Constipation Meltdown!

[allisonburd]

Hello, this most may be more of a chance to vent. I am also very desperate for advice. I have not had any luck with my vet. She has done blood work, 2 xrays, 3 enemas and several diet changes within the year. What is currently happening is severe constipation. This led us to her and ended up.with enema. She had 1 mushy poo in litter and then stopped going again. Her appetite is great. She eats 1 can fancy feast in morning with Gaba penguin for anxiety and possible pain issues. Dinner is prescription hills WD dry, with a tsp of wet food for her gaba pentin. Doc started her on lactulose last week, after enema. She has a history of doing poorly on mirlax. I was scared of laxative because last summer vet suggested this and sge was so uncomfortable she ran about house EVERY WHERE like a flying squirrel with mostly liquid poo. I don't know why, but it took me a while to figure out the laxative was causing discomfort. Her running while looking behavior has stuck , if it isn't perfect (not too hard or soft) she runs around terrified while pooing. This is the part where I need to vent. I literally can't take it any more. I love her so much and have spent close to 2000 dollars trying to figure this out. I can't do any more tests, I am possibly done with taking her in for enemas. It is horrible for her.
Vet wants her to keep on lactulose, but a lower dose. I have had her on 1 mil one time a day for a couple days. There is no poo at all. I think her last running g exp!Orion emptied her out. But she is eating well. I also give her purina hydra cat liquid, one ouch a day. She is not a great drinker. I had some success long ago with pumpkin. So my desperation led me to.put a pinch of plain pumkin ( less than 1\2 tsp) in her breakfast. She is a short hair cat, about ten. She is a shelter resque and they guessed her age. I have had Jessie cat for 5 years. So has anyone seen fear running poo? Untreatable constipation ? A vet that does not seem to help much, but finds regular enemas a treatment plan? God I am so stressed about this, literally afraid every morning as to what I might wake up to. Thank you cat peopl!e for listening.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS, despite wht brought you here. Since this hsa been going on for quite a while now, it sounds like it could be a motility issue. If it were, there are meds for that. I'd see where the lower dose of lactulose takes you. At least for a couple of more days.

But, tbh, you need to find another vet that might be more interested in trying other things besides resorting to repeated enemas. It could be either a cat only vet, or perhaps even an internal medicine vet. I would hope one or the other of these vets would take a greater interest in looking at other solutions. All of your cat's records can be given to another vet to avoid repeat testing. Those records can be gotten by you (they are yours for free), or a new vet can ask for them directly from the old vet - it is done all the time. The one thing I would do is seriously look into the possibility of a motility issue.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

A year is a long time for her to be constipated so I'm sure it is frustrating to both you and her.I agree with what FeebysOwner said above about it being a motility issue and giving the lactulose a little more time.Enemas will address the symptom but does not treat the cause and can become a viscous cycle. Many things can cause motility issues and there are specific drugs that treat mobility problems.If she has a Motility issue Miralax is likely not what she needs. Your current vet or another doctor needs to find the actual cause of what is causing her constipation.

 

[allisonburd]

A year is a long time for her to be constipated so I'm sure it is frustrating to both you and her.I agree with what FeebysOwner said above about it being a motility issue and giving the lactulose a little more time.Enemas will address the symptom but does not treat the cause and can become a viscous cycle. Many things can cause motility issues and there are specific drugs that treat mobility problems.If she has a Motility issue Miralax is likely not what she needs. Your current vet or another doctor needs to find the actual cause of what is causing her constipation.

Thank you for responding. I'm going to speak to vet.

 

[allisonburd]

Hi and welcome to TCS, despite wht brought you here. Since this hsa been going on for quite a while now, it sounds like it could be a motility issue. If it were, there are meds for that. I'd see where the lower dose of lactulose takes you. At least for a couple of more days.

But, tbh, you need to find another vet that might be more interested in trying other things besides resorting to repeated enemas. It could be either a cat only vet, or perhaps even an internal medicine vet. I would hope one or the other of these vets would take a greater interest in looking at other solutions. All of your cat's records can be given to another vet to avoid repeat testing. Those records can be gotten by you (they are yours for free), or a new vet can ask for them directly from the old vet - it is done all the time. The one thing I would do is seriously look into the possibility of a motility issue.

Thank you for your advice. I'm gonna try that route, it makes sense. She can't keep having enemas.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Ditto about wishing you good luck and keeping us posted.

 

[allisonburd]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Thank you. She is currently eating great, but no poop at all since the severe diarrhea running around the house on Thursday. Ugh can't help but panic, and I want to do something..... Add fiber? Currently just on 1 mil lactulose. I really can't take her back to vet. Last week enema and X-Ray caused me more than I can afford. Sorry to be a whiner, but this is crazy stressful for me. I think I handled my son sick better than this.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

She has been under their care for at least year and as you said at great expense. My vet will call me if I have an issue and ask for a call back. This is not a new issue for your cat so I would hope they would speak to you. Maybe they can change the lactulose dose or based on all the tests they have done they might even be able to do a trial of a medication for motility etc. i would at least expect a phone call.

 

[allisonburd]

Hi, continue to wait for my cat Jessie, to poo since enema on Thursday. She is on low dose lactulose. When vet increased to 2 mil she had diarea and was running around with liquid poo flying out of her. She continues to eat well and is out and about house. Should I try another laxative? Anyone ever try any of the homeopathic cat laxative pills? I fear the osmotic type laxative is not right for her, for certain 2 mil is too much. Advice about speaking b to vet about motility issues ,is spot on. She is not open until Tuesday. How long is too long , no poo? Can't believe she has a great appetite.thank you for listening

 

[allisonburd]

Hi, continue to wait for my cat Jessie, to poo since enema on Thursday. She is on low dose lactulose. When vet increased to 2 mil she had diarea and was running around with liquid poo flying out of her. She continues to eat well and is out and about house. Should I try another laxative? Anyone ever try any of the homeopathic cat laxative pills? I fear the osmotic type laxative is not right for her, for certain 2 mil is too much. Advice about speaking b to vet about motility issues ,is spot on. She is not open until Tuesday. How long is too long , no poo? Can't believe she has a great appetite.thank you for listening

Sorry enema was last Saturday. Diarrhea blow out on Thursdsy. Nothing since thursdsy

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Have you tried organic canned pumpkin? That is what I give my cat. About 1 tablespoon with a couple of ground up temptation treats on top.

 

[silent meowlook]

Also, often constipation is caused by dehydration. I would try adding water to food if she will eat it.

I am assuming your vet checked to make sure she doesn’t have an obstruction. Obstructed cat will not pass stool, but when given a laxative may have blow out liquid diarrhea because it will be able to move around the obstruction. Although you say she is eating. Most obstructed cats stop eating.

 

[allisonburd]

Also, often constipation is caused by dehydration. I would try adding water to food if she will eat it.

I am assuming your vet checked to make sure she doesn’t have an obstruction. Obstructed cat will not pass stool, but when given a laxative may have blow out liquid diarrhea because it will be able to move around the obstruction. Although you say she is eating. Most obstructed cats stop eating.

She did have xray, they only saw lots of poo in colon. I give her hydra cat pouches by Purina daily and add water to all food. She does not touch water much. Gonna try pumkin, it did work in past for her. Thank you for responding. So worried about her!

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Hi,
Sorry you are still having issues this weekend. Have you talked to your vet about eliminating dry food ? A all wet food diet tends to be better for cats with chronic constipation. The added moisture really helps. Hill's does make a W/D wet food ( chicken ) but currently seems to be out of stock everywhere.
Maybe they can recommend other wet food if she needs to be on prescription food. I feed all wet but still add a little water to every meal because she does not drink and can become quite constipated otherwise.You can still add a little pumpkin as well to see if that helps before Tuesday morning.

 

[stephanietx]

The gabapentin may be causing the slow motility and constipation. That's a common side effect of pain meds in humans and cats. Have you tried Miralax to help keep things moving? It can be added to food or my kitty likes it with a little baby food treat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I commented on your previous post about the motility issue - and still stand by something for you to look into. Nonetheless, all I want say here is that if pumpkin helped before, then it sounds like it could be a fiber issue. The only crazy thing about pumpkin is that it can also help with diarrhea as much as it can with constipation. So, my assessment of that is that fiber is playing a role somehow.

Some folks use slippery elm when there are digestive issues. I won't speak to that directly, but here is an article about it if you are interested.
The Many Benefits of Slippery Elm for Cats (adoredbeast.com)

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. There are forms of inflammatory bowel disease that present as constipation.
I am not a veterinarian, so the following is just my opinion. I would switch her to canned food only and cut out any dry food.

Dry food, all dry food is high in carbohydrates. Some cats cannot process carbohydrates properly and wind up with a chronic inflammation and constipation. If she eats canned food that is great. I would only give her canned. I would also give the pumpkin a try again to see if it helps.
I would buy a baby scale and weigh her every other day.

The above may help, but I think in the long run you will need to see an internal medicine specialist or a very good feline only veterinarian.

Enemas in cats are risky and let’s be honest, painful for the cat. Who knows what it does to them emotionally when the next have to use the litter box. Does it trigger some kind of fear response from the similar sensation? I have no idea and have never heard this mentioned anywhere, but cats are so sensitive, maybe it does.

I despise Lactulose. I have never seen a cat do well and feel well on it. In my experience, they are, in my opinion, painful when it travels through the GI tract. I think it causes cramping. This is another incidence of my opinion based on my experiences only. I do not think anyone else shares these views and I have nothing but what I have seen to back up these claims. I have several bottles, probably expired that I never gave my cat.

This is all just my views. I hope you and your cat get relief soon. Don’t give up on her yet. I think it will all work out, but you need a really good specialist with an interest in cats.

 

[lisahe]

Some folks use slippery elm when there are digestive issues. I won't speak to that directly, but here is an article about it if you are interested.
The Many Benefits of Slippery Elm for Cats (adoredbeast.com)

Our cat with relatively minor but very persistent constipation has done much better since we started her on slippery elm bark supplements. I may have mentioned this in your other thread but the combination of Vet's Best Hairball tablets and Adored Beast's Feline Gut Soothe has made her very regular.

What S silent meowlook look says about carbs and diet is also really important. Inflammation can do nasty things.

You also mentioned that your cat is anxious. So are our cats -- I wonder if that's a common factor for constipated cats. I don't know much about gabapentin's side effects but what stephanietx mentioned about constipation is worth discussing with your vet. Maybe setting the gabapentin aside and trying something more natural would work better? There are lots of options available! (I refused gabapentin for Ireland, in favor of a supplement, which works amazingly well for her.)

Definitely don't give up. Constipation can be tough to crack but it can be done.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Constipation is not a usual side effect of gabapentin unless it is given in very high doses.

IBD is very possible with constipation. Often it is thought diarrhea, but it can present as diarrhea, constipation or both.

With IBD with constipation hydration is very important, so a all wet food diet is key.Also a novel protein like rabbit is helpful for some.