Hi Katherine,
First, I saw on another post that Moonbeam has passed. I'm so sorry.
I'm glad I found this conversation because I'm having issues with my Betsy Jo and constipation since December. She had lost 4-5 pounds and stopped eating her wet food. She started crying and had what I thought was diarrhea. X-rays at the emergency vet proved constipation. We got the first blockage out with subq fluids and lactulose. At the end of January it was back. I took her to my regular vet for more x-rays and an enema. The vet was concerned about a blockage or perhaps cancer. The internist did an ultrasound, found nothing of note, except a possible issue with lymph nodes? (I don't have the paperwork with me) but she said that could also have been elevated due to the enema and general trauma the area was experiencing. She had me start Miralax to see if that worked. The appointment was Monday and by Friday night Betsy Jo had an epic poop that cleared her out. But now, about 3 weeks later, she is straining, howling, and leaking poop droplets after dinner.
The vet has me give her 1/8 tsp Miralax twice a day with canned food. I am not sure what to do next. I do wonder if I have not been getting the Miralax mixed up enough in her food, as I didn't know to mix it with water first. Could that be it? I will start doing that with tonight's feeding. I maxed out my credit cards taking care of these issues up until now, and I will have to find more funds to take her back to the vet, but if there is anything I can do in the meantime to see what the issue is, I would love the advice.
How is Betsey Jo doing, have you had any better luck with solving the constipation? I have usually found that crude fiber does not work nearly as well as soluble fiber for constipation in difficult cats. The best source of soluble fiber that I have used is psyllium fiber, which is branded under the name of Metamucil. Unfortunately this brand contains either sugar or artificial sweeteners but will work in a pinch.Your best bet would be to purchase just the raw psyllium husk powder without the flavorings. It is unlikely that you could use too much, however I would start with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon twice a day. It would also be important to add water to the wet food once you add the psyllium otherwise it will dry the food out and make it more difficult to digest. A good way to do the mixing is to measure the psyllium out onto the plate and then add enough water that the psyllium forms a syrup type consistency and then mix the canned food into that syrup mixture thoroughly.
I hope this helps.