Lactulose For Potential Intestine Obstruction

[Khali14]

Hello all,

I've been perusing these forums a couple of times over the last few months, but I never took the time to create an account.

my cat Khaleesi, over the last couple of days, started making those wheezing sounds. She's never had hair balls before but she coughed up one on Saturday morning. The wheezing continued on and off and, on Monday morning, she threw up two small elastics (the plastic kind kids use for their hair, or their dolls). I took her to the vet and the x-ray shows part of her intestines are swollen; there's air trapped in as well and an obstruction. We can't see if it's another elastic although improbable, he said. So it might be hair, something she's eaten...

Because she was eating, taking fluids and she was alert, he gave her an injection for the nausea and gave her lactulose to help expell whatever's stuck there. She has no fever, her abdomen was soft and seemed to be in no pain, so... She ate this morning and not much else since then. Some treats. The lactulose has started its work, her stool was really soft and kind of stringy with some hair.

Can cats's appetite decrease when taking lactulose? I read it can create cramps and make them uncomfortable? Also, when she was done in the litterbox earlier, she made this small, short wheeze. Can it be due to efforting while pooping? The vet said to bring her right away if she threw up again, but she doesn't seem nauseaous...She had an episode of constipation last year so she took lactulose then too, but she was dehydrated so they kept her until she was better. I have to call them tomorrow to give them news but I'm hoping she'll poop hair or something, and she'll be fine...

Thanks for your input, hopefully I worry too much and she'll be ok...

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm sorry you haven't gotten a reply!
How are things now? Have you been back to the vet yet, or rather, called them?
Is she eating better?
Is her breathing ok?

 

[Timmer]

It sounds like the lactulose is doing what it is supposed to be doing. I think you need to wait a little bit. She's eating now right?

Might be a good idea to pick up around the house anything she can get into her mouth and eat. View the house as though you had an infant in it.

Start brushing her regularly, every other day at least.

The wheezing might be from an allergy. Food or even dust from the cat litter. How old is this kitty and what do you feed her? Wet? Dry?

Hang in there. I think it's gonna be OK.

 

[Khali14]

Hi! I'm sorry you haven't gotten a reply!
How are things now? Have you been back to the vet yet, or rather, called them?
Is she eating better?
Is her breathing ok?

Hey,
things are...I'm avoiding my anxious mind and say she's ok. I called the vet today to give him news about how it's going, but Khaleesi worries me because she made some wheezing sounds again today. She's eaten this morning, had water and treats. She's never had a big appetite but at least she still has one.

When I tried to give her the lactulose earlier she started wheezing. I was careful handling her but she did that so I let her go, I'll wait until the vet calls me back before trying to give it to her again. Otherwise her breathing seems ok. She doesn't make a lot of poop yet but so far it was very soft with many hair in it. Like, if it weren't for the litter and the hair, her stool would be diarhea so I'm guessing hair is what's obstruing her intestines...

 

[Furballsmom]

So, she doesn't have a runny or crusty nose?
Do you have a small humidifier, you could put her under a tent and run it for a while, or in the bathroom, run a steamy shower, basically you're trying to help open her airways with the warm steam. I know the humidifier isn't warm, but...
Anyway, in the bathroom, about 10 minutes 2-3 times a day.

 

[Khali14]

It sounds like the lactulose is doing what it is supposed to be doing. I think you need to wait a little bit. She's eating now right?

Might be a good idea to pick up around the house anything she can get into her mouth and eat. View the house as though you had an infant in it.

Start brushing her regularly, every other day at least.

The wheezing might be from an allergy. Food or even dust from the cat litter. How old is this kitty and what do you feed her? Wet? Dry?

Hang in there. I think it's gonna be OK.

That's what I thought too, until the wheezing earlier when I went to give her the lactulose. She eats, not that much but again, she's never had a big appetite (she has a healthy weight, vet checked on Monday).

I am brushing her and everything she could get was picked up. The thing is that she was much more active before receiving lactulose this morning. It probably gives her cramps or makes her uncomfortable while the medicine works, although she's relaxed in her sleep.

Khali's around 4 1/2, 5 yrs-old, I guess. She stumbled into my driveway one day and I adopted her. She's a mix of Korat and Nebulung. She eats both wet and dry food. The vet will call back later to check on her so I'll talk to him about the wheezing...

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Khali14]

So, she doesn't have a runny or crusty nose?
Do you have a small humidifier, you could put her under a tent and run it for a while, or in the bathroom, run a steamy shower, basically you're trying to help open her airways with the warm steam. I know the humidifier isn't warm, but...
Anyway, in the bathroom, about 10 minutes 2-3 times a day.

Hello,

no, nothing of the sort. She started wheezing about a week ago, coughed up a hairball and two small plastic elastics, and now she's being treated for something obstructing her intestines. Her heart and lungs were ok when checked by the vet. She doesn't even make those sounds when I pick her up, only after/when I administer the lactulose...I will try the steamy shower, see what happens with her

 

[Khali14]

Khaleesi is now much better. I am only going to give her the lactulose once every few days since she is going to the litter box regularly. Seems that what was obstructing her intestines was hair. Lots of it.

She prefers wet food at the moment but that’s fine, I’m just happy her appetite is up. She has much more energy too, she is pretty much back to her old self.

 

[Furballsmom]

This is terrific news!! Thank you so much for the update!