Pet Lovers

[whatsmyname]

Hello all. Every time I need suggestions or advice I find myself here!

Our 13 year old cat, Chloe, is having quite a problem with constipation. She usually poops every morning. Two weekends ago she was acting weird and dropped some poop in the foyer. Then she went three days without pooping. I called the vet and they said we could bring her in the next day but wouldn’t be able to come in with her because it was a work in, not an appointment. I wasn’t happy, but agreed because she was obviously having a problem. Then she pooped so I called to let them know and they suggested just monitoring the situation and letting them know if the problem came back. I cancelled, but did go ahead and make a formal appointment for the following week because she was due for her annual check-up and I wanted to address the constipation.

So besides going poop that day, she also went a little the next day but then went three days again with nothing. This brings us to this past Tuesday and her scheduled appointment wasn’t until Thursday. So I called and luckily was able to get an appointment for that morning (Tuesday).

She was trying to poop before we left and finally did but had to really strain to get it out. They took an X-ray and could see some at the end. They kept her there and gave her an enema and injected fluids under her skin. She went twice there and they sent her home with lactulose. We gave her two doses of 1 ml on Wednesday; no poop Wednesday. We took her back on Thursday for the annual appointment and I wanted another x-ray taken too.

She pooped on the table when we got there but some still showed on the x-ray. They said to continue with the lactulose at 2 ml every twelve hours. All up to this point she was eating and drinking as usual. When we gave her the second dose of 2ml on Friday she threw it up a couple hours later so yesterday we cut it back to 1.5 ml. She didn’t eat yesterday at all until 8:00 pm last night and only had a drink of water after her morning dose.

I called the ER clinic last night and went through everything. He said to continue the lactulose and that she probably wasn’t eating because her stomach was too upset. I made the executive decision to cut the dose to 1ml every 8 hours because that seems to be the sweet spot where she will continue eating and drinking. I figure, what’s the point in giving her 1.5-2.0 ml when she’s just going to throw it up because she’s so nauseous? And originally the vet did say to cut from 2.0 to 1.0 if she got diarrhea.

So here we are, impatiently waiting for something to materialize! She’s not acting ill and is eating and drinking. I definitely plan to call the vet in the morning but probably won’t be able to go in with her. They said if the lactulose doesn’t work, the next step would be a barium enema of the lower GI.

BTW, she is on dry Prescription Diet C/D (bladder stone years ago). She won’t eat the wet or anything wet. Tried tuna, tried pumpkin. I’m going to ask if there’s a high quality/high fiber dry food that we can mix with the C/D. She does do a good job of drinking water.

As always, any thoughts are appreciated!

[geezerette]

FortiFlora probiotics have worked wonders to keep my cat regular.  They love it.  I just sprinkle the powder on their dry kibble and they gobble it up.

[retiredatlast]

I actually used a small amount of Miralax (proportionate to the cat's size, not a human sized portion) and put it in my cat's food.  It helped her.  She eats wet food, but you could moisten the cat's dry food and try that.

[WRXtoo]

I'm sorry your kitty is having issues!  We've dealt with this for a few years now with our 13-year-old male cat.  After enduring the awfulness of an enema (for all involved, both cat and humans!), our vet had us start giving Miralax when this problem arises.  You might ask your vet about it.  It's an as-needed thing, not daily forever.  Coupled with a higher fiber dry food, things seem to be working out well (so to speak) most of the time.

I hope your vet comes up with a good diagnosis and viable solution.  Good luck! 

(Our Rx food is Science Diet W/D)

[susielong1]

Karo syrup, just a small spoonful mixed in food. This is what my vet had me give my cat.

[hckynutjohn]

@whatsmyname 

We have had many felines over the decades. As many as 13 Indoor Only for all long, long time. Our oldest now is 20, and none of ours have lived less than till 14 years old.

We learned 25 years ago how to best hydrate our furry ones with the bag and syringes of IV Fluids. Most of our cats problems, as they age, were connected to kidney issues. We made sure as soon as their Creatinine and BUN blood levels were going the wrong way, we started giving them IV Fluids, as needed, to keep them well hydrated.

We also learned to make sure, as they got older, to make sure to feed them, not just the dry foods. We feed then the canned foods that contained more fluid levels. When any of them appeared to "strain" in the litter box, we would put them in a separate room while they ate only canned food. This, and adding IV Fluids, always made this issue better.

Wish Chloe well and this gets easier for her. It is always hard to watch our furry ones, as they get older, to have medical issues. My best to you also.

=^..^=

hckynut(john)🥅🏒

[Icegoddess]

I have a cat with a tendency towards constipation.  He also tends to do it outside the litter box.  He had to have the enema once which worked great at the time.  Mine do get canned food every night and I just sprinklie some Miralax on it and mix it in for him which helps.  Not sure how well it would work on dry food.  Maybe if you just sprayed a little water on the dry food so it will stick to it.