Recurring constipation, vets don’t seem to know why, appetite down

fionasmom

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I have a 5 year old rescued female who seems to have an issue with constipation. I put her on Miralax, which results in a very normal stool every 48 hours. Her appetite is slightly variable, but I don't know if it is connected to this issue. Last Friday we saw our vet who said that a bowel movement every 48 hours is completely normal, keep up the Miralax, and keep us posted.

Like you, I was not entirely happy about that response although I have a great history with this vet. So I am monitoring......
 
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catloverfromwayback

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I have a 5 year old rescued female who seems to have an issue with constipation. I put her on Miralax, which results in a very normal stool every 48 hours. Her appetite is slightly variable, but I don't know if it is connected to this issue. Last Friday we saw our vet who said that a bowel movement every 48 hours is completely normal, keep up the Miralax, and keep us posted.

Like you, I was not entirely happy about that response although I have a great history with this vet. So I am monitoring......
I wish I was still with the vets I had histories with, they were all great. I’d be more confident. We’ve only lived in this city 18 months and I only adopted Daisy a few weeks before we moved, and the way this vet practice work we never seem to see the same vet twice (doesn’t encourage me that they’re all so young, either).
 
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Thank you, you hadn! :)

I just tried it, but it didn’t come up with any results for my city - presumably they have no information about the vets here (there are quite a few, it’s a large regional city). Curses! I guess I should ask the clinic if the vets work particular days and try to stick to one for scheduled visits.
 

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I guess I should ask the clinic if the vets work particular days and try to stick to one for scheduled visits.
The best bet you have is to do just what you are proposing - find out the vet's schedules and then stick with one, as much as you can. There are so many private vet practices being bought out by larger corporations, that the 'old time' vet practices don't really exist in the same capacity they once did. A lot of them profess that you can see any of their vets at any time and get the same level of support - maybe so or maybe not. Nonetheless, picking a specific vet (and maybe finding out if they have a recommended back-up) and trying to work on their schedule is most appropriate.
 
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catloverfromwayback

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The best bet you have is to do just what you are proposing - find out the vet's schedules and then stick with one, as much as you can. There are so many private vet practices being bought out by larger corporations, that the 'old time' vet practices don't really exist in the same capacity they once did. A lot of them profess that you can see any of their vets at any time and get the same level of support - maybe so or maybe not. Nonetheless, picking a specific vet (and maybe finding out if they have a recommended back-up) and trying to work on their schedule is most appropriate.
Thank you! This is a chain of about half a dozen clinics covering the region, so hopefully they won’t be bought out. (My vet practice from twenty years back is still going strong ... probably from all the money they made from us, lol. They used to joke they’d be able to build a new wing from all our visits and they’d name it after us.) 💰😾
 
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So she did a poo at lunchtime and I’m so relieved (it was only about 36 hours, but this means not lying awake tonight waiting to hear her in there) and she was happy, wanting her dins and wanting lots of scritches and lap time. It was such a nice reminder of what a darling she is instead of mostly worrying about her health.
1D53316B-5551-40D0-ABF8-E6F160065973.jpeg
 
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catloverfromwayback

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I have a 5 year old rescued female who seems to have an issue with constipation. I put her on Miralax, which results in a very normal stool every 48 hours. Her appetite is slightly variable, but I don't know if it is connected to this issue. Last Friday we saw our vet who said that a bowel movement every 48 hours is completely normal, keep up the Miralax, and keep us posted.

Like you, I was not entirely happy about that response although I have a great history with this vet. So I am monitoring......
Does your girl have a settled pattern of every 48 hours? Daisy’s been improving since having had the Cisapride-Osmolax combination for about ten days, but it isn’t predictable. Mostly it’s every 24-ish, sometimes 36-ish, and yesterday she did two in 15 hours. At present it’s been 30 hours since the last. They’ve all been good size, play-doh consistency sausages. It’s the waiting that gets me, I’m still so anxious about her, worrying if she’ll have to have another trip to the vet if it goes over 48 hours, and losing sleep because I’m listening for her getting into the litter box at night - she and Phoebe have poos so similar I don’t know whose is whose if I don’t see them in there, and Phoebe goes far more often than Daisy, so the time scale doesn’t tell me anything.
 

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Graycie seemed to decide that she was either tired of the food into which I mixed the Miralax, or possibly the slight change in consistency, and so I discontinued it for the last few days and she has had a bowel movement every day without it. So I am quite confused. Her appetite is still variable. Your baby seems consistent right now; at least going regularly, but I understand the worry. Graycie is a rescued feral who lived in an alley and never probably saw litter in her life. She is 5, rescued 6 months ago, and will only use a litter box without litter, but a dog pee pad. So at least I do know if it is her.
 

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My 4yo spayed cat has been going for a month with this, her second bout of constipation since January. I don’t see her straining and she hasn’t vomited. She’s been on three 3ml doses of Lactulose since this started, and at first improved but then went right back to not defecating for - it was 60 hours between poops last time, it’s been around 36 hours so far today. What really worries me is that her appetite is way down. She doesn’t like wet food much, never eats a whole small sachet at the best of times, and now she’s just eating a couple of mouthfuls of her usual food (Applaws dry). The vet said she may be nauseated by the irritation in her colon and gave her an anti-nausea shot yesterday, but unlike the last time she had one it’s had little effect. He also said to get her onto Osmolax (same stuff as Miralax) which is difficult since it’s powder and there aren’t any adequate directions for dosage that I can find online. I’m worried sick (literally) about her, and what this prolonged inadequate food intake will do to her. The one good thing is she’s drinking; she’s always drunk plenty of water.
Has anyone else been through this with your cats, and if so, were you able to resolve it?
Hi. I've had very good results with Restorilax (same ingredients as Miralax) with my cats. You must mix the granules with water until fully dissolved. Then it will take the water to be stored in the colon.

My vet said start with 2 times 1/4 tsp for a 16 lb cat (one in AM and one in PM) and increase if needed. She said if his poos get too loose of liquidy to lower the dose. Easy-peasy.

She said for a 6 to 10 lbs cat she usually starts with 1/4 tsp once a day to see how that goes. (When Magnus was consitpated from IBS).

I found it works very quickly and well and quickly.

You should NOT give the other laxative at the same time is my understanding.
 

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Graycie seemed to decide that she was either tired of the food into which I mixed the Miralax, or possibly the slight change in consistency, and so I discontinued it for the last few days and she has had a bowel movement every day without it. So I am quite confused. Her appetite is still variable. Your baby seems consistent right now; at least going regularly, but I understand the worry. Graycie is a rescued feral who lived in an alley and never probably saw litter in her life. She is 5, rescued 6 months ago, and will only use a litter box without litter, but a dog pee pad. So at least I do know if it is her.
We have to give a couple days break from the Restorilax and then continue. Usually the weekends.
 
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Graycie seemed to decide that she was either tired of the food into which I mixed the Miralax, or possibly the slight change in consistency, and so I discontinued it for the last few days and she has had a bowel movement every day without it. So I am quite confused. Her appetite is still variable. Your baby seems consistent right now; at least going regularly, but I understand the worry. Graycie is a rescued feral who lived in an alley and never probably saw litter in her life. She is 5, rescued 6 months ago, and will only use a litter box without litter, but a dog pee pad. So at least I do know if it is her.
That’s very strange that she’s going more consistently without it!
 
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Hi. I've had very good results with Restorilax (same ingredients as Miralax) with my cats. You must mix the granules with water until fully dissolved. Then it will take the water to be stored in the colon.

My vet said start with 2 times 1/4 tsp for a 16 lb cat (one in AM and one in PM) and increase if needed. She said if his poos get too loose of liquidy to lower the dose. Easy-peasy.

She said for a 6 to 10 lbs cat she usually starts with 1/4 tsp once a day to see how that goes. (When Magnus was consitpated from IBS).

I found it works very quickly and well and quickly.

You should NOT give the other laxative at the same time is my understanding.
That’s the same as what I’m doing. Osmolax = Miralax = Restorilax, essentially, they all seem to have the same ingredients. Daisy has 5mg Cisapride, then 1/4 teaspoon Osmolax two hours later at 12 hour intervals. I give her the Osmolax dissolved in water in a syringe. They certainly work for her, it’s just that she doesn’t poo at consistent intervals. She did one last night, (thank goodness!) which was 33 hours since the previous.
 

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catloverfromwayback catloverfromwayback Perhaps you need to increase the dosage?
Another trick is to provide some plain, baked sweet potato or pumpkin, 1/4 tsp every other day. Sometimes it's not the water levels but the fibre levels that needs adjusting. (This is why my cats get Wureva with pumpkin 2x week)
 
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catloverfromwayback

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catloverfromwayback catloverfromwayback Perhaps you need to increase the dosage?
Another trick is to provide some plain, baked sweet potato or pumpkin, 1/4 tsp every other day. Sometimes it's not the water levels but the fibre levels that needs adjusting. (This is why my cats get Wureva with pumpkin 2x week)
I’m not sure about increasing the dosage - the Cisapride should be taking care of moving things along, shouldn’t it? I’ve seen wet poo stuck in her anus before, and reduced the dose by 1/16 teaspoon for a few days, but now am up to 1/4 teaspoon again.
Also I have nothing but a microwave for cooking pumpkin (tinned isn’t sold in Australia) and she eats very little wet food at a time, so I don’t know how effective it would be. Her dry food is high fibre grain free.
 
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