Diabetic cat way constipated.

[kallima_butterfly]

My diabetic cat has had issues since this summer with constipation. It's gotten really bad. Just before Christmas Oyster was given an enema by the vet. He's bound again. Is there anything that I can do. I thought with the amount of water he's drinking and the full can of wet food his problem should have eased. He won't eat pumpkin and hate the laxative the vet have him. Will not lick it. And advice much appreciated!

 

[BJM]

Feline Constipation is a terrific website with all kinds of info on how the feline GI tract works, and options when it doesn't.

First, he may need another enema, because trying to push through a blockage may tear the GI tract.

After you're sure he isn't blocked, a tiny bit of plain psyllium powder added to his canned food every meal may help keep the feces soft enough to move through.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Canned food and extra water (think applesauce consistency) for Wink was not enough to keep my Wink regular and his poo soft enough to pass easily. So, after finding out that he was not blocked and did not need an enema, we added some Miralax to his food. It's a powder, tasteless and you mix it in the wet food. We started with 1/8 t once a day. My vet said we could go up to 1 t a day. Never had to give quite that much.

Some people use plain pumpkin. Didn't work for Wink's constipation, it simply made the poo harder. The pumpkin did work very well when he has a bout of diarrhea.

I've had to vary the amount of laxative based on his ability to poo and not have it semi-hard.

Now we are doing 1/4 t in the morning and 1/8 t in the evening. Have also switched to using the psyllium husk powder. Just remember to mix it well in the food. I tried it once dry for myself and it's awful to try to swallow that stuff down. I also use this for my civie Dancer who is a poster kitty for feline constipation. She used to have poo hard as a rock but dose much better now with the psyllium added to her food twice a day.

 

[Dusty Bones]

I use pumpkin and mix water in his wet food. If you really want to try pumpkin you need to start with a tiny amount, like a toothpick tip amount and gradually increase the amount. If you start gradually he won't notice it's there. I tried Miralax and that worked well too but Dusty's numbers started creeping up and he seemed depressed with with it.

 

[Raechel]

Phobos has had constipation issues for the last couple of weeks, too. I tried the pumpkin, and while he wouldn't just eat it (even mixed in his food) at first, he would lick it off his lip if I put a dab there. Don't know that it made any difference for him, though. The vet prescribed Lactulose, which I give him twice a day. Took a few days, but it finally seems to be doing the trick. And Phobos seems to love the taste. He will lick it from the syringe, almost frantically, and pull my hand to him while I'm holding it.

 

[Deb & Wink]

The Lactulose has a couple of different sugars as part of the ingredients (galactose and other sugars) we try not to use this for constipation but use other alternatives. Adding extra sugar to a diabetic cats system is something we try to avoid, so that we don't raise the BG (blood glucose) levels.

Since Lactulose solution contains galactose (less than 1.6 g/15 mL) and lactose (less than 1.2 g/15 mL), it should be used with caution in diabetics.

from this FDA article.

@Raechel, you might want to add that you are using Lactulose for your kitty Phobos to the remarks column on your SS (spreadsheet).

 

[Raechel]

@Deb & Wink - well, thank you for that info! The only thing I knew about it was what I found on the Feline Constipation site listed above that says it contains an indigestible sugar, so I figured that wouldn't be an issue. So frustrating that the vets don't know these things. I suppose that would help me make sense of why his numbers aren't changing much. Bah! Looking at the quote you listed, wouldn't that mean less than 2.8g sugar/15 mL...Phobos is getting 1 mL 2x/day, so only .19 g sugar/dose, right? Still a problem?
What are the recommendations, then? I'm seeing Miralax or Psyllium powder - anything else? Is the Miralax by prescription?
Sorry, OP, don't mean to hijack!

 

[BJM]

Also check with vet to identify any medical conditions which could affect GI motility - thyroid disease, diabetic neuropathy, megacolon, etc.

 

[Deb & Wink]

@Raechel I don't know if that amount of sugar is enough to affect your kitties BG levels. One of the best ways would be to test and see.

Perhaps stop the Lactulose for a couple of days and do some more BG testing?

No prescription required anymore for the Miralax (since 2006) and generic less expensive versions are available. I get the Miralax generic version over the counter at any drug store or somewhere like Wal-mart or K-mart. Generic name is polyethylene glycol 3350. This is not the same as or have anything in common with antifreeze as some people mistakenly believe.

I prefer to use the psyllium powder, as it's a more natural ingredient for daily use in my kitties diet.

I get some plain psyllium powder at Wal-mart, the brand I use is Konsyl 100% All-Natural Original Formula. It contains only the psyllium husks as it's single ingredient. There are other similar products of psyllium husk fiber available at other stores but be careful and read the label to insure there are no types of sugars or artificial sweeteners in what you buy. Some of those artificial sweeteners are poisonous to cats.

 

[tiffmaxee]

@Raechel I don't know if that amount of sugar is enough to affect your kitties BG levels. One of the best ways would be to test and see.


No prescription required anymore for the Miralax (since 2006) and generic less expensive versions are available. I get the Miralax generic version over the counter at any drug store or somewhere like Wal-mart or K-mart. Generic name is polyethylene glycol 3350. This is not the same as or have anything in common with antifreeze as some people mistakenly believe.
There was a recently published article in a newspaper that did find antifreeze in miralax. and a study is under way to see if it is safe for children. Max has been getting 1/8t daily and I tried to stop without luck. The pumpkin didn't help so I am back to using miralax right now and hoping there are any issues.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/1-8-miralax-concern-yikes.131141/#post-1348963

 

[Deb & Wink]

Yes, @tiffmaxee. Saw your post on Miralax. Unfortunately, the person you quoted CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS is confusing the ingredient in Miralax with antifreeze and they are not the same at all. Sounds like fearmongering and misinformation to me.

 

[tiffmaxee]

The vet that called this to my attention said he would not stop using a treatment that works very well. He said the while miralax is not propylene glycol, and is instead polyethylene glycol, the initial reactant in the process of making polyethylene glycol is ethylene glycol, the same toxic substance in antifreeze that causes neurologic symptoms and acute kidney failure. He said that he supposes that they cannot remove all unreacted ethylene glycol from the final product. It may be that the amount remaining is a measurable amount but so small that it would never be toxic or it may be variable from batch to batch. His conclusion was that he would not abandon its use.

Yes, @tiffmaxee. Saw your post on Miralax. Unfortunately, the person you quoted CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS is confusing the ingredient in Miralax with antifreeze and they are not the same at all. Sounds like fearmongering and misinformation to me.