Topic: constipation : not sure what to do (Read 4827 times)

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #20 on:** November 01, 2007, 13:26:25 PM »

he fired out a present last night and clearly felt better for it

Bloods were done today. He got so cross that his vitamin B injection only went half in, so he got half a one!
I bought some more RC pouches (chicken) with an earlier expiry date and they are thick, so thick I could grout tiles with them. So now I'm chasing ones with July 09 or later expiry dates....seems that all furryfood has problems with consistency

Rang an online retailer called Nutrecare who were so helpful. They also told me (where did I put that thread lol) that there have been multiple moans about Hills i/d being too sticky now. Hills are shipping it over faster, so it has no time to settle

but suppose if the big retailers are moaning, something may be done about it.
Poor Swamp had to have a whole tablespoon of water added to his tablespoon of supposedly wet grout, sorry, renal chicken pouch blended nosh, and he only ate 1/2 of it even tho he was so hungry after his traumas chez the Green Man.
zzzzzzzz now in a patch of sun.

Thanks for the water fountain idea but they do drink enough I think. Max would probably be scared of it too

but will have a look on ebay!

Corporal Smokey · « **Reply #19 on:** October 31, 2007, 18:58:45 PM »

Just thought of another thing that helped out little Hope for a bit. I bought a Cat-It fountain and it's wonderful. It really does stimulate them to drink. I think the cheapest was about £26 on eBay inc shipping and mat (you probably do need the mat).

It's fabulous and my two cats drink from it all the time. I'm really glad I've got it again as my vet thinks Smokey may develop PKD with age

May just help with those all-important fluids.

Hope Swampy makes you some more presents soon...

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #18 on:** October 31, 2007, 10:34:39 AM »

washing machine's currently on - I wonder why?! sticky....

nothing more from Swamp and his tum looks swollen again, so he got 2mls (ahem, approx) this morning. he ate about 50 i/d to which I added water so he could lick it up more easily. He's had a drink first thing but does sleep a lot. I think he's not drinking quite so much at present (?), mind you his food is having more water added too. I've got some Slippery Elm Bark but am nervous about hitting him with something in his food when he's fussy right now and I don't want to syringe anything else into him if I don't have to. Will ask the vet to check his dehydration/hydration tomorrow. I think it's ok but not 100%. I don't find it so easy to do as he has some fat (esp now he's put on 100g with the lack of pooing) and his skin's not very elastic cos he's 16. He's too skinny over his bum to do it anywhere else though.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #17 on:** October 30, 2007, 22:01:29 PM »

Glad you have got somewhere - teh baby dose is 2.5ml twice a day, childs is 5ml twice a day - I just drizzle some over Molly's food every other day or so, she takes it in her food no probs, but do agree with vet over consistency, I did spill some and it is very sticky. Slippery Elm Bark can also be used for this and is also good for CRF kitties - just a thought, if he is having constipation issues, do you think it could be due to dehydration?

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #16 on:** October 30, 2007, 19:43:23 PM »

YAY for the 2 blobs

atleast you know its very safe

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #15 on:** October 30, 2007, 19:40:21 PM »

Yes, the vet said it's most likely linked to his kidneys so that's why the bloods are scheduled for Thursday am. However I don't want to start any Fortekor again (vet is talking of a half dose as Swampy reacted so badly to it before) until the tum is settled.
Anyhow....da daaaaah! 2 smallish blobs appeared in the pootray this evening

and Swampy then ate a reasonable meal and is now asleep in a normal 'cat position

He'll get 1ml tonight as instructed, assuming I can get it down him. SMmum may get 1ml on my clothes. Vet says it's like superglue so try to take Swamp by surprise and do it in 3x small amounts

Then I'll see what happens and adjust the dose in the morning if it goes from one extreme to the other!
thanks peeps

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #14 on:** October 30, 2007, 18:30:10 PM »

funny i was also thinking about the working up to the max dose C S aswell

Although i guess S M wants to nail this quickly and if the vet advised that does fair enough, maybe only give 0.5 mls tonight SM

Corporal Smokey · « **Reply #13 on:** October 30, 2007, 18:10:39 PM »

Oh dear, hope Swampy's ok! Lactulose is the best thing imo as, like Lynn says, it's doesn't get absorbed. Other laxatives, such as liquid paraffin can stop absorbtion of essential vitamins.

Constipation is a nasty one with renal cats. I've found this to be a symptom that needs treating quite agressively. If it doesn't get constant attention, they can develop a condition called "megacolon". This is when the wall of the colon becomes weaker and the colon increases in size over time to accommodate for the blockage. The blockage doesn't get pushed along as normal and so it needs "help".

I really don't want to worry you, but I wish I'd been more thorough with treating Hope, as it caused her so much pain. My vet said the only thing that'll happen if you over-lactulose (not by much obv) is you could end up cleaning a bit of a mess, but I'd be inclined to start at 1ml and work up gradually to about 2.5ml.

Good luck and make sure you let us know when he goes...

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #12 on:** October 30, 2007, 16:53:43 PM »

i cant remember the kids dose, was it 5 mls once per day, or twice per day ..... anyways i do remember it was best to start at lower dose and twice daily coz i think i gave one of mine a decent dosing in one go....much to my regret

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #11 on:** October 30, 2007, 15:26:05 PM »

thanks Lynn. I've had the muck once myself too and it just blew out my tum

so hope it doesn't do that to da Swamp. Hope you're right about it not taking too long. He had 2mls this am and is to have another 1ml later. Just hope can get him to eat something as assume having food taken in helps the unmentionable come out?!

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #10 on:** October 30, 2007, 14:54:54 PM »

was just gonna suggest the old faithful lactulose but see your vet beat me too it

Its not absorbed into the body , just loosens the stools so isnt actually a laxitive in the true meaning, but should be good for the liver/renal probs.

If he got that bad there was always the micralax enema but i dont know if that is absorbed or how it would effect him with his problems.

Lactulose says it can take a few days but i found it pretty quick (ie noticable difference in a day) Now...its only my 2 kids thats been on it not the cats LOL, however should imagine it would make no difference. (son was on it for a year, and daughter for a good few weeks)

good luck and keep us posted,

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2007, 14:36:44 PM »

Yes, I'm thinking of pulling the spider plant out of the shower for a wee munch. Normally I ban it as he pulls it out by its roots and eats it so that he's sick! But a controlled amount's not a bad idea.

Vet has put him on lactulose. Swampy's appetite isn't great at all. It's a mission to get him to eat 1/2 what he normally does. I just hope the lactulose works soon and that kick starts his appetite. Swampy's back off to the vets on thursday for blood tests as his Green Man is worried about his kidneys. The Swamp tum is clearly sore from his sleeping position (upright) and his extreme bad temper when having his nails cut and desperately clawing the grille of his cat carrier to get back in - normally he's used to the vet and behaves ok, if a bit nervously.
He's also going to get a vitamin B jab to see if that perks him up. The results probably won't be in until Monday, which feels quite a long way off with every meal such a mission (have to sit and hold his plate while he licks his food half heartedly - food mixed with so much water it's almost liquid - and he keeps stopping and looking up for 'predators').
Come on Lactulose!!!! Vet says he prefers katalax but it hasn't worked that well this time, as katalax is unlikely to cause diarrhoea whereas too much lactulose can.

lisa77 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2007, 13:32:02 PM »

Im not sure if this will help at all or if your puddy can have it but Kitty grass aids digestion.. Leo loves munching on his

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2007, 08:10:22 AM »

I think a chat with the vet is the best thing to do. I have to use Lactulose on Molly, as she wont tolerate Katalax, but she has no other health issues. I do hope you can get him sorted soon, or he might stop eating, I know when I have suffered with it in the past, it really does knock your appetite.

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #6 on:** October 29, 2007, 20:38:09 PM »

Oh dear there seem to be a lot of constipated cats around lately. My cat once went 15 days without a poo. Without giving him a laxative Im not sure what else you can do unless the vet would give him an enema? I know I have rubbed my cats bottom with lubricating jelly in the past (lovely).

His behaviour sounds exactly like my Dragan and he currently has an infected tooth which will be taken out in 2 weeks (worrying as he is 17). Does your cat have dental probs maybe as well as the constipation?

I suppose in the end an enema would seem to be the best answer for you. Hope your cat has a poo soon.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #5 on:** October 29, 2007, 19:15:51 PM »

allegedly to 'promote faecal consistency' - supposed to make things easier anyhow. Maybe it's non digestible fibre like oats or bran?! I should probably try to give him more of it, poor Swamp. I am worried he's going to stop eating soon.

Ela · « **Reply #4 on:** October 29, 2007, 18:45:37 PM »

Quote

He's already getting peridale.

Possibly me being thick but I thought Peridale was to bulk up not make them 'go'

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #3 on:** October 29, 2007, 18:22:25 PM »

me too! hope he's not in a vague mood. I'm worried about adding fibre to Swampy's diet in case it makes the pain worse or causes more bloating. He's already getting peridale. RC tell me his food is 2.4% fibre (dry matter, not as fed). Is that low or average?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #2 on:** October 29, 2007, 18:18:29 PM »

Soory to hear this and hopefully the green man will be able to help

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #1 on:** October 29, 2007, 18:15:21 PM »

Swampy's not gone properly for a week now. The RC Renal diet's pretty low in magnesium and AFAIK average or below in fibre, but he's been on it for months and it used to make him nice and regular at first. He's clearly in discomfort. He's been every day (katalax and peridale administered at least once a day for 4 days) but just a couple of marbles and his tum is distended and hard. K/d has more fibre but last time he had it, he was in pain with gas so I'm reluctant to give him that (blended). Does it have a lot of cereals in it, does anyone know?

I can't give any more days of katalax or laxative as it will affect his nutrient absorption (?). He'll get more peridale tonight but is becoming hard to feed - I have to feed him virtually liquid food (blended is not enough now; got to add water too) and I have to hold his plate while he sits on his chair or the radiator as he won't eat more than a teaspoonful on the floor. He is eating the liquid food, despite the struggle but keeps looking up for 'predators' while he's eating. He hasn't done that since the same feeding issues/behaviour arose after his cholangiohep when he was terribly ill and nervous.

The other thing is generally before now he's licked up katalax whereas this time I've had to force it in him, which we both hate. I know the vet thinks it's fine to use and prefers it (and says cats prefer it??!!) to Lactulose, but I'm not sure what to do. He needs a good clear out to feel better again. But not diarrhoea! Plus if it's the RC Renal diet, what am I going to feed him?
Does anyone have any suggestions please? I did a tum massage this evening which he seemed to enjoy. I don't know why he's suddenly stopped playing, got constipated etc. He had bloods done in August so the vet's not inclined to repeat them - but with the changes, do you think I should?
Hoping to speak to the Green Man tomorrow.

Author Topic: constipation : not sure what to do (Read 4827 times)