My female cat has had previous episodes of constipation, we have tried to prevent a recurrence by including pumpkin, water, a product sold on-line from AllergicPet.Com, another product from NaturalPet.Com. flax seed, coconut oil, chia seed, another words everything natural we know of. Her most recent episode includes visits to two different vets, four enemas and manual removal of feces. The vet now has prescribed Cisapride, twice a day, Miralax, twice a day and since we were referred to a specialist, Dulcolax, once a day. My cat now oozes feces constantly and her anus appears raw. We constantly clean her and try to provide relief with Vaseline. We must wait for the appointment for the specialist until April due to them being so busy. We also have her on prescription Iams low residue food. If anyone has some ideas since we are out of them, please let us know. The vet says she does not have Megacolon but can't figure out why she will not do her business.
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Chronic Constipation in my three year old DSH
- Thread starter jossch
- Start Date
poor thing . are you feeding an all wet diet with some water added to the food?
I'm no expert but I would stop feeding dry food if you are.
Hopefully someone here has some suggestions for you
I'm no expert but I would stop feeding dry food if you are.
Hopefully someone here has some suggestions for you
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2010
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do both vets know this?
my kitty has mega colon and it often starts with severe constipation . than the walls of the large colon get stretched out and don't function well anymore . the cisapride you may have been told helps the colon muscle movement . The MiraLAX obviously softens the stool . I don't know what Dulcolax does .my cat is only on the wet food not anything special just fancy feast chunky turkey .it's more like a pate. my kitty doesn't drink water so I have to give her water on her food and lately I've been giving her water a couple times a day because the MiraLAX will dehydrate the body because it takes body fluids to soften the stool.[/
In Reply To Following Comment-]My female cat has had previous episodes of constipation, we have tried to prevent a recurrence by including pumpkin, water, a product sold on-line from AllergicPet.Com, another product from NaturalPet.Com. flax seed, coconut oil, chia seed, another words everything natural we know of. Her most recent episode includes visits to two different vets, four enemas and manual removal of feces. The vet now has prescribed Cisapride, twice a day, Miralax, twice a day and since we were referred to a specialist, Dulcolax, once a day. My cat now oozes feces constantly and her anus appears raw. We constantly clean her and try to provide relief with Vaseline. We must wait for the appointment for the specialist until April due to them being so busy. We also have her on prescription Iams low residue food. If anyone has some ideas since we are out of them, please let us know. The vet says she does not have Megacolon but can't figure out why she will not do her business.
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In Reply To Following Comment-]My female cat has had previous episodes of constipation, we have tried to prevent a recurrence by including pumpkin, water, a product sold on-line from AllergicPet.Com, another product from NaturalPet.Com. flax seed, coconut oil, chia seed, another words everything natural we know of. Her most recent episode includes visits to two different vets, four enemas and manual removal of feces. The vet now has prescribed Cisapride, twice a day, Miralax, twice a day and since we were referred to a specialist, Dulcolax, once a day. My cat now oozes feces constantly and her anus appears raw. We constantly clean her and try to provide relief with Vaseline. We must wait for the appointment for the specialist until April due to them being so busy. We also have her on prescription Iams low residue food. If anyone has some ideas since we are out of them, please let us know. The vet says she does not have Megacolon but can't figure out why she will not do her business.
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I got a lot of help from people this forum last July when my kitty Gracie was having serious problems with her megacolon.once I put her on the MiraLAX and took her off from lactulose I didn't have the problem with her anymore .but tonight she is showing signs of constipation again .I have been giving her water from a syringe ( because she doesn't drink from a bowl), putting water on her food when I mix the MiraLAX , then giving her her cisapride .what I wonder is if there is an ointment or lubricant I can put on her rectom to maybe help some of the poop start to come out . I knows some things are not good for kitties to have in that area or to lick .
We're talking poop, so the following is graphic. Can't say I didn't warn ya.
Any internist I've worked with chooses one, either miralax or lactulose, at effective dosing, with recommendation to increase dose and how often the lactulose is given as soon as cat doesn't defecate its normal schedule. If usually goes twice daily, and none seen in the box in the morning, increase the morning dose. If goes once daily, and 24 hours with no stool, increase dose. A volume range is on the lactulose label because adjusting becomes necessary intermittently. Miralax is the same dose regardless, and isn't used in cats that occasionally obstruct despite maintaining the dose because occasional is too often in amedicated, "controlled" cat on a med that can't be slightly adjusted when the colon needs to leave moisture in the stool.
Cisapride is added to improve motility; it's used in chronic diarrhea cases too. Canned food is always the recommended constipation diet. Doesn't have to be a medicated diet or fibrous diet. The moisture content is their goal, to keep the large intestine from shrink wrapping around drier and drier large stools, that can't pass through the pelvis without physical assistance to break down each firm fecal mass. Board certified internists and feline practitioners follow the above standard of care with historically constipated cats.
I see constipated cats on emergency repeatedly when the diet is changed to dry, when the lactulose dose in decreased to less than twice daily minimum volume (1mL BID for ex), or miralax is stopped. So essentially, when their treatment plan is changed without the direction of a professional. I've never had a constipated cat (that didn't have megacolon, just primary constipation), that miralax or lactulose and canned diet couldn't control. If they return with constipation, a barium series of the GI tract is done on Xray to rule out megacolon.
Keeping a tail wrapped to limit the raw skin further down, and applying A+D ointment peri-anus helps with skin integrity. Holding a warm compress to the irritated anus multiple times a day helps also, but most cats won't tolerate this. If it's not moisture that is oozing while she's still constipated, with only the colon liquid being able to pass around fecal balls, and she is over-medicated to the point she's had chronic diarrhea, calling the vet to adjust her dose via phone or email is needed prior to her appointment. Dulcolax combined with either miralax or lactulose is a lot of stool softening and reducing colon absorption of fluid from digesta/feces in the GI tract. An effective dose of one drug is better than a low, ineffective dose of two drugs. Talk out her treatment with your vets, discussing the cycle of defecation, Rx and OTC meds. They may not want you give her fiber (the supplements) and just maintain her miralax, so the fiber doesn't overbulk her colon. If they rule out excess fiber as a contributor while she was on miralax, then she may need the added stool softener. But if she's on fiber and Duclolax, firming up her stool and softening it at the same time is a counterintuitive treatment plan.
Dehydration is a concern with constipation and diarrhea, so either way, bolusing her subcutaneously would be good supportive care until she has normal stool. If I give an enema every 3 to 4 hours and more than half the impacted feces is not defecated, we sedate and deobstipate the patient, Xray to see status, and deobstipate more after GI motility moves the rest of the stool down far enough to reach. We don't mess around with enemas for any longer than 8 to 12 hours if no effect seen, and that's if the patient was presented within 24 hours of no stool despite normal food intake. Some fecal balls cannot be defecated, as they get so large and rock hard, no amount of enema or lactulose will help at that point.
IF proven effective, by notable defecation, I give an enema every 4 hours for up to 24 hours total until the colon is empty, or only softer, normal consistency stool is present in the colon via palpation and/or fast limited Xray. We give at least 40mL of warm water/lube per enema; sometimes the enema is ineffective solely because the volume directed by the vet is too slight and will not effectively lube and loosen the packed stool. Intermittently we may give an oral and rectal dose of lactulose, depending on the patient history, as overdosing lactulose is avoided carefully, so we don't induce diarrhea in a constipated cat.
Using a long red rubber catheter of large gauge is also needed, to enable passing beyond the packed stool and lubing all around the obstruction. Technique and tools go a long way toward efficacy. Time is also important. If no stool seen, manually removing is necessary, not waiting for an enema to work, 24 hours after starting them.
Sorry you are dealing with the constipated kitty poop odor too. No fun for either you or kitty. Waterless shampoo helps with the hind, but don't want to use that or water rinses excessively, or the skin stays raw and moist. No shampoo back there either while raw. Warm water rinse once daily, with blotting baby wipes to keep her clean, and reapply A+D as often as needed on exposed perianal/tail skin. Hope your vets sort it out soon.
Any internist I've worked with chooses one, either miralax or lactulose, at effective dosing, with recommendation to increase dose and how often the lactulose is given as soon as cat doesn't defecate its normal schedule. If usually goes twice daily, and none seen in the box in the morning, increase the morning dose. If goes once daily, and 24 hours with no stool, increase dose. A volume range is on the lactulose label because adjusting becomes necessary intermittently. Miralax is the same dose regardless, and isn't used in cats that occasionally obstruct despite maintaining the dose because occasional is too often in amedicated, "controlled" cat on a med that can't be slightly adjusted when the colon needs to leave moisture in the stool.
Cisapride is added to improve motility; it's used in chronic diarrhea cases too. Canned food is always the recommended constipation diet. Doesn't have to be a medicated diet or fibrous diet. The moisture content is their goal, to keep the large intestine from shrink wrapping around drier and drier large stools, that can't pass through the pelvis without physical assistance to break down each firm fecal mass. Board certified internists and feline practitioners follow the above standard of care with historically constipated cats.
I see constipated cats on emergency repeatedly when the diet is changed to dry, when the lactulose dose in decreased to less than twice daily minimum volume (1mL BID for ex), or miralax is stopped. So essentially, when their treatment plan is changed without the direction of a professional. I've never had a constipated cat (that didn't have megacolon, just primary constipation), that miralax or lactulose and canned diet couldn't control. If they return with constipation, a barium series of the GI tract is done on Xray to rule out megacolon.
Keeping a tail wrapped to limit the raw skin further down, and applying A+D ointment peri-anus helps with skin integrity. Holding a warm compress to the irritated anus multiple times a day helps also, but most cats won't tolerate this. If it's not moisture that is oozing while she's still constipated, with only the colon liquid being able to pass around fecal balls, and she is over-medicated to the point she's had chronic diarrhea, calling the vet to adjust her dose via phone or email is needed prior to her appointment. Dulcolax combined with either miralax or lactulose is a lot of stool softening and reducing colon absorption of fluid from digesta/feces in the GI tract. An effective dose of one drug is better than a low, ineffective dose of two drugs. Talk out her treatment with your vets, discussing the cycle of defecation, Rx and OTC meds. They may not want you give her fiber (the supplements) and just maintain her miralax, so the fiber doesn't overbulk her colon. If they rule out excess fiber as a contributor while she was on miralax, then she may need the added stool softener. But if she's on fiber and Duclolax, firming up her stool and softening it at the same time is a counterintuitive treatment plan.
Dehydration is a concern with constipation and diarrhea, so either way, bolusing her subcutaneously would be good supportive care until she has normal stool. If I give an enema every 3 to 4 hours and more than half the impacted feces is not defecated, we sedate and deobstipate the patient, Xray to see status, and deobstipate more after GI motility moves the rest of the stool down far enough to reach. We don't mess around with enemas for any longer than 8 to 12 hours if no effect seen, and that's if the patient was presented within 24 hours of no stool despite normal food intake. Some fecal balls cannot be defecated, as they get so large and rock hard, no amount of enema or lactulose will help at that point.
IF proven effective, by notable defecation, I give an enema every 4 hours for up to 24 hours total until the colon is empty, or only softer, normal consistency stool is present in the colon via palpation and/or fast limited Xray. We give at least 40mL of warm water/lube per enema; sometimes the enema is ineffective solely because the volume directed by the vet is too slight and will not effectively lube and loosen the packed stool. Intermittently we may give an oral and rectal dose of lactulose, depending on the patient history, as overdosing lactulose is avoided carefully, so we don't induce diarrhea in a constipated cat.
Using a long red rubber catheter of large gauge is also needed, to enable passing beyond the packed stool and lubing all around the obstruction. Technique and tools go a long way toward efficacy. Time is also important. If no stool seen, manually removing is necessary, not waiting for an enema to work, 24 hours after starting them.
Sorry you are dealing with the constipated kitty poop odor too. No fun for either you or kitty. Waterless shampoo helps with the hind, but don't want to use that or water rinses excessively, or the skin stays raw and moist. No shampoo back there either while raw. Warm water rinse once daily, with blotting baby wipes to keep her clean, and reapply A+D as often as needed on exposed perianal/tail skin. Hope your vets sort it out soon.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Detmut, yes both vets know of the meds, the dulcolax is being prescribed by the specialist, she told the vet who told me. The first vet basically gave me the cat back with feces still impacted which made me seek out a second vet. We now give the cat miralax, cisapride and feed her the wet low-residue food by Iams with water added. The dulcolax was too much for her insides and since the specialist prescribed it without seeing her first we stopped giving it to her. We will know more in April when we see the specialist. Thanks
