Fecal Incontinence Two Days After PU

  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #41

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
You have become a complete professional in the area of PU surgery and certainly could be a help to others, so thanks for that. He is going to be much more comfortable without those stitches even with the cone for a while longer. You both deserve a bottle of something....maybe his should be catnip?
Aww, thanks! The only things he's getting bottles of for the foreseeable future are fresh water and prescription food, haha. He seems to be doing really well today, definitely much more comfy with the stitches gone, and his surgical site looks much better now than it's clean and the irritants were removed.

And of course! If you come across a pet parent who would benefit from talking to somebody who's been through this particular wringer, don't hesitate to ping me in. :hearthrob:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #42

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Great! Apparently I celebrated a bit too soon!

His stomach and appetite have been up and down since the surgery, we'd chalked it up to stress and medications, but over the past weekend it's taken a turn and become a real struggle to get him to eat. Since he outright refused breakfast this morning, and I know he had a significant period of time during his week long UO spiral where he wasn't eating much (if he was even eating anything--he was in and out of being admitted to the hospital so that's multiple days I can't vouch for his calorie intake), now I'll have to knock down the vet's door this morning to make sure his liver is still functioning properly before we assume it's a more mundane stomachache.

Cool! Fantastic! I know that may sound like a slight overreaction, but every single time in the past month I've looked at this cat and gone "something's not right," I've been correct! So I'd rather move aggressively now and push for testing to rule out that particular problem before it gets worse.

One good bit of news is that there's no sign of jaundice and he seems nauseous but has not been actually vomiting, so hopefully if something funky is going on we've caught it early enough to treat with a minimum of issues. He did eventually eat a bit of tuna and some wet prescription food out of my hand, and it's stayed down so far.

The other bit of good news is that his PU site does seem to be nearly completely healed--he doesn't give any indication now that he's in pain, he's been peeing without issue since the surgery, and the way it's healed looks gorgeous. I'm fairly confident that whatever's causing his current issue is a result of the general strain on his system more than the PU surgery in particular.

(....well, as gorgeous as a surgical site on a cat's ass is going to look!)

I'll keep you posted!
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #43

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Update: vet agrees, given the month this animal has had and the sheer amount of stress that's been put on his system by it, that we do need to aggressively act to figure out what's going on in case it's his liver or pancreas throwing a fit.

He needs some serious sedating if he's going to be handled in the vet's office at this point, he's been through the trauma wringer, so I'll be dosing him at home this morning and bringing him in as soon as he's drowsy enough for some sub-q fluids, nausea medication, bloodwork, urinary analysis, a full exam, and any other tests they need to do.

I don't even want to think at this point about how many vet bills this little guy has wracked up, and how quickly. I've been careful in setting myself up financially to absorb a significant hit in an emergency, so I can continue treating him as he needs, but you always hope you'll never NEED those plans, you know?

At least I got, what, two days of thinking he was finally past the worst of it and going to be okay? Gods, I'm pretty sure my boy has aged me a decade in the past month.
 
Last edited:

Tik cat's mum

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
2,732
Purraise
8,270
Location
UK
Oh hun, I'm sorry you are going through this poor little man. But like you said you know him better than anyone. And your vet seems like they have listened and taken what you have said seriously. Thank goodness. You have jumped on this so quickly I'm keeping everything crossed that this is something that can be easily sorted. You've both gone through so much already. Sending hugs. :hugs:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #46

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Oh hun, I'm sorry you are going through this poor little man. But like you said you know him better than anyone. And your vet seems like they have listened and taken what you have said seriously. Thank goodness. You have jumped on this so quickly I'm keeping everything crossed that this is something that can be easily sorted. You've both gone through so much already. Sending hugs. :hugs:
Yeah.

After the surgery was done and stitches out, the (fantastic and I'm very grateful for her!) surgeon handed his care back to the vet at the same practice who's dealt with us since my boy was a kitten. This vet has known me long enough as a pet parent to trust my gut read when things aren't right, so he instantly agreed that yes, we're not giving this a couple more days to wait and see, we're going to go digging immediately and try and figure out what's happening.

I'm relieved for that much, at least. After the trauma of having to go back and forth every twelve hours during his UO, continually getting sent home from animal ERs with a cat who was in severe pain without resolution or explanation for the issue, I was fully geared up to fight for getting tests run TODAY. Luckily, his long-term vet was on board as soon as I described the situation and my concerns, and said he'll treat it as a potential emergency until proven otherwise. I'm dropping him off in about half an hour, and we'll see what shakes out.

At this point I simply don't know enough to gauge how alarmed to be, so I'm erring on the side of caution.
 

fionasmom

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
13,125
Purraise
17,370
Location
Los Angeles
Those are such sweet pics of the two of you! At this point, you are doing the right thing despite the fact that he does not want to go back to the vet and you did not want to be faced with another bill....who does? It is much better to over monitor and jump on anything that is not right rather than letting it ride.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #48

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Those are such sweet pics of the two of you! At this point, you are doing the right thing despite the fact that he does not want to go back to the vet and you did not want to be faced with another bill....who does? It is much better to over monitor and jump on anything that is not right rather than letting it ride.
Thank you so much.

Yeah, that's basically where I'm at? He's been through so much already and he's so damn tough, I'm NOT about to put him at risk now. Financially I'm already In The Weeds with him as it is, I can handle adding more to the pile.

I hope it's nothing serious and we can treat it easily and cheaply but, in case it's not, I need to know what's happening as quickly as possible so we can make fully informed decisions on his behalf.
 

Lynn M

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Aug 26, 2021
Messages
7
Purraise
17
My 4yr old boy Pablo had PU surgery in mid-July. after blocking 3x in 5days. He had to wear a cone and stay in a dog crate for 2weeks. I try to give him 5cc's of water in a syringe 2x a day as the vet had said there was an "insane" amount of sludge. I'm not real happy with the Urinary Prescription dry kibble... chicken followed by wheat or corn... . I've gotten some of Dr Marty's Nature's Feast freeze-dried raw food, (no fillers or preservatives) which I mash with water then mash that into canned wet food but Pablo is definitely not a fan. The others eat it just fine Pablo has always preferred dry kibble to wet pate that I've always mashed water into. The vet was supposed to test to see if the sludge consisted of protein or mineral, but did not so I don't know. I am so very grateful to have had the PU surgery done, as even with it I still worry about what might be building up in his system. I'm sure I'm going to want an annual ultrasound to monitor sediment buildup. It doesn't sound like a bladder flush would be very effective, but an indwelling catheter should be worst case. Well, actually worst case would be he's blocked and I don't know it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #50

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
My 4yr old boy Pablo had PU surgery in mid-July. after blocking 3x in 5days. He had to wear a cone and stay in a dog crate for 2weeks. I try to give him 5cc's of water in a syringe 2x a day as the vet had said there was an "insane" amount of sludge. I'm not real happy with the Urinary Prescription dry kibble... chicken followed by wheat or corn... . I've gotten some of Dr Marty's Nature's Feast freeze-dried raw food, (no fillers or preservatives) which I mash with water then mash that into canned wet food but Pablo is definitely not a fan. The others eat it just fine Pablo has always preferred dry kibble to wet pate that I've always mashed water into. The vet was supposed to test to see if the sludge consisted of protein or mineral, but did not so I don't know. I am so very grateful to have had the PU surgery done, as even with it I still worry about what might be building up in his system. I'm sure I'm going to want an annual ultrasound to monitor sediment buildup. It doesn't sound like a bladder flush would be very effective, but an indwelling catheter should be worst case. Well, actually worst case would be he's blocked and I don't know it.
The good news is, if he were blocked, you'd find out pretty quickly? My understanding is that the PU makes that significantly less likely, but not 100% impossible, so staying on top of hydration and keeping these cats on a long-term prescription diet is typically the safest way to go to avoid future urinary issues.

I know urinary prescription foods come in a pretty wide variety of recipes, flavors, and textures. I know raw food is more appealing on principle for a cat without specialized medical needs but, when it comes to managing a life-threatening condition that you've already established he's prone to, taking vet advice on dietary needs until he's stablized out and had a significant length of time where he's clear is probably a good idea!

I'm glad the PU helped you, too! I'm still in the recovery phase where my boy is sleeping in a dog crate, but he's been afforded more freedom over the past few days. Can I ask how long you needed to keep the cone on Pablo?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #51

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Hopefully the last update we'll need in a while:

Bloodwork, ultrasound, and urine test all looked great, which rules out infections and also rules out the possibility of organ damage from what he's been through, which is a relief. Working theory is that he just didn't respond well to that particular prescription diet, it upset his stomach, and he had the zest to get properly fussy about it once he got his strength back after surgery, so we're putting him on a food that's way more gentle. It's basically a calorie-rich paste that should still inhibit bladder crystal formation. Also giving him some meds to help settle his tummy over the next few days.

The bad news is that he's been sedated so much the past month between all the procedures and surgery and hospitalizations that he's developed a tolerance to the drugs, and the amount they had to give him to be able to do those tests ended up being a bit too much. I was told it got scary for a moment in clinic, but the team was able to reverse the sedation and bring him out of it ok. I've got a VERY high cat on my hands right now, but he should be fine given a bit of time and rest.

TL;DR - He's okay, nothing wrong with him that time and some gentle care won't fix, but we really need to avoid putting him through any more vet visits for the foreseeable future.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #54

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
Just a quick update: he's still doing wonderfully! The new food agrees with him--Hills i/d chicken stew, which he loves! I've been told it's formulated to prevent more of the urine crystals that kicked off this whole fiasco, but lacks the harshness of the prescription diet we'd used to initially dissolve them.

He's still sleeping quite a bit but it WAS a major surgery, he's still on the mend, and he's still in a cone and not allowed to play vigorously so I think he's getting bored. I'm also still attending his litter box habits pretty closely, making sure he's passing urine in a full stream (he is!) and he's clean if he has any accidents (there's no sign of incontinence, but he's still re-learning how to aim). His incision is fully closed now, but the cone will stay on until it's no longer that freshly-healed pink.

Between naps, he's fully back to normal! I missed my boy, and it's been such a relief to get him back from the brink.
 

Attachments

FurBallHugger

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Oct 9, 2021
Messages
3
Purraise
0
Hi all! First time poster, looking for some reassurance from other cat parents!

My three year-old cat had a PU surgery on Friday, to save his life.

We had a miserable run of things to get to this point. He blocked four times in a week, despite repeated catherization and every medical treatment we could think of, and when it happened again the only option left on the table was a PU surgery--he was so stressed and weak that we couldn't justify continuing to put him through the pain of blocking repeatedly with no sign of improvement and an inability to stay clear for more than 12 hours.

He's now two and a half days out, and the bulk of his healing has been beautiful. Minimal bruising, much less pain, healthy appetite, peeing like a champion. My only remaining fear is that, following a bout of diarrhea, he seems to have spent the last day leaking poop and not realizing he's doing it. I'm not surprised he's got the runs after what he's been through, but I'm worried all the same.

I was told to expect urinary incontinence following surgery, but a lot of what I'm seeing about fecal incontinence following this procedure is saying it's permanent nerve damage.

Has anybody had this happen and resolve, or had a cat experience leaky bum after antibiotics and/or stress? I'll be calling the vet in the morning regardless.

I'm also concerned for keeping his surgical site clean; I'd love any ideas on that front! Currently I'm gentle patting him clean with damp cloths every hour or so, trying to avoid the stitches, but I'm concerned.
 

Attachments

FurBallHugger

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Oct 9, 2021
Messages
3
Purraise
0
HI ALL FOLKS who had to deal with irritable bowel and/or Clostridium invasion and colonization of gut after a surgery. It is a hell of a time to finally wipe out and replace with other gut flora to stop terminal runs. My kitten Monza had this AND a dry form FIP sister-so tricky.
I had this issue with Monza for almost 2 years-I had to go about wiping despite 6 litter pans two floors. Pre and after work I had to pick her up, wipe her then track down sniffing twice a day. Anything more than 1 room kitten couldn't make it. SO I did my research on cat AND HUMAN problems with surgery or anti biotic wipe out of gut causing massive problems. Step one is that a non colonizing bacteria is used in nursing homes WHILE forcing a far MORE complex blend than that blasted forti flora-which does NOT have a complex bacterial blend-only two not 8.
I did a hell of alot of broth manufacture and pushed blended home made turkey or beef pate diets that I mixed in the more complex bacterial blend with the non colonizing-and to ALL the blobs not just one. It eventually worked and for about 2 years until she got pleural effusion at 16 no runs in any of my monsters. It also worked with a coon who had to do a massive Medvet intensive hospital stay when he crashed after the vet insulin didn't work and he had to go to drips and Lantus.
I weeded out all my valarian by accident but I discovered that when I puree the diet stuff-or go to scrip diets rubbing the bowls with V root and catnip and cat mint DID help. Also I think the bit of pumpkin(canned) and spinach in I AM A PEOPLE FOOD SO A IT IS ILLEGAL I WILL STEAL THIS helps. The blobs encourage each other-especially if the location seems illegal.

Do NOT think you cannot hit the Cornell or other vet sites and/or look up human research to try non registered vet products in the US that had results in other countries. We used a non FDA for cats on Monza I dug up (now listed Cornell Feline) to FINALLY shake that persistent clostridium. AND check back-I had another cat go down with bone marrow destroyer on another recommended drug (at the time) which, after I gave up him when his blood hit NO WBC and a RBC count of 4 I found Cornell altered the informaiton to say 1 cat of either 7 or 9 died. Vets and studies alter over time and there is no way the average practitioner can spend the time to actually do a good thorough search for hours on a problem. My library has access through their computers and some on line to some juried medical sites Anybody with even ANCIENT graduate biology training (me) can bone up a bit and find out information and if you clip, paste and reference (I use WP-kiss off Word) even specialist practitioner are very willing to try non standard treatments IF it is legal for them. DO NOT TRY TO SMUGGLE DRUGS in no matter how tempted!
(I was the person who found out Paris was shipping human sera via Maastric via boarding a plane finding wet boxes and ripping open a box to find crushed ampules of what I shook out the paperwork and translated into 50 boxes of live AIDS in transit all over US).
I had an EXTREMELY interesting 1 am call to Beltsville on that.
USDA APHIS former FIS bug cop-retired.
 

Tik cat's mum

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
2,732
Purraise
8,270
Location
UK
Just a quick update: he's still doing wonderfully! The new food agrees with him--Hills i/d chicken stew, which he loves! I've been told it's formulated to prevent more of the urine crystals that kicked off this whole fiasco, but lacks the harshness of the prescription diet we'd used to initially dissolve them.

He's still sleeping quite a bit but it WAS a major surgery, he's still on the mend, and he's still in a cone and not allowed to play vigorously so I think he's getting bored. I'm also still attending his litter box habits pretty closely, making sure he's passing urine in a full stream (he is!) and he's clean if he has any accidents (there's no sign of incontinence, but he's still re-learning how to aim). His incision is fully closed now, but the cone will stay on until it's no longer that freshly-healed pink.

Between naps, he's fully back to normal! I missed my boy, and it's been such a relief to get him back from the brink.
I'm so glad he's doing well. And what a lovely picture.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #60

Stargirl0623

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
72
Purraise
137
Location
Canada
An update!

He's now a month out from surgery, and continues to flourish. We want to avoid overgrooming of a very delicate area so he still wears the cone when I can't watch him, but gets more and more supervised freedom each day. His mobility is nearly back to normal, he's got the go-ahead from the surgeon to resume jumping up and down from various perches and engage in some light play, so he isn't crated at all anymore. He'll still be watched for signs of stricture for the next few months, but we're past most of the danger points now.

This surgery was the most stressful thing I've dealt with as a pet parent, but it's given him back his life. He's back to being a happy little dude!
 

Attachments

Top