Miralax dosing and response time

[mrsgreenjeens]

I used 1/8th to 1/4 teas. twice a day for two of my guys who had chronic constipation and would adjust the amount accordingly. If their stools got too soft, I would decrease the amount of the Miralax, but not the timing. If you give it every other day, I'm afraid he may get constipated again

 

[scoochmom]

I don't know what to do, I'm so confused. Both of my guys have diarrhea stools, nothing solid or formed. Tonight my girl was so frustrated she kept hopping out of the box and then wouldn't go near it. I got so frustrated I put them back on their dry food just to try to get them to drink again from their fountain and figure maybe they'll have more solid stools that way. I think the miralax was making my girl sick - she was very lethargic tonight. Never in my life have I had a constipated cat - now I have two in one week.

 

[maggiedemi]

Ask your vet if you can lower the dose to once a day. Three times a day sounds like it would cause the diarrhea.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I agree that too much of the Miralax may be causing the diarrhea. But in your original post you only mentioned ONE cat having diarrhea. Now that you have TWO with it, this could be something else entirely. Perhaps some sort of parasite. Unless you are giving them BOTH the Miralax, and if you are giving Miralax to a cat who does not need it, then certainly it could cause diarrhea in that cat. I think we need more information here. Which cat was originally in the ER for constipation. Let's use names of the cats...it's so much easier to keep them straight.

Yes, dry food will probably help with the diarrhea since, afterall, it's dry. However, if you feed that AND stop the Miralax, you might start up the issue of constipation again. I don't know because I don't know the history of what caused the constipation in the first place. But I would suggest calling your Vet and letting them know he's having diarrhea on the amount of Maralax prescribed and see what they say.

As far as your girl being lethargic on it, WHY is she on it...she wasn't the one in the ER, right? Is she dehydrated from the diarrhea?

 

[foxxycat]

yes lower the dose. once a day 1/8 to 1/4 is what I give my girls. you can try canned plain pumpkin to bulk up the stools for now-it usually helps within 12 hours. or cheese? but don't worry it will go back to normal. The dose is trial and error. one of my cats needed a higher dose and my other cat just a pinch of it in her watery tuna is what works...cut back.

 

[scoochmom]

Ok, my cays are Scoochie, male, and Mooshie, female. Scoochie was in the er. I took him because I panicked when he hadn't peed for 24 hours. I read this was consideted a medical emergency. I'll go back to the beginning. The Saturday before last, Scoochie was having trouble pooping. He went to the litter box about 6 times with no results. Finally, the next night , Sunday, he passed a large hard stool. I read an article by Dr. Lisa Pierson at catinfo.org about getting cats off dry food because it causes constipation. I took them both off dry food that day and put them on wet food 4 times a day. Immediately, they stopped drinking from their fountain because they weren't eating dry anymore. I noticed that Mooshie was also not passing stools. I could only afford one cat visit to the er so I took Scoochie. The xray showed stool in his colon so they gave him an enema and fluids. The vet told me to start both cats on mialax and they would have to be on it for life. I was giving it three times a day for about five days and both of them had diarrhea- none of their stools have been firm or solid. Scoochie hasn't pooped for two days now and Mooshie went last night and this morning. Neither of them have peed today at all. I don't know how a parasite would get into them, they are indoor cats and I keep their litter box very clean.

I didn't give them miralax today because I was concerned about how Mooshie reacted last night after pooping - she got very frustrated and lethargic for a few hours. I will give them both miralax in their food tonight, 1/4 tsp and see what happens.

 

[foxxycat]

the switch of food is too fast. 2 to 3 weeks to totally switch them. start with 1/4 of new food and 3/4 old food...slowly switch.

 

[scoochmom]

Actually, their diet was always canned food three times a day and dry in their bowls. I just added an extra wet feeding and took away the dry. They went without dry since Sunday before last and I broke down yesterday and bought the dry again hoping it would spur them to drink water again. Mooshie's drinking but Scooch hasn't. I also add a teaspoon of water to their wet feedings. I can't understand why they aren't peeing more.

 

[maggiedemi]

You said Scoochie hasn't pooped for two days, was he taking Miralax the past two days?

 

[scoochmom]

Yes, he had a quarter teaspoon yesterday

 

[maggiedemi]

So he went from having diarrhea, then back to being constipated in just two days? They have to pee at least once every 24 hours or it becomes an emergency. Once every 12 hours is better, but once every 24 hours at the very least.

 

[scoochmom]

I would say they've been going 1-2 times a day (pee) but everything I read says a canned food diet means they would be peeing more but they were definitely peeing a lot more when they were drinking from the water fountain when they had all day access to dry food.

 

[maggiedemi]

Okay, good. I'm so glad they are peeing! Are you doing the Miralax every day or every other day?

 

[scoochmom]

I was going to do it every other day but I think I should do it every day. I just gave them their dinner - 1/4 tsp for Scooch and 1/8 for Mooshie.

 

[scoochmom]

Good news, Mooshie passed a decent stool, it looked like a long string bean, but at least it was soft, not watery. Scooch has still not pooped in now 2 days. He's had about three doses of Miralax 1/4 tsp. and a small handful of dry food, which I am assuming is what helped Mooshie pass a decent stool. Is it normal to wait this long after three doses of Miralax?

 

[maggiedemi]

That's good about Mooshie, but not good about Scooch. If you tried once a day for 2 days and it didn't work, you might have to go back to twice a day like some of the others said, as long as it doesn't give him diarrhea again. Of course check with your vet. Let us know how it goes.

 

[scoochmom]

I'm really worried about Scooch. It's been three days since he passed anything at all and I gave him miralax twice today. I feel guilty for putting them back on dry and I took it away again. I don't know what else to do. There's no way I can afford another vet visit for an enema. I'm afraid he could die from this!

 

[scoochmom]

What I'm hearing now is that miralax only works on mewly forming stools and not ones that are already hardened. Now I really don't know what to do.

 

[maggiedemi]

Did he poop this morning? I've never heard of a cat going from diarrhea to constipation so fast. Maybe when you skipped that one day of the Miralax, it sounds like he needs it every day. Call your vet and ask if 3 doses a day would fix it. I wouldn't wait another day if he doesn't poop today though, 4 days is too long. Please let us know how it goes...

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

What I'm hearing now is that miralax only works on mewly forming stools and not ones that are already hardened. Now I really don't know what to do.

I'm not sure if this is really true or not. since it works by drawing water into the colon (to help unblock the colon of excess stool) I don't see how it could NOT work on the older, hardened stool

All I can tell you for sure is that when I, personally, took it at the time it required a prescription, my dr. told me it did not work right away like a laxative would. So I figure it's the same with cats, and that's why with them, if they are prone to chronic constipation, they must have it on a very regular basis or they will get backed up again.