URGENT ! DEHYDRATION AND CONSTIPATION

Please help ! 

My 16 yr old Mega Colon Sam keeps getting stopped up and after the 2nd vet visit, I've noticed in just a matter of hours he's dehydrated again after getting tons of fluids.   He's pees all of the fluids out.  I'm positive the dehydration is why he is getting stopped up and not so much the mega-colon.  The vet drew blood this morning and I'm waiting for a call back.  In the mean time, she said there's nothing she can do to keep him from peeing out all of his fluids, but sent me home with a bag to give re-hydrate him every day.  The thing is, what good is the fluids if he's just peeing them out and they're not re-hydrating him?  He feels good for a little while and then it starts all over again.  I'd rather try holistic treatment anyway, but I need to know how to keep him from peeing so much that he's dehydrated, which causes him stools to harden and end up impacted.

Thanks so much !

Jamie

keep doing the fluids. you can try feeding canned pumpkin to help keep stool soft. I found it works on my cats. I had to incorporate canned food to stop the constipation but they still need canned pumpkin daily.

the bloodwork will tell better whats going on with the kidneys. is the cat eating at all?

Thanks so much! The vet insists that he needs to keep eating the dry Gostro Intestinal Fiber Response, but it doesn't work any more and no way am I doing that! He's eating Wellness grain free mixed with water. Yes, I have some pumpkin in the fridge that I opened the other day. Any tips on wasting an entire can when I use so little? Can I freeze it in doses?

You can definitely freeze little spoonfuls of pumpkin and thaw as needed. An ice cube tray works well for this. If the pumpkin is not cutting it, which it sometimes doesn't, Miralax stool softener can be used to help his stool retain moisture. You can start with 1/8 tsp once or twice a day and increase to 1/4 a teaspoon if necessary. It's similar to lactulose, which your vet may have already prescribed, so don't give both, but sometimes one works better than the other depending on the cat.

It's weird that your vet is prescribing a high fiber diet! Megacolon is often formed or exacerbated by stools being too large and bulky, which is what fiber does. (Small amounts of soluble fiber, like pumpkin, do work well to absorb moisture. Just be careful not to increase it too much.) Wellness canned definitely sounds better. 

I noticed my constipated cat does best on Nature's Variety Instinct. I think it's the clay in the ingredients that makes everything more comfortable for her. But she does not have megacolon.

Definitely keep up with the fluids. Maybe try dividing his meals with added water up so he's getting some more water intake throughout the day. I have no idea what could be causing the excessive urination. Hopefully the vet will figure that out!

Lenny1 said:

Thanks so much! The vet insists that he needs to keep eating the dry Gostro Intestinal Fiber Response, but it doesn't work any more and no way am I doing that! He's eating Wellness grain free mixed with water. Yes, I have some pumpkin in the fridge that I opened the other day. Any tips on wasting an entire can when I use so little? Can I freeze it in doses?

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I freeze little medallions on wax paper. When frozen I put them in a small ziplock bag and thaw one for about 15 seconds in the microwave when ready to feed. As you can see she loves when I make a batch!

Thanks so much !  No, I am SO not going back to the dry food and I will for sure freeze the pumpkin.  I'm giving him Mirilax twice a day, but just started it a couple of days ago.  I've heard of Slippery Elm Bark, but wasn't sure of the few extra ingredients that was at Sprouts. It's so frustrating because I feel like I know what's going on, just not how to fix it !

I know, it's very frustrating! I've tried slippery elm bark, and it sounds like it would work great for most cats, but it did not for mine. Well, it did work in that she had a bowel movement, but she was very uncomfortable because of it, and I was very careful to use one without added cellulose or extra ingredients. I think it's worth a try, though. Acacia fiber has worked for a little while (it's soluble and does not add bulk), but if I use it continually it loses effectiveness. Probiotics seem to help somewhat, so what I'm currently doing is canned food, added water, and probiotics with every meal, and then every few days some acacia fiber, and she goes about every other day in the litter box.  The next thing I think I'm going to try adding is enzymes. It's a never-ending process of tweaking for us!

I've thought about probiotics, too. Which do you use ?  I'm also going to give him warm water enimas with a just a little mineral oil - Not deep and not a lot, but just to make sure he gets water in his colon and stays soft.  There's a difference in "keeping them alive" and "doing what you can to keep them healthy while their alive" and I'm doing that latter.  Yesterday when I brought him home from the vet after his fluids and poop cleansing, he acted like a new boy running down the hall and tearing up his cat scratcher and then today he's just curled up in his bed with his head down.  He's eats a little through out the day, so it takes us forever to get through a can of food since I mix it with water.  On top of this, we have a 15 yr old dog (Sally) who has a ginormous tumor at the base of her tale and she's 1/2 her weight.  We've finally decided to do surgery to remove it, even thought the vet says it's too high risk and won't heal.  You'd think she was on her death bed to see her, but when we take her to the lake she shows just how much life she has in her.  I'm going to video tape her this weekend out there so I can show the vet just how much life she has left just in case she thinks I'm not being objective and thinks about giving her a little too much anesthesia.  Sorry, here I am talking about my dog on a cat site ! ha ha

I'm currently using Pet Ultimates Probiotics for cats, which she loves the taste of, but I'm thinking of switching to something that is just a simple capsule with acidophilus when that runs out because it's cheaper, acidophilus is the main probiotic that's been studied with cats, and it will have a higher concentration of acidophilus.

Oh wow poor baby, I'm so sorry. He does sound sick from dehydration. I really hope you can get to the bottom of that issue. And I'm so sorry about Sally, too! It's very hard when they get to old age.  I think vets have seen so much and seen too many people put their faith in risky procedures that have bad outcomes that they are very hesitant to recommend things like that and really are trying to put you and your pet through the least amount of turmoil as possible, but of course you know your pet best and it comes down to what you think your pet would choose if they could. That is a lot to be going through all at once, though. You have my sympathies.

Great !  I'll try that !  Thanks so much !  How much per day ?

Yes, he's feeling pretty bad but I think the fluids will make a big difference.  He's eating good and I'm going to keep working with him and see if we can get him on a routine and feeding that works.

Yes, it's a lot to deal with !  I'm worried to death about Sally, but we just don't have any choice at this point.  We're going to take her to the lake and make a video to show the vet how much life she has left in her so she won't think we're just crazy and putting her through this for nothing.  She's a new dog every time we get her out of the house.

Lenny1 said:

 
Great !  I'll try that !  Thanks so much !  How much per day ?

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The Pet Ultimates probiotics comes with a little plastic scoop for the recommended dosage, so I just add that little scoop of it to her food in the morning and evening.

Does the kitty have kidney disease? That's what screamed out at me when I saw how much he was peeing. Or are they checking for it now?

My cat was diagnosed with kidney failure about 7 yrs ago and I started giving her aloe juice that I purchase at Walmart in the pharmacy section for about $7 a gallon. I mix it in with her daily water and it has fixed her kidney problem and I also give her liquid corn silk. Both products are very good for the kidneys. She will be 23 yrs old this year. I swear by these products

Not saying you are wrong about it being good, but you can't fix kidney failure - unless it's acute (vs chronic), in such a case it's possible that it can be reversed. Was that the case? Chronic though, part of the kidney are destroyed and can't be brought back. You are still having regular blood work done I'm assuming?

FYI, peeing like crazy is a sign of kidney disease. Are you giving your kitty subqs to help rehydrate?

He has lost a lot of his kidney usage, but is staying hydrated now that I have him on wet food mixed with a little water

Donutte said:

Not saying you are wrong about it being good, but you can't fix kidney failure - unless it's acute (vs chronic), in such a case it's possible that it can be reversed. Was that the case? Chronic though, part of the kidney are destroyed and can't be brought back. You are still having regular blood work done I'm assuming?

FYI, peeing like crazy is a sign of kidney disease. Are you giving your kitty subqs to help rehydrate?

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He's staying hydrated now and had all blood work done. He has lost some use of his kidneys, but is doing well now! I have a new vet that is amazing!