Constipation

[bjl123]

My cat was hospitalised for constipation a couple of months ago where she had an enema plus xrays and ultrasound. She was put on duphalac until she was pooing normally. She was also very traumatised and stopped eating and needed appetite boosters for three weeks. I reduced her dry food and changed her to dine as it has more gravy in it.
Recently she became constipated again and was put back on duphalac at a much much higher dose plus special diet wet food. She also had two microlax enemas - gel inserted in her bottom, over two visits. The vet also wants her to take cisapride twice a day which I am finding near impossible.
I have been back and forth to the vet. She gradually stopped eating the wet food vomited twice. She was given anti nausea and another microlax enema to be cautious but didn't seem too backed up. She ate fine again yesterday. This morning she just picked at her wet food. I had attempted cisapride half an hour earlier. The wet food has the laxative in it. We also switched her to special diet dry food I stead of the wet.
I am just so frustrated and having spent over $3k already am not sure what to do. I can't afford surgery or hospital. I am not happy with her on cisapride either. I am at the point I may need to surrender her. I just don't know what to do. Medicating her by myself is just near impossible.

 

[bjl123]

My cat was hospitalised for constipation a couple of months ago where she had an enema plus xrays and ultrasound. She was put on duphalac until she was pooing normally. She was also very traumatised and stopped eating and needed appetite boosters for three weeks. I reduced her dry food and changed her to dine as it has more gravy in it.
Recently she became constipated again and was put back on duphalac at a much much higher dose plus special diet wet food. She also had two microlax enemas - gel inserted in her bottom, over two visits. The vet also wants her to take cisapride twice a day which I am finding near impossible.
I have been back and forth to the vet. She gradually stopped eating the wet food vomited twice. She was given anti nausea and another microlax enema to be cautious but didn't seem too backed up. She ate fine again yesterday. This morning she just picked at her wet food. I had attempted cisapride half an hour earlier. The wet food has the laxative in it. We also switched her to special diet dry food I stead of the wet.
I am just so frustrated and having spent over $3k already am not sure what to do. I can't afford surgery or hospital. I am not happy with her on cisapride either. I am at the point I may need to surrender her. I just don't know what to do. Medicating her by myself is just near impossible.

I should add she is 6 and a rescue I adopted 4 years ago.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. So sorry for what you and your cat are going through. It almost sounds to me like too many meds/treatments back-to-back being given for the same cause - and if so, certainly could cause stomach cramping and bowel discomfort - hence lack of interest in eating, as well as vomiting.

What, if anything, did the ultrasound show? Was she put back on dry food because she is tolerating that better than wet?

There just seems to be an underlying cause to the constipation that is not being addressed - just the symptoms.

Have you considered a second opinion? I realize you are already frustrated with what you have had to spend - but not getting to the real problem or giving her up isn't going to make her any better.

I am hoping other members will see your post soon and offer some helpful advice.

 

[bjl123]

Hi. So sorry for what you and your cat are going through. It almost sounds to me like too many meds/treatments back-to-back being given for the same cause - and if so, certainly could cause stomach cramping and bowel discomfort - hence lack of interest in eating, as well as vomiting.

What, if anything, did the ultrasound show? Was she put back on dry food because she is tolerating that better than wet?

There just seems to be an underlying cause to the constipation that is not being addressed - just the symptoms.

Have you considered a second opinion? I realize you are already frustrated with what you have had to spend - but not getting to the real problem or giving her up isn't going to make her any better.

I am hoping other members will see your post soon and offer some helpful advice.

 

[bjl123]

Thanks for the info. Yes I have had the ultrasound and xrays looked at by several vets when it first happened A specialist did the ultrasound. None saw anything in them except lots of poo so she had the enema.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Did any of the vets say anything about IBD, or possible electrolyte abnormalities? Sorry, if I frustrate you with my questions. Just trying to throw stuff out there that might not have been talked about already.

I also thought this article might help - if for no other reason than for you to go through what it says and compare it the conversations you have had with the vets. Perhaps there is something in there that will help...

Foods for Helping Constipated Cats | petMD

 

[munch64]

My cat Farley had four enemas over a period of a year. He was put on Royal canin fiber response kibble along with his wet food, which helped a little. I was told to give him miralax laxative mixed in his food, which helped him for awhile. When he stopped being responsive to miralax, the vet prescribed enulose liquid. He ate that mixed in his food and that helped for awhile. Then it didn't. He had his 4th enema in Dec 2017 and the vet told us to give him enulose twice daily and miralax 3x daily. That was nuts and we didn't do it. I ordered Smooth BM Gold which was this herbal remedy that could be added to food. My husband is Indian and recognized the ingredients as things he knew from India ayurveda. It helped Farley a lot. We put that in his food twice daily and gave miralax once daily. I think the miralax drew moisture into his stool and the Smooth BM Gold improved the motility in his colon. That helped him for about 8 months at which point he had issues with pancreatitis and developed IBD with persistent diarrhea. He's still dealing with that now and possibly has small cell lymphoma in his intestinal tract. He's almost 13. Smooth BM Gold is something our vet never accepted as legit, but it worked. I don't know if it contributed to Farley developing IBD. But I do know that he was on the way to megacolon, so I do not regret trying it. It's pricey for a 2month supply bottle, but still cheaper than a vet appointment.

 

[LTS3]

Look into compounding the cispraide. Wedgewood Pharmacy has cisparide in several forms including capsule, chew treat, "melt in the mouth" tabs, and chewable tabs. Cisapride Medication & Information for Animals, Wedgewood Pet RX, Wedgewood Pet RX A local compounding pharmacy can do these as well.

 

[bjl123]

None of the vets said anything about IBD and all said blood was fine She was too cranky to take more blood after the enema.
They didn't think special diet was necessary after the first time either. I just gave her some duphalac if she seemed a bit hard.