Hi everyone,
My cat Bailey has been having constipation issues for about 6 months now. Here's some of the story below:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87262
She hasn't had any problems until today. Her issue has been controlled by regularly administering Lactulose, but her vet told me that she MAY eventually need an operation since he believes she has a perineal hernia.
Anyway, she hasn't stopped eating, but today after I gave her some Lactulose, she ate some canned food and puked it ALL up. I'm pretty sure she puked up all the Lactulose with it as well. It's obvious that she has a hard fecal mass right near her rectum (it doesn't feel that big, but I obviously can't say since I can't see it... plus, just because *I* don't think it feels big doesn't mean SHE doesn't). She is having a hard time passing it. Up until today, she seems to have been pooing regularly. I can't say EXACTLY when the last time she poo'd was, but I don't believe it's been more than 1-2 days.
Basically, I want to bring her to her regular vet ASAP. However, it's Saturday. I'm sure an enema would relieve some of her discomfort until I can get her into her regular vet. I called the emergency vet in the hopes that they might be able to administer one, and they told me that they'd have to treat her as though they had no idea what the problem was, meaning they'd have to do x-rays and so on and so forth. I understand why they'd need to do this, but it aggravates me since this is not a new issue and this isn't the first time it has happened. Also, I really would prefer not to have her treated at the emergency vet since they're not familiar with her issue. It's not entirely a money issue (although it does have something to do with it since I don't want to pay hundreds of dollors for an enema when her regular vet can do it for WAY less). My main issue is that I don't feel comfortable having her treated by anyone but her regular vet. He's fully aware of Bailey's issue, and I trust him more than anyone else to give her the best and most proper treatment. I'll bring her to the emergency vet if I have to, but I'd rather not for her comfort in addition to the reason I explained above.
I know that everyone is going to tell me to bring her to the emergency vet, and I know that would probably be the safest option (I can't say for sure though, because I don't know if they'll give her the proper treatment since they aren't familiar with her issue). I'm honestly worried that they might not treat her as though she has a hernia and end up making the situation worse. I will take her if I have to (it's 5 minutes away, so I can get her there quickly), but I'm wondering if anyone might have any advice on how I can make her feel comfortable over the rest of the weekend.
If anyone has any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please don't think I'm neglecting her needs by not immediately taking her to the emergency vet. I'm conflicted right now because I honestly don't know whether or not that would be the best option for her, considering her condition. I'm open to the option of taking her, though, and I'm just trying to see if there's anything I might be able to do for her to make her feel somewhat better before I decide to take her to the emergency vet.
Thanks everyone!
Jen
My cat Bailey has been having constipation issues for about 6 months now. Here's some of the story below:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87262
She hasn't had any problems until today. Her issue has been controlled by regularly administering Lactulose, but her vet told me that she MAY eventually need an operation since he believes she has a perineal hernia.
Anyway, she hasn't stopped eating, but today after I gave her some Lactulose, she ate some canned food and puked it ALL up. I'm pretty sure she puked up all the Lactulose with it as well. It's obvious that she has a hard fecal mass right near her rectum (it doesn't feel that big, but I obviously can't say since I can't see it... plus, just because *I* don't think it feels big doesn't mean SHE doesn't). She is having a hard time passing it. Up until today, she seems to have been pooing regularly. I can't say EXACTLY when the last time she poo'd was, but I don't believe it's been more than 1-2 days.
Basically, I want to bring her to her regular vet ASAP. However, it's Saturday. I'm sure an enema would relieve some of her discomfort until I can get her into her regular vet. I called the emergency vet in the hopes that they might be able to administer one, and they told me that they'd have to treat her as though they had no idea what the problem was, meaning they'd have to do x-rays and so on and so forth. I understand why they'd need to do this, but it aggravates me since this is not a new issue and this isn't the first time it has happened. Also, I really would prefer not to have her treated at the emergency vet since they're not familiar with her issue. It's not entirely a money issue (although it does have something to do with it since I don't want to pay hundreds of dollors for an enema when her regular vet can do it for WAY less). My main issue is that I don't feel comfortable having her treated by anyone but her regular vet. He's fully aware of Bailey's issue, and I trust him more than anyone else to give her the best and most proper treatment. I'll bring her to the emergency vet if I have to, but I'd rather not for her comfort in addition to the reason I explained above.
I know that everyone is going to tell me to bring her to the emergency vet, and I know that would probably be the safest option (I can't say for sure though, because I don't know if they'll give her the proper treatment since they aren't familiar with her issue). I'm honestly worried that they might not treat her as though she has a hernia and end up making the situation worse. I will take her if I have to (it's 5 minutes away, so I can get her there quickly), but I'm wondering if anyone might have any advice on how I can make her feel comfortable over the rest of the weekend.
If anyone has any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please don't think I'm neglecting her needs by not immediately taking her to the emergency vet. I'm conflicted right now because I honestly don't know whether or not that would be the best option for her, considering her condition. I'm open to the option of taking her, though, and I'm just trying to see if there's anything I might be able to do for her to make her feel somewhat better before I decide to take her to the emergency vet.
Thanks everyone!
Jen
