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-   -   My Kitten Won't Poop (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=72017)

Bree_Wolfe August 15th, 2010 04:18 PM

My Kitten Won't Poop
 
Hello~

I need some advice on my six month old kitten. On Friday she was throwing up a lot and only pooped once and it was only a little bit, also hard and dry, and on Saturday morning it continued, so we took her to the vet that morning. They did blood work and X-rays and said there is an infection and COULD be a blockage because they saw a shadow of something in the intestines. They sent us home with some medicines. Mineral Oil, something to help with infections, vitamins, and something else.

When we got her home she slept all day (waking up sometimes to throw up) till the anesthesia they used wore off, then she wanted food. But we were told not to feed her all day, so I decided to wait till midnight and I fed her then. She didn't throw up her food which I figure is a good sign, and she has stopped throwing up completely. Today we gave her some mineral oil and the stuff for infections. She still hasn't pooped since Friday, even though we have fed her today and gave her the medication.

The vet said to call in a few days if nothing passes by then, and that they would have to do surgery. But... we can't really afford surgery as we have had a hard enough time just paying for the visit on Saturday, the blood work and the x-rays.

So, what I'm wondering, should it really take a few days for her to poop, or should she have today after getting the mineral oil? What else can we do to help along with passing it though her, or should Mineral Oil be enough...?

chico2 August 15th, 2010 04:38 PM

There are ways to help her along to poop,I cannot recall,but someone will come along who knows more,I am sure.
I know Slippery Elm Bark from the health-food store helps keep cats regular,but I do not know about constipation,if that is what she has.

Bree_Wolfe August 15th, 2010 04:40 PM

Slippery Elm Bark... I will look that up and keep it in mind, thank you

sugarcatmom August 15th, 2010 07:43 PM

[QUOTE=Bree_Wolfe;944854]They sent us home with some medicines. Mineral Oil, something to help with infections, vitamins, and something else. [/quote]

Can you check to see what the other meds are? Also, how are you administering the mineral oil? There is a high risk of causing aspiration pneumonia if you're squirting it down her throat because it can very easily go down into her lungs. If it were me, I wouldn't be giving mineral oil at all.

What made the vet think there was an infection?

[QUOTE=Bree_Wolfe;944854]But we were told not to feed her all day,[/quote]

Bad advice from this vet. Cats should not be fasted.

[QUOTE=Bree_Wolfe;944854]The vet said to call in a few days if nothing passes by then, and that they would have to do surgery. [/quote]

You might want to get a second opinion. An enema or laxative would be worth trying before surgery and if that's all the vet has to offer, I'd be suspicious of the quality of his care.

What is she eating? Can you feed her some wet food mixed with lots of warm water? Does she seem to be dehydrated (pull up the skin on her scruff and if it's slow to return to normal, she's dehydrated).

One of the main causes of constipation in cats is a dry food diet. If your cat is only eating kibble at this point, it would be a good idea to switch to a quality canned or raw diet once this crisis is over.

More info for you:

[url]http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=constipatedcats[/url]
[url]http://www.catinfo.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.holisticat.com/no-kibble.html[/url]

Ozzie August 15th, 2010 08:16 PM

This sounds serious.
I have used Lax a Day from Shoppers and Laxitone from Petsmart
Time for a different vet. :shrug:
++SCM
OOPS I see you're from MA. I presume thats in the states. Shoppers= Shoppers drug mart... Lax-a-Day=Mirilax [sp]

Bree_Wolfe August 16th, 2010 12:18 AM

@Sugarcatmom: I looked at them earlier and also asked my mom what one was. One is Mineral Oil, one is just vitamins, one is..Famotidine, which was going to be for her vomiting but since she stopped we haven't given her any of that, and then... there's Keflex for her infection.

The vet believed she has an infection because of her blood work results. She had high in... some kind of blood thing, and low in two other things I can't remember now. I was actually worried though when he mentioned the blood one. Because he was saying something about bleeding, so the first thing I thought was "Internal bleeding?" but he didn't seem worried about that, but also didn't explain much. He didn't even show us the X-ray so we could see the possible blockage he thinks he maaay have seen.

We were administering the Mineral Oil by putting it in her food, which is soft food from a can. But we did just once give it to her through the thing the vet gave us to use, either he didn't know what Mineral Oil does to cats, or he just didn't care. But I read about that later on and told my mom right away, so we're going to continue putting it in her food. I tried to find other things that could have the same effect as mineral oil, and I read canned pumpkin? So I want to get some of that tomorrow, if that would help.

We were planning to switch vets when we got this kitten, because they treated our last cat horribly, and seem to just care a lot about the money. It ended up costing $480 for everything yesterday. $350 for the blood work and X-rays, $60 for the visit for them to look at her, which I found odd because it used to be $40. And then $70 dollars for the medicines they gave.
But yeah, I did a ton of research and looked for the best vets in the area, but my mom is nervous about change so she isn't ready to switch vets yet...

Oh, and no, she doesn't seem to be dehydrated. And she's pretty much as playful as always too.

@Ozzie: I told my mom about Laxitone, actually. Because I saw it while I was looking around the internet. Definitely need a new vet. I honestly feel like they made my last cat get sicker faster so she could die sooner. >.< I don't trust them at all.

Love4himies August 16th, 2010 06:37 AM

So sorry to hear about your kitty. Sugarcatmom has given you very, very good advice. Please seek out another vet.

I used lactulose on Rose when she was constipated and it worked well, it was liquid so I was able to mix it in her food. I did wait for her to be quite hungry just to make sure she ate it, lol.

chico2 August 16th, 2010 07:45 AM

I knew surgery was probably not the way to go for constipation,but did not know enough to advice against it,thank's SCM for helping this kitty:cat:

Bree_Wolfe August 16th, 2010 11:01 AM

Well I have some good news~

Jasmine pooped while I was out today! And, I have more good news. While I was out I told my mom everything you guys have said. So, my mom is finally just done with this vet and we're going to start going to a better one that my aunt suggested to us! ^_^

Thank you so much for all your advice! Especially Sugarcatmom, it was all really helpful. <3

sugarcatmom August 16th, 2010 11:17 AM

[QUOTE=Bree_Wolfe;945006]Well I have some good news~

Jasmine pooped while I was out today! [/quote]

Woohooo!!! Yay for poop. [SIZE="1"](only on a pet forum would people get so excited about pooping)[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Bree_Wolfe;945006]So, my mom is finally just done with this vet and we're going to start going to a better one that my aunt suggested to us! [/QUOTE]

Glad to hear it!

chico2 August 16th, 2010 04:12 PM

Great news,thank's!!

Love4himies August 16th, 2010 06:09 PM

Yay, love to hear that poop word when they are constipated. :thumbs up


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