Serious Constipation

Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and
has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time
being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish
him well!

Overtime he's been fed moist food no dry at all), hand has been given a
paraffin based laxative whenever his problem looks like reoccurring,
but he's caught us out three times now and I feel terrible about it

A point of interest is that when he does pass something his stool is
rock hard (I really can't describe how hard it is), there is no mosture
in it all, which I guess is why he has so much trouble passing it and
is gettingn bunged up all the time. I'm pretty certain its diet
related, but he never seems to drink which can't help either.

I'm after some ideas really about how we can manage this. So far (from
the vet) we have high fibre food, lots of water and a glucose bassed
laxative to be administered daily. They said as a final solution he
could have part of his colon removed (apparently its too wide and
doesn't compact his waste enough), which I'm not keen on as it's a
massive operation and the side effects could be rather nasty for him.

We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be
wellcome.

Many thanks

Sean

wrote

We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be
wellcome.


Do you notice that he drinks a good bit of water, or not? (Hard to
judge, I know. I would guess that he cannot be drinking that much
with hard stools like that.)

I was just thinking that it might help to place several bowls
of water around the house (I have heard that this actually
results in them drinking more.)

Also, some cats really love to drink moving water, so
something like a Drinkwell fountain might encourage your
poor boy to drinnk more.

Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good
laxative.

Good luck.



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Do you notice that he drinks a good bit of water, or not? (Hard to
judge, I know. I would guess that he cannot be drinking that much
with hard stools like that.)

I have to say I've never seen him drink. We've starting mixing water
into his food to try and up his fluid intake. Thing is anymore than a
dribble and he won't eat it


I was just thinking that it might help to place several bowls
of water around the house (I have heard that this actually
results in them drinking more.)

Yeah we do this and change the water a lot as well to no avail.


Also, some cats really love to drink moving water, so
something like a Drinkwell fountain might encourage your
poor boy to drinnk more.

I think this might be a course of action. He was a stray so I guess he
could find very fresh water all the time outside (he doesn't go out
now)


Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good
laxative.

Interesting, I'll look into that!

Good luck.

Thanks he needs it

Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and

Our cat has had this problem for the last nine years. Water does help but
he will only drink whatever amount he wants (he is a cat after all).

We give ours a cocktail of 2-3ml lactalose (a syrupy liquid laxative) and
5mg cisapride (plus other meds for another condition) with each meal.
We also mix 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber into his meal. He got a tablespoon
of pumpkin in his meal before we switched to Benefiber. He hated the
pumpkin. Benefiber is tasteless.

When he looks like he is getting plugged up I give an extra dose of
lactalose
and maybe squirt a few cc of water into him. He tends to stop drinking
water
when he's constipated - just opposite of what he needs. Even after all this
he still makes 3 or 4 trips to the vet a year to get unplugged. Be aware
that large, hard stools can stretch the colon and rectum which worsens the
problem.

Gary

Gary Brown wrote:
Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and

Our cat has had this problem for the last nine years. Water does help but
he will only drink whatever amount he wants (he is a cat after all).

Yeah, they know their own mind! I'll give a cat fountain a try, the
other cat will love it nothing else.


We give ours a cocktail of 2-3ml lactalose (a syrupy liquid laxative) and
5mg cisapride (plus other meds for another condition) with each meal.
We also mix 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber into his meal. He got a tablespoon
of pumpkin in his meal before we switched to Benefiber. He hated the
pumpkin. Benefiber is tasteless.

What's Benefiber ?


When he looks like he is getting plugged up I give an extra dose of
lactalose
and maybe squirt a few cc of water into him. He tends to stop drinking
water
when he's constipated - just opposite of what he needs. Even after all this
he still makes 3 or 4 trips to the vet a year to get unplugged. Be aware
that large, hard stools can stretch the colon and rectum which worsens the
problem.


God, that's not what I wanted to hear at all

Thanks for the sugestions though

S

It may also be plugged with hairballs. Why not try giving him
Temptation treats for hairballs, daily and see if that doesn't loosen
him up. If he only eats wet food, you probably won't see him drink
much. Adding some more water to the food is a good idea, if you can
get away with it. Try the Temptations.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and
has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time
being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish
him well!

The same exact thing has happened to one of my cats at work, Harriet. She
had the problem in 2004, went to the vet to get cleaned out, and all seemed
well. Then last year (August 2005) it happened again. Went to the vet,
they gave her an enema. She still wouldn't/couldn't go. Bring her back,
same thing. Finally they gave me a bottle of Lactulose stool softener,
which was nearly impossible to get into her. Apparently it tastes awful. I
went to the same stupid vet a total of 4 times before getting fed up, and I
took her to a cats only vet. They told me that the medication the first vet
prescribed wasn't a large enough dose and wasn't being given often enough.
They upped the dosage on both meds (Lactulose, and cisapride/Propulsid).
The Lactulose softens her stool and the Propulsid helps her to push it out.

Overtime he's been fed moist food no dry at all), hand has been given a
paraffin based laxative whenever his problem looks like reoccurring,
but he's caught us out three times now and I feel terrible about it

Harriet was eating a mix of wet & dry. She definitely preferred the dry
food but she did also drink a lot of water. She has always loved water,
especially drinking it from her Drinkwell fountain. She does now get a low
residue dry food (to reduce the volume of her stools) and canned food with
no grain. The vet said all of the grain fillers, even in many canned foods,
just ends up as stool so less filler = less stool = easier for the cat to
poop.

A point of interest is that when he does pass something his stool is
rock hard (I really can't describe how hard it is), there is no mosture
in it all, which I guess is why he has so much trouble passing it and
is gettingn bunged up all the time. I'm pretty certain its diet
related, but he never seems to drink which can't help either.

Yep, Harriet's were large and totally hard.

I'm after some ideas really about how we can manage this. So far (from
the vet) we have high fibre food, lots of water and a glucose bassed
laxative to be administered daily. They said as a final solution he
could have part of his colon removed (apparently its too wide and
doesn't compact his waste enough), which I'm not keen on as it's a
massive operation and the side effects could be rather nasty for him.

My vet (even the first one) took a totally opposite approach. They told me
to keep her on a LOW fiber diet, which would produce less stool. I guess
the laxative you have is Lactulose? Oh, and I now get Harriet's Lactulose
prescription filled at a pharmacy with the Flavor Rx system. She now gets
it chicken or bacon flavored and it's so much easier to medicate her now.
Both vets also mentioned the possibility of surgery if the medication didn't
work.

Harriet was at the vet last in September (that was the visit to the cats
only vet) and with the change in her diet & medication, she hasn't had to go
back since. Sometimes her stools seem a little too big/hard so I increase
the lactulose for a couple of doses. Right now she gets 3ml twice a day,
before meals, and Propulsid twice a day. I have to be careful not to
increwase the Lactulose too much, because if I give her 4ml she'll often end
up with diarrhea.

Harriet also doesn't always poop in the box but I'd rather she crap on the
floor than not go at all. Since her stools are generally firm (but not rock
hard like they used to be), it's easy to clean up. She's got 4 boxes to
choose from but I think if she's stressed she'll just use the floor.

--
Liz

On 22 May 2006 08:15:01 -0700, wrote:

Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and
has been OK but the problem has slowly crept back (this current time
being by far the worst) In fact the poor guys at the vets now, so wish
him well!

Overtime he's been fed moist food no dry at all), hand has been given a
paraffin based laxative whenever his problem looks like reoccurring,
but he's caught us out three times now and I feel terrible about it

A point of interest is that when he does pass something his stool is
rock hard (I really can't describe how hard it is), there is no mosture
in it all, which I guess is why he has so much trouble passing it and
is gettingn bunged up all the time. I'm pretty certain its diet
related, but he never seems to drink which can't help either.

I'm after some ideas really about how we can manage this. So far (from
the vet) we have high fibre food, lots of water and a glucose bassed
laxative to be administered daily. They said as a final solution he
could have part of his colon removed (apparently its too wide and
doesn't compact his waste enough), which I'm not keen on as it's a
massive operation and the side effects could be rather nasty for him.

We're getting frantic with worry about him so any suggestions would be
wellcome.

Many thanks

Sean

Sean,

Try adding about 1/4 tsp of Benefibre to the wet food once or twice a
day. Also add extra water to the wet food to ensure he gets enough.
If worse comes to worse, the vet can give you a stool softener (but my
Katie hates the stuff).

Good luck!

Rob

On 22 May 2006 09:09:40 -0700, "DrLargePants"
wrote:


Gary Brown wrote:
Our cat has been back to the vet three times now over a period of about
2 years with serious constipation. Each time he's had a full enema and

Our cat has had this problem for the last nine years. Water does help but
he will only drink whatever amount he wants (he is a cat after all).

Yeah, they know their own mind! I'll give a cat fountain a try, the
other cat will love it nothing else.


We give ours a cocktail of 2-3ml lactalose (a syrupy liquid laxative) and
5mg cisapride (plus other meds for another condition) with each meal.
We also mix 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber into his meal. He got a tablespoon
of pumpkin in his meal before we switched to Benefiber. He hated the
pumpkin. Benefiber is tasteless.

What's Benefiber ?

A powdered fiber supplement that many people take to stay "regular".
It's better than Metamucil because it has no taste whatsover and
dissolves completely in water.

cybercat wrote:
Some people also swear by canned pumpkin being a good
laxative.

I second that. Also, you could bake some squash and mix it into the
cat's regular food. What brand of food are you feeding?

It's also very important that the litterbox be kept clean, and in a
private out of the way location. If the cat holds it in, this will
lead to a constipation problem.

Lauren
(and Mickey & Meesha)
Raise Your Paw for Raw!

see my cats: http://tinyurl.com/8glfv