After Enema questions

[okeelady]

My Emily had an enema Friday and I have a few questions. I sure wish these Vets (and doctors) would give patients a list of what to expect or not to expect after a procedure. Friday the vet did the enema about noon. I was hoping they would do an xray but their machine was down. They sent me home with Lactulose and said she had a huge poop while she was there. When we got home she had 2 loose stool movements and they was a brownish drainage coming out of her butt. Saturday morning she had another loose poop and scooted across my carpeting and there was still drainage. I looked at her butt and it was very irritated and puffy (maybe rug rash or from the enema?). I took a picture but decided not to post it. I started giving her lactulose (1 ml twice a day) Saturday am. Shes acting normal eating, drinking, peeing and no more drainage and her butt looks better but hasn't had a bowel movement since the loose one Sat am. My question is when should she have a normal bowel movement after the enema and starting the lactulose? I also ordered Royal Canin Fiber Response food just waiting for the vet to approve it. TIA

 

[Alldara]

Some other posters on this site have also not had luck with lactulose. I believe it can cause issues with dehydration. ( You can check by gently pinching the back of her neck and seeing if the skin springs back into place).

My cat was put on Restorilax (aka. Miralax - unflavored) 1/4 tsp twice a day. It works within 24 hours for my cat. He stays on a regular daily dosage now of 1/4 tsp once a day. If the crystals are fully dissolved before being added to the food, it doesn't not cause dehydration.

 

[okeelady]

Several weeks ago when I took Emily into the vet the vet did recommend Miralax. I tried it in different doses mixed with water over several weeks and saw no change and took her back to the vet. Thats why my vet recommended the lactulose because the miralax wasn't working. I'd give her cat lax and that would help sometimes. She's not dehydrated and is drinking water fine. My question was how soon after an enema does a cat have a "normal" bowel movement?

 

[fionasmom]

We are not vets, but this is what I have observed with the use of enemas and laxatives. Both/either of those can clean out much of what was in the digestive tract. It is not uncommon for a cat not to have a bowel movement immediately after having had those as there is not anything left to pass through. Even food that is recently eaten may not have been digested enough to produce a bowel movement. Unless I am miscalculating, she had only gone one day or slightly over 24 hours without pooping. If she seems okay, I would at least wait out the weekend and see what happens by Monday morning, unless you notice some concerning symptom.