hi! new to this forum and i hope this is the right section to post this in.
can anyone think of any reason why two cats (of three) in the same household would both develop constipation within a week of each other?
cat one, last friday. husband notices he's constipated - straining a lot - and takes him to vet on saturday. they agree he is very constipated but rule out anything serious (ran labs, came back fine), and prescribe lactulose. as of today, he seems to be almost back to normal.
cat one is male, neutered, 13 years old, and a standard issue black kitty.
cat two, yesterday. i notice his little bottom is ringed in blood. wipe it off in a panic, check out the box (he had indeed just gone, a fair bit), call in an appointment. his anal glands are completely full, and are expressed. they find blood in his stool, and prescribe an antibiotic. they say that his stool is claylike and pasty, which is of concern (though doc wouldn't speculate), and run a fecal.
as of today, the fecal is negative, baby has had four doses of his antibiotic - metronidazole. but this morning, i noticed his little anus was swollen and red (as if from straining), and he has a little - pardon the expression - turtlehead poking out. i suspect constipation. i come home from work and the little turtlehead is still there, and he refuses to eat. the little turtlehead finally breaks off and is hard as a rock. so... constipation. incidentally, he just tried to go again, and nothing, but i was on the phone with the vet and she's not convinced he wasn't straining to urinate (even worse), though was relieved when i inspected him and he didn't indicate any pain when i pressed on his bladder.
kitty two is male, neutered, 4 years old, and a sphynx.
kitty one is doing okay now, and we're watching kitty two with instructions to take him to the vet tomorrow if things do not improve (and especially if they worsen), so that part is probably covered, but i'm still wondering if anyone else has experience two completely different cats in the same home becoming constipated at the same time, and what might have caused it.
no dietary changes.
also, if anyone has negative experiences with giving flagyl to cats, please do let me know before i get another dose in. my instinct is to avoid, especially since the fecal was negative, but doc just five minutes ago (as i was writing this) told me to keep giving it to him. but stopping it would not be the first time i've overridden a doctor or vet's instructions on a med, so i'm not afraid to if others are inclined to warn me strongly against it.
thanks for any insight you can offer.
can anyone think of any reason why two cats (of three) in the same household would both develop constipation within a week of each other?
cat one, last friday. husband notices he's constipated - straining a lot - and takes him to vet on saturday. they agree he is very constipated but rule out anything serious (ran labs, came back fine), and prescribe lactulose. as of today, he seems to be almost back to normal.
cat one is male, neutered, 13 years old, and a standard issue black kitty.
cat two, yesterday. i notice his little bottom is ringed in blood. wipe it off in a panic, check out the box (he had indeed just gone, a fair bit), call in an appointment. his anal glands are completely full, and are expressed. they find blood in his stool, and prescribe an antibiotic. they say that his stool is claylike and pasty, which is of concern (though doc wouldn't speculate), and run a fecal.
as of today, the fecal is negative, baby has had four doses of his antibiotic - metronidazole. but this morning, i noticed his little anus was swollen and red (as if from straining), and he has a little - pardon the expression - turtlehead poking out. i suspect constipation. i come home from work and the little turtlehead is still there, and he refuses to eat. the little turtlehead finally breaks off and is hard as a rock. so... constipation. incidentally, he just tried to go again, and nothing, but i was on the phone with the vet and she's not convinced he wasn't straining to urinate (even worse), though was relieved when i inspected him and he didn't indicate any pain when i pressed on his bladder.
kitty two is male, neutered, 4 years old, and a sphynx.
kitty one is doing okay now, and we're watching kitty two with instructions to take him to the vet tomorrow if things do not improve (and especially if they worsen), so that part is probably covered, but i'm still wondering if anyone else has experience two completely different cats in the same home becoming constipated at the same time, and what might have caused it.
no dietary changes.
also, if anyone has negative experiences with giving flagyl to cats, please do let me know before i get another dose in. my instinct is to avoid, especially since the fecal was negative, but doc just five minutes ago (as i was writing this) told me to keep giving it to him. but stopping it would not be the first time i've overridden a doctor or vet's instructions on a med, so i'm not afraid to if others are inclined to warn me strongly against it.
thanks for any insight you can offer.
