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

siameselove03

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Can anyone tell me how to find the yahoo Mega Colon Group so I could join please? I googled it but so many came up. Give me a direct link I would appreciate it asap:)
 
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ghibli

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Hi Siameselove03,

I'm glad you've had some progress with Nala's care- there's nothing more exciting than seeing a proper fresh poop from a cat that's been so sick and after such desperation! I absolutely understand your anguish and stress- the past few months have been extraordinarily difficult, dealing with the ups and downs and fears with a sick kitty. In our case, the surgery went well but it's been a long and difficult journey to finding some comfort for my boy- we've struggled with inflammation, leaking and rashes for two months but he seems to have finally turned the corner! It has also been an incredibly expensive journey (especially since surgery is just the first step, with a lot of follow-up appointments). But I get regular poops in the litter box with no medication or lactulose for the moment!

As per food, I'm sure it's trial and error and depends on the cat. Ghibli has been on a hypoallergenic food, canned Sensitivity VR (from Royal Canin) since his surgery (though I mix in ID gastrointestinal for flavour). I would like to try the EVO 95% as I don't like the amount rice present in the VR (and actually nor does Ghibli!). We haven't ruled out IBD in his condition either- now that he's stabilizing we'll have to start exploring different elements in his feeding. Right now we're waiting to see that his diabetes doesn't come out of remission. Sigh.

Best wishes,
Sarah and Ghibli

Here's a link to the megacolon group.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline_Megacolon/info
 

siameselove03

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Sarah and Ghibli
 
I am real glad to hear from you thank you for reaching out to me I appreciate it and your kind words..I read your story about your cat and I must say WOW. You not only did one surgery but you went back and removed the rest of the colon which is why your baby had so many problems adjusting my heart goes out to Ghibli I feel so bad. Animals cant talk but the feel pain and hurt. I cried with such guilt putting my cat through this invasive surgery Saturday but after 2 years on Cisapride and Miralax twice a day about 6 weeks ago her colon shut down totally and she was not pooping at all. I was with the same vet for years and 6 weeks ago I spent a thousand in 1 week and they had not even did an extraction colon flush on her so I had enough...The owner of the salon where I go recommended this vet called him at home told him my problem he called me 7pm on a Sunday and told me to come to his office right away to put her to sleep and extract her colon of stool and I wasn't even a patient yet so he has taken over her care 2 weeks ago and he did colon flushes twice a week for two weeks and he is closed over the weekend but opened his hospital to do Nalas surgery. I am thrilled with this vet, he calls me every day not his tech but himself personally giving me updates any time I call and have a question he calls me right back himself never puts it off on staff I am so happy with this man. My vet before her surgery had her on EVO 95 Duck he recommends it highly so there you go advice from my vet good choice it is one of the best out there very expensive but it is 98% real meat, low fiber, low cards and grain free with high protein and no artificial nothing all natural. My vet said stay away from beef way to rich. He also said they have a chicken and turkey mix leave that as a last resort but he recommends the Duck flavor first and Venison second chicken/turkey mix third and no beef at all...

I found most pet stores do not stock the duck or venison because it is more expensive than the rest they usually stock the others but do not get those...That is the best canned cat food for cats period  but especially for cats like ours so I am sure she will be back on it in the future she just had surgery so poo is in the tarry stage just a few days into it so like you said trial and error fun fun...I am so excited that for the first time in years all Nalas meds were stopped no Cisapride no lactulose no miralax no nothing. He told me put it away don't throw away time will tell how her bowel will work...I asked him what the percentage was for cats to have this surgery and leave 3 to 4 inches of colon and it don't work and he said 1 out of every 10 cats it fails but so far so good with Nala...I read your cat sadly 4 years later got sick and the little bit of the colon stopped working which is why you had the remaining removed. I read up on removing the whole colon and it is very hard on the cat some cats remain ill leaking burning cramping etc. it is so unfair to the cat my vet doesn't recommend a total colon removal. Your cat was young and it is a personal choice as for me my cat is 11 1/2 and my cat is my child I had to borrow money to afford all the vet bills and surgery which I am 2500.00 right now for 6 weeks of sickness. My first vet very expensive my new vet very reasonable. He charged for the surgery, hospitalization, anesthesia, meds, iv fluids and hospital stay a total of 1209.00 and if I used my first vet it would have been around 5000! What a difference...

So if Nala makes it 4 years and the 4 inches of colon she has left fails she will be almost 16 and I would never do another surgery on her. I don't even think I would put her through a double surgery like that young but with that said I am a pet owner and I understand loving our pets and do what we feel is best so I am glad your cat is finally turning the corner I hate when cats suffer or their quality of life is poor. My vet said the little bit of colon that is left could be come diseased at some point or it may not but he said if it does we go back to Cisapride and miralax because 10 inches of her colon was removed poo don't have far to travel so the miralax and Cisapride she work well with 4 inches of colon. I don't even want to think about it but I know it can happen and I am a planner and think about the what ifs....I will be thinking about you, my heart hurts for your kitty he has a lot of problems hurts my heart you do the best you can for him to keep in pain free or uncomfortable...If you need me I am here for you because I know It is frustrating and sad....Thank you for the mega colon link I went to it and I don't know how to use the damn thing. I posted a thread it went somewhere but it doesn't post of the board so I gave up.....

I am always here to talk to if you need anything or you can PM me ill give you my number you can call me if you have questions. I send my love to you and Ghibli
 
 
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elizabat

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Hello. I just found this thread and wanted to add something that I'm hoping will help others. My mainecoon Fox who has megacolon had a haircut at my request at the vet yesterday and the vet agreed at what a good idea it is. I feel guilty not having entertained it sooner but It dawned on me- less hair, less hair balls.

My Fox has been to the vet twice this year for deostipation (cleaning out intenstines) and both times the vet found huge hair balls. I feed him a wet diet and give him cisapride and laculose (he dislikes both) in addition to hair ball solution paste. The actual hair is the last piece of the puzzle and I'm hoping this radically changes everything for him.

Hoping this is something to consider if you've already done all you can. Incidentally, he looks adorable and feels like the softest fleece. :rbheart:
 

kittybabies

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Hi, everyone!!  This is my first post and I wanted to share what worked for my 12 year old 22 lb. "Precious" megacolon kitty.  My vet prescribed Lactulose and Cissapride and that combination didn't work at all so I started doing some research on my own. I ran across a post suggesting Miralax so I went to the store and purchased some (generic brand works also and is so inexpensive).  I tried different doses and found that one teaspoon a day was the perfect dose since my kitty is large.  I put the teaspoon of Miralax in a tiny bowl and add a teaspoon of chicken broth and then add 0.5 ml of Cissapride and stir until dissolved.  Then I fill two syringes with the solution, wrap a towel around Precious (this calms her down), open her mouth and squirt the solution in slowly.  This method has worked perfectly and she has perfect consistency bowel movements just about every day.  I hope this helps.  It is so wonderful to see her feeling good again!!!
 

elmomax

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I would suggest that you join the yahoo group- FelineMegacolon - i have found these special interest groups on cat illness/disease to be very helpful.

Erica
 

ocs mommy

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OC was diagnosed with megacolon two years ago when he weighed a little more than 10 lbs at the age of 2. He is now about 12 lbs and has responded beautifully to MiraLax. I gave up the idea of giving him lactulose after one dose. It was torture for both of us.

It sounds as though you are giving your cat too little Miralax for his weight. I started off giving OC 1/4 teaspoon twice a day, but as he has gained weight, I give him about 1/3 teaspoon twice a day, sometimes more. I have been told tolerance can be built up towards MiraLax, but that it can not hurt him, so at times I have increased it a little more. Twice I had noticed I gave him a bit too much as he had accidents of loose stool, but that was only twice in two years. You might give your guy more than you have been giving him.

OC likes both wet and dry and does tend to lick the gravy from the wet. I buy shred and pates, add a little water with the MiraLax, chop it all up together, mix real well and he does great. You can mix white fish and tuna shreds with white fish and tune pate with a little water, salmon shreds and salmon pate with water to make a gravy. You get the idea.

Good luck!
 
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momofmaxwell

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Thank you for everyone who responded with recommendations to join the Mc group at yahoo.i have been a member there over 8 yrs and literally we have seen& done /heard it all.pls join anyone who is having constipation period.longterm constipation can lead to MC.yes we have members who have had subtoatl surgeries.Miralax softens the poo and cisapride moves it.When dosing both if all has failed being maxed out on miralax and cisapride then a subtotal is the next thing.hydration is huge for miralax or lactulose to work.i don't mean many bowls of water although great idea but additional water in the meat.canned is preferred over dry.the Royal Canin high fiber response food veterinary formula is doing well as well.Expensive and most kitties are still on meds but the frequency of BM's is excellent.Every kitty being so different from one another.Cisapride is dosed by weight.We on the group find the compounded liquid form ,syringed into kitties mouth 30 minutes prior to meal far superior to pillls,chews,transdermal.My compounding pharmacist who makes it told me pills have a binder to make the pill so it takes time for the gut to break this down.The liquid is right now.As soon as it enters the esophagus it begins to stimulate muscles.So thanks again as we deal & help people all over the world.It is not a death sentence.it is very doable.Pls join we are all here to help.C.now I have to post a new question to this group.thanks.My many typos are unintentional...
 

ocs mommy

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I can't imagine forcing a pill or liquid anything down OC's throat.
 

momofmaxwell

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You'd be amazed what we can learn and do.the key is not to stress out the kitty although every kitty responds differently.liquid cisapride you can get flavored and actually if you have it compounded so 1ml syringe is equal to 10mg of cisapride it is very little to syringe.Kitties get all kinds of thing in their lives unfortunately.i have had to syringe feed.pill,syringe meds,subq fluid therapy.injections etc.All for the love of my babes.The key like I said i was told many yrs ago is not to make a big thing out of it.there are many videos of how to and just asking your vet to show you is great.this is why they get paid the big bucks.Miralax is much preferred over lactulose as you can hide it in a small amount of meat or gravy or low salt broth.no onions or garlic.cisapride comes in pills,chews,liquid syringeable,transdermal.The liquid IME is far superior.Alot of things seem so far beyond what we can really do.but in fact when you set your mind to it & learn you'll look back later and say "gee that wasn't so bad" Praise your kitty & give treats.i only gave Maxwell treats after medicating.Never any other time.he looked forward to it.pilling is quick.Syringing a little slower but still with flavoring not bad at all.really.:)HTH and yes i agree with the other poster about Hair.hair causes havoc in the gut.many Mcoones deal with it.We want them to vomit it out but sometimes instead it goes the wrong way.A cat's small intestine is roughly 2 -1/2 times the length of the kitty.not including tail.So very long way to go.Pills also should always be chased with at least a 3ml water chaser carefully or a treat or something as the esophagus is roughly 6-7" long and pills love to just lay in there.We want it in the tummy.Not eroding the esophagus.You can do this really.good Luck C.
 

lisa and kodie

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Meet Sir Kodiak.. he is 14 years as of may 2015. I read your post about the evo 95%.  Kodiak over the last year or so has been getting clogged up and now Dr. says it is mega colon. He gets it to the end of the colon and then forms a pocket of poo but just cant get it out on his own, so I have to take him in to have the vet pluck it out. We had tried  Zantec but it made him foam at the mouth and was very bad tasting and seemed to have a negative affect on his teeth and gums and didn't really help do anything but get me bit and scratched. Then we put him on cisapride .5ml bid  about 4-5 months ago and he went for a few  months with no issues.  Now it seems that its not doing anything over the last month. He goes about 7-10 days and then clogged again. I had EVO 95% already as I have a diabetic cat as well  and  trying to get her off insulin so researched low carb foods for her (she wouldnt eat it but he loved it) and seems like during the time he was eating evo he was having an easier time of voiding himself. He was just plcked again yesterday and the vet wants me to give him the cisapride and give him miralax to loosen it up more. Its never really hard more like putty, just cant get it past that point. I think I may put him back on it instead of the backed chickens I have been making the Master once a week. I your cat doing the same? Does he respond to the evo with no other medications? Please Help....getting desperate
 

lisa and kodie

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I think I may have to try this. My Kodiak takes .5 ml cisapride BID and not working anymore. Vet suggested the miralax half teaspoon BID (twice a day) as well and get him back on the EVO 95%. What exactly do you give your kitty and how often?

Thank You
 

goholistic

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I think I may have to try this. My Kodiak takes .5 ml cisapride BID and not working anymore. Vet suggested the miralax half teaspoon BID (twice a day) as well and get him back on the EVO 95%. What exactly do you give your kitty and how often?

Thank You
Hi there. I'm sorry that your kitty is having a difficult time. I'm not sure to whom your questions are directed, but thought I'd chime in here. Is Kodiak eating an all wet food diet? Have you joined the Yahoo group for feline megacolon? They have loads of experience with this and may be able to offer additional suggestions. Have you consulted with a holistic vet or one that specializes in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine? There are herbs and alternative therapies that may help with this condition in tandem with traditional medicine.
 

toontastic

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Floyd was alot like this, changed him over to a raw food diet and now only get very occasional problems where he can't push something out, usually because its so small he can't feel it properly!
I was worried for starting a raw food diet but its the best think we've done. He has it from a company called Nutriment where it comes ready frozen, I cut it to size and store it in the freezer then take it out the night before and leave it in the fridge. Goes in warm water for 5 mins before he devours the lot. Works out cheaper than the high meat content wet food he used to be on.
 

mymumason

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HI there,

I am so sorry to hear about your cat.  I have been experience Mega Colon issues with my cat for years. My vet also had me put my cat on all wet food. Then eventually taught me to give an enema when needed, That was after hundreds of dollar having my baby boy put under anesthesia for them to do so. The final straw was it took him 3 days to recover from the anesthesia. That was when I brought him back in for another blockage and I complained about his recovery time and his age that he could not take it anymore. The vet didn't think I could give him the enema without anesthesia, I assured the vet I knew my cat and he would. He is a great cat and he and I are very bonded.  So They gave me a RX and sold me the enema, he was great he would lay in the tub and allow me to do the enema  which I only gave a 1/3 of the enema per my vet.  and to palpitate his  intestines and break up the stools. That became too often  and he would throw up and then have diarrhea,.  I again took him to the vet and the result was I would give  him RX Cisapride at home as well a  RX of Lactulose as prescribed by my vet. That got to be too much as well so, like a nerves mother, I watched him closely and back to vet he went.  The vet taught me also manual unpack him.  I do still us  the Cisapride  just not as much or as often and the same  Lactulose.  I have some medical back ground and this is probably why the vet taught me to unpack him with gloves and sterile lube of course.  So the regiment is all wet food, palpate his intestines for any large stools and break them up as well as using the Cisapride sparingly and the Lactulose when needed to get him to drink the water and soften the stools. The Cisapride give the intestines move. You don't want the cat the strain so much that is causes Prolapse.  I have also had to take him to the vet to get him re hydrated with subcutaneous sterile saline, the vet has sent  me home  with the saline bag and iv line and taught me how to Tent his scruff to start a line and how much I should be giving him.

You have to watch that cat is taking in enough water and not just eating, the lactulose help with this making them drink and the stool in turn does not dehydrate sitting in the intestines.

As I side note: when I see my cat drool even a drop or more of saliva, I know I need to check him. I palpate his intestines every morning and every night. He is so good when he has a problem he comes  and lays on me to tell me. if it happens when I am at work I can tell right away because he is usual crouching down  or he doesn't come to the door to great me, then I go looking for him straight away. 

I do not go away only overnight and only if I know he is stable and set for the evening. 

General Description:

Anal or rectal prolapse  is a condition in which one or more layers of the cat'srectum  are displaced through the anus, the opening which allows digestive waste to leave the body. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including disorders of the digestive, urinary, or genital systems. depending on the severity could mean surgery to stitch the protruding  tissue

in its proper location to keep the tissue in place and to prevent a recurrence of a prolapse. Purse string sutures are the likeliest choice for this procedure, and the stitches will be left loose to allow for excretion.

In the case of purse string suture placement, you will need to feed your cat a low-residue diet until the stitches are removed, to reduce straining and discomfort during the passing of waste matter. Your doctor may also prescribe stool softeners, to achieve the same result.

General description for Cisapride: 

Cisapride 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.

This drug was discontinued for use in humans due to severe side effects (including heart rhythm abnormalities) due to reactions to other drugs prescribed by different doctors. Due to the fact that pets typically go to one practice, complications in pets is fairly uncommon.

I hope you find this helpful.

P.
 

young again

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Here is some limited experience for what is worth. We have had a dozen or so clients identify that they were feeding the Zero mature food to MC cats. All reported great improvement with most becoming normal while still using Mira-lax. I would have no way of knowing if it did not work unless the client were to call us, so there may be some out there. The diet contains about 4% soluble fiber and hydration equals that of wet food. Specific gravity is generally 1.020.  i would be interested in your thoughts.
 
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