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  #31  
Old October 24th, 2010, 03:03 PM
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Herbie has suffered from constipation issues for 5 - 6 years now, eventually resulting in Megacolon.......I mix his food to a soup consistency, normally he doesn't eat all in one sitting but does lap up the fluid, when he returns to continue eating I mix more water with it......He also gets 3ml of Lactulose twice a day. I DO NOT mix it with his food but give it with a syringe.

Due to his Megacolon he also takes 5ml Cisipride twice a day.

Less than a year ago I changed Vet's...this Vet has an instrument akin to forceps used in child birthing....As the stool works it's way down through the colon, when it reaches a point where he can remove it with the forceps, he does, speeding the process along.

Note: I added more water to his food gradually....in the beginning if it was too soupy he would eat a little and walk away.
The vet did mention the possibility of Megacolon too yesterday. Can you buy Lactulose at any pharmacy or does it require a prescription?

Thanks for sharing your advice. We just got back from visiting Mr Miyagi at the clinic. He's definitely more energetic and all about being loved on.. I'm just sad he has another night to stay there.
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  #32  
Old October 24th, 2010, 03:20 PM
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Glad to hear that Mr Miyagi is feeling better.

Lactulose does require a prescription from your vet. Many people have used slippery elm bark that you can get at your health food store. There is some information about constipated cats on this website ....

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...onstipatedcats

And, the link to slippery elm bark ....

http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=...em=slipperyelm
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  #33  
Old October 24th, 2010, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Loki Love View Post
The vet did mention the possibility of Megacolon too yesterday. Can you buy Lactulose at any pharmacy or does it require a prescription?

NO prescription needed to buy Lactulose...it's inexpensive too, about $20 for a 1 litre bottle, which lasts yonkers.

Thanks for sharing your advice. We just got back from visiting Mr Miyagi at the clinic. He's definitely more energetic and all about being loved on.. I'm just sad he has another night to stay there.
If Mr Miyagi does have Megacolon he might have to start using Cisipride....I would rather not have to use drugs and have tried other methods, this seems to work the best for him.....He used to be obese (not so much now) and that didn't help him.....I also add 1/4 teaspoon or less of Psyllium husk with his canned food, if I notice that he is getting a bit constipated then I stop.

I can always tell by the way Herbie walks or goes up stairs if he is getting constipated.......I've had a lot of experience with him
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  #34  
Old October 24th, 2010, 04:48 PM
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Glad to hear that Mr Miyagi is feeling better.

Lactulose does require a prescription from your vet. Many people have used slippery elm bark that you can get at your health food store. There is some information about constipated cats on this website ....
No prescription needed Rainbow.
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  #35  
Old October 24th, 2010, 04:54 PM
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If Mr Miyagi does have Megacolon he might have to start using Cisipride....I would rather not have to use drugs and have tried other methods, this seems to work the best for him.....He used to be obese (not so much now) and that didn't help him.....I also add 1/4 teaspoon or less of Psyllium husk with his canned food, if I notice that he is getting a bit constipated then I stop.

I can always tell by the way Herbie walks or goes up stairs if he is getting constipated.......I've had a lot of experience with him
Thanks. It seems to be a total crap shoot at this point. It goes from IBD/Sensitive stomach to MegaColon. The bloodwork ruled out any other kind of issue (besides possible neurological).

When looking at the xray yesterday, his colon was quite distended. Not sure if that means it will ever come back down to regular size (this is the only time he's ever been this massively constipated).

We will be picking him up tomorrow and will hopefully have more answers then.
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  #36  
Old October 24th, 2010, 05:23 PM
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Loki Love - he has been constipated before?...Did he need Vet intervention before?.....I don't quite understand how his Vet can't come up with a definite answer. From what I understand the symptoms would be different.
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  #37  
Old October 24th, 2010, 05:49 PM
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Loki Love - he has been constipated before?...Did he need Vet intervention before?.....I don't quite understand how his Vet can't come up with a definite answer. From what I understand the symptoms would be different.
Back in the spring we went through something similiar, but nowhere near to this extent. Mr Miyagi was throwing up periodically and finally it got to the point where I took him in because it was nearly constant one day. They checked for blockage, ran bloodwork, couldn't find anything except he had a lot of stool. They didn't stay he was constipated, but they had me giving him vaseline (1 tbsp) every day for a couple of weeks I believe. We also treated him for worms, gastro and gave him some meds for acid reflux (to soothe the irritation). At the same time, they said it could be IBD and suggested a change in food, a limited protein. We did just that, NB LID Duck and Green Pea because the source of dry food, as well as canned (along with beef, venison, rabbit, lamb (all Nature's Variety and EVO) canned as well for some variety). We basically avoided chicken because we assumed this was what was causing problems.

Fast forward to about a month or so ago - vomitting started again. Just with the dry food though (or so it seemed). We changed the food to EVO Herring and Salmon formula and problems ceased - we didn't take him to the vet the last time as once we changed the dry food everything seemed ok, until now.

So based on the April experience - I think this is where the vet is trying to diagnose the IBD?
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  #38  
Old October 24th, 2010, 06:10 PM
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Herbie rarely vomits....I know very little about IBD. Constipation is the only ailment that Herbie has had to endure.

I know SCM commented earlier in your thread maybe she has some other opinions that might be helpful..........I'll pm her.
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  #39  
Old October 24th, 2010, 09:05 PM
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I believe he vomits because he's constipated (this is what I've been reading anyway).
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  #40  
Old October 24th, 2010, 09:38 PM
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No prescription needed Rainbow.
Oooops , didn't know that for sure so I googled and the 1-800 petmeds site said that a prescription was required .....guess it is in the USA.

I will leave the diet to the kitty gurus here but would consider giving him some slippery elm bark until you get a correct diagnosis.
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  #41  
Old October 25th, 2010, 06:44 AM
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The vet did mention the possibility of Megacolon too yesterday. Can you buy Lactulose at any pharmacy or does it require a prescription?

Thanks for sharing your advice. We just got back from visiting Mr Miyagi at the clinic. He's definitely more energetic and all about being loved on.. I'm just sad he has another night to stay there.
I got mine from the vet as giving too much can be dangerous for your cat. I had no choice but to give Rose hers in her food as she is semi feral and there was no way I was going to be able to get anything syringed down her throat
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  #42  
Old October 25th, 2010, 12:26 PM
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Mr Miyagi is home. He's clean as a whistle - literally! The third enema took care of the rest and xray showed he's empty.

I wasn't there when hubby went to pick him up, but he did speak to the vet about our choice of going with a LID canned food, as opposed to the HP dry food she was suggesting. He also mentioned the use of olive oil, slippery elm bark, etc to help with any future constipation - she said a lot of that stuff is really a myth (which is ridiculous in my opinion, but whatever). At the end of the day, she said it's completely our decision but to just let her know what we've decided so she can make a note of it in his file.

We'll go back in 2 weeks so she can re-examine him and make sure he's still doing alright.
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  #43  
Old October 25th, 2010, 01:04 PM
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I'm glad he's home and feeling better! I hope Mr Miyagi responds well to whatever regimen you decide on
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  #44  
Old October 25th, 2010, 01:21 PM
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Mr Miyagi is home. He's clean as a whistle - literally! The third enema took care of the rest and xray showed he's empty.

I wasn't there when hubby went to pick him up, but he did speak to the vet about our choice of going with a LID canned food, as opposed to the HP dry food she was suggesting. He also mentioned the use of olive oil, slippery elm bark, etc to help with any future constipation - she said a lot of that stuff is really a myth (which is ridiculous in my opinion, but whatever). At the end of the day, she said it's completely our decision but to just let her know what we've decided so she can make a note of it in his file.

We'll go back in 2 weeks so she can re-examine him and make sure he's still doing alright.
I am glad he is home . (what is LID canned??).
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  #45  
Old October 25th, 2010, 01:42 PM
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Hi Loki Love, I'm happy to hear your kitty is doing much better!

I'm far from any sort of cat nutrition expert, and I would be one of the last to ever recommend a vet diet, but have you considered trying an exclusive Hill's Z/D canned diet? Then in a couple weeks when he is used to this, he is consistent and he is doing ok you can start introducing some better brands that you would prefer to feed him. Try one brand, one flavor at a time so you know if you come across one that doesn't sit well with him, and always going back to the Z/D. You could use each new food for a few days, then back to Z/D exclusively for a few days to "flush" him before trying another new one. Once you have a list of several better brands/flavors that DO work well for him you can slowly cut out the Z/D, and see how he adjusts. If you find none of the canned foods work (including the Z/D maybe?), then you can look at using slippery elm, pumpkin, or maybe even some prescription. It would be a long process of several weeks, but you should be able to get some answers by way of elimination. Maybe the vet can show you how to do enemas so you can do it yourself at the first sign of constipation?

If you do it that way you are following the vet's advice by trying the hydrolyzed protein diet, but you are still feeding a canned food. It could be that none of these foods help because it is neurological. I have heard many cat nutritionists say that any canned food is better than any dry food though so you shouldn't feel too guilty about feeding the Hill's Z/D canned food temporarily, right?

It may just be that he needs exclusively canned foods, and it really doesn't matter which ones. It could be that he needs the hydrolyzed protein. It could be that he needs exclusively canned foods, but is also allgeric/sensitive to some protein sources. By way of elimination you can figure this all out. That Z/D diet is essentially nothing so there is likely very little in there that could possibly bother him, so it would be like starting with a clean slate.

Just a thought since no one else suggested this tactical approach.
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  #46  
Old October 25th, 2010, 04:36 PM
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Sorry, LID meaning Limited Ingredients Diet. We are going to stick with the Duck and Green Pea because both cats really enjoy it, plus it's going somewhat in the train of thought that may be there are allergies/IBD at play here and this protein will work.

If it doesn't work, then we'll go with what the vet suggests - the z/d food but in canned form only (I refuse to go all dry food - it makes no sense, period).

I'm still going to be a stressed kitty mommy for the next while, watching Mr Miyagi like a hawk. I had no idea how badly constipated he was when we took him in and my fear is that he will get that way again and we won't notice - besides the vomiting and not wanting to eat (which was when he was at the worst) I truly don't remember any other signs :/

We've bought a nifty kitty water fountain to entice even more water drinking, plus I'm going to buy a few more cat toys to keep him moving and exercising to help things move along. So these things, along with the canned diet only, plus a few suggestions from the other members re: lactulose, slippery elm bark, pumpkin, olive oil - I really hope we're on our way to a healthier kitty
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  #47  
Old October 25th, 2010, 05:13 PM
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I would stay away from the Z/D canned. It's an extremely poor quality food with a ridiculous price-tag. Here are the main ingredients:
Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Water, Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Powdered Cellulose,
No muscle meat, only organ meat. Corn starch??? Come on. And that powdered cellulose is basically sawdust. For a canned food, this one has a stupidly high amount of carbs (34% from calories).

Good luck convincing a cat to eat this for any length of time.

As well, I don't personally see IBD here, I see a constipated cat that needs to eat quality wet food. IBD is an extremely difficult diagnosis to make, even with a biopsy. Unfortunately vets tend to throw the term around far too liberally when they don't have anything else to offer up.

Glad to hear that Mr. Miyagi is home and doing better. Perhaps if you kept a log-book () that kept track of his pooping habits (like the size, frequency, texture), it could help you notice if something goes off before it gets serious.
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  #48  
Old October 25th, 2010, 05:30 PM
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Perhaps if you kept a log-book () that kept track of his pooping habits (like the size, frequency, texture), it could help you notice if something goes off before it gets serious.
This is actually a great idea - but we have two cats. I think the trick will be to watch for less maybe? Whenever we see him going into the box we'll be keeping an eye on him (watch for straining, see the results) - he gets no privacy for a while!
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Old October 25th, 2010, 05:36 PM
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If you get a second litter box, is it possible they would each use one so you could monitor the poops?

When I was growing up we had two sibling cats. They lived 18 years on Alley Cat dry "food". One was hit by a car at that time, and the other disappeared just a few days later...who knows how long they would have lived otherwise...? Using the Z/D diet is the cheapest and simplest way to figure out if your cat has an inability to digest proteins properly. I'm sure not one to say the food is good, but I highly doubt it would be harmful when used temporarily. Following the vet's advice seems like a good place to start imo. Oh well, we will see what you accomplish in the next few weeks. Hopefully your plan works for you.
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  #50  
Old October 25th, 2010, 06:08 PM
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Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
I would stay away from the Z/D canned. It's an extremely poor quality food with a ridiculous price-tag. Here are the main ingredients:
Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Water, Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Powdered Cellulose,
No muscle meat, only organ meat. Corn starch??? Come on. And that powdered cellulose is basically sawdust. For a canned food, this one has a stupidly high amount of carbs (34% from calories).

Good luck convincing a cat to eat this for any length of time.

As well, I don't personally see IBD here, I see a constipated cat that needs to eat quality wet food. IBD is an extremely difficult diagnosis to make, even with a biopsy. Unfortunately vets tend to throw the term around far too liberally when they don't have anything else to offer up.

Glad to hear that Mr. Miyagi is home and doing better. Perhaps if you kept a log-book () that kept track of his pooping habits (like the size, frequency, texture), it could help you notice if something goes off before it gets serious.
. IBD can only be assumed, as SCM stated, it must be diagnosed by biopsies. Normally IBD comes with diarrhea due to inflammation in the colon and rectum.

I would stick to a watered down quality canned. It will produce a smaller stool which is extremely important for any cat who has a constipation issue and Hills Z/D is full of crap that the cat will just poop out.
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Last edited by Love4himies; October 25th, 2010 at 06:19 PM.
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  #51  
Old October 25th, 2010, 07:00 PM
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I hope the quality wet food works - seriously. My only concern is that he was on quality wet food (along with dry food) previously and he still became constipated. I'm really really hoping that eliminating the dry food altogether does the trick
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  #52  
Old October 25th, 2010, 09:41 PM
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Mr Miyagi is home. He's clean as a whistle - literally!
Yes!! Great news, Loki Love!
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  #53  
Old October 25th, 2010, 09:48 PM
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Glad Mr Miyago is back home and hope the all canned diet works for him.

Is the water fountain enticing him to drink more water?
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  #54  
Old October 26th, 2010, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
I got mine from the vet as giving too much can be dangerous for your cat. I had no choice but to give Rose hers in her food as she is semi feral and there was no way I was going to be able to get anything syringed down her throat
L4H even though I buy the Lactulose at the pharmacy, I dose as per the Vet's instructions.

Loki Love - I'm happy to hear that Mr Miyagi is home and feeling so much better....even though you have bought a water fountain for him, I find that by mixing water with Herbie's food ensures that he is getting adequate water.
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  #55  
Old October 26th, 2010, 11:04 AM
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Loki Love - I'm happy to hear that Mr Miyagi is home and feeling so much better....even though you have bought a water fountain for him, I find that by mixing water with Herbie's food ensures that he is getting adequate water.
Yeah, we've been mixing water into the canned food for a while now. They actually eat it better that way anyway
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