Miralax dosing and response time

raintyger

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I've been treating a cat for constipation issues. She is current on Miralax. I am wondering how long it takes for me to see results after changing dosage amount? I am NOT talking about time from starting Miralax to results. Here is an example of what I am talking about:

Kitty is on 1/4 tsp. twice daily. The Miralax has already taken effect, she has been on it for a couple weeks. Her poop gets softer, maybe a little too soft. So I want to decrease the dosage. If I decrease, how long until I see the effect? A day? Or do I have to wait longer?
 

violet

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If the poop becomes too soft, you can safely reduce the dosage until it produces the correct result.

A few years ago one of mine was on Miralax and eventually she started throwing up from it. Why, I'll never know. But we did have to stop the Miralax. So keep a close eye on your baby and stop immediately if you see any sign of a digestive upset.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Yes, one of mine was on Miralax to keep him regular, and if his stools got a little too soft, I would cut back to 1/8 t, twice a day for just a couple of day, then would go back up to 1/4 before I would start to see him strain a little again.  It's a very fine line between being constipated and being "too loose".  But as soon as I dropped down the dose, seems like his stools would firm up. 

I don't think he ever had other problems from it.  Hard to say, though, as he had kidney failure, so was prone to nausea anyway.  And, sadly, we lost him a year ago this month.
(NOT due to Miralax...due to CRF)
 

goholistic

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One of my senior cats, Boo, is on Miralax for chronic constipation. Vet said to use 1/4 tsp to start, but that was too much and gave him diarrhea. I reduced to 1/8 and that worked for awhile. Unfortunately, his body is getting accustomed to the Miralax and I had to up it back to 1/4. 1/4 is now no longer working. As my username suggests, I am not too keen on pumping chemicals into my cat's body unless absolutely necessary. With impacted bowels, two enemas, and three vet visits, it was necessary. I will continue with the 1/4, but have opted to experiment with various types of supplemental fiber and petrolatum-free hairball remedies (as they can help with constipation, also) under the care of a veterinarian. He's already on a grain-free diet with wet food.
 
 
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raintyger

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One of my senior cats, Boo, is on Miralax for chronic constipation. Vet said to use 1/4 tsp to start, but that was too much and gave him diarrhea. I reduced to 1/8 and that worked for awhile. Unfortunately, his body is getting accustomed to the Miralax and I had to up it back to 1/4. 1/4 is now no longer working. As my username suggests, I am not too keen on pumping chemicals into my cat's body unless absolutely necessary. With impacted bowels, two enemas, and three vet visits, it was necessary. I will continue with the 1/4, but have opted to experiment with various types of supplemental fiber and petrolatum-free hairball remedies (as they can help with constipation, also) under the care of a veterinarian. He's already on a grain-free diet with wet food.
 
I worry about the acclimation, too. I'm hoping Poppy won't need the Miralax forever.

I'm also giving her cisapride, which stimulates gut movement. I did a little research and found that the amino acids acetyl l-carnitine and l-carnitine do stimulate gut movement, too, and I'm wondering if anyone here has used them for constipation? I ran across an article that says human babies are sometimes given l-carnitine for constipation.

http://books.google.com/books?id=KK...hild "the little colon that couldn't"&f=false
Yes, one of mine was on Miralax to keep him regular, and if his stools got a little too soft, I would cut back to 1/8 t, twice a day for just a couple of day, then would go back up to 1/4 before I would start to see him strain a little again.  It's a very fine line between being constipated and being "too loose".  But as soon as I dropped down the dose, seems like his stools would firm up. 
 So if I reduced the Miralax dosage today (Thurs.), then if she poops either in the evening or Fri. morning, the softness of that poop is a result of the reduced dosage? I'm making notes and want to be able to co-relate cause and effect.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Well, when I reduced the dosage, sometimes I would notice NO Poops almost immediately. 
 
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raintyger

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GoHolistic,

Let me know what you think about the l-carnitine, whether or not it might be helpful.
 

denice

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You can just mix the powder into wet food.  It has no taste.  Hopefully you are feeding wet food, the extra moisture really helps cats with constipation issues.  It's also just a better way to go all the way around.  If you have a kibble addict that's needs transitioning to wet food you can mix the food in any amount of water.  Probably the easiest way would be a small amount of water and then give it by syringe.  You would want to use the side of the mouth and go slow so your cat doesn't choke.
 

denice

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No they wouldn't counteract each other.  I would be careful about amounts though to avoid diarrhea.  They do two different things, the pumpkin adds fiber to the diet the miralax draws water into the colon.
 

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Hmm, alright - my intention is to give Boo 1 Tbsp. of pumpkin and 1/4 Tsp. Miralax  - to see if that helps him have a poop - day 3 no poop.

Failing that, I'm going to increase Miralax to 1/2 Tsp. per day. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Any luck yet?  That's a lot of both of those with no poop yet!  Maybe he's impacted.  He may need an enema
 
 

marc999

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Hmm? Nope - he dropped a decent poop last night @ 9 pm. 

It was ~ 60 + hours.  

If the pumpkin or miralax helped, I'm not sure - might be coincidental.   

I'm not going to make a habit of giving it to him - only if it happens again. 
 

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I have not used the Miralax, but I have been putting pumpkin, olive oil, and tuna or chicken with my cats soft food. One has constipation issues and the oldest is not able to eat dry kibble much anymore. Unfortunately, I didn't feed them this combination for a couple of days. When I was, there were no problems. Something else is, we changed our litter to Blue Fresh Multi cat. Yes it clumps, but I don't think this causes a problem in cats while they are cleaning themselves. Other kinds, such as clay, I do believe causes a lot of problems in cats.

I am going to try the Miralax, but I wonder if it would be ok to continue with the pumpkin and olive oil or would that be overdoing it?

Something else, I have done, when Blue gets too plugged up, is to give him Epsom salts in cranberry juice with a syringe. Usually, within a day, he has results.

A question I have is, have you ever had a cat throw up just water when constipated? We found a large amount of liquid on our quilt down to our sheets. He had been getting sick so I think that is what happened, not urine.
 

oneandahalfcats

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I have not used the Miralax, but I have been putting pumpkin, olive oil, and tuna or chicken with my cats soft food. One has constipation issues and the oldest is not able to eat dry kibble much anymore. Unfortunately, I didn't feed them this combination for a couple of days. When I was, there were no problems. Something else is, we changed our litter to Blue Fresh Multi cat. Yes it clumps, but I don't think this causes a problem in cats while they are cleaning themselves. Other kinds, such as clay, I do believe causes a lot of problems in cats.

I am going to try the Miralax, but I wonder if it would be ok to continue with the pumpkin and olive oil or would that be overdoing it?

Something else, I have done, when Blue gets too plugged up, is to give him Epsom salts in cranberry juice with a syringe. Usually, within a day, he has results.

A question I have is, have you ever had a cat throw up just water when constipated? We found a large amount of liquid on our quilt down to our sheets. He had been getting sick so I think that is what happened, not urine.
Hi there .. Is your cat constipated at the moment? 

Pumpkin can be effective in treating mild cases of constipation, but if a cat is already badly constipated pumpkin like other sources of fibre, can make things worse. Its all about balance. Miralax helps to draw water into the colon to keep stools soft. Pumpkin will help to bulk up stools if needed but also provides some moisture in the process.

I would really NOT recommend using epsom salts as a laxative for just a whole bunch of reasons. It is nasty tasting, not a recommended solution for constipation and if you should overdo it, can result in severe diarrhea and vomiting. There are better, safer things to use such as the Miralax or Lactulose to use for this purpose.

Its hard to say what is happening with the vomiting of clear liquid. It could be a hairball that he tried to pass. Had your cat been eating any solid food when this happened, or not much of anything?
 
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cocheezie

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Was the liquid foamy? Could it be stomach acid? There is a connection between the inner anal sphincter and vomiting.
 
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raintyger

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Pumpkin is mostly a soluble fiber. Soluble fiber does NOT bulk up stools, although it helps with constipation.
 

oneandahalfcats

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Pumpkin is mostly a soluble fiber. Soluble fiber does NOT bulk up stools, although it helps with constipation.
Yes pumpkin is probably more of a soluble fibre, but any fibre that absorbs water is considered a bulking agent and this includes pumpkin which is why it is often used to treat diarrhea. When constipation is severe then pumpkin can actually make things worse, as it just adds to the stool volume.
 
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