Post enema: continued issues

[SheIsJustARat]

I don't know where else to turn right now.

On March 15, my husband noticed our 12 year old Brit seemed to want to vomit, but couldn't. We brought her to the vet out of an abundance of caution because she cried like she had never really done so before. Vet couldn't find any issues, but prescribed an anti inflammatory to help her digestive tract, just in case.

By three days later on Friday, I was convinced her issue was that she hadn't gone poop for some time. Her eating had slowly significantly. An x-ray showed three stools that seemed to be the culprit. I asked about an enema, but the vet prescribed a weekend's worth of laxative to help get her moving. So we started her on that. It didn't work. She stopped eating. She stopped drinking. I started syringing water to her. She was in rough shape.

On the Monday, I got her in to the vet for an enema. The stools passed and the vet gave some appetite stimulant doses for several days. She started drinking again fairly soon, but was slow to eat. And I started hand feeding her for a couple days, and eventually her appetite returned. By the weekend I thought we should start to see her having enough in her to at least pass some stools, but nothing came.

She was steadily improving until today. She's barely touched any food (only licking the gravy of the meat, and barely that). I got her to drink some cat milk with a bit of laxative mixed in tonight, but her water intake is slowing again. And I discovered she had been eating her litter. I don't know how long it's been going on, and I wonder if that's why she hasn't been able to poop since the enema cleared her out. I do have sub-q hours that I can administer to her, so if she appears to be dehydrating, I'll be giving those to her tomorrow.

I'm terribly frightened for her. Our vet situation is not good. I live in a remote location, a three hour flight from the nearest emergency vet. Our vet in town has limited diagnostic capabilities - no on site lab, no ultrasound. They're closed on Wednesdays, Thursday mornings and weekends. I'm already broke and my credit is maxed right now. I'm so afraid for her.

Her brother had a bowel issue in December, and the vet was out of town. I flew him south, and the x-ray showed cancer had metastasized is his lungs. We made the decision to euthanize him. I don't want to give up on Brit, because other than this current situation, she's healthy. But I don't know what to do, and I'm running out of money and I think time, based on how long this has gone on. I could try another enema for her maybe? But I don't know if she's reluctant to try going anymore because of the trauma.

I'm a mess. I don't know what I'm asking for. I just needed to tell someone because I can't talk to anyone else about it.

 

[cat nap]

She was steadily improving until today. She's barely touched any food (only licking the gravy of the meat, and barely that). I got her to drink some cat milk with a bit of laxative mixed in tonight, but her water intake is slowing again. And I discovered she had been eating her litter. I don't know how long it's been going on, and I wonder if that's why she hasn't been able to poop since the enema cleared her out. I do have sub-q hours that I can administer to her, so if she appears to be dehydrating, I'll be giving those to her tomorrow.

I'm terribly frightened for her. Our vet situation is not good. I live in a remote location, a three hour flight from the nearest emergency vet. Our vet in town has limited diagnostic capabilities - no on site lab, no ultrasound. They're closed on Wednesdays, Thursday mornings and weekends. I'm already broke and my credit is maxed right now. I'm so afraid for her.

Her brother had a bowel issue in December, and the vet was out of town. I flew him south, and the x-ray showed cancer had metastasized is his lungs. We made the decision to euthanize him. I don't want to give up on Brit, because other than this current situation, she's healthy. But I don't know what to do, and I'm running out of money and I think time, based on how long this has gone on. I could try another enema for her maybe? But I don't know if she's reluctant to try going anymore because of the trauma.

I'm a mess. I don't know what I'm asking for. I just needed to tell someone because I can't talk to anyone else about it.

I'm so sorry. I'm not going to be of much help here, since I'm not even sure what I would do in this difficult situation.

What type of laxative did you give your 12 year old Brit?
Also, did she ever have any Blood work, done, to check for anemia ?,...since the licking and eating litter does sound like it might be this, maybe. And yes, it could be causing a blockage, depending on how much she ate.

Do you have any stores near you that sell Miralax, or restoralax, Peg 3350, for constipation.
7 Things About Miralax for Cats
Also can you get any pedialyte (unflavoured), and give this to your cat.
Pedialyte (Electrolyte Solution) for Cats - Cat-World

When your Vet is closed, do they not have a phone number available...for emergencies?
What do people do, when they have pet emergencies, on those certain days?
(I'm sorry if these added questions are causing you more stress. Not my intention.
I'm just at a loss of what to suggest.)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If she is eating clumping litter, that could certainly cause issues. That's why we advise people with young kittens not to use it. If it is clumping, change it immediately. I'm trying to get some into to you, but other than that, I'm a bit at a loss.

 

[SheIsJustARat]

I'm so sorry. I'm not going to be of much help here, since I'm not even sure what I would do in this difficult situation.

What type of laxative did you give your 12 year old Brit?
Also, did she ever have any Blood work, done, to check for anemia ?,...since the licking and eating litter does sound like it might be this, maybe. And yes, it could be causing a blockage, depending on how much she ate.

Do you have any stores near you that sell Miralax, or restoralax, Peg 3350, for constipation.
7 Things About Miralax for Cats
Also can you get any pedialyte (unflavoured), and give this to your cat.
Pedialyte (Electrolyte Solution) for Cats - Cat-World

When your Vet is closed, do they not have a phone number available...for emergencies?
What do people do, when they have pet emergencies, on those certain days?
(I'm sorry if these added questions are causing you more stress. Not my intention.
I'm just at a loss of what to suggest.)

I can't recall the name of the laxative she was prescribed by the vet (it was in liquid form), but I have some Peg 3350 that I've been adding to her cat milk and the gravy. She almost always senses something is amiss with her food, and I'm just trying to get it into her, so I can't likely give the dose I want to.

As for blood work, it was my plan to bring her in this week to have some blood drawn if she was feeling better. It's a delicate balance with letting her heal and not putting too much stress on her, which yet another vet visit would do (I'm also forced to wait until I get paid tomorrow, unfortunately). The problem is, the bloodwork would need to be sent south to a lab, as our local vet doesn't have the testing capabilities. So it is on the agenda, but I'm trying to get her feeling a bit better first.

When you say Pedialyte, you just mean the regular human version? Being remote, our supplies are limited to very basic versions of things. I can probably find Pedialyte though. We have a few pharmacies.

When the vet is closed, we are told to call a 24 hour clinic in the south. Everything that really needs to be done for my Brit is being done that can be offered as remote advice. If she needs an enema, she has to wait for the vet to be open. More animals than I can count have died because of our lack of veterinary care resources. It's better than it used to be. Prior to about six or seven years ago, we didn't even have the clinic we have now.

Thank you for your suggestions. It's reassuring to know that I'm doing a lot of the right things, but there are still some things I can try.

When I woke up today, she had moved from her hiding place upstairs to one of her more open box beds downstairs. It appeared she had at least had the gravy from the bowl upstairs, and she had definitely consumed a bit of meat and semi-soft treats overnight from downstairs. She has been up and down all day, but has been drinking consistently, and a bit vocal. Still peeing well, and I may have found a tiny poop, but I can't really tell if that's what it was. She's definitely in a better state than last night, but it's the one step forward, two steps back progress that's really causing me concern.

 

[SheIsJustARat]

If she is eating clumping litter, that could certainly cause issues. That's why we advise people with young kittens not to use it. If it is clumping, change it immediately. I'm trying to get some into to you, but other than that, I'm a bit at a loss.

Yeah, this is definitely a first. We've never witnessed this before, so the clumping litter hasn't been a concern up until now. I haven't seen her do it today. I'm hoping it was very temporary. I'm going to see if there are other kinds of litter we can use temporarily, but as I said in the reply I just posted, we are limited to what types of products are available where I live. Barring other options, would cutting up newspaper into strips be a suitable temporary solution?

 

[cat nap]

I can't recall the name of the laxative she was prescribed by the vet (it was in liquid form), but I have some Peg 3350 that I've been adding to her cat milk and the gravy. She almost always senses something is amiss with her food, and I'm just trying to get it into her, so I can't likely give the dose I want to.

Have you ever watched these videos by Fundamentally Feline?
I really like them, because in it,...she gives tips on how to give medications to a cat,...through a syringe.

The reason I find it good, is that sometimes, cats will notice that medications are in their foods,...like your cat does...and then they will avoid eating their favorite food...causing 'food aversion'.
To avoid 'food aversion'...I really think that the tips by 'fundamentally feline'...are a helpful way to go.
It's worth a look, anyhow.

(Syringing might cause a cat added stress, until they are used to it...so I would definitely do it your way, at first, especially if you can place the meds, in the gravy, or tuna juice, or tuna,...that you know your cat will like.
As long as it's not her usual wet food, to actually cause her to 'go off her regular food'...then I would think it would be okay.)

 

[SheIsJustARat]

Thank you for these videos. I have been giving her meds via syringe, but I'm kind of terrible at it. Maybe this will improve my technique.

 

[cat nap]

As for blood work, it was my plan to bring her in this week to have some blood drawn if she was feeling better. It's a delicate balance with letting her heal and not putting too much stress on her, which yet another vet visit would do (I'm also forced to wait until I get paid tomorrow, unfortunately). The problem is, the bloodwork would need to be sent south to a lab, as our local vet doesn't have the testing capabilities. So it is on the agenda, but I'm trying to get her feeling a bit better first.

The only reason I asked about the blood work, is because when our cats become seniors, they sometimes develop things, like kidney issues, heart, diabetes, or even hyperthyroid, which are good to know about...and can be treated, with meds or diet changes.
It helps you to know if your cat is lacking in some mineral or nutrient, by having the full senior blood panel done, to check the cat's electrolytes, liver, kidney, etc.

Some Vets don't actually do the added things like Thyroid levels, or heart proBNP test, ..so definitely ask your Vet what is useful to know, and what would be suggested.

When you say Pedialyte, you just mean the regular human version? Being remote, our supplies are limited to very basic versions of things. I can probably find Pedialyte though. We have a few pharmacies.

Yes, it is the plain, unflavoured pedialyte, that they give to babies...but I think it may be too expensive.
It was only suggested, to add some electrolytes to your cat, if needed.

Since you are already giving her sub-q fluids...then you may not even need the pedialyte.
But it's still good to have it, on hand, in case your cat stops eating completely.
(it's kind of hard to decide what is actually really necessary to have on hand, when our cats stop eating.)

Plus, it might be better to save up the money, for the Vet, since you won't know how much you'll need.
And then you could ask the Vet, if it's really necessary to have on hand, too.

Thank you for these videos. I have been giving her meds via syringe, but I'm kind of terrible at it. Maybe this will improve my technique.

Lol. Trust me, you're probably far better than me.
(When I had to feed my previous rainbow cat, Spotty, by syringe...I think more of it ended up on me, than in the cat.
It takes a lot of practice. And trial and error. Or a helpful cat, too.

Videos, I find are helpful, but I've noticed that they always tend to use cats, that are the most co-operative ones on the planet.)
I wonder how many 'takes of the scene' they have to do, to make these actual videos. hahaha.

 

[cat nap]

When the vet is closed, we are told to call a 24 hour clinic in the south. Everything that really needs to be done for my Brit is being done that can be offered as remote advice. If she needs an enema, she has to wait for the vet to be open. More animals than I can count have died because of our lack of veterinary care resources. It's better than it used to be. Prior to about six or seven years ago, we didn't even have the clinic we have now.

Thank you for your suggestions. It's reassuring to know that I'm doing a lot of the right things, but there are still some things I can try.

That's great that you have access to a 24 hour clinic in the south, even through remote advice.

Do they also offer to do 'virtual assessments' over the computer, with you?...or is this all added costs, like doing a regular 'talk to a vet' over the internet, type of deal?

Animals, here, die all the time, too,...even with veterinary care...so sometimes, I believe that there are not much things we can do, when certain things happen, but yes, I know what you mean, about having to wait for Vets to be open.

(our animals tend to always, always get sick, or emergencies on weekends, or holidays, when many places are closed.
But we don't have to fly out, or travel that long of distances, in most cases. The longest I had to go, was 1.5 hours by car, for a bee sting, where I thought my dog was going to die, because his whole face got swollen. By the time I got to the emergency clinic, that was open, his face had got less swollen by just having the window open, and his face out the window, like dogs usually do.)

You sound like you really care for your cats, a lot. Especially for having to fly them south. I'm not sure if I would even be able to do that. I don't mind flying, but when I'm stressed, I don't know if I could get on a plane. (Car yes, plane...ummm...no, not sure.)

It is good that you also got a clinic, since yes, I could imagine that many more places don't have any at all.
From reading threads, online, here, there seems to be many small towns, in the States, that also have to travel far, to get to a clinic, but not by plane.
I also didn't mean to imply that the Vet had to work, 24/7,...or else they would burn out. They need to have a life, too, and I figure that if they work alone, then only so many hours can be worked at the clinic.

(It kind of sounds so amazing to live where you live, except if it is always cold. I couldn't get used to that.
But to have Nature all around, or even close by, where you can just look around, and take in, sounds good.
I really don't know if you live in a town, or out of town,...but I would choose both, if I could...just again, not too cold...or else I would be inside 24/7...well, maybe 22/7.)

When I woke up today, she had moved from her hiding place upstairs to one of her more open box beds downstairs. It appeared she had at least had the gravy from the bowl upstairs, and she had definitely consumed a bit of meat and semi-soft treats overnight from downstairs. She has been up and down all day, but has been drinking consistently, and a bit vocal. Still peeing well, and I may have found a tiny poop, but I can't really tell if that's what it was. She's definitely in a better state than last night, but it's the one step forward, two steps back progress that's really causing me concern.

That sounds really good that she ate, even a little bit.
That must mean, that she is feeling better.
Drinking is a good sign, too.

(when my cat had a partial blockage, she didn't eat anything. an enema revealed that she ate a piece of small sponge. It took her 3-4 days, to get over her enema, but she was 6 yrs old, at the time.)

Did you have to give your cat the sub-q fluids, then?
If so, how much, did your Vet say you could give her?

Yeah, this is definitely a first. We've never witnessed this before, so the clumping litter hasn't been a concern up until now. I haven't seen her do it today. I'm hoping it was very temporary. I'm going to see if there are other kinds of litter we can use temporarily, but as I said in the reply I just posted, we are limited to what types of products are available where I live. Barring other options, would cutting up newspaper into strips be a suitable temporary solution?

I would think that the newspapers would help.
Also, maybe using sand, if you can get some, might be better than clumping litter.
Don't know, if she would eat sand, so you will still need to keep an eye on her, but as long as it does not clump.
(even outside soil, not sure, if she would eat that, might work, too.)

 

[cat nap]

This website that has a colour poop chart:
Constipation in Cats

And this vet's videos are interesting. I don't know how much they would work, since I've only ever tried his 'ear advice for dogs'...(didn't help, but didn't hurt either),...but maybe just to get some other ideas about constipation, or what to read next, and research online.
I call him 'surfer dude vet'...but I'm sure he has another name.



**Definitely ask your Vet, too, before trying some of these, since I did read that pure pumpkin, can be used to treat both diarrhea and constipation...so how do we know...when to try it??
Also, how do we know when to try metamucil fiber, or psyllium husk,...if there is too much of a slow down, or motility issues, in an older or younger cat??That could be dangerous, I would think.

Not enough fluids in the bowels of a cat, would cause a blockage, so I would only try any of these, above ideas, if the Vet cleared it.
Too much fluids in a cat with heart disease, would be dangerous, too.

If a Vet says OK...then I would be more reassured to use it.
Metamucil (Psyllium) For Cats - Cat-World

Those things I would always ask a Vet, first.
Also ask them about 'slippery elm' supplement, too. (same things apply with it, as mentioned above.)

If you do a "Search"...in the top right hand corner, of this Cat Site, ..then you will get plenty more threads...with some useful info, too.

 

[maggie101]

Thank you for these videos. I have been giving her meds via syringe, but I'm kind of terrible at it. Maybe this will improve my technique.

Periodically have her weight checked with a pet scale

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Barring other options, would cutting up newspaper into strips be a suitable temporary solution?

Absolutely. I have friends who swear by shredded paper...just have to keep on top of it due to odor. Here in the US, there is a paper litter called "Yesterday's News." It's made by Purina, and may be available in your area...or at least, shippable. I know you're kinda remote there. And tiny.

 

[margaret tan]

I don't know where else to turn right now.

On March 15, my husband noticed our 12 year old Brit seemed to want to vomit, but couldn't. We brought her to the vet out of an abundance of caution because she cried like she had never really done so before. Vet couldn't find any issues, but prescribed an anti inflammatory to help her digestive tract, just in case.

By three days later on Friday, I was convinced her issue was that she hadn't gone poop for some time. Her eating had slowly significantly. An x-ray showed three stools that seemed to be the culprit. I asked about an enema, but the vet prescribed a weekend's worth of laxative to help get her moving. So we started her on that. It didn't work. She stopped eating. She stopped drinking. I started syringing water to her. She was in rough shape.

On the Monday, I got her in to the vet for an enema. The stools passed and the vet gave some appetite stimulant doses for several days. She started drinking again fairly soon, but was slow to eat. And I started hand feeding her for a couple days, and eventually her appetite returned. By the weekend I thought we should start to see her having enough in her to at least pass some stools, but nothing came.

She was steadily improving until today. She's barely touched any food (only licking the gravy of the meat, and barely that). I got her to drink some cat milk with a bit of laxative mixed in tonight, but her water intake is slowing again. And I discovered she had been eating her litter. I don't know how long it's been going on, and I wonder if that's why she hasn't been able to poop since the enema cleared her out. I do have sub-q hours that I can administer to her, so if she appears to be dehydrating, I'll be giving those to her tomorrow.

I'm terribly frightened for her. Our vet situation is not good. I live in a remote location, a three hour flight from the nearest emergency vet. Our vet in town has limited diagnostic capabilities - no on site lab, no ultrasound. They're closed on Wednesdays, Thursday mornings and weekends. I'm already broke and my credit is maxed right now. I'm so afraid for her.

Her brother had a bowel issue in December, and the vet was out of town. I flew him south, and the x-ray showed cancer had metastasized is his lungs. We made the decision to euthanize him. I don't want to give up on Brit, because other than this current situation, she's healthy. But I don't know what to do, and I'm running out of money and I think time, based on how long this has gone on. I could try another enema for her maybe? But I don't know if she's reluctant to try going anymore because of the trauma.

I'm a mess. I don't know what I'm asking for. I just needed to tell someone because I can't talk to anyone else about it.

Hi,
My female cat had very silimar stool issue and our vet prescribe her with cisapride, 10mg half tablet to be taken 30 mins before meal and 2-3ml of Lactulose twice.
We will always mixed the Cisapride with small amount of wet food and 30 mins later will mixed the lactulose w kibbles and wet food.

Hope it helps

 

[SheIsJustARat]

I'm sorry for the delay in responding to everyone.

We decided we needed to get Brit to the emergency vet, and I flew down to Ottawa on Friday. The vet advised event pointed to kidney disease. She was also in the early stages of fatty liver disease. It was also possible that she had heart disease. The extent of her constipation would have required several painful days in the hospital for her. Any testing they could have done would have exponentially increased the bill, which was already out of our range. I was about to sell my car. But the outlook for our sweet girl was not good. The vet suspected this would not have been the last time we'd face constipation. Her quality of life would have been too much in decline, especially with our limited access to vet services in town.

We made the painful decision to let her go. I know it was the right decision, but I'm so broken.

Rest in peace, my love.
August 31, 2009 - April 2, 2022

 

[cat nap]

I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful cat Brit.
She has such soft gentle eyes, and such a beautiful soft gentle face.

May your broken heart heal with Time, and that you come to only remember all the good days, and good memories...that you had with your Brit.
Not any of the sad ones.

May you Run Like the Wind...Brit...
and stop by from time to time, to look over your cat guardians and make sure they are doing okay.

 

[mani]

@ShelsJustARat, we are so very sorry for your loss. Brit was such a beautiful girl and obviously well-loved. TCS members really do understand your pain.
We lock threads when a cat has passed, out of respect. However you may like to start a tribute thread in our Crossing the Bridge forum, where you can honour your girl and our members can offer support.

..................................................RIP Beautiful Brit
..................................................

.