Which prescription diet best for chronic constipation/lazy bowels?

Lyn wrote:

I would trash the Hills, put the cat on a
hairball maintenence dry diet (which is
higer in fiber and Mega 3 fatty acids) with
pumpkin (if he will eat it) and also give
plenty of canned food that is high in
protein - such as Purina DM or a canned
kitten diet. Protein is better utilized and
lower-residue in nature.

This is contradictory. A dry, high fiber diet will contribute to stool
size and is full of grains which a cat cannot utilize and can be
considered "residue" that just passes through. Feeding this and a low
residue diet would defeat the purpose of the low-residue food. Since
this cat has already had a blockage once, I wouldn't recommend foods
that are going to increase his stool size. Feeding a canned food means
that the cat will digest and utilize more of the food and stool size
will be smaller, which is certainly preferable if the cat is still
constipated after the diet change. At least he'd be able to pass them
and canned pumpkin could be added to the mix to help soften them, but my
guess based on experience is that a grain free strictly canned food diet
will take care of the problem.

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

wrote in message ...
Lyn wrote:

I would trash the Hills, put the cat on a
hairball maintenence dry diet (which is
higer in fiber and Mega 3 fatty acids) with
pumpkin (if he will eat it) and also give
plenty of canned food that is high in
protein - such as Purina DM or a canned
kitten diet. Protein is better utilized and
lower-residue in nature.

This is contradictory. A dry, high fiber diet will contribute to stool
size and is full of grains which a cat cannot utilize and can be
considered "residue" that just passes through. Feeding this and a low
residue diet would defeat the purpose of the low-residue food. Since
this cat has already had a blockage once, I wouldn't recommend foods
that are going to increase his stool size. Feeding a canned food means
that the cat will digest and utilize more of the food and stool size
will be smaller, which is certainly preferable if the cat is still
constipated after the diet change. At least he'd be able to pass them
and canned pumpkin could be added to the mix to help soften them, but my
guess based on experience is that a grain free strictly canned food diet
will take care of the problem.

Megan


I just posted what worked for me. A combination of the two different
types of food, fed pretty much at will, allowed the cat to eat what he
wanted/needed to pass the stool/keep the digestion working. This
combo got him past his hairball blockage and chronic constipation
problem and has him back to being regular again. I think the fiber in
combo helped push everything along. If I had listened to the vet, the
cat would be dead.

-L.

wrote in message ...
Lyn wrote:

I would trash the Hills, put the cat on a
hairball maintenence dry diet (which is
higer in fiber and Mega 3 fatty acids) with
pumpkin (if he will eat it) and also give
plenty of canned food that is high in
protein - such as Purina DM or a canned
kitten diet. Protein is better utilized and
lower-residue in nature.

This is contradictory. A dry, high fiber diet will contribute to stool
size and is full of grains which a cat cannot utilize and can be
considered "residue" that just passes through. Feeding this and a low
residue diet would defeat the purpose of the low-residue food. Since
this cat has already had a blockage once, I wouldn't recommend foods
that are going to increase his stool size. Feeding a canned food means
that the cat will digest and utilize more of the food and stool size
will be smaller, which is certainly preferable if the cat is still
constipated after the diet change. At least he'd be able to pass them
and canned pumpkin could be added to the mix to help soften them, but my
guess based on experience is that a grain free strictly canned food diet
will take care of the problem.

Megan


I just posted what worked for me. A combination of the two different
types of food, fed pretty much at will, allowed the cat to eat what he
wanted/needed to pass the stool/keep the digestion working. This
combo got him past his hairball blockage and chronic constipation
problem and has him back to being regular again. I think the fiber in
combo helped push everything along. If I had listened to the vet, the
cat would be dead.

-L.

wrote in message ...
(...)
This is contradictory. A dry, high fiber diet will contribute to stool
size and is full of grains which a cat cannot utilize and can be
considered "residue" that just passes through.

Picking up on one point: The above isn't so - cats certainly can
utilize grains / carbohydrates. For example, Funaba et al. (2001)
found that the digestibility of corn gluten meal and fish meal were
not significantly different. In 2002 the same group found that meat
meal was significantly more digestible than corn gluten meal. However,
the corn gluten meal certainly was not 'residue' and the cats could
(and did) gain energy from it.

Steve.

wrote in message ...
(...)
This is contradictory. A dry, high fiber diet will contribute to stool
size and is full of grains which a cat cannot utilize and can be
considered "residue" that just passes through.

Picking up on one point: The above isn't so - cats certainly can
utilize grains / carbohydrates. For example, Funaba et al. (2001)
found that the digestibility of corn gluten meal and fish meal were
not significantly different. In 2002 the same group found that meat
meal was significantly more digestible than corn gluten meal. However,
the corn gluten meal certainly was not 'residue' and the cats could
(and did) gain energy from it.

Steve.

Funaba et al. (2001) found that the
digestibility of corn gluten meal and fish
meal were not significantly different. In
2002 the same group found that meat
meal was significantly more digestible
than corn gluten meal. However, the corn
gluten meal certainly was not 'residue'
and the cats could (and did) gain energy
from it.

If I had said corn gluten meal was at issue you might have a slightly
valid point. You don't and have conveniently chosen to ignore the fact
that "hairball remedy" foods contain more than just corn gluten meal.
Many contain any number of things such as ground corn, rice, soybean
mill run and other such non-essentials that aren't going to be fully
digested. The bottom line here is that if we feed cats food that is as
close to what is *appropriate for the species* (corn, rice, etc. is
not), instead of forcing them to consume foods that are completely
contrary to what a *strict carnivore* should be eating, a lot of the
problems we see today like constipation, diabetes, kidney failure, IBD,
UTI's, etc. would be few. Will you now be making justifications for why
a cow should eat meat?

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

Funaba et al. (2001) found that the
digestibility of corn gluten meal and fish
meal were not significantly different. In
2002 the same group found that meat
meal was significantly more digestible
than corn gluten meal. However, the corn
gluten meal certainly was not 'residue'
and the cats could (and did) gain energy
from it.

If I had said corn gluten meal was at issue you might have a slightly
valid point. You don't and have conveniently chosen to ignore the fact
that "hairball remedy" foods contain more than just corn gluten meal.
Many contain any number of things such as ground corn, rice, soybean
mill run and other such non-essentials that aren't going to be fully
digested. The bottom line here is that if we feed cats food that is as
close to what is *appropriate for the species* (corn, rice, etc. is
not), instead of forcing them to consume foods that are completely
contrary to what a *strict carnivore* should be eating, a lot of the
problems we see today like constipation, diabetes, kidney failure, IBD,
UTI's, etc. would be few. Will you now be making justifications for why
a cow should eat meat?

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

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.

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.

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