Cat was constipated

[ChrissyMarie07]

About 3 days ago my cat started limping. That same day we brought him into the vet. The vet thought that it was probably a nerve injury. So he ended up giving our cat a shot for pain(Buprenorphine) that day and wanted us to give our cat gabapentin twice a day.

After getting back home our cat would not have a bowl movement for the past 3 days (He also would lay in the litter box). Just now he finally had a bowl movement. But the feces is segmented/slightly round. There not hard as a rock or soft. Should I be concerned and take him back to the vet? Im not sure if maybe the medication could have caused the problem.

 

[verna davies]

The meds may be changing the spools but as long as he is going as often as he used to he should be fine. If he stops going, has diarrhoea or hard stools, get back in touch with your vet. In the meantime, just watch him

 

[FeebysOwner]

Buprenorphine is an opioid and is notoriously constipating. Give the vet a call and ask how long the shot is expected to stay in his system - depending on the answer, you could ask the vet if a small amount of MIralax (1/8 tsp for a day or so) would be warranted. The good news is, as far as I know, gabapentin does not usually have a constipating effect. So, if the injection is the cause of the harder stool, he should go back to normal shortly after the drug wears off.

EDIT: I meant to mention that gabapentin can cause drowsiness and lethargy - sometimes the dosage has to be adjusted in order to still give pain relief but not cause those side effects. So, keep an eye on that too.