constipation suggestions

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gailandjohnnycake

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Johnny is constipated, not blocked, because small amounts of hard stool come out, but very little. He has always had this problem. Used laxatone and pumpkin pre diagnosis as sugar cat but cannot use it now. Has anyone ever tried Aloe Vera juice? In some places I read it is OK, others say it can be toxic. The vet suggested mineral oil. I put some in his food tonight so I will see what happens. Any other ideas?? I always add water to his canned food and make it like soup so he should be getting enough water.

Thanks,
Gailandjohnny cake
 
My girls have not experienced this issue, but what is "normal" for a bowel movement?
Baby has not gone today...eating Raw & Wellness canned. I get a bit paranoid..I will be the 1st to admit.
 
I tried aloe juice with Lucy but it didn't work. I give her 1/8 teaspoon of Miralax daily and that works just great.
 
I also use Miralax with great results, on my cat Coco. He has a spinal nerve injury and can't deliberately poop. It is a tasteless powder that you sprinkle onto the food - they don't even notice it. (Unlike lactulose which is a messy sticky liquid which Coco hated. ) Miralax can be purchased at just about any pharmacy without a prescription. It absorbs water and makes the poop much softer and lighter, so it's much easier for Coco's poo to work its way out. We haven't had to give him an enema, much less take him to the vet for sedated bowel disimpaction, since we started using Miralax. And so far we've been able to stave off the expected megacolon. :-D

The bad thing about mineral oil, from what I read a couple months back, is that the cat can aspirate it and have big problems as a result. If he'll take it in his food, though, that seems like it should be okay. I believe syringing it is the primary problem area.

laur
 
Yep--it's a people product available at grocery stores or drug stores. One small bottle (powdered) has lasted over a year.
 
My Gwyn's had the constipating form of IBD for 16 years now, and it's always a constant battle with us :( We've pretty much always used prednisone, and have at various times used pumpkin, lactulose, cisapride, cascara, Zantac, Metamucil, a raw food diet, vitamin B-12 injections and probably several other things that aren't occurring to me at the moment.

Like a lot of other constipation kitties, we're currently using Miralax. Start with 1/8tsp twice a day, and *slowly* increase as necessary. You'll definitely need to add extra water to the food as well to let Miralax work properly.

How old is Johnny? A lot of older cats have lowered kidney function (the average age for diagnosis on that is 9; half the cats are diagnosed before age 9, half after). Lowered kidney function cat trigger various degrees of dehydration, and any amount of dehydration can contribute to constipation. So any older cat with constipation issues, I urge them to get their kidney panels done and to do a consult with their vet on the costs/benefits of starting sub-Q fluids earlier than normal.


Regarding raw food diets: cats on a raw food diet tend to defecate less frequently than cats on a more 'normal' diet. A raw food diet is fine for most normal cats and can be very beneficial for cats with chronic diarrhea problems and some cats with constipation issues. However, in at least some cats with constipation problems, a raw food diet is *very* contra-indicated. The handful of weeks we transitioned onto a raw food diet saw the worst progression in Gwyn's intestinal problems than any other period in the 16 years we've dealt with constipation. So if your cat is prone to constipation, please monitor her bowel movements carefully if you switch to a raw food diet. It can help some constipating cats, but it honestly was the worst thing we've ever done to Gwyn.
 
When My Cat Tananda became constipated, the vet gave her lactulose for the immediate problem, the suggested about 1/4 teaspoon of benifiber in her water, the problem never returned. For a very old cockatiel who has a similar problem, I add 1/2 of a 1000mg flax oil capsule to his food, if you want to try this for your cat, check with your vet for the correct dose. Good Luck
 
Miralax is my favorite treatment for constipation but do pay attention to JJ's discussion about kidney disease.

I am not a fan of fiber or mineral oil for constipated cats.

It is good that you are adding water to canned food.
 
I just went through this with Scruffy. (By just, I mean last week)

I mixed in olive oil into his food. After a day and a half there was poops! Worked like a charm.
 
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