Approx 9 week old kitten with rectal prolapse, saw the vet today.

[pussnboots01]

Thanks so much for replying quickly.  Where I live, it is very difficult to find a decent and reasonably priced vet.  This guy is the only one who would take on the case.  I am not a dummy and know very well what a purse string suture entails and how long it takes to do.  I paid $467 for the first time it was done and $364 for the second one.  The first time, it was in for 10 days.  The kitten caught an upper respiratory at the vet's office and was sneezing so much that she prolapsed two days after the first stitch was removed.  The second time, the stitch was in for 4 days and she prolapsed in spite of it, abrading the prolapse in the process.  I had to remove the stitch to avoid further damage.  In addition, instead of being at the top of the anus, it was at the bottom and a chunk of fur was caught in it.  I have been carefully massaging the prolapse with a solution of sugar syrup, hemorrhoidal cream with cortisone and an antibiotic cream (all mixed together).  She is very cooperative and goes through all this grief without much fuss. 

She has been wormed twice with Pyrantel and twice with Ivermectin.  She is fed a diet of raw beef (with supplements mixed in) that I have watered down quite a lot to keep it soupy.  I am thinking about switching her to baby food watered down with goats milk to keep her stools looser.  When she is fed normally, she has a normal tootsie roll type stool.  I do agree with your inflammation idea as she pushes back quite a bit when I put the prolapse back in (it actually helps get it back in place as it almost creates a vacuum when she stops pushing).  She has never had diarrhea nor constipation. 

What would be good for any inflammation she might have?  Her vitals are great, she runs and plays, and has a great attitude.  The original prolapse was only about an inch.  The third time she prolapsed (when the suture abraded her), it came out about 3 inches - very scary.  Since I am retired, I can monitor her almost all day and put it back in right away.  It has been variable.  She has gone as long as 5 days without an issue and she has gone through spells where she prolapses twice a day.  Sometimes, it is very swollen and takes a while to get back in and sometimes it is fairly soft and easy to get back in.  Because of the sorry vet situation in my area, I feel I am on my own in this quest to get her healthy, but I will keep trying to find a decent vet.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[catwoman707]

You are definitely at an advantage being home to watch in case it comes out to get it back in right away. Meaning as long as there is not an internal reason for it to continue coming out, it will take time for the muscle to rebuild itself, and it will. 

This makes me think of back when my daughter was a baby, she had a herniated belly button that would pop out, way out when she pooped or cried. So rather than surgery to stitch it to stay in, I taped a half dollar coin to her tummy during the day, which kept it in and it healed perfectly, and fast!

Too bad you can't do that on her butt..........

But the idea is the less it is out, the muscle will rebuild itself and keep it in like it's supposed to be, but when it pushes out it pushes past that muscle which means basically keeping it stretched open a bit too far, okay I'm having a hard time explaining here! lol

So about 10 or so years ago while at my store, a man came in and brought an antique solid marble fireplace mantle. There I am on one end of this thing carrying it from his van inside, I'm strong but it was WAY too heavy for me to be carrying, so we got it inside and I had to set it down on the floor......bad move.

My hip popped out of place, you talk about shocking pain.

Anyway, for over a month I went DAILY to a chiropractor who had to jam it back in place, there were times as soon as I sat up I felt it sliding back out, other times it would stay until the next day, but the idea was if it was in place longer than out of place, it would rebuild itself to stay put. The more it was shoved back in, the longer it started staying in.

Eventually it did, of course I have arthritis in it now as he said I would.....but it's the same idea for kitty. (without the arthritis!)

That is, as long as there isn't something causing inflammation so it will continue doing this, other than it has crossed the anus muscle which is a bit stretched now.

This is why if the suture was done correctly she should be fine now. 

So frustrating for you!

 

[pussnboots01]

Thanks so much for the encouragement!  I will just keep putting it back in, making sure she gets good food and probiotics and hang in there.  She has such a wonderful personality and seems appreciative of the help (most of the time - LOL!).  I came so close to having her put down until I saw your post on the forum.  A lot of people think I'm nuts and they said they would not put in the time, but she should not have to die because of an incompetent vet.  As long as she is comfortable and her spirits are up, I will work with her.  You have saved more than just the cats you have rescued.  You are a cat angel!

 

[teenee]

Make sure the baby food you buy does NOT contain any onion.

 

[pussnboots01]

Yes, I do know that.  I only feed Beech Nut to my cats when they need extra "love".

 

[stinkers]

Try  a nutribiotic found in the nutrition center of your grocery store.  It is grapefruit extract. put 3 drops in a good sized bowl of water. Make this a habit!!  It will rid them of parasites, infections,worms etc.  It is called "GSE" Grapefruit seed extract. My brother's puppies were very ill and it was "MIRACULOUS" what it did for them.   Humans and all animals alike benefit from this medicinal alternative!

 

[michellec]

Hello new here!

Catwoman707   I'm in awe of your knowledge and hope you can help.  I volunteer at a shelter and they have a 6-7 week old manx kitten who has spinal bifida and a rectal prolapse.  She's had this issue ever since she started eating hard kitten food, so a few weeks now and all the vet seemed to say was "she has spinal bifida" but no treatment.  All the workers and volunteers at the shelter give this kitten a warm bum bath and apply desitin but it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  Her little bum is just leaking out soft yellowish poo which unfortunately gets all over everything.  But she is spunky, full of life she plays jumps she does have some partial palatalization or maybe just weakness in her hind legs so she more hops then walks, gets wobbly, then bounces around some more.  She really moves quick and loves play time especially with humans.  Now that I'm thinking about it her mom has the same poo issues she often goes and doesn't cover it but I remember right before she gave birth she was diarrhea all over the place.  That has since gotten under control but mom's poos and babies poos are very similar.  

I feel like everyone at the shelter has just sort of thrown their arms in the air but I can't help but to try and find some solution for her.  She's just the sweetest thing and so pretty too.  I was initially thinking coconut oil, but I'm at a loss of what to do/try and I fear the worst for her.  She needs a chance.  Help, please if you can. 

 

[catwoman707]

 
Hello new here!

Catwoman707   I'm in awe of your knowledge and hope you can help.  I volunteer at a shelter and they have a 6-7 week old manx kitten who has spinal bifida and a rectal prolapse.  She's had this issue ever since she started eating hard kitten food, so a few weeks now and all the vet seemed to say was "she has spinal bifida" but no treatment.  All the workers and volunteers at the shelter give this kitten a warm bum bath and apply desitin but it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  Her little bum is just leaking out soft yellowish poo which unfortunately gets all over everything.  But she is spunky, full of life she plays jumps she does have some partial palatalization or maybe just weakness in her hind legs so she more hops then walks, gets wobbly, then bounces around some more.  She really moves quick and loves play time especially with humans.  Now that I'm thinking about it her mom has the same poo issues she often goes and doesn't cover it but I remember right before she gave birth she was diarrhea all over the place.  That has since gotten under control but mom's poos and babies poos are very similar.  

I feel like everyone at the shelter has just sort of thrown their arms in the air but I can't help but to try and find some solution for her.  She's just the sweetest thing and so pretty too.  I was initially thinking coconut oil, but I'm at a loss of what to do/try and I fear the worst for her.  She needs a chance.  Help, please if you can. 

Hi there and welcome to TCS!!

That is so very kind of you to say, I take this as a huge compliment!!

Kitten with spina bifida, somewhat commonly seen in manx kittens, as it's the same gene factor causing both, tail-less and spinal deformities.

Prognosis really depends on the extent of deformity, there are kittens who can grow up to live fairly normal lives, but many will show worsening symptoms as the kitten grows, and as heartbreaking as it is now to consider this sweet punkin may be better off being gently euthanized now or soon, it is even more of a heartbreak to save the kitten, only to grow in to bigger issues later, nothing worse than an adult who is saved but is living an awkward, non-cat type existence, and you never would want that I'm sure.

The only true way to know where this kittens future lies is by having a dye contrast x-ray called a myelogram performed, but of course unless the shelter has a f/t vet on board who is capable of doing this, it is far too costly for shelters to spend on one kitty. Hurts but true. It's the reality of shelter life, the down side.

One of the effects of spina bifida is incontinence, and this is a real problem in itself. A cat who is unable to control one or both eliminations is in trouble and has a poor quality of life in itself.

Do you know if she is able to use the litter box otherwise and the leaking is purely due to it's liquid consistency?

As far as her future, what are her chances of being chosen to adopt do you think? It would take an exceptional person to adopt her with SB, even if it is mild, the future and how it may advance is pretty unknown.

Something to think about.

I would not use desitin on her but A&D ointment, and I would also be sure she gets ponazuril to hopefully treat her diarrhea. If mom has/had it too, it's likely something going on that may be unseen, some parasites are damn good at hiding themselves, and ponazuril is broader spectrum and often times will wipe out the problem, and fast.

I would address this first with the A&D and the ponazuril. Then on to the SB, to see just how badly she has it.

If it's pretty bad and not mild, she should be loved and adored constantly, let her eat and do whatever she loves, then let her go. It's going to hurt you, it's the hardest part of rescue and shelter life, believe me I know all too well. But it's about her, it's all for her best, living a good, happy, healthy and spoiled life, and when the odds are very against this great life, we have to look at the big picture. How many kittens are born unwanted, nobody to help them and make sure they get on the right path to that great life, countless need help, healthy kittens come in to shelters who are maxed already, especially this time of year, and euthanized. 

All lives are important, just as my sig line says, saving one cat won't make a difference in the world, but it will make a world of difference for that one cat. 

Just have to consider her chances of that great life.

Will she be able to climb a cat tree? Use the box and clean herself correctly? Jump up on things, not have to go through treatments and/or surgeries? (one of the effects of SB is pockets of spinal fluid building up and will burst, creating a drain hole for the fluid to leak out, making the spine exposed to infections.

I hope I was able to shed some light on this situation for you

Let me know how it goes.

Oh also!! We have burglarized this thread so you really should start your own, below the title at the top it says start a new thread.

 

[sabrinakitty]

Question about rectal prolapse also. I have a sweet two month old boy who has a small prolapse. He has had it for about a month now. He was dewormed first with panacure for a week. He still had mustard colored poo. Then treated twice with strongid. (Second dose given after two weeks of first dose). Used probiotic for a week, metronidazole for ten days. Poo is now soft, but there is still a very pink spot on his bottom. This picture looks a little better than actual. I read this thread a week ago and was trying different things. Used tucks and tried to pop it back in with a&d gel. Couldn't get it to go back in. He is very healthy and playful otherwise. Doesn't seem like he is straining to poo. Someone told me that he will grow out of it and not big enough to get a suture. Any ideas?

20160924_111308-2.jpg

• sabrinakitty
• Sep 24, 2016

 

[catwoman707]

This is showing you he has some inflammation internally, something that is causing this reaction, whether his diet or parasite, it's important to get to the root of the cause so this swelling will go down, and his little butt to heal and go in where it belongs.

Straining can cause this but there doesn't have to be straining for it to happen at all, just the inflammation inside.

But it may get worse with time if the cause is not fixed, which you don't want of course.

 

[sabrinakitty]

Hi cat women, what else can I try?

 

[fstewa5066]

I just got this kitten from somebody yesterday and today I noticed her butt didn't look right and I was wondering if I should take her to the vet or if this is normal or if there is something I can do at home to help her

image.jpg

• fstewa5066
• Sep 25, 2016

 

[fstewa5066]

The lady I got her from said she was about 8 weeks old

 

[catwoman707]

No, that is not normal, I would get her in to the vet as soon as you can.

 

[catwoman707]

Hi cat women, what else can I try?

Can you ask the vet for ponazuril for the poop, and possibly kitten could be given an anti-inflammatory med for the inflammation.

If the root of the problem is not found then any treatments for his rectum will be useless as it will repeat itself.

 

[samisue]

Catwomen707 I am having some similar issues with a kitten we just brought home. 15 weeks old. Would you consider this anal prolapse? I just wormed him 3 days ago. He hasn't been to the vet yet. And all the vets can't get him in for almost a week. Please advise what to do... I got him from a farm

IMG_5350.JPG

• samisue
• Jan 5, 2017

 

[catwoman707]

Yes this is prolapse, but contained enough still that it can heal fairly easily and quickly if the cause is found soon.

Most of the time it's due to either chronic diarrhea or constipation, but the latter not nearly as commonly seen.

Be sure to give a follow up dose of deworming med 2 weeks after the first.

How is his poop?

What is he fed?

 

[cat-tech]

Actually, no rectal prolapse should go unattended without veterinary attention, the potential for injury/damage and bacterial infection is too great.   Samisue, please call some of the vets back and explain the urgency to see if they'll get you in sooner, or, call your nearest emergency vet clinic, this really needs to be addressed.  Vets know how crucial it is to treat a rectal prolapse!   A week is FAR TOO LONG TO WAIT.

 

[jimmycatlover]

So sorry to hear about the prolapse with your young kitty.

Looks like you are doing everything possible and right

to correct this.  It was briefly mentioned about baby food.

Had to use the baby food for a different condition 

with my Baby Brucie a few months ago for constipation

and it worked so good I continue to share a jar every

other day to keep his poop moist and not dry from the

dry food only diet that he's on right now.  Hope all goes

well and you are on the right forum to get answers.

Gerber Chicken with Chicken Gravy

 

[mrbreezeet1]

I'm glad my Cleopatra was OK as a kitten.
She is now about 7 or 8 and seems healthy. Does the vet usually do blood work on a routine check up?
They did not do blood work last time Cleopatra was at the vet.