Help - Desperate Can Miralax Make Your Cat Really Ill?

[Furballsmom]

i will take her to the vet.. and they can feel her tummy to see how much is in there.. and i will go from there in think ...

I think she's really lucky to have you as her person!!
I can't speak to the miralax - I've never had to do this but maybe @Pouncecat1 or someone else will have a chance to chime in. Hang in there - sending you loads of good thoughts!!

 

[jwhite]

I think she's really lucky to have you as her person!!
I can't speak to the miralax - I've never had to do this but maybe @Pouncecat1 or someone else will have a chance to chime in. Hang in there - sending you loads of good thoughts!!

Thanks for your thoughts!!!
Scoobie has 8cm poo in her that is soft. The vet says do the lactalose tonight rather than leaving it so she gets bunged up. Fingers crossed lactalose works again after changing her laxatives so much

 

[Furballsmom]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

 

[jwhite]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

I am going to get the cisapride and i have seen other threads today... and i am going to try cat probiotics.... yes i am desperate .. but if a cat is unwell all time it is QOL isn't it..

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[laura mae]

oh wow thank you for being so informative!! and thank you for waitangi day!!
it is weird as when she was on LACTALOSE she only went every third day when i gave her the laxative.. 3mls 7.00pm 3mls 7.30pm and then 3mls 9.30pm.. it would like sloppy poo and then runny.. but the vet (as she goes twice a week to the vet always has a feel lately).. always said she had a little bit in there.. but it was always "soft"..
since the MIRALAX (2 x a day) ... she goes every 24 hours... 3cm quite hard poo.. (not rock hard) but the vet now says .. shes got a little in there... which is "hard"...
SO... i think you are right!!!!
she is only 2.6 kg... so 1/4 twice a day is a lot for her size i would think.. so it probably isn't working very well... she has lost a lot of weight... she used to be 3.5kg...
specialist says now.. we need xrays... then a biopsy... to test her inflammed intestines to try and figure out why it stopped working 5 years ago... (she never went after getting sick without laxative assistance).. or it could be the high calcium that is causing it... they say it is a complicated case....
i can get cisapride made to order (as they don't make it for humans anymore)... it's $500.00 a month.. i will do anything for scoobs... is any one using cisapride without lactalose or miralax as assistance?

I also use Cisapride for the same kitty that uses the Miralax. Booberry the cat. The compounding pharmacy makes it into a liquid for him. I pay $63.00 a month for it though. Sort of an odd twist that it would be more expensive in NZ.

 

[jwhite]

I also use Cisapride for the same kitty that uses the Miralax. Booberry the cat. The compounding pharmacy makes it into a liquid for him. I pay $63.00 a month for it though. Sort of an odd twist that it would be more expensive in NZ.

oh where do you live? does it keep for longer than a month?

 

[jwhite]

oh dear.. here's a bad update..
i ended up giving scoobs 14ml of lactalose over 14 hours.. she finally went poo.. the biggest i have ever seen her do.. very mushy but not like water.. she went downhill an hour before she did it... it is 10 hours later and she is so ill still and not eating... and not drinking water.. i took her to the vet worried after the runnyish poo she would need sub cut fluids... i thought she would have come around by now.. but no..
i cried all the way back from the vet... i have done this to her.. i am making her sick...
everytime i give her either lactalose or miralax she gets sick... i am at my wits end...
i will never give her that much lactalose again... but i know she won't go poo without a lot at once..
if i give it to her each day like 2mls a day... she is just sick all the time and then never goes.. i have rung a hollistic vet and they are calling me tomorrow...
i can't eat or sleep i just stare at her every move..
the specialist is crap... they have not even got back to me since monday and i have rung her every day and also emailed her..

 

[Furballsmom]

oh my goodness, hang in there!

i have rung a hollistic vet and they are calling me tomorrow...

How is she now? Is she eating? can you get her to eat with tempting goodies?

 

[di and bob]

Have you tried giving the laxatives, one every other day to see if that helps? Maybe it is giving the same one several days in a row that is making her sick. Lactalose is very high in sugar, Miralax's main ingredient is polyethylene glycol 3350, a derivative from the main ingredient that makes up antifreeze. In small doses it is safe and fine to use, they give it to children for years, but day after day may build up in the system. I give 1/4 teaspoon of Miralax twice daily to my cats, but not long term. I think changing kinds could help, lets hope the holistic person can help.

 

[Columbine]

Late to this. The active ingredient in Miralax is Macrogol 3350. Other brands for humans are Movicol and Laxido. (I'm in the UK, and those are the brands we have here). Your vet may know it by one of those names, if that's any help

I have used both Movicol and lactulose in high quantities myself (thanks to meds side effects and gasteroparesis). Both can make you feel pretty sore and sick, especially if there's a blockage somewhere. I'm so sorry your current vet hasn't been more helpfl. Mega vibes that this holistic vet can help, and that your girl feels a LOT better soon.

 

[Columbine]

Late to this. The active ingredient in Miralax is Macrogol 3350. Other brands for humans are Movicol and Laxido. (I'm in the UK, and those are the brands we have here). Your vet may know it by one of those names, if that's any help

Miralax/Movicol is an osmotic laxative, meaning it draws water into the poop to soften it. If it takes a few days to work, it's pretty common for it to cause very soft, full poops. That in itself, whilst not pleasant, is within the bounds of normal - in my experience, anyway.

I have used both Movicol and lactulose in high quantities myself (thanks to meds side effects and gasteroparesis). Both can make you feel pretty sore and sick, especially if there's a blockage somewhere. I'm so sorry your current vet hasn't been more helpful. Mega vibes that this holistic vet can help, and that your girl feels a LOT better soon.

 

[jwhite]

thank you for your time columbine! and thanks

Have you tried giving the laxatives, one every other day to see if that helps? Maybe it is giving the same one several days in a row that is making her sick. Lactalose is very high in sugar, Miralax's main ingredient is polyethylene glycol 3350, a derivative from the main ingredient that makes up antifreeze. In small doses it is safe and fine to use, they give it to children for years, but day after day may build up in the system. I give 1/4 teaspoon of Miralax twice daily to my cats, but not long term. I think changing kinds could help, lets hope the holistic person can help.

thanks di and bob for responding!!!

i set my alarm for 3.30am to check on scoobs (was so tired needed some sleep)... she seemed a bit happier.. but i couldn't really tell if she was just happy to be allowed on the deck.. so went back to sleep... i was just really checking she hadn't collapsed or died

then about 8am i hear a meow next to my head.. scoobs had climbed onto the bed and was letting me know she was there.. (this WAS her regular routine)... AWESOME!!!!!! then she had a cuddle and purred her heart out and was actually sitting there waiting for food to be handfeed to her... (yes a princess and i should never had started this.... soooooooo she is back to normal!!!!!!!! wonderful times...... and then i go to the toilet and spot in the litter box another poo.. i must have given her so much lactalose yesterday and the day before... that it was still in her system (which made her ill yesterday)... and now she has done ANOTHER poo she is feeling better (maybe her insides are not twisting about anymore?)

MY worry now is ... what to do next if every laxative makes her ill.... i have decided to give her 3mls of lactalose tonight... and see how she feels... and if she tolerates it.. might have to go to 3mls twice a day? ahhhhh.. what to do? in a perfect world... i could possibly get a balance.. enough to go poo.. but not make her SO ill...

much love... and thanks again for taking the time to read this thread...

 

[jwhite]

thanks for your time columbine to read this and thanks for your advice!!!

can i ask ... when you say LOTS of lactalose.. what was the most you have ever given and over what time period? maybe the osmotic was making her yuck as she wouldn't drink on it???? and only likes biscuits... and eats them whole as she only has four front teeth left...
i will now look up movicol and laxido....

if i could shove 1/4 of wet food down her throat... do you think metamucil helps? or does natural fibre make it harder to pass?

willing to try anything

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, so wonderful to hear she's herself!
I mentioned in an earlier post to this thread about tempting toppers for canned food such as tuna, tuna juice, broth with no salt garlic or onion, no garlic or onion baby food, goat milk, kitten food, kitten milk replacement powder or liquid, or even to heat the food a little bit. You're right, if you could get some more moisture in her system it can only help.
Do you have a water fountain? That might also help. Hang in there!

 

[jwhite]

hi there

she sometimes eats steak and salt and vinegar chips... but only like 1 fingersize bit... might try kitten milk and tuna? thank you for this!!!!!

she has just drunk some water.. yipee... and eaten 200 biscuits.. yippe again... but now she is a little down again... maybe the food is making her tummy funny.. the only thing she has had today.. is her eye drops... got film coming over them... specialist eye vet thinks it is high calcium... and went back onto prednil after giving her three days off as she was so unwell.

anyway .. the new holistic vet rang.. as the only one in nz is in three hours drive..

she was very nice and informative...

things we re doing..

1/ changing biscuits to carbo free..
2/ tonic made up for her..
3/ probiotics
4/ magnesium injection..
5/ multi vitamin with aloe vera for gut
6/ accupunture

she said scoobs still needs a chemical laxative ... but wondered if scoobs had tried coloxil... that's what i have in the draw for myself















getting anxious coming up to lactalose time.....

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! If she likes steak, you could try beef flavored canned foods or beef flavored human baby food that has no onion and no garlic in it.

 

[Columbine]

thanks for your time columbine to read this and thanks for your advice!!!

can i ask ... when you say LOTS of lactalose.. what was the most you have ever given and over what time period? maybe the osmotic was making her yuck as she wouldn't drink on it???? and only likes biscuits... and eats them whole as she only has four front teeth left...
i will now look up movicol and laxido....

if i could shove 1/4 of wet food down her throat... do you think metamucil helps? or does natural fibre make it harder to pass?

willing to try anything

My experience with lactulose and Movicol is on myself, rather than with a cat I've been on the max human dose of each at various points, but that isn't very helpful for your purposes.

I know @artiemom has extensive experience using both meds with her kitty, so she may be of more practical help than me.

 

[Timmer]

Hi. I gave my cat miralax in the food and it never made him sick. I think your kitty is just constipated.

 

[jwhite]

just an update

gave scoobs 3mls lactalose last night.. 3 mls this morning at 10am...

since both of those scoobs is down and out again and not eating..

she went poo this afternoon... well one poo and then just mustard water...

still down and out and it is now 7pm...

i know it is laxatives that get her down albiet lactalose or miralax... the specialist says it is just a "coincidence"... what a load of &*(&^%$!!!!!!!!! she also says that lactalose doesn't create high calcium... speaking to artiemom... and his vet's opinion... and my gut feeling i know it does...

i think we are behind here in our knowledge.. we have one other specialist / hospital in auckland... i have rung and left a message to have an appointment there.. you have to trust the owners thoughts... i live with scoobs 24/7... i have been with her for 13 years....

anyway.... i am now having angst giving her more lactalose tonight.. as the specialist said do it 2-3mls 2 to 3 times a day...

i will do it twice a day.. and cut it back ... i am thinking 2mls... don't really want to give her 2.5mls...?????? what is life like if you are always ill?????

plus she hates me now.. sick of pills and syringes.. bought her a water fountain.. just looked at it LOL

worse comes to worse... i might give it to her every 3rd to 4th day... give her three happy days and then give her heaps and have her sick for 20 hours... i know cats should go regularly... BUT.. as i said before can't have her feeling yuck all the time.. that is no life...

any advice?

thanks
julie