Constipated after going raw, should we give our cat laxatives?

Status
Not open for further replies.
MaSha

MaSha

Member Since 2016
Hi all,
our furry friend's diabetes seems to be under control. Ever since we went raw (almost two weeks now) he's been mostly insulin-independent, a part from two or three occasions at the beginning.

What worries me now is constipation. This is the first time ha had this problem. He hasn't had a bowel movement for three days (!) and our vet is out of town (the one who saved his life and who has been looking after him ever since). Our vet will be available on Tuesday. I can't even reach her before that. For now we haven't put bone powder into his raw food. We wanted to do it this weekend. So it can't be too much bone.

He eats, drinks and pees regularly. He's active and interested. I've noticed that he's a bit slower when we play with laser, but other than that he seems fine.

I thought about giving him a laxative (which I've never done before): polyethylene glycol (brand name in is forlax 10g; Macrogol 4000), sorbitol (E420) and sulfur dioxide (E220).
I've seen that Miralax contains polyethylene glycol and that is used for cats (starting with 1/8t).

I hope that this is a temporary problem that will be resolved as soon as he gets fully accustomed to eating raw.

I've seen different opinions on adding agar-agar to cat raw food, so I wouldn't experiment for now, but we are thinking on how to maybe up his fiber intake without disturbing the newfound balance and trigger glucose spikes.

Thank you all for your advice!
 
Many kitties on an all raw food diet will not poop every day. Some will go 2 or 3 days without having to go. Mine are on home made, but slightly cooked and it is not unusual for them to go up to 2 days without a poop. When I have to use commercial food when their numbers are low, I find they go more often. Is he showing signs of constipation...going to the litter box repeatedly and trying to poop, but with nothing happening? You could mix in some pure pumpkin..not pumpkin pie mix...rather than using a laxative.

ETA Instead of using bone powder you can use ground up organic eggshell powder
 
Thank you Tuxedo Mom for your reply!
I am relieved that is normal for him not to poop for 2-3 days. Because otherwise he seems really fine.
We haven't noticed him going to the litter box and trying to poop.
We have a couple of pumpkins around. I'll give it a go with the pure. I just hope it won't raise his sugar levels.

Thanx for the idea to try eggshell powder. I'll try to find it.
 
MaSha said:
Thank you Tuxedo Mom for your reply!
I am relieved that is normal for him not to poop for 2-3 days. Because otherwise he seems really fine.
We haven't noticed him going to the litter box and trying to poop.
We have a couple of pumpkins around. I'll give it a go with the pure. I just hope it won't raise his sugar levels.

Thanx for the idea to try eggshell powder. I'll try to find it.
Click to expand...

I use pure pumpkin on a regular basis for one of my FD kitties and it does not raise the BG. The carb content in pumpkin is mainly fibre. Many of the members on here use pure pumpkin. If you are making your own from pumpkins, clean out the guts and cut it into strips. I bake in the oven on a pan with the rind side up, on parchment paper and a bit of water so it doesn't stick, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until tender. Remove the Fleshy part once cool and either mash it with a fork or run it through a blender or processor. My one kitty likes it just as it is as a treat, the other one I have to mix with food.
 
MaSha said:
Thank you co much Tuxedo Mom for the recipe!
I'll prepare it tonight. I hope he'll like it :)
Click to expand...


Just try a small amount maybe 1/4 teaspoon to start. One of mine will eat it on its own..as much as I will give him..he thinks it is a treat :rolleyes:...the other I have to mix in with food. Good luck with the recipe!! ;)
 
Ever since Wiley started on a phosphorous binder, he has been constipated. I tried pumpkin and slippery elm bark- neither of which he liked. Now I'm giving him 1/8 tsp Miralax each day and it seems to be helping. Good luck!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top