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Which prescription diet best for chronic constipation/lazy bowels?



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 14th 04, 09:47 AM
Devlin Tay
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Posts: n/a
Default Which prescription diet best for chronic constipation/lazy bowels?

My 1.5 year-old male tabby recently had a bad bout of constipation. Toby
did not poo for over two days and a vet check-up found a substantially
distended colon. The vet immediately put him on Propulsid (bowel stimulant)
and Duphalac (lactulose syrup) but he still refused to poo for another two
days. The vet finally administered an enema under anaesthesia, which
thankfully helped empty Toby's bowels almost immediately.

While x-rays taken before the enema showed a distended colon, it wasn't
conclusive enough for a megacolon diagnosis. The vet has now put Toby on a
mixture of Hill's Prescription Diet w/d dried and r/d canned, and reckons
that Toby will also have to be on Propulsid and Duphalac for the rest of his
life. [Toby was also recently diagnosed with struvite crystals in his
urine, which necessitated the change of diet to Hill's w/d and r/d.] While
I'm okay with Toby having to be fed a fairly expensive prescription diet for
the rest of his life, I'm not sure I am prepared to continue paying my vet
the exorbitant prices charged for the two drugs. I did some research and
discovered that Duphalac can be had for as little as AUD$12 per 500ml bottle
at pharmacies in Australia without needing a prescription - in contrast, my
vet charges me AUD$25 for a mere 25ml bottle (which lasts less than a week).
I am, of course, a little peeved at the obvious profiteering going on here.
But that's OK, since it is something I can get around by getting the
Duphalac myself. Propulsid is a more complicated matter - it is probably a
prescription drug, which means I can't buy it over-the-counter at
pharmacies, and my vet charges me AUD$65 for a wee little 25ml bottle. I
also found out that propulsid has been withdrawn from the pharmaceutical
market for humans because of allegations that it caused the deaths of
several young children. So, quite apart from cost, there is the question of
whether long term use of Propulsid could harm my little boy.

So I am at a dilemma - should I risk stopping the use of the drugs and rely
on the higher fibre combination w/d and r/d diets to keep Toby's bowels
moving? What if I leave out the Propulsid and just rely on the Duphalac to
keep Toby's stool soft/moist? Is a higher fibre diet (the Hill's w/d and
r/d) necessarily better for chronic constipation or is a low-residue diet
the way to go? Is canned pumpkin safe for a cat with a potential struvite
crystals problem?

Thanks a million to anyone who can shed some light on the above. :-)

Devlin
Perth, Australia


  #2  
Old July 14th 04, 10:25 AM
Devlin Tay
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

By the way, Toby was fed a roughly 50%/50% diet consisting of IAMS Lamb &
Rice (dried) and Whiskas Advance (canned) with the occasional canned tuna as
a treat (about once a week) before his crystals and constipation problems
reared their ugly heads. He'll of course get no more tuna (or any other
pseudo-people foods disguised as cat foods) from now on due to the struvite
crystals problem.

Devlin
Perth, Australia


  #3  
Old July 14th 04, 10:25 AM
Devlin Tay
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

By the way, Toby was fed a roughly 50%/50% diet consisting of IAMS Lamb &
Rice (dried) and Whiskas Advance (canned) with the occasional canned tuna as
a treat (about once a week) before his crystals and constipation problems
reared their ugly heads. He'll of course get no more tuna (or any other
pseudo-people foods disguised as cat foods) from now on due to the struvite
crystals problem.

Devlin
Perth, Australia


  #4  
Old July 14th 04, 02:47 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


The vet has now put Toby on a mixture of
Hill's Prescription Diet w/d dried and
r/d canned, and reckons that Toby will
also have to be on Propulsid and
Duphalac for the rest of his life. [Toby
was also recently diagnosed with
struvite crystals in his urine, which
necessitated the change of diet to
Hill's w/d and r/d.] While I'm okay with
Toby having to be fed a fairly expensive
prescription diet for the rest of his
life, I'm not sure I am prepared to
continue paying my vet the exorbitant
prices charged for the two drugs.


First of all, I have a real big problem with a vet that proclaims a cat
has to be on a special food/drugs for "the rest of its life" because of
*one* incident of constipation.
I also question putting the cat on the foods you described for crystals
in the urine.

The best diet for both constipation and urinary tract issues (and in
general) is one that is all canned, high quality (Iams is not) and fed
on a schedule. I have two clients that have cats that had constipation
issues that were never resolved using the prescription high fiber diets,
and one of the cats was still constipated despite getting daily doses of
mineral oil and a prescription stool softener and was in constant
misery. Completely eliminating dry food and switching the cats to a high
quality canned food fed on a 12 hour schedule resolved the constipation
in both cases and eliminated the need for stool softeners as well.

Canned is also beneficial for urinary tract issues as it greatly
increases a cats water intake, which in turn helps to keep the urine
more dilute and the bladder flushed.
In general a canned diet isgoiong to be better for your cat and there is
more and more information coming out that shows that dry foods are not
great for cats (a good website that you can check out on this subject is
http://www.catnutrition.org )

I would suggest trying this approach before deciding the cat has to have
prescription drugs and diet for the rest of its life.


Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray


  #5  
Old July 16th 04, 03:55 PM
GAUBSTER2
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From:

Duphalac for the rest of his life. [Toby
was also recently diagnosed with
struvite crystals in his urine, which
necessitated the change of diet to
Hill's w/d and r/d.]


I also question putting the cat on the foods you described for crystals
in the urine.


Feline w/d and r/d from Hill's are formulated with a pH range of 6.2-6.4 which
will help manage crystals. So, you are wrong on that count, Megan.

First of all, I have a real big problem with a vet that proclaims a cat
has to be on a special food/drugs for "the rest of its life" because of
*one* incident of constipation.


Have you seen the test results yourself? How can you diagnose over the
internet? I would trust that vet before trusting some anonymous layperson on
usenet.

The best diet for both constipation and urinary tract issues (and in
general) is one that is all canned, high quality (Iams is not) and fed
on a schedule.


"High quality" is subjective for most people. Higher fiber foods can indeed
help with constipation.

I have two clients that have cats that had constipation
issues that were never resolved using the prescription high fiber diets,
and one of the cats was still constipated despite getting daily doses of
mineral oil and a prescription stool softener and was in constant
misery.


2 clients are not indicative of the entire cat population and are not a good
measure of whether or not something "works". You should know that.
  #6  
Old July 16th 04, 04:42 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Gaubster wrote:

Feline w/d and r/d from Hill's are
formulated with a pH range of 6.2-6.4
which will help manage crystals. So, you
are wrong on that count, Megan.


No I'm not. I never said it was wrong to feed that. I said I "questioned
it" which is entirely different. Apparently it didn't occur to you that
managing crystals and dissolving them are two different things.


First of all, I have a real big problem with
a vet that proclaims a cat has to be on a
special food/drugs for "the rest of its life"
because of *one* incident of constipation.


Have you seen the test results yourself?
How can you diagnose over the internet?

I didn't make diagnosis. Again you are too ignorant to comprehend basic
language. I questioned the proclamation that the cat would have this
condition for life based solely on *one* incident, which is completely
valid.
Just because you blindly follow whatever a vet or Hills tells you
without doing any research or using common sense doesn't mean others
should.

snip the rest of Gaubsters typical attempt to start an argument over
food

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray


  #7  
Old July 18th 04, 05:12 AM
GAUBSTER2
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From:

Apparently it didn't occur to you that
managing crystals and dissolving them are two different things.


Of course it did. But you're too busy putting words into people's mouths to
stop and think, now aren't you?

Let's see what the OP found out:

------------
Meanwhile, the second urine test came back - Toby had struvite crystals AND
bacteria! Vet no. 2 decided that the bacteria could be lab contamination,
so no additional antibiotics were prescribed. So the decision was made to
put Toby on the Hill's dried w/d and wet r/d combination (both had higher
fibre, are formulated to keep urine urine pH at 6.2 to 6.4, and the wet r/d
would ensure Toby has sufficient fluid intake).

Fast-forward to two weeks later - a third urine test this week showed Toby's
urine is free from either bacteria or struvite crystals. Phew! However,
vet no. 2 felt that it would be wise to continue with the Hill's diet as
well as the lactulose and cisapride treatment for the foreseeable future as
Toby's colon continues to be distended (although he now poos regularly once
every 1 to 1.5 days).
-----------------

Looks like they resolved that problem with the help of the Hill's diets. Once
again, Megan your advice turns out to be off the mark.

First of all, I have a real big problem with
a vet that proclaims a cat has to be on a
special food/drugs for "the rest of its life"
because of *one* incident of constipation.



Have you seen the test results yourself?
How can you diagnose over the internet?


Just because you blindly follow whatever a vet or Hills tells you
without doing any research or using common sense doesn't mean others
should.


....and what research did you do on THIS particular case?? None, because you
didn't examine the animal personally, nor did you have access to the cat's
records. Pull your head out, Megan.

snip the rest of Gaubsters typical attempt to start an argument over
food


Again, you're putting words into people's mouths. I'm simply questioning your
arrogance.
  #8  
Old July 18th 04, 08:11 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Gaubster wrote:

From:
Apparently it didn't occur to you that
managing crystals and dissolving them
are two different things.


Of course it did. But you're too busy
putting words into people's mouths to
stop and think, now aren't you?


I did no such thing and I challenge you to prove it.

Let's see what the OP found out:
------------

snip

Looks like they resolved that problem
with the help of the Hill's diets. Once
again, Megan your advice turns out to be
off the mark.


As is typical you use deception to try to win your point (which you
didn't.) You conveniently failed to mention that what the OP wrote about
what was done for his cat and why was posted two days after my post. I
questioned why something was done and he gave me an answer, but here you
are trying to make it look as though he posted that information before I
responded. This is typical of your regular lies and misrepresentations.
It doesn't change the fact that my suggestions for how to treat
constipation and urinary tract issues *are* effective and on the mark.
If a poster takes another approach it doesn't change the validity of
what I say.

...and what research did you do on THIS
particular case?? None, because you
didn't examine the animal personally,
nor did you have access to the cat's
records. Pull your head out, Megan.


I've done plenty of research on how to treat constipation, which is what
this cat had, and have found an approach that works remarkably well
without having to resort to the poor quality prescription foods that so
many vets are brainwashed into recommending. This isn't some incredibly
complicated medical issue and it hasn't been going on for very long. If
the requirement is that we can't give suggestions or advice on health
issues without personally examining the cat or being privy to its
medical records this group would cease to exist. You only put this forth
because you have this pathetic compulsion to be argumentative in spite
of the obvious.

The OP described the results of the cats examination and it's pretty
basic stuff, although compehending basic information is and has for a
long time been above and beyond your abilities.


Again, you're putting words into
people's mouths.


Again, I did no such thing. Prove it or STFU.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray


  #9  
Old July 18th 04, 08:11 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Gaubster wrote:

From:
Apparently it didn't occur to you that
managing crystals and dissolving them
are two different things.


Of course it did. But you're too busy
putting words into people's mouths to
stop and think, now aren't you?


I did no such thing and I challenge you to prove it.

Let's see what the OP found out:
------------

snip

Looks like they resolved that problem
with the help of the Hill's diets. Once
again, Megan your advice turns out to be
off the mark.


As is typical you use deception to try to win your point (which you
didn't.) You conveniently failed to mention that what the OP wrote about
what was done for his cat and why was posted two days after my post. I
questioned why something was done and he gave me an answer, but here you
are trying to make it look as though he posted that information before I
responded. This is typical of your regular lies and misrepresentations.
It doesn't change the fact that my suggestions for how to treat
constipation and urinary tract issues *are* effective and on the mark.
If a poster takes another approach it doesn't change the validity of
what I say.

...and what research did you do on THIS
particular case?? None, because you
didn't examine the animal personally,
nor did you have access to the cat's
records. Pull your head out, Megan.


I've done plenty of research on how to treat constipation, which is what
this cat had, and have found an approach that works remarkably well
without having to resort to the poor quality prescription foods that so
many vets are brainwashed into recommending. This isn't some incredibly
complicated medical issue and it hasn't been going on for very long. If
the requirement is that we can't give suggestions or advice on health
issues without personally examining the cat or being privy to its
medical records this group would cease to exist. You only put this forth
because you have this pathetic compulsion to be argumentative in spite
of the obvious.

The OP described the results of the cats examination and it's pretty
basic stuff, although compehending basic information is and has for a
long time been above and beyond your abilities.


Again, you're putting words into
people's mouths.


Again, I did no such thing. Prove it or STFU.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray


  #10  
Old July 18th 04, 05:12 AM
GAUBSTER2
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From:

Apparently it didn't occur to you that
managing crystals and dissolving them are two different things.


Of course it did. But you're too busy putting words into people's mouths to
stop and think, now aren't you?

Let's see what the OP found out:

------------
Meanwhile, the second urine test came back - Toby had struvite crystals AND
bacteria! Vet no. 2 decided that the bacteria could be lab contamination,
so no additional antibiotics were prescribed. So the decision was made to
put Toby on the Hill's dried w/d and wet r/d combination (both had higher
fibre, are formulated to keep urine urine pH at 6.2 to 6.4, and the wet r/d
would ensure Toby has sufficient fluid intake).

Fast-forward to two weeks later - a third urine test this week showed Toby's
urine is free from either bacteria or struvite crystals. Phew! However,
vet no. 2 felt that it would be wise to continue with the Hill's diet as
well as the lactulose and cisapride treatment for the foreseeable future as
Toby's colon continues to be distended (although he now poos regularly once
every 1 to 1.5 days).
-----------------

Looks like they resolved that problem with the help of the Hill's diets. Once
again, Megan your advice turns out to be off the mark.

First of all, I have a real big problem with
a vet that proclaims a cat has to be on a
special food/drugs for "the rest of its life"
because of *one* incident of constipation.



Have you seen the test results yourself?
How can you diagnose over the internet?


Just because you blindly follow whatever a vet or Hills tells you
without doing any research or using common sense doesn't mean others
should.


....and what research did you do on THIS particular case?? None, because you
didn't examine the animal personally, nor did you have access to the cat's
records. Pull your head out, Megan.

snip the rest of Gaubsters typical attempt to start an argument over
food


Again, you're putting words into people's mouths. I'm simply questioning your
arrogance.
 




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