5/23 Darcy AMPS 310, +3 234,

Very worried about Mr. Darcy, especially after just now reading yesterday's update. You are doing everything you can for him and he is lucky to have you as his mama. Sending prayers. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Butters & Lyla said:
Very worried about Mr. Darcy, especially after just now reading yesterday's update. You are doing everything you can for him and he is lucky to have you as his mama. Sending prayers. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Thank you, Lyla. And I want to know how Butters is doing. I kept looking for an update yesterday. Did you post one? Maybe it was later in the evening (for me) and I missed it.

Today, Darcy seems a lot more chipper and he's started out the day by eating for me (not as much as I would like yet, but he is eating). He just looks happier and better in his face. He was just up here next to me doing his "happy dance" on the soft blanket so I think he feels a little better. As per the vet's instructions, I gave him fluids three times yesterday. I'm not really comfortable doing this, but it was for one day -- and she checked him over carefully yesterday (listening to his heart and lungs, etc.)

Does anyone else have a cat who eats more in the afternoon/evening? He always seems to pick up steam later on in the day.
 
I hope you had a lovely dinner last night. I love French food! A very Happy Anniversary to you and your husband. How many years has it been:

I'm so happy to hear that Darcy feels better today. He had a nice run of blues yesterday in the am. I wonder if he just bounced? My prayers are that your Mr. Darcy will get better. It must be such a struggle for you, Suzanne. We are all with you and your boy. I hope you have a lovely Sunday.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Thank you, Lyla. And I want to know how Butters is doing. I kept looking for an update yesterday. Did you post one? Maybe it was later in the evening (for me) and I missed it.

Today, Darcy seems a lot more chipper and he's started out the day by eating for me (not as much as I would like yet, but he is eating). He just looks happier and better in his face. He was just up here next to me doing his "happy dance" on the soft blanket so I think he feels a little better. As per the vet's instructions, I gave him fluids three times yesterday. I'm not really comfortable doing this, but it was for one day -- and she checked him over carefully yesterday (listening to his heart and lungs, etc.)

Does anyone else have a cat who eats more in the afternoon/evening? He always seems to pick up steam later on in the day.
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Yay! I'm glad he is eating SOMETHING and doing his happy dance. Giving fluid three times a day is a lot. You are amazing. I hope that won't be necessary to do again. It must be so stressful.
I posted a condo last night because I increased her insulin but didn't bother doing an update since there was no change. Thanks for checking!
I hope Darcy's eating picks up steam today.
 
Summer and Susie said:
I hope you had a lovely dinner last night. I love French food! A very Happy Anniversary to you and your husband. How many years has it been:

I'm so happy to hear that Darcy feels better today. He had a nice run of blues yesterday in the am. I wonder if he just bounced? My prayers are that your Mr. Darcy will get better. It must be such a struggle for you, Suzanne. We are all with you and your boy. I hope you have a lovely Sunday.
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Dinner was everything I hoped it would be. We had a nice leisurely meal, which was awesome!

And right now as I type... Darcy is eating... I can't see him right now from where I am sitting... but I hear him eating again! Soooo happy to hear that sound! Got to run give him a few more meds (the appetite stimulant now that I've given Cerenia and Ondansetron time to work) and give fluids.

I hope you have a lovely Sunday as well.
 
Butters & Lyla said:
Yay! I'm glad he is eating SOMETHING and doing his happy dance. Giving fluid three times a day is a lot. You are amazing. I hope that won't be necessary to do again. It must be so stressful.
I posted a condo last night because I increased her insulin but didn't bother doing an update since there was no change. Thanks for checking!
I hope Darcy's eating picks up steam today.
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That worries me about no change in Butters. So the clindamycin doesn't seem to be helping. I hope you can get real answers soon. I feel like if you just knew what was going on then you could get her the help she needs. You must be going crazy with waiting and not seeing improvement. My heart goes out to you.
 
A question for you constipation gurus out there? Who are they? @PerfumedCatMom are you? @Butters & Lyla who else? I started Darcy on that 1/8 tsp. Miralax yesterday and nothing yet. He hasn't had any BM since Friday night when he passed those couple of small, round, hard balls of stool. The vet suggested vaseline (after first suggesting Laxatone, but I asked about sugars in Laxatone and it seems there is corn syrup in there). I don't even have any vaseline in the house, so I would need to go pick some up today. Any other options. I've heard of people using coconut oil and olive oil, but I don't know if he would eat these. I do have one cat who loves to lick olive oil. Any ideas to get things moving any faster? TIA!
 
https://felineconstipation.org/acutetreatment.html will tell you lots of info to help Mr. Darcy. Poor him and poor you. As if you both don't have enough to deal with. Constipation can be a real problem for cats with CKD.

Your vet suggested giving Darcy vaseline to eat? I wouldn't do that. I've given Butters a little olive oil to lick up and it has helped. Miralax helps hold water in the stool but generally needs more than one dose and isn't good if he is blocked with dry stool. If that's the case, a micro-enema or glycerin might be your best bet. Scan through that webpage and then when you have more time, read through the website. It is a wealth of knowledge on treating and preventing constipation.

Oh and I give Butters a little coconut oil daily as a treat. She loves the taste of it. I don't think it helps with her constipation issues, though.

Suzanne & Darcy said:
That worries me about no change in Butters. So the clindamycin doesn't seem to be helping. I hope you can get real answers soon. I feel like if you just knew what was going on then you could get her the help she needs. You must be going crazy with waiting and not seeing improvement. My heart goes out to you.
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Thanks. I hope that she is just slower to react to the clindamycin. But yes I'm going a little crazy!
 
:bighug::bighug:
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Does anyone else have a cat who eats more in the afternoon/evening? He always seems to pick up steam later on in the day.
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Ruby does the opposite, when she’s eating. :rolleyes: She likes daytime eating more.

Re: constipation: I have never found the magic formula. I put Adored Beast Healthy Gut into Ruby’s food everyday along with Visbiome. Healthy Gut has some probiotics along with a very good prebiotic called larch. Visbiome is a probiotic.

In addition to the prebiotics in Healthy Gut I also will add more fiber a few times a week—either freeze dried powdered pumpkin or slippery elm bark powder. The latter should have a soothing effect on the gut as well and is good for her nausea. I used to add fiber everyday but I feared it was bulking her stools rather than help her pass them.

I have never tried oils.

Powdered egg yolk is the primary tool against constipation espoused by the Raw Feeding for IBD group, but after using it for a few months I find that it causes tummy upset in my cats, maybe because it’s too rich; it might work well for Darcy as a lot of people here use it to positive effect.

I use Miralax on occasion but sometimes it causes the poops to be too runny so I use it sparingly. I prefer a natural solution or something that will do double duty in helping to correct Ruby’s gut dysbiosis like the prebiotics and probiotics.

These are all my tools. Good luck with it! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Oh, there is also Lactulose. It has a sugar in it (forget the name) but it isn’t a sugar that will affect glucose levels so safe for diabetic kitties. That’s prescribed by a vet.
 
What worked for my civvie was adding a little psyllium husk to her food. I think it's sold as Metamucil in the US? But I use a generic non-flavoured one that we get here.
 
Tagging Tanya @thebigfuzz who has to deal with megacolon and constipation with her Cosmo. As an aside, megacolon is not uncommon in acros. I hope you get to the bottom of this soon. Neko got the dried egg yolks, probiotics and the odd bit of unsalted butter or virgin organic coconut oil. Turned out for her she had inflammation in her bowels, making things harder to pass. Once that was treated, BM's were back to normal.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
What worked for my civvie was adding a little psyllium husk to her food. I think it's sold as Metamucil in the US? But I use a generic non-flavoured one that we get here.
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Yes. I was thinking of trying psyllium husk, too. And yes, the major brand is Metamucil but generics are available. I hope he would still eat the food with this in there! Thanks very much.
 
Tina Marie and Jan said:
Constipation ( first, love all over Darcy for me)
My potion is:
.75 ml Nordic Naturals Omega 3 pet, once daily
SEB 50mg x2 (2 hours apart from meds)
Miralax 1/8 tsp at AMBG and PMBG

This, for Tina, w/ hip arthritis, etc. (thank God for canine Adequan) produces daily deposits!
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Thanks, Jan. So you have a muti-faceted approach. I like that. How do you give the Nordic Naturals ... just a squirt into Tina's mouth?
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
Oh, there is also Lactulose. It has a sugar in it (forget the name) but it isn’t a sugar that will affect glucose levels so safe for diabetic kitties. That’s prescribed by a vet.
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A lot of people on the CKD list seem to have their cats on Lactulose. Thanks again! I tried the freeze dried pumpkin a few days ago and that food just sat there all day. But I don't know if it was the pumpkin or just that he didn't want to eat. :confused:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Tagging Tanya @thebigfuzz who has to deal with megacolon and constipation with her Cosmo. As an aside, megacolon is not uncommon in acros. I hope you get to the bottom of this soon. Neko got the dried egg yolks, probiotics and the odd bit of unsalted butter or virgin organic coconut oil. Turned out for her she had inflammation in her bowels, making things harder to pass. Once that was treated, BM's were back to normal.
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Thanks. And you put her on Busedonide? for the inflammation in the intestines?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
A lot of people on the CKD list seem to have their cats on Lactulose. Thanks again! I tried the freeze dried pumpkin a few days ago and that food just sat there all day. But I don't know if it was the pumpkin or just that he didn't want to eat. :confused:
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Ruby does not like the plain canned pumpkin. She walks away from it. I mix the freeze dried powder with warm water before adding to her food and she has no problem with it. Cats. :rolleyes:
 
Hello!

I am at work currently, but saw the tag :)

Water and hydration is key! Many of the treatments are intended to draw moisture into the stool to help it pass, so extra water is important.

I see you have gotten much of the info already!

1. www.felineconstipation.org
2. Miralax ‘can’ help, but takes a few days to start working (when it does). It requires extra water (as per the ratio on the container) or it can do the opposite of helping. I think it is 2 tsp of water for 1/8 tsp of miralax.
3. Lactulose is wayyy better - and works faster! The sugars are insoluble and so are safe for diabetics.
4. Many home remedies can help (Vaseline, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.) Looks like you have gotten several options already :)
5. A small pinch of psyllium can be great for preventative maintenance.
6. Enemas may be necessary sometimes. Most are done at the vet, and one cannot use the human kind on kitties. Our vet has given us a kitty at home kit. About 36-48 hrs without a BM is a ‘typical’ take action number.

Hope this helps!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Thanks, Jan. So you have a muti-faceted approach. I like that. How do you give the Nordic Naturals ... just a squirt into Tina's mouth?
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Dear Suzanne,
I mix it (tasteless and no odor I can detect) into a meal, along with 1/4 tsp Food Fur Life egg yolk powder (once a day; can be given twice), which I neglected to mention earlier! When I mix meds or sups in Tina's food, I top it with crumbled "chicken dust"! (freeze dried chicken). I don't pill her at all. When I give her thyroid pill (levothyroxine, she was overtreated w/I-131), I wrap it in a bit of pate (the "other" cats food) - Tina is easy! Her gaba gets crushed in a meal -- of course topped with chicken dust . . . . spoiled little girl.

I also like what Wendy has said about wanting to feed good food instead of medicine food! Tina does get snacks without me sneaking stuff in it, too!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
And you put her on Busedonide? for the inflammation in the intestines?
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Yes. She had a severe IBD or SCL diagnosis. Her heart precluded getting a biopsy which requires anaesthesia, so we didn't know for sure. The IM vet was leaning to SCL. Her heart also couldn't take pred, so she got budesonide, along with chlorambucil. After a month of budesonide, a repeat ultrasound showed inflammation down 30%. She also had stage 3 CKD by that point, so couldn't do fluids. And as Tanya said, hydration is key. So she got a lot of soupy foods. I made some home made chicken stock, not including cooking the bones long, cause that adds phosphorus.
 
Tina Marie and Jan said:
Dear Suzanne,
I mix it (tasteless and no odor I can detect) into a meal, along with 1/4 tsp Food Fur Life egg yolk powder (once a day; can be given twice), which I neglected to mention earlier! When I mix meds or sups in Tina's food, I top it with crumbled "chicken dust"! (freeze dried chicken). I don't pill her at all. When I give her thyroid pill (levothyroxine, she was overtreated w/I-131), I wrap it in a bit of pate (the "other" cats food) - Tina is easy! Her gaba gets crushed in a meal -- of course topped with chicken dust . . . . spoiled little girl.

I also like what Wendy has said about wanting to feed good food instead of medicine food! Tina does get snacks without me sneaking stuff in it, too!
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Hes! Darcy likes chicken dust too, or at least he did before he got sick.
 
thebigfuzz said:
Hello!

I am at work currently, but saw the tag :)

Water and hydration is key! Many of the treatments are intended to draw moisture into the stool to help it pass, so extra water is important.

I see you have gotten much of the info already!

1. www.felineconstipation.org
2. Miralax ‘can’ help, but takes a few days to start working (when it does). It requires extra water (as per the ratio on the container) or it can do the opposite of helping. I think it is 2 tsp of water for 1/8 tsp of miralax.
3. Lactulose is wayyy better - and works faster! The sugars are insoluble and so are safe for diabetics.
4. Many home remedies can help (Vaseline, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.) Looks like you have gotten several options already :)
5. A small pinch of psyllium can be great for preventative maintenance.
6. Enemas may be necessary sometimes. Most are done at the vet, and one cannot use the human kind on kitties. Our vet has given us a kitty at home kit. About 36-48 hrs without a BM is a ‘typical’ take action number.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much!! I have read a lot of this stuff before, but I have had cats with chronic diarrhea before and not constipation (even my CKD kitty had diarrhea problems.). So I appreciate everyone’s tips. It’s been 48 hours now.
 
Nothing to contribute (I don't think putting Darcy on spironolactone is a solution though it definitely does the opposite of constipation!) - but thanks, I have now bookmarked this post! Keep eating, Mr D, and stay well. Time to start thinking of our next evening's karaoke I think. :bighug:
 
Well... Darcy is having a bad night. He is really straining in the litter box and nothing is coming out. This is not good. He is upset. He is meowing at me a LOT ... as if he were saying, “can you please help me?”
 
Oh Darcy, poor thing. And poor you, it's horrible when they are trying to talk to you. Hope there is success by morning.
 
If I put out a small dish of canola oil (maybe not the healthiest but then neither is constipation), Tiger will lap it like it is water! His brother Leo used to lick coconut oil or butter off my finger...
Hugs...
 
As I understand it, oils and such never reach the part where the problem is, it's getting absorbed in the gut. Point is so get something that reaches the problem. Lactose has great effects on my civvie, so does paraffin oil - it coats the poop and speed the process. Lactose makes the poop more moist so it can pass easily. Hydration is the first step, then fibres like HUSK. But be careful with fibres, they can lower the BG. They make sure the gut has to move, gives volume and increases the motility.

For an emergency where my civvie can't poop, I give him an enema, within fifteen minutes the bowl is emptying, only work locally in the lower part.

To prevent I use fiber, and when I leave food out for the night, it's more like a soup, lots of water in the canned food, preferably hot so it smells more. Sometimes I can even feel the hard poops when I give him a tummy rub, I just gently but firmly move my hand in circular movements, after some time his gut starts to say those sounds like its processing.. later he goes and do what he's supposed to do :cool:

I use lactose as a last resort. It took me months, a few years ago to get him off it again, even though I did taper down very slowly. But if he's saying noises in the litter box I'm going to the vet to get a real enema, when he complaints it's serious. And even the vet couldn't get it all out.
For him it's fur and hair, my hair even... that clogs him. I believe mega colon sometimes can be the result of constipation, so if I were you I'd get him emptied out soon as possible.

I've also tried a motility drug, metoclopramide, also used for nausea, but it hurt too much. Pain meds that isn't effecting the gut is also a good idea. No one wants to go if it hurts..

I feel challenged on my language today. Let me know if it's not understandable :eek:

Point is, I'd try the vet first. Make sure it's "only" poop that's in the way, possibly get an enema and and prevent it from happening again. If it's hair, more brushing. Lack of fluid, give more. If you feed raw, give less bone more intestines. Add fibres to keep it going, that must be the only good thing about dry food. More poop and fibers, but counteracting the fluids. Feeding good quality they can actually use makes less poop, less poop means less movement and lazy bowls o_O
 
I don't like the days where I don't see a post for Mr D, especially when there's no s/s update (AND I still see that you take the time to check in and comment on other kitties!) :bighug: I hope he successfully - ah - evacuated. (someone as posh as Mr D doesn't "poop", I am certain) Looks like you increased the dose. Hope things are not too much more worrying than yesterday and you are both feeling better. Minnie and Sam want to hear his vote on the darcines, too. :bighug::bighug:
 
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