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- Dec 20, 2014
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I foster brand new neonate kittens and I probably do about 100 a year. I had a litter that came in in early August. Everything seemed fine until weaning and then I noticed the giant stools and irregular BMs of the dilute tortie. Trouble didn't truly start until weaning onto dry food. So, I put her back on wet food with water mixed in to make soup. That helped a lot. The shelter vet was just going to euthanize her rather than try any treatments or meds. I fought her on it. At one point, she needed 3 enemas in about 10 days. No canned food combination was working.
Since she wasn't getting any help from the shelter vet, I adopted her at 12 weeks and took her to my own vet, at my expense. We tried lactulose and that didn't work. I finally found a food that exited. I found Miralax from the internet. I was at the point where I was about to euthanize and I decided that everything else wasn't working, so what the heck, why not. a single 1/8 tsp of Miralax produced a massive amount of feces in just 18 hours. She was playing, happy and eating. It truly seemed a miracle! I have to constantly monitor her fecal output and, if it slows down, I give her 1/4 tsp and if it gets too runny, I skip a day. She's grown and is now 4.5 months and 4lbs! She's a playful, stunningly beautiful, healthy kitten. Except for one thing.
You see, the Miralax causes almond sized, soft but normal consistency turds to come out at irregular times i.e. between pooping and she doesn't realize it. Or doesn't make the connection. Or something. So there's almond sized turds that get scattered on the floor. The second problem is that she sometimes has leakage at her anus. Usually, I can control this with less or no Miralax. My vet is NOT experienced with megacolon and only recommended cisapride to help stimulate peristaltic waves. But, she doesn't seem to have a problem with pushing or recognizing the pressure and urge to go. And I heard that cisapride will stop working over time. Considering I hope to have 20 years with her, obviously I need a lifetime solution. And I can't afford surgery and the vet doesn't think that it will resolve her issue, whatever that unique issue seems to be. We'd like to control it by diet alone, since it seems to work, instead of meds.
Here's my thoughts A) instinctively, it seems like there's a chance she may actually outgrow it but I can't find evidence for/against this idea online. it's a compilation of microdata from the last 2 months AND B) how about trying some dry kibble with low fiber mixed into her canned food to help create some fibrous connections in her stool to have the normal sized turds? the canned food results in these small, moist turds here and there and don't all come out at once. It's like a turd here a few minutes later another turd while she's playing, etc. My vet is clueless. Innova dry kitten has only 3% fiber (which is only slightly higher than the canned food) and I am willing to try that to help this. I know it seems weird that I want her to have the larger, more cohesive turds as a megacolon kitten with only occasional use of miralax, but it is getting tiresome and gross to always be watching where we step and having to bleach a spot because she squeezed out little turds here and there.
Basically, I can't seem to find info on the internet about these thoughts and ideas and my vet isn't experienced. She wants to help but doesn't know what to do really. There are other vets in that same practice and none have experience managing the dietary needs of a growing kitten WITH megacolon or what may lie ahead for her. At about 1 year, I know her dietary needs will stable off and we may be able to get a more regular routine. For now, she's constantly eating more and more, to grow and bc it's canned.
Your thoughts?
Since she wasn't getting any help from the shelter vet, I adopted her at 12 weeks and took her to my own vet, at my expense. We tried lactulose and that didn't work. I finally found a food that exited. I found Miralax from the internet. I was at the point where I was about to euthanize and I decided that everything else wasn't working, so what the heck, why not. a single 1/8 tsp of Miralax produced a massive amount of feces in just 18 hours. She was playing, happy and eating. It truly seemed a miracle! I have to constantly monitor her fecal output and, if it slows down, I give her 1/4 tsp and if it gets too runny, I skip a day. She's grown and is now 4.5 months and 4lbs! She's a playful, stunningly beautiful, healthy kitten. Except for one thing.
You see, the Miralax causes almond sized, soft but normal consistency turds to come out at irregular times i.e. between pooping and she doesn't realize it. Or doesn't make the connection. Or something. So there's almond sized turds that get scattered on the floor. The second problem is that she sometimes has leakage at her anus. Usually, I can control this with less or no Miralax. My vet is NOT experienced with megacolon and only recommended cisapride to help stimulate peristaltic waves. But, she doesn't seem to have a problem with pushing or recognizing the pressure and urge to go. And I heard that cisapride will stop working over time. Considering I hope to have 20 years with her, obviously I need a lifetime solution. And I can't afford surgery and the vet doesn't think that it will resolve her issue, whatever that unique issue seems to be. We'd like to control it by diet alone, since it seems to work, instead of meds.
Here's my thoughts A) instinctively, it seems like there's a chance she may actually outgrow it but I can't find evidence for/against this idea online. it's a compilation of microdata from the last 2 months AND B) how about trying some dry kibble with low fiber mixed into her canned food to help create some fibrous connections in her stool to have the normal sized turds? the canned food results in these small, moist turds here and there and don't all come out at once. It's like a turd here a few minutes later another turd while she's playing, etc. My vet is clueless. Innova dry kitten has only 3% fiber (which is only slightly higher than the canned food) and I am willing to try that to help this. I know it seems weird that I want her to have the larger, more cohesive turds as a megacolon kitten with only occasional use of miralax, but it is getting tiresome and gross to always be watching where we step and having to bleach a spot because she squeezed out little turds here and there.
Basically, I can't seem to find info on the internet about these thoughts and ideas and my vet isn't experienced. She wants to help but doesn't know what to do really. There are other vets in that same practice and none have experience managing the dietary needs of a growing kitten WITH megacolon or what may lie ahead for her. At about 1 year, I know her dietary needs will stable off and we may be able to get a more regular routine. For now, she's constantly eating more and more, to grow and bc it's canned.
Your thoughts?
