how often and how long to use miralax for constipation

[kac]

My cat henry is in general good health. He's 5 years old, 8kg, although he does not overeat and has been on Hills SD for sensitive stomach, mostly dry but with several oz of wet daily, for several years. His poop has been somewhat dry lately but still regular once a day. Last week saturday morning I found him uncharacteristically quiet and unwilling to move much. He urinated and pooped as normal but he still acted uncomfortable. I took him to the emergency vet immediately and they did every test imaginable - all normal, including an x-ray. I took him home with recommendation to use 1/8 tsp. Miralax if he seemed constipated. The vet told me constipation is common after sedation (used for the x-ray).
My question is this - it's been one week since that visit to the vet and he has only pooped twice. I was giving him the Miralax once a day with wet food (limiting dry food). I increased the Miralax to twice a day with wet food hoping he'll start to poop more often. I've also tried baby food and pumpkin but he likes the wet food better. He is drinking normally.
I can't seem to get a straight answer as to how long it's safe to use the Miralax. I'm willing to take him back to the vet but vet services are amazingly hard to access where I live and since all his tests were normal i'm not sure what else they can tell me.
He is otherwise acting completely normal!

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Not sure my experience will be much help - my Daisy has megacolon and is on Cisapride and Osmolax (same as Miralax, that's just the brand name here) twice a day. She'll be on it permanently, or rather, until medication no longer works for the megacolon and she has to have surgery. Good thing is she's never actually constipated now, though she does have an irregular timetable. She's on 5/16 teaspoon a serve. Luckily she likes the stuff!

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I would just call the vet and ask them.

Most cats that are constipated have some degree of dehydration going on. So, it is important they stay hydrated. I would stop any dry food since he likes the canned.

I have seen cats start to depend on miralax before, which is why I say to contact your vet. It also sounds like he is still somewhat constipated.

There is no set amount of time that a cat can be on miralax, as each cat is different.

 

[kac]

thanks for replying. daisy's situation seems different than henry's since he hasn't been diagnosed with any specific colon problems - at least not yet, fingers crossed - and isn't on any other meds.
reading some of the other threads, it does seem like miralax is used regularly over time. i'm hoping henry will get back to a regular poop schedule. are you aware of any bad side effects of miralax?
i hope daisy continues to be okay!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think that how often and when to give Miralax is somewhat dependent on the reason for the constipation. There are cats that need it for the rest of their lives. But that is often due to underlying health issues. For now, until you can continue your search for the cause, give it to him as he needs it. Tbh, it is a bit of an experiment to determine what works best for each individual cat.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

thanks for replying. daisy's situation seems different than henry's since he hasn't been diagnosed with any specific colon problems - at least not yet, fingers crossed - and isn't on any other meds.
reading some of the other threads, it does seem like miralax is used regularly over time. i'm hoping henry will get back to a regular poop schedule. are you aware of any bad side effects of miralax?
i hope daisy continues to be okay!

Thank you, and hope Henry doesn't have any long-term problems brewing either!

 

[kac]

Hi. I would just call the vet and ask them.

Most cats that are constipated have some degree of dehydration going on. So, it is important they stay hydrated. I would stop any dry food since he likes the canned.

I have seen cats start to depend on miralax before, which is why I say to contact your vet. It also sounds like he is still somewhat constipated.

There is no set amount of time that a cat can be on miralax, as each cat is different.

hi silent - thanks for replying. he's only getting wet food now (Hills sensitive stomach) and fortunately is drinking normally. actually, except for the not wanting to poop, he's acting completely normal. no temperature, urinating normally. i don't want him to be dependent on miralax but am concerned if he goes more than 36 hours without pooping. i'm hoping this is temporary.

his regular vet has limited hours and no weekends so i'm having a hard time getting an answer from them. even though the emergency vet was the one who recommended the miralax, they didn't give me an answer either. i willl try again tomorrow.

 

[kac]

I think that how often and when to give Miralax is somewhat dependent on the reason for the constipation. There are cats that need it for the rest of their lives. But that is often due to underlying health issues. For now, until you can continue your search for the cause, give it to him as he needs it. Tbh, it is a bit of an experiment to determine what works best for each individual cat.

hi feebys owner - thanks for replying. that seems to be the consensus re: miralax so far. i'll keep giving it to him for now.

henry was tested extensively last weeked, including x-rays and everything came back normal. i guess it's going to be r&d now. i will try again to contact his regular vet tomorrow but it's been frustrating. vet services are hard to access in my area - it was quite a revelation.

 

[Caspers Human]

Our eldest, Casper, has a perineal hernia that makes it hard for him to go. We could get him an operation to fix it but we don't have the five grand. Instead, we give him Miralax every day and Cisapride (prescription) when he needs it.

Casper has been getting Miralax mixed with his food for a good, couple-three years, now. Not a problem.

We monitor the box to be sure he's going enough. He usually gets a 1/4 tsp. per day but, if he needs it, we'll bump it up. If you give too much it'll just cause the cat to get the squirts. Which, in Casper's case is necessary on occasion. Normally, he gets just enough so that it's easy for him to go but he doesn't leave a mess.

Both, our regular vet and the specialist we took him to, said the same thing. As long as we watch the litter box and give him his medicine as he needs it, Casper will be okay for the foreseeable future.

As our regular vet who is an 'old, country doctor' said... "Water! Water! Water!" The most important thing is to be sure that the cat is drinking plenty of water!

 

[kac]

Our eldest, Casper, has a perineal hernia that makes it hard for him to go. We could get him an operation to fix it but we don't have the five grand. Instead, we give him Miralax every day and Cisapride (prescription) when he needs it.

Casper has been getting Miralax mixed with his food for a good, couple-three years, now. Not a problem.

We monitor the box to be sure he's going enough. He usually gets a 1/4 tsp. per day but, if he needs it, we'll bump it up. If you give too much it'll just cause the cat to get the squirts. Which, in Casper's case is necessary on occasion. Normally, he gets just enough so that it's easy for him to go but he doesn't leave a mess.

Both, our regular vet and the specialist we took him to, said the same thing. As long as we watch the litter box and give him his medicine as he needs it, Casper will be okay for the foreseeable future.

As our regular vet who is an 'old, country doctor' said... "Water! Water! Water!" The most important thing is to be sure that the cat is drinking plenty of water!

hi casper's human - thanks for the info. i'm glad casper is doing okay and that it continues!

i was concerned that using the miralax for more than a week or so would be a problem but so far responses are similar to yours - that longer use shoudn't be a problem if needed. for now, henry is getting 1/8 tsp with his evening and morning wet food. it has only been a few days so i'm hopeful he'll start pooping normally soon. fortunately he is drinking too. i make sure to keep his litter box very clean and fresh water several times a day.

in the meantime, i'll try to get him into the regular vet for a follow-up. i understand the frustration about the expense of care - i hate to tell you how much it cost last weekend at the emergency vet.

 

[kac]

PS: to everyone who has been so kind to reply... i'm also making sure henry is getting exercise, running and playing as much as possible.

 

[Caspers Human]

Miralax works by absorbing water into the colon and making things easier to expel. That means you'll need to drink a lot of water when you take it. Water has to come in before it can go out. Right?

That also means you need to make sure your cat has enough water to drink at all times. That sounds intuitive, of course. You should always try to make sure your cat has plenty to drink. With Miralax, not only do you have to watch the litter box, you have to watch how much they are eating and drinking and compare to what you see in the litter box. Adjust your dosage of Miralax based on your comparison.

If you think the cat has been having a hard time in the litter box, give him an extra dash of powder, mixed in his food. If you think he's doing okay on his own, cut the dosage back. It's not hard to tell. You'll know when the cat tells you.

 

[kac]

this is all helpful information, thanks.
he's only been getting the miralax for about 5 days and i am monitoring him closely.
fortunately he seems to be starting to poop normally and has been peeing normally so far.
also, fortunately, i'm with him all day and can see he's drinking. his wet food has lots of liquid gravy so i hope that helps too.
all kind of a balancing act, right?

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi K kac and a warm welcome to the forum !

....With Miralax, not only do you have to watch the litter box, you have to watch how much they are eating and drinking and compare to what you see in the litter box. Adjust your dosage of Miralax based on your comparison....

That really needs correction. Miralax is a 'dose-to-effect' agent.....the amount used is increased or decreased depending on hardness or softness of the stool. The goal is a cylindrical, segmented sausage-like stool that can be 'squished' with minimal pressure. There's absolutely no need to monitor food amounts, nor stool amounts.

Miralax is used to adjust the 'quality' of the stool, not the quantity. An eighth to a quarter of a teaspoonful twice daily are popular dosages, and it can be used indefinitely without harm. It sounds like 1/8tsp isn't giving the result you need. so you have lota of latitude to work with there!

Hope that helps.
.

 

[kac]

.
Hi K kac and a warm welcome to the forum !



That really needs correction. Miralax is a 'dose-to-effect' agent.....the amount used is increased or decreased depending on hardness or softness of the stool. The goal is a cylindrical, segmented sausage-like stool that can be 'squished' with minimal pressure. There's absolutely no need to monitor food amounts, nor stool amounts.

Miralax is used to adjust the 'quality' of the stool, not the quantity. An eighth to a quarter of a teaspoonful twice daily are popular dosages, and it can be used indefinitely without harm. It sounds like 1/8tsp isn't giving the result you need. so you have lota of latitude to work with there!

Hope that helps.
.

hi white shadow - yes, that does help.

i had read so many conflicting things about miralax that i was hesitant to use it at first. but your information, along with the other long-time users that have posted here has provided assurance that it should be okay.

note: henry will be seen by his regular vet on wednesday to check his condition. as i mentioned in earlier posts, all the very extensive tests he had last weekend came back normal, including x-rays, so i'm hopeful this is a temporary constipation condition.

he is eating only wet food right now, which has a lot of liquid gravy and i make sure he eats that first. he has also been drinking normally. he hasn't yet peed this morning but did during the night. i've had some experience with urinary problems with cats in the past so am being vigilant - even giving him extra water dishes that i change several times a day.

he has also pooped and it looks just like the description you mentioned above. i hope that's a good sign. if it continues, i'll try to decrease the miralax (he's getting 1/8 tsp morning and evening) if his checkup on wednesday is okay.

thank goodness i'm recently retired so can keep an eye on him!

thank you again for your help. it is much appreciated >^;^<

 

[walli]

you might want to ask your vet about Capilex it coats the poo with a gel like substance
it breaks up hairballs, it might be a better option but ask vet first
I get it at Aurora Health

 

[kac]

thanks walli. i'll ask the vet tomorrow.

 

[walli]

I’m not sure if I mentioned gut soothe from adored beast I took blacky off the capilex which worked great when he was having hairball problems what it does is it breaks up the hairballs in the stomach. We are on the gut soothe only now. I made a mistake and mix them and it caused a problem for him. Just wanted to mention that. It’s a great product and may help with hairballs also

 

[kac]

hi walli,
i've never heard of gut smooth but i'll look into it. but he doesn't have hairballs since x-rays were clear. i think the problem was constipation resulting from a mostly dry food diet.
he's been on a wet food diet for about a week and is much improved. he was examined by his regular vet today and everything looked normal.
i'll keep him on the miralax for awhile as it's helping him poop more normally. vet also said it's okay to use indefinitely, which i already knew.
fingers crossed he continues to improve.

 

[walli]

Oh goody it’s called gut soothe from adored beast just keep that in your info for if you ever need it it takes about a week to get I was reading about it it’s an amazing product