Post enema questions

[sabrinafrizzell]

I have a nearly 19 year old cat who has had some constipation. She has been on lactulose since Thursday. On Friday she had an enema after an xray revealed she was really backed up. Her labs were fine with the exception of anemia. After the enema she produced 2 big movements. Dr sent her home telling me to give her the lactulose 3 times a day, plus an antibiotic. When she got home she ate a drank, but clearly didnt feel well. Saturday she was withdrawn but continued to eat and drink. Late in the day she had a small bowel movement. Maybe a 11/2 tbsp worth. But now we are on Sunday, she was bright this morning, but after her dose of lactulose she got withdrawn again. She has barely eaten today and has not been the bathroom. Can someone tell me if this is normal? I just dont know if I. Being over anxious.

 

[Caspers Human]

How would you feel after somebody shoved a rubber hose up your bunghole?
It'll probably take a couple-few days and maybe up to a week for her to get back to normal.

Our cat, Casper, had to have an enema on two different occasions.
No! He didn't like it one bit! He even took a chunk out of the vet tech's hand! That was very uncharacteristic of Casper. He's always been a very gentle cat. He had only ever bitten once. That was when I was trying to make him take his medicine. Can you blame him?

Point is... Casper was "off his game" for several days, afterward.
I'm sure your cat will be "off her game" too.

As long as she's eating, drinking and using her box, she'll be okay.

Also remember that, after getting the "Roto-Rooter" treatment, she's got nothing in her system. It'll take a day or so for her digestion to get back to normal.

She'll probably have a sore bum, too.

Just make sure she eats, drinks and goes to the box and let her hide out for a while if she wants to.

Give her whatever medicine the vet prescribes and, if something doesn't seem right, give them a ringy-dingy.

Yeah, Casper was a real grouch for a few days after his run-in with the vet.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Lactulose can cause gas and bloating, as well as lethargy and even loss of appetite, so it's very possible it's the reason for your furbaby acting the way she is. You said she had two large bowel movements after the enema...did the Vet think she still had quite a bit still in her, or is the lactulose to keep this from happening again?

Does she eat wet or dry food? If possible feed her wet food and even add more water to it. For constipation, hydration is very helpful. You can also try adding in some plain pumpkin for the fiber to help things move along. Many of us use Miralax (or a generic thereof) instead of lactulose. It isn't sticky, doesn't have any smell or odor and doesn't gel up so it's very easy to add it to their food. Just dissolve it in a little water and mix it in. 1/8th to 1/4 teaspoon once or twice daily gets good results. One of my cats gets it twice daily for chronic constipation even though he only eats wet food. Exercise helps too, but not sure how much a 19 year old cat is going to run around playing.

 

[sabrinafrizzell]

Lactulose can cause gas and bloating, as well as lethargy and even loss of appetite, so it's very possible it's the reason for your furbaby acting the way she is. You said she had two large bowel movements after the enema...did the Vet think she still had quite a bit still in her, or is the lactulose to keep this from happening again?

Does she eat wet or dry food? If possible feed her wet food and even add more water to it. For constipation, hydration is very helpful. You can also try adding in some plain pumpkin for the fiber to help things move along. Many of us use Miralax (or a generic thereof) instead of lactulose. It isn't sticky, doesn't have any smell or odor and doesn't gel up so it's very easy to add it to their food. Just dissolve it in a little water and mix it in. 1/8th to 1/4 teaspoon once or twice daily gets good results. One of my cats gets it twice daily for chronic constipation even though he only eats wet food. Exercise helps too, but not sure how much a 19 year old cat is going to run around playing.

We had to go back on Monday. The doctors did another xray. She was still really backed up and they cant tell if there is a mass in her abdomen. They think it might be her kidney they are seeing, but not sure. It was in the same spot on both xrays. Needless to say she had another enema. They gave me an appetite stimulant and increased the lactulose to 3ml three times a day. She has had some very small liquid stools when I brought her home and again today. I havent seen her eat much. She will lick up the gravy from food pouches, but I cant tell if she is eating any of the food in them. I can take her for an ultrasound to find out if there is a mass, but Im not entirely sure if I want to since I wont pursue chemo due to her age and she is not a surgery candidate due to a heart mumur. I just dont know what to do. I dont know if I should be letting her go or wait. Im afraid if I wait she may be suffering more.

 

[silent meowlook]

Is this a feline only vet you are seeing?

 

[sabrinafrizzell]

Is this a feline only vet you are seeing?

U take her to a clinic with several drs. Two have seen her. I saw the same one the last 2 times, but she consulted on the xray with the other dr.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Does the appetite stimulant seem to be working at all yet? Did she have any luck after the 2nd enema aside from the small liquid stools you have seen?

Could you try blending her pouch food in a blender with more water to get the pieces of meat blended with the gravy? That way she might lick up more of it. Or try feeding her something completely different, maybe a pate versus a minched food.

I understand that at her age you wouldn't want to put her through chemo, etc. if it turned out she has a mass. what did the Vet advise? Did they think she is suffering? Is she hiding from you? At 19, I don't expect she is very active, but is she less active than normal? You did mention in your original post that she has anemia...what is being done for that? Do they know what is causing that? That can be very serious and could actually be causing her loss of appetite as well as lethargy, so maybe it's not the lactulose but rather the anemia.

You know your cat best, if you think she is suffering and this is not going to ease up, then of course it is time to let her go. BUT, if the Vets think she can get over this "bump in the road" then perhaps you can give it a few days to see what happens? I would really rely on them to guide you on what is best at this point .

 

[sabrinafrizzell]

She is still picking at her food. I blended up some of the drive food and the gravy packet food today and got her to lick some of that up. I am wondering if maybe the antibiotic she is on is making her not want to eat much. I looked up the side effects and that was one on them. I called the vet back today. Because she has had some smal liquid stools since Monday they have been very small. About 1/2-1tbsp. The dr. Told me to reduce the frequency of the lacutlose. So I guess for now Im stuck on the waiting game. This is so hard.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, the antibiotic could definitely cause loss of appetite. So that's four things that could be causing an issue: the antibiotic, the lactulose, the anemia and constipation I know it's hard, so very hard to know what to do. I've been there. How much longer does she have on the antibiotics? And what about the anemia? Did they think it was bad enough to treat, or what's the story there?

 

[sabrinafrizzell]

They had no idea why the anemia except that she had lost some weight which could explain it. All her other labs were normal. The antibiotics don't say how much is in there and its a dark bottle, so Im guessing 2-3 more days. She has been more herself today and is trying to eat small amounts. She has not passed a stool today, yet.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

She has been more herself today and is trying to eat small amounts.

This sounds promising