Megacolon in cats - Need information

artiemom

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in the meantime, can you try a bit of Laxatone? Until you find a specialist...

Also, some people use ground up psylium husks... .... really a ton of information from the FB group...
They are not judgey people.. just concerned...

And please, for the sake of your kitty, and you.. find an internal med Vet, asap... we can only advise, not prescribe..

But I think you have/had a clear path in your mind, as what to do...some people here were just echoing what you decided...

We just want the best for your kitty. We all know how it feels to go through this...
 

whitydot

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Hi All - Sorry about the long post, but I want to give as much information as possible in the hopes that it will give those of you with background with megacolon in cats a better chance to respond.

I have a cat who has become severely obstructed 3 times now. This is a colony cat my husband and I took in about 7 years ago. While not a true feral, he has feral tendencies, if that make any sense. I have taken him to 2 different vets. The first vet called it megacolon and put him on a Royal Canin Fiber Response diet. This vet forcibly cleared his system under sedation which resulted in a shorter stay in the clinic but significantly higher bill and what seemed to be a longer recovery time. He seemed to do OK afterwards but, I felt he continued to be constipated. I give him access to water and different boxes to choose from. At this time I researched megacolon and read that this tends to be progressive. I tried talking to the vet about this but she seemed to discount my concerns. As I look back on it, I think he has had a level of constipation ever since we first brought him inside (we did so because he had developed sever conjunctivitis and was a risk of becoming coyote food). He would scoot his butt across the floor. I thought it was a sign of inflamed anal glands, but now I am wondering if it wasn't in fact a sign of his constipation.

When he became obstructed again, I could not get into the first vet so I had to take him to a different clinic. The second clinic did a series of anemias until his system had cleared. This resulted in a longer clinic stay, a significantly lower bill and a cat with a shiny coat and a very quick transition back home. She then recommended a normal diet with lactulose three times a day. Nate is not a cat you can walk up to, pick up and give medicine to. Actually, he is not one who you can simply walk up to. I tried explaining this to the vet and she discounted my concerns saying I just need to rearrange the furniture so that there is nothing for him to get under. I also explained that I think this is a chronic, and again felt discounted.

I put him back on the Royal Canin Fiber Response food, gave him the lactulose when I could and he did very well for awhile. In fact, he seemed to be doing better then I have seen him do in a long time. He was more active and his coat was shinier. However, I ran into a problem with buying the exact same food from PetsMart. They did not consistently carry the Fiber Response food, but instead had another version by Royal Canin called Gastro-Intestinal. I questioned it and was assured that it was the same food, only different packaging. However, the kibble itself did not look the same.

Within a few weeks he was completely obstructed again. Back to the second vet for another 4 day stay and 12 anemias to clear his system. When I picked him up I asked could he poo on his own. She could only say that his system was clear and keep him on the lactulose. I asked about a low residue diet and she emphatically said no. However, they also gave us the wrong cat to take home, an error thanks to COVID protocols and a very thick towel in the carrier, we did not discover until we got home....so my confidence in this vet is somewhat shaken.

My question here are; If this is truly megacolon, is it progressive? Should I be thinking about a low residue diet and if so, where do I get information on it? Should I try a raw food diet? Should I be looking into surgical options for him? When I asked about surgery at our last vet visit, I was told the cost of surgery runs between $2,000 and $10,000. I have read that the prognosis after surgery is excellent, but I would like to confirm that. $2,000 for surgery we would probably do, but $10,000 is a lot of money in these uncertain COVID times. Are there other treatment options I should investigate or ask a vet about?

Oh, and when I compare the two Royal Canin foods, the Fiber Response food is 4.7% fiber and the Gastro-Intestinal is 7.4% fiber. Unless there is a misprint on the label he was doing better on a food with less fiber.

I am struggling with navigating the right course for this cat, any information will help. Thank you so much.
Hi, sorry about your cat! I have been going through the same thin with my cat Mojo...2 different vets, lots of money and I found two thing that have corrected the problem. I found a liquid called Bowel~Digestive Care for pets. Put out by Newton Homeopathics at newtonlabs.net. It is formulated for associated symptoms such as loose stools,constipation, flatulence, vomiting and poor appetite. I got the bottle I have at a health food store but one can get it online also. It is a liquid without flavor (I tasted it myself) and you only give 3 drops 15 minutes before each meal and it works. YEA IT WORKS and the cat feels better and is more active. He was all stressed out when I was taking him to the vet.
I had been giving him Metamucil and Lactalose but it did not work so well, then I found this and also gave the Lactalose but the stool got loose so I haven't been using the Lactalose and the drops seem to be working great.
 

tnl

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We had a cat with the same issue. He was almost 20 lbs. and would get blocked on a regular basis. Our vet recommended Miralax. I gave him 1/8 teaspoon twice a day in his favorite wet food with a little bit of water and it did the trick. If he showed signs of having trouble we would give him some tuna in oil. Maybe ask your vet what the proper dosage is for your cat (based on the cat's weight).
 

Moggielady

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So sorry you are dealing with this. My cat has never been diagnosed with megacolon, but she does have issues with constipation. This is made worse by her having long hair (eats more fur) and refusing to eat wet food. She had to have an enema at the vet's once too. She was prescribed lactulose and it was a nightmare to dose her out of the little plastic syringe they gave us. Our solution - after much frustration, and her getting sticky lactulose in her ruff every day! - has been to mix the lactulose into a lickable treat (Lick-E-Lix) and give her that first thing every morning. We also feed her Royal Canin Hairball. Her poops can sometimes be dryer than I'd like but she has not been obstructed again since. No idea if this will help at all but wanted to say it just in case. ps I also stay clear of social media!
 
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fuzzycat

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Thanks All

Moggielady - The first time Nate was put on lactulose the vet prescribed 1 mg 3 or 4 times a day. Nate is a colony cat. While the lactulose is sweet, catching him and medicating him 3 times a day was not going to happen. So I hear you about dosing your cat with the little plastic syringes. Right now I am adding it to Nate's food every meal. Sometimes, I think vets don't stop and think about whether their recommendations make sense for the client.

Whitydot - Metamucil has psyllium in it. Psyllium only works well if there is enough water in the gut to keep it soft. Otherwise, it will bind you and your pet up. Back in my horse days we would add it our feed because it helped to prevent sand colic (which can become life threatening). If you take it and add a little bit of water to it you can roll it up into a ball and bounce it. It becomes very sticky and tacky. This is perfect for preventing sand colic however I question it's use for cats with constipation. Miralax works by pulling water into the gut, so maybe that will be a possibility for us.

Do you know by chance what the Bowel-Digestive care is? An enzyme? I will look into it.

Poor Nate spend 3 nights at the first vets and received 12 enemas to unblock him. When they sent him home on a Friday, the vet promised he was clear (but they also gave us the wrong cat to take home so there's that). We got him home and he was still crying in the box and was rounding his back and holding his stomach like it hurt. We were able to get him into a different vet on the following Monday. This vet took x-rays and he was still blocked.

This time they had to put him under anesthesia to fully clear him. This vet seems more knowledgeable about diet and megacolon, however, she in not a specialist. Getting into a vet at all (at least where I live) is very hard these days. Most appointments are at least two weeks out and the emergency clinics charge easily an $100.00 just to walk in the door. The local specialists cost $150 for a consultation. Although, this last round with the two vets combined was over $1,200.00 so if I had confidence that $150.00 would yield an effective medical plan for Nate, I would pay it in a heartbeat.

For right now I am making him a 'soup' every meal with canned food, lactulose and what ever little goodie (like egg yolk) I can add in. Fortunately, he eats (laps) this very well. That is one small gift in all of this. However, his stools are still very hard and I have him on a high dose of lactulose. We have not tried Miralax yet, but it seems that might be our next step.

I am still concerned that Nate is a low motility cat. This is the third time he has been completely l blocked. I don't know that his poor little gut can take much more.

I have not yet picked any bone broth (Covid is crazy bad in my area) but that looks like it might be a good recommendation. I might see if I can order it online. I will also look into the Bowel-Digestive care.

Thanks all - This helps.
 

artiemom

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As I said previously: try cisapride... it does help... prescription..
 
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fuzzycat

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Right, thank you.

I plan to call the vet Tuesday. She has not mentioned anything to increase motility but maybe if I push she will. I can talk to her, so there is hope.
 

LTS3

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Do you know by chance what the Bowel-Digestive care is? An enzyme? I will look into it.

It looks like a homeopathic remedy / supplement with a bunch of herbs and such: Bowel Digestive Care

I would ask the vet first before using such supplements.

You can make bone broth at home yourself. Here are some recipes that have been posted on TCS:


There are commercially available cartons of bone broth for pets you can buy in pet stores and online. Here's a thread with some brands:

 
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fuzzycat

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Thanks.

If worse comes to worse I will try a custom diet. With another cat with IBD, I went to the UC Davis vet school (by going to I mean online). They have a program where they will give you a customized diet. You need a vet's authorization. They have a powder they sell (am blanking on the name) that has the taurine etc all blended together and they give you instructions on how much to mix to create a balanced food.

For that cat I ran into problems because he did not like either the smell or taste of the supplement. But this is a different cat, so who knows. Nate is liking the soup with the lactulose so I could get lucky. I ended up using Instinct raw food diet with the IBD cat and that helped.
 
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fuzzycat

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I will give the bone broth a try.
 

LTS3

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If worse comes to worse I will try a custom diet. With another cat with IBD, I went to the UC Davis vet school (by going to I mean online). They have a program where they will give you a customized diet. You need a vet's authorization. They have a powder they sell (am blanking on the name) that has the taurine etc all blended together and they give you instructions on how much to mix to create a balanced food.
It's probably BalanceIt. That company makes custom diets and sells a specific pre-mix like powder to turn the recipe into a complete diet.

I ended up using Instinct raw food diet with the IBD cat and that helped.

I feed my IBD cat Instinct raw rabbit. He'll eat other brands of raw but my other cat won't so it's just easiest to just buy and feed one brand.
 

whitydot

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As I said previously: try cisapride... it does help... prescription..
Cisapride was discontinued as a human drug because it caused heart problems so they use it on animals now. It was prescribed for my cat but I quit giving it when I found out.
 

artiemom

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Cisapride was discontinued as a human drug because it caused heart problems so they use it on animals now. It was prescribed for my cat but I quit giving it when I found out.
I understand your hestiancy... but, if it is a matter of life and quality of life... and when there are no other options... well, you have to decide..

I asked the same questions to my VETS... all of them.. even the cardiologist.. There have been no studies in animals on the effect of cisapride and animal hearts... You just have to be cautious...

I hope you can help your cats megacolon, mobility issues without using it, but for some, it is necessary...
Good Luck....
 

whitydot

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Well, I am leaving this conversation as it seems everyone here is rich enough to spent thousands on vets and meds , I just don't fit into your money bracket and by the way, my cat is doing great on the Bowel~Digestive Care which cost 18.00 for 1 oz in which I give 3 drops a5 min before each meal. Spend all your money if you want, I have had many cats in my lifetime and they have all lived to be elderly so I am blessed! Happiness & Joy
 

artiemom

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Well, I am leaving this conversation as it seems everyone here is rich enough to spent thousands on vets and meds , I just don't fit into your money bracket and by the way, my cat is doing great on the Bowel~Digestive Care which cost 18.00 for 1 oz in which I give 3 drops a5 min before each meal. Spend all your money if you want, I have had many cats in my lifetime and they have all lived to be elderly so I am blessed! Happiness & Joy
I am sorry you feel this way...
No, we are not rich... at least I am not.. I paid thousands out of pocket for my guy...
That is an unfair statement for any of us striving to find the correct help for our loves...

We are here to be supportive of each other...

I am glad that this OTC med is helping your kitty.. I really am.. but, this poster is just calling out for help... Yes, you are blessed.. You truly are... I am happy for you..

FWIW, I tried that stuff for my guy, in the beginning.. It gave him severe cramps.. so it does not work for everyone. Personally, I tried all OTC stuff before going into the heavy duty drugs...

You have been so fortunate to have elderly. healthy cats, your entire life.. some of us are not as fortunate.. I have had 3 cats in a row with issues.... all different ones... in all different houses.. different food being fed also.. It is just a luck of the draw...

I wish you well... any your kitties...
 

tnl

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Have you tried Cat Lax at all? My big guy really liked it. You could put it in the food. Again, I highly recommend Miralax. You could even sprinkle it on dry food.
 
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fuzzycat

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Hi all,

I took Nate back to the vets for a check. We did not do an x-ray but so far so good, he is finally beginning to poo a little more regularly. It seemed to take forever before his system started to move again. I was getting worried.

I have added bone broth to his soup with some salmon oil, along with the lactulose. I have also started adding Miralax, but I plan to creep up on that slowly. The bone broth is a huge hit, all of my cats love it. That is a great recommendation.

I am fortunate in that Nate is great about drinking his soup. It would be another matter if I had to catch him and medicate him several times a day. He is not that trusting.

I do struggle with spending thousands of dollars on vet bills. I also find that the veterinary medicine industry has become very corporate, and some clinics tend to run up bills unnecessarily. Years ago, it was not like that. Years ago I had the utmost respect for veterinarians.

One example, we had a cat, who was a 'colony cat' . He was FIV positive and had stomatitis. We did what we could to manage his stomatitis. When he was about 12 ish, he developed a large growth in a gland right under his jaw. It came on quickly and was pressing on his throat making it difficult for him to swallow. I had to force feed him. He was going down hill fast. Our vet could not determine if it was a cyst or a tumor. If it was a cyst and it could be removed, then he had a chance. My husband took him to a surgical specialist to see if it was operable. It was not, then we would put him down the next day. Now my husband is not good in these situations and he was not the one force feeding the cat so he was not as aware of what was happening as I was, but I had to work and we had to act fast. The surgical specialist said it was not operable but convinced my husband to do a biopsy on the gland below the one enlarged to see if it was cancerous. The problem was if the biopsy was negative we would still be in the dark and none of it mattered because the enlarged gland was not operable. The worse part was we were told that it would take 4 to 5 days to get the biopsy result back. I didn't know if I was going to be able to keep the cat a live for another 4 or 5 days. He was down below 6 lbs. The vet had to be aware. I am surprised he survived the aesthesia for the biopsy.

In other words we spend $900.00 on a specialist who performed an invasive procedure on an FIV cat with stomatitis who had days left to live. It was unnecessary and I felt was abusive.

Now, I realize not all vets are like that, but it is harder to find one who will work with you.

It can be difficult for us as pet owners to find a balance between providing appropriate care for our pets without going into excessive debt. I suspect it something we are all dealing with.
 
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fuzzycat

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Oh, and thank you for the heads up on Cisapride. I had done some basic research on it and did not catch that. I am hoping that what I am doing now will hold for awhile.

Fingers crossed!
 
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