food to see if that helps. I am using Pet Naturals Calming Chews for cats and give about 1/4 treat to each cat with dinner.

Good luck with the megacolon specialist. Please let us know how it goes!

Hoo boy.  I really don't know what to do now.

We went to see the specialist last week, and she immediately looked grave and sad and said she was pretty sure she felt cancerous lumps in the stricture that has been preventing Ghibli from passing much of anything.  I decided to get a biopsy to make sure, to have some answers despite the cost.  Since then, everyone has been pretty much confirming that it was just a matter of deciding 'his time,' and likely sometime this week due to buildup in his colon.  It was a very difficult weekend, in that we had a great time cuddling constantly, and all I could think was that we were going to have to say goodbye not because of the cancer but because we just couldn't empty his bowels!  He is such a calm and cuddly cat, not stressed at all, and rather unaware of anything being wrong with him. He was thrilled to spend hours lying on my chest, head snuggled under my chin, with a paw gently flexing in the air. He even played for a bit with an errant sock on Saturday.  I found it impossible to manage that paradox of being in the here and now, cuddling and warm, and picturing a week later not having him beside me at all times.

He had a couple of enemas after the biopsy, however they didn't help him out, and Monday morning it seemed like my option was to either make an 'appointment' that day, or keep bargaining for time and get another enema.  Which I did, feeling guilty for prolonging things.

He felt better immediately after, passing a little diarrhea a few hours later.  But not a lot.  I was still devastated, but at least we had a few more days ahead of us, and he was happier.  Still aware that this week would be his last,

I just received a call with the results of the biopsy.  The vet suddenly seems more optimistic and has opened the door again to possible treatment.  He does not have cancer!  However our option still seems to be a full colectomy, which would be a double surgery to include opening the stricture with a balloon.  This of course costs a lot of $$$$.  However she said that the prognosis for colectomies is good. After this weekend, the cost seems somewhat irrelevant against the pleasure of prolonging his life and the guilt of NOT doing something just because of cost.  Yikes. I'm full of crazy thoughts- crowdfunding, selling crafts on Etsy...

Apparently the source of the original problem could be IBD leading to inflammation?  Help!  How much is too much?  While I am leery of potentially putting him through surgeries just for my own happiness(?), he is such a darned happy cat at all times, even helpfully allowing the enemas without fuss now.

I'm so glad to hear he doesn't have cancer! 

You have a tough decision to make.    If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing a ton of research on colectomies, seeking others who've had this done, and bombarding the vet with questions. Weigh the pros and cons. Find out what recovery would be like. Possible complications. What would have to change when he recovers (diet, medication, etc.). How many more years would he have with and without the surgery. If it were my cat, it probably also wouldn't be about money. It would be about his happiness and comfort and not putting him through too much. I can't tell you what to do. I don't even know what I would do. But perhaps some of my ramblings will help you with your decision.

My thoughts are with you.

GoHolistic said:

 
I'm so glad to hear he doesn't have cancer! 

You have a tough decision to make. 

  If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing a ton of research on colectomies, seeking others who've had this done, and bombarding the vet with questions. Weigh the pros and cons. Find out what recovery would be like. Possible complications. What would have to change when he recovers (diet, medication, etc.). How many more years would he have with and without the surgery. If it were my cat, it probably also wouldn't be about money. It would be about his happiness and comfort and not putting him through too much. I can't tell you what to do. I don't even know what I would do. But perhaps some of my ramblings will help you with your decision.

My thoughts are with you.

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This.

I was thinking of you and Ghibli over the weekend and wondering about the visit with the specialist. My heart was sinking as I read about the possible cancer diagnosis. And then felt hopeful that it's not cancer after all. Like GoHolistic, I would consider what's best for my cat and not me (have had to make similar decisions before). I think GoHolistic has given you excellent things to consider, but only you can make the decision.

ghibli said:

 
Hoo boy.  I really don't know what to do now.

We went to see the specialist last week, and she immediately looked grave and sad and said she was pretty sure she felt cancerous lumps in the stricture that has been preventing Ghibli from passing much of anything.  I decided to get a biopsy to make sure, to have some answers despite the cost.  Since then, everyone has been pretty much confirming that it was just a matter of deciding 'his time,' and likely sometime this week due to buildup in his colon.  It was a very difficult weekend, in that we had a great time cuddling constantly, and all I could think was that we were going to have to say goodbye not because of the cancer but because we just couldn't empty his bowels!  He is such a calm and cuddly cat, not stressed at all, and rather unaware of anything being wrong with him. He was thrilled to spend hours lying on my chest, head snuggled under my chin, with a paw gently flexing in the air. He even played for a bit with an errant sock on Saturday.  I found it impossible to manage that paradox of being in the here and now, cuddling and warm, and picturing a week later not having him beside me at all times.

He had a couple of enemas after the biopsy, however they didn't help him out, and Monday morning it seemed like my option was to either make an 'appointment' that day, or keep bargaining for time and get another enema.  Which I did, feeling guilty for prolonging things.

He felt better immediately after, passing a little diarrhea a few hours later.  But not a lot.  I was still devastated, but at least we had a few more days ahead of us, and he was happier.  Still aware that this week would be his last,

I just received a call with the results of the biopsy.  The vet suddenly seems more optimistic and has opened the door again to possible treatment.  He does not have cancer!  However our option still seems to be a full colectomy, which would be a double surgery to include opening the stricture with a balloon.  This of course costs a lot of $$$$.  However she said that the prognosis for colectomies is good. After this weekend, the cost seems somewhat irrelevant against the pleasure of prolonging his life and the guilt of NOT doing something just because of cost.  Yikes. I'm full of crazy thoughts- crowdfunding, selling crafts on Etsy...

Apparently the source of the original problem could be IBD leading to inflammation?  Help!  How much is too much?  While I am leery of potentially putting him through surgeries just for my own happiness(?), he is such a darned happy cat at all times, even helpfully allowing the enemas without fuss now.

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Well I am delighted to read that the original thought that he doesn't have cancer, still stands, thank goodness. That was too close for comfort.

Don't feel like you have to make a decision about this right away, but take a deep breath and look at all aspects of this situation in terms of what a surgery would involve, and if there might still be other options available! Given that this vet has changed her mind a couple of times about cancer, if this were my kitty, I think my first order of business would be to get a second opinion, and perhaps one from a holistic vet who is experienced with bowel disorders.

While it could be IBD that is causing this problem, it could be other things as well such as problems with the anal glands, motility, impaired digestion. Have there been any x-rays or ultrasound done along the way? IBD is a very complicated disease and so its important to understand why and how this might be a factor, before starting any treatments, and/or going ahead with something as serious as colectomy surgery. In the meantime, I think it would be wise to continue administering the SEB if it can help with diarrhea and/or constipation. It is also effective for alleviating nausea. If you are still administering the cisapride, its important to give the SEB at a different time, as SEB can interfere with the absorption of meds as it works by coating the intestinal tract.

I wish you much peace, strength and courage in the days ahead. Its not an easy journey you are on, but there will be light at the end of the tunnel eventually. Take some with this and exercise all of your options, including doing some research and getting a second opinion if necessary.

@ghibli, I forgot to mention (if you don't already know) that there is a Feline Megacolon group on Yahoo: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline_Megacolon/info

You may be able to get input from people there who have had this surgery for their cat.

Has the vet discussed trying steriods for the inflammation? I know prednisolone is probably not a good choice because of the diabetes but there's another one called budesonide that is often prescribed for ibd. It's locally acting and not much is absorbed into the bloodstream. It has worked wonders for my ibd kitty.

Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts! We went ahead with an ultrasound this morning to rule out any inflammation, lymphnode growths or anything else that might indicate we shouldn't go ahead with the colectomy. He has done well on all the tests, with no negative indicators. It doesn't look like IBD was a factor at all. The worst problem up to now was the stricture, as to remove it would mean 2 risky surgeries, however as of this morning the stricture that was preventing even diarrhea from getting out has reduced and the vet recommended we go ahead with a colectomy (the only option at this point beyond euthanasia). He even had a couple of very tiny poops last night (the first in ages) and tossed around a piece of plastic for ten minutes, scuttling around the room after it!

The vet he's been seeing since last week is a specialist in internal issues and I feel confident that if she was recommending the surgery now it is a good sign, as she was very hesitant to offer false hope last week before we had the results of the biopsy. I know it's an extreme option but nothing else was working to clear out his blocked colon.

I just got a call from the surgeon and he said the operation was a success and Ghibli is stable! They had to remove the whole colon as it was very inflamed, blocked and damaged. I am hopeful that my dear boy will come out of this his usually playful clownish self. And now the work begins...

I signed up for the yahoo megacolon group as per suggestions I read last week- thanks!

Oh my! It all happened so fast! I'm SO glad surgery went well and that he is stable. Sending lots and lots of vibes for his speedy recovery!

     

ghibli said:

Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts! We went ahead with an ultrasound this morning to rule out any inflammation, lymphnode growths or anything else that might indicate we shouldn't go ahead with the colectomy. He has done well on all the tests, with no negative indicators. It doesn't look like IBD was a factor at all. The worst problem up to now was the stricture, as to remove it would mean 2 risky surgeries, however as of this morning the stricture that was preventing even diarrhea from getting out has reduced and the vet recommended we go ahead with a colectomy (the only option at this point beyond euthanasia). He even had a couple of very tiny poops last night (the first in ages) and tossed around a piece of plastic for ten minutes, scuttling around the room after it!

The vet he's been seeing since last week is a specialist in internal issues and I feel confident that if she was recommending the surgery now it is a good sign, as she was very hesitant to offer false hope last week before we had the results of the biopsy. I know it's an extreme option but nothing else was working to clear out his blocked colon.

I just got a call from the surgeon and he said the operation was a success and Ghibli is stable! They had to remove the whole colon as it was very inflamed, blocked and damaged. I am hopeful that my dear boy will come out of this his usually playful clownish self. And now the work begins...

I signed up for the yahoo megacolon group as per suggestions I read last week- thanks!

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Wow. I almost don't know what to say except, what a whirlwind of activity. Very happy to hear that the surgery went very well. Hope things can continue to go well from this point on for Ghibli, with his recovery and learning to manage with the new plumbing 

Yes, that certainly happened fast! But given what you describe, I can see why it had to be so. I'm so glad to read Ghibli made it through the surgery and he's stable. Sending positive vibes for his recovery!

I can help you for sure...I am going to copy and paste you my history on my cat that had Mega Colon for years and just had the surgery 3 days ago...

My cat is an 11 1/2 year old Siamese seal point purebred named Nala (from the Lion King Movie) Two years ago she began with constipation and vomiting but not always together but it did happen sometimes a lot sometimes not so much but constipation was chronic. I was given Lactulose twice a day to syringe down her throat which called several rhinitis which is a sinus condition so I stopped the lactulose which was not very effective and switched her to Miralax2x per day fluctuating from 1/4 to a 1/2 teaspoon a day depending on the severity of the constipation. She was also put on Cisapride 2 times per day and now has been increased to 3 times per day but this never made her poop regular 2 years later she still does not go but every 3 to 4 days but stools is soft and easy to pass. I mixed the miralax in a teaspoon of wet food in the morning and in the night that is the best way for a cat to take it and she was given dry food for her main meal at those same times... This has been the regimen for 2 years now until 2 weeks ago when my cat was vomiting profusely immediately after eating her dry food and teaspoon of miralax. After 2 days of this I took her to the vet we always have gone to and a week later she had severe Pancreatitis due to the vomiting and she was blocked with poop from head to toe Not hard actually soft it just was not moving. They did x-rays, enemas, and sent her home with morphine for the pain of the Pancreatitis attack and anti inflammatory pills as well as anti nausea. The vet also told me her colon was not stretched like Mega colon it looked normal but surgery may be an option if nothing else works. They told me I would have to go to the University that no local docs do the colon resection surgery so I immediately began to hysterically cry stating I cant afford what an University pet hospital would cost I will have to put my cat down. I was a wreck its one thing to put your cat down because it has cancer that is bad or has come back then id feel justified to put her down but to put her down knowing this surgery will help her but I cant afford it took a toll on me emotionally and my 14 year old daughter. My 14 year old daughter posted on Facebook a post begging someone to please help us save my cat and when I read that I almost passed out. This has been a horrible 3 weeks now of worry and fear. My baby was so sick I never seen her this bad and really down I was scared to death to the point I bought a carrier to strap her to my chest and went every where with her including all around the house and she laid her head on my chest an slept. At night she slept on my pillow she was that ill. She started to do better last week and just days ago she started vomiting again but this time I went to a recommenced vet for a 2nd opinion which I suggest everyone does on top of turning to forums like this and Google Google Google about the disease and changed of food. Back to my story, I posted a sad post on Facebook I was so upset and the owner of the hair salon I go to responded and told me to go to her vet she was personally calling him to get me in for a 2nd opinion. The on call doctor called me to find out what was wrong and even though I was not a new patient yet she took the time to listen to my cats history and gave me an appointment the next morning. I went to the new vet and I hope he is right but much to my surprise he said unless he is missing something my cat does not need surgery that she is not a Mega colon cat but instead he felt IBD was the underlying problem. Motility is an issue for my cat as I said she does not for 3 to 4 days and stool is soft thankfully to Miralax so a motility problem exists even if it is not Mega colon. The vet put her to sleep do extract all the stool with a colon flush and digging it all out with his fingers she was impacted with and give her 1 steroid shot that lasts a month to bring the inflammation down. When I went to pick her up he said he was shocked to find her stool not hard not soft but like plato stuck to the walls of her colon. He said usually it is hard but not clay like so suspicious about that as that could be food who knows. I recommend a colon flush to anyone out there with a constipated cat and one that gets back upped because this gives the cat a fresh clean colon and helps movement but does not sure the problem of course. He told me he does do colon resection in his office reasonable but he strongly felt changing my cats diet who fix this problem or at least make it better as no disease is fixable. The new vet asked me what food did my previous have her on and I told him for two years she was on Fiber Response dry kibble and never ate canned food her whole life because they said it will ruin her tooth that canned food was no good for animals period. He told me she should never have been on the Fiber Response dry because that is 4.7% fiber high in fiber and the last thing my cat needs is a lot of fiber she needs low fiber like 1%, low carbs, no grains and high protein all meat based, no plants or additives etc. He told me to also stop the I/d gastro wet food I only used to mix her miralax in twice day, he said to donate the old food or throw it away. He googled a world known professor and Veterinarian at a University in Michigan on what is the best cat food to feed your cat that has IBD or Megacolon. This professor called the my new vet right away and told him the best food out there is Evo 95% it is slightly costly but is 95% all meat, low fiber, low carbs, no grain and high protein the best for cats with these conditions and no more dry food ONLY canned because dry is not good and very little water for the colon. So I said what about her teeth and he said it wont ruin her teeth and right now do we worry about her teeth or colon? I said colon. He said no more dry food only canned wet. So it has been two days now since Monday from the 2nd opinion and colon flush and on the Evo 95 chicken & turkey and going to buy duck flavor this weekend vet said Duck or venison is the best if it cant be found then chicken and turkey mix. She had her first stool today soft and greenish could be from the colon flush and the old stool coming down no diarrhea just soft so I was happy to see her go since she had not gone in 7 days straight. Like the vet said vets, physicians of humans don't have all the answers they have extensive knowledge but don't have the answers to it all. He said my cat is unusual and he is not sure what the outcome will be but wants to try changing diets see how she does and leave surgery as a last resort. This is my story and it has been a roller coaster or worry and fear and grief I have not been able to breathe and even thought I have a new vet with new ideas I am still leery scared what if it don't work...So I wanted to share my experience and advice about this brand wet cat food for cats with Mega colon and IBD issues. Feel free to ask me questions, share your story or give me advice I am open to it all. I learned a lot on this forum from other peoples posts I hope I can give back the same... Karin Marie Reply

WAIT!! I just read the other posts your baby did have surgery and that is great I am glad to see you did it. I am glad he is doing well. One question I do have is the vet and I are trying to figure our what is the Best brand of wet food my cat should live on the rest of her life...What does your vet have your cat on to live by? My vet said no more dry ever again only wet so if you can advise me on what wet canned food you use and if your cats stool is normal....