Finally Success! Racci is very constipated!

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MelanieAndRacci

MelanieAndRacci

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She has been constipated for 3 days so I gave her miralax yesterday both a little in her bowl early in the day, and then when no results another 1 mil by syringe orally. Early This morning she had an unformed messy stool following some really hard balls, then again about 11am another messy pasty one. She has very long thick fur. her bp is running normal for her. She is on Lantus 5m bid. She's a big girl and has been doing well with the higher dose. Sorry her chart is not up to date. i am unable to type due to my rsd and spinal problems. this is very painful for me but i really need to know from those of you who do this also. Would you give more today since she is again struggling? She is 15 and just lost our 16 yr old mom to her a month ago, Calli. She also has neuropathy in rear legs. thank you so much for any help.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I give my shakes B12 for the neuropathy and that keeps him regular also
kind of a bonus
I have heard of people giving canned pumkin to help
I am sorry but I do not know anything about miralax
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I've heard of lots of people that give 1/8 teaspoon of Miralax twice a day. I think it has to build up in their system.
I've never heard of giving it orally, though.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I always gave my constipated cat Lactulose but he was not a diabetic. I used Miralax but it did not work as well as the Lactulose. He was on quite a bit of Lactulose everyday about 3cc twice a day.
My mom`s friend uses Miralax with her cat Boo Boo but it does take longer to build up in the system. She mixes it in a syringe with water without the needle on it and gives to the cat orally. She gives him 1/4 teaspoon twice a day.
Miralax needs water to work in the system whereas not so much does Lactulose. Lactulose you must get from the vet.

Terri
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Thank you all. I give her methyl b12 pills everyday also but no help with the constipation. Not sure if it hurts her to squeeze from the neuropathy and old age arthritis, etc. also she hurt her leg whne young and it seems to bother her now.

I guess based on what the others were doing I should give another dose. I just hope she goes when i'm awake this time and or when i can catch her. Poor thing made such a mess of herself with that pastey stuff twice! She hates being cleaned and brushed and must be brushed or turns into nothing but ;huge matts from such long thick fur. I think she doesn't push the last time she needs to and either it's just not falling or it's sticking to her fur.

Yes, I did mean 1 mil of water and miralax mixture in a syringe the second time. the first time i just eyeballed a little of the powder and put in her dishes of water and encourage to drink.

Thanks again. If anyone else has feedback, would love to hear it. I really can't bear to lose my other baby.

Edit: forgot to say, she won't touch pumpkin or squash. Tried that already last time. miralax is tasteless, odorless so no problem with it.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I would add extra water to her food, too, when giving Miralax. It draws water from the body to put into the stool to make it softer, or something like that.
My non diabetic is a long hair and sometimes she needs a bath when she has a stinky one hanging from her fur.
It's so stinky, I thinks it's a hairball that's been in there for a long time, and is coming out the back end.
She doesn't like it, but I bet she's feels better afterwards.

ETA: can you take the 911 icon off of your first post, please? We usually reserve that for immediate help NOW for life of death situations. I hope Racci becomes "regular" soon. I would give it to her everyday, twice a day, for a week and see how it goes.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

LOL, Dyana, I know what you mean about those stuck ones. I'm afraid to give a full bath since Racci has asthma too and gets so upset. I usually just sit her in the sink. I have this great foamy soap from the hospital that doesn't need rinsing an is pet safe so use that on her with wash cloths when I can get away with it. She has that extra coat underneath and is just murder to brush once she gets wet so would rather do in stages. :)

I'm bringing her a little water dish constantly so she's drinking plenty, thanks. I thought of that too. I was hoping I could get away with just hydrating her without meds but didn't work. I'm still doing it even with the miralax and she's drinking a lot each time.

Thanks! I feel less worried now, you all. I'm so freaked out after losing my other baby and knowing she has such a compromised immune system. I was thinking renal failure and all kinds of horrors but obviously this is not uncommon with diabetes or even with cats? I don't think I'll let it go a week though. If she's not better on Monday, I think I'll take her to the vet even though it really will stress her and I'm scared to death after losing Calli on what I thought was just a minor illness and turned out to be a huge inoperable tumor. Now I almost feel like I don't want to know and maybe it will go away even tho I know it's a stupid thing to think. I'm just scared to go to the vet and possibly get more bad news or lose my Racci like I did Calli.

Sorry about the icon.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Hi Melanie,

When my two 10 yo girls get constipated, I give them water in a dropper orally and also hairball remedy daily for a week, then, may be just 2-3 times per week until the constipation passes. They do somewhat frequently have very dry stools because they just don't drink enough water (that doesn't appear to be Razzi's problem) though I make their food very soupy, too! One of them is a walking puffy downy ball of fur and could never clean herself well! The hairball remedy appears to help the dry stool move along and out, though I don't know how well that goes with miralax or other conditions your kitty might have. I am so sorry about Calli. Best wishes,
Sophie
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I think some cats have 'slow stool' where it does not move quickly through the body... I put restoralax in every meal my cats have, just 1/8 tsp and lots of extra water. I did try to stop adding it to the food, but Oliver just bunched up again, so I just went back to adding a little bit in every meal. It keeps the cats nice and regular. If the stool seems too loose, give a bit less in the food; if harder, try adding more water to the food and if still too firm, up the powder.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Hi Sophie and Gayle,

Sophie, I didn't even think of the hairball medicine, thanks. She loves that and does well with it. I already gave her miralax tonight after seeing that so many of you use laxatives twice a day for several days so maybe I'll wait till tomorrow and try it. That's a good idea. It could very well be a large mass of hair since she's shedding so much. Racci never took care of herself. She always had Calli to do it for her and me brushing her as well. Calli was such a good mom even when they were old ladies! Racci is very sweet but a very spoiled baby. She comes crying to me when anything is wrong with her. The good thing is I always know if something is wrong, I just have to figure out what. Thanks about Calli. We really miss her. I've had her since she was a littlle baby. I had hoped she would live to her 20's.

I think you're right about the slow movement thru the body, Gayle. Racci seems to have that problem. I can't believe how much water she's had in the last few days but all she does is urinate without the miralax. I can't put anything in food or she doesn't eat. She's super picky but giving by syringe orally works well. She's so used to taking meds between the diabetes and asthma and she's very good about it. She's also very happy about being spoiled by me bringing her bowls of water and holding them for her.. lol.

Thanks!

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Baxter has been having a similar problem. My vet suggested about 1 tablespoon mineral oil in his food. If he wont eat his food then to give it orally in a dropper. I paid about $1.50 for the bottle of mineral oil.

I hope she feels better soon.
Jenn & baxter
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Thanks Jen. Is the mineral oil working well? I have tons of Miralax since I use it too but maybe I'll try that too and see which is better for her. I wonder if that is safe to use longterm tho? I have a feeling that Racci is going to have this problem longterm and I know miralax is safe and doesn't interact with other meds or anything. She's pretty old now and has so many problems, poor baby. How old is Baxter? I hope he feels better soon alllso.

Melanie
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Baxter is 14 yrs old. He is Himilyan so he is longed hair. I don't think his is hair balls. My vet & I didn't all about long term use. He did tell me not to use pumpkin because of his diabetes.
I tried the mineral oil in his food...a very small amount. The vet said to start with 1/8 tspn. Baxter got to where he won't eat much of his food. He has a nose like a hound dog I guess. I need to get a dropper because he is going to get it down the thoart. He is going on 2 days of not going to the bathroom.

Come here kitty, kitty...mommy has something for you.. :twisted:
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I can't believe I just lost my message! grrr. Racci had it for 3 days without going when I started the miralax also. It's really bad for them. That's why I was so worried. She won't eat the food if she so much as suspects something is in it. I always have syringes of both types in the house since Racci is such a little sickie but if you can figure out howw to get the tip out of one of your needle syringes, you could use that. Maybe a pliers after you clip the needle? If you have an all night drug store nearby they're very cheap for a pack of 3 or 4 only a couple of dollars also.
I just gave up on waiting for the water dish to work. It was taking too long and used the syringe. This way I knew how much she had and that it was definitely in her.

I'm just wondering if the miralax lowered her bg. She had 61 at +7 and now she's still only 119 and she's due for her shot! If I just give a half dose I know she'll be super high in the am. Don't know what to do. I'll wait a little I guess but her schedule is reallly getting sccrewed up.

Good luck. I sure hope he goes also.

Melanie
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I have been thinking about asking my DH to get the needle out of the syringe.

Im really not one to give advice about dosing. I seem to be having a little BG situtation with Baxter tonight nothing alarming just yet, but its early & he is going down.

I know I would not shoot a full shot into 119. Not even sure if I would do a 1/2 shot either. I always go by Baxters schedule & figure the dose around that. But what do I know? Tonight I think I have given him to much.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

I did not read all of the replies but have a few quick comments.

Miralax and lactulose work in the same way and Miralax does not take any more time to work than lactulose. Both are osmotic laxatives (call water to them) and work immediately if the dosage is adequate.

I do not use mineral oil and would never syringe it into a cat's mouth due to the risk of aspiration. Mineral oil is not a true laxative in that it does not increase fecal water content. I do not see mineral oil as being very effective for most cases of constipation for several reasons.

Miralax is my first choice - dosed to effect starting with 1/8 tsp twice daily in food and working up from there. It is very safe and effective.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Thank you very much Lisa. I gave her another 1/8 tsp last night and again at about noon but still nothing. The miralax does not seem to be working fast on Racci. Would you suggest upping the dosage or just giving an extra? I'd hate to give her diarrhea with that long thick fur! I don't know if you read that she went yesterday finally 2x early but it was several balls of hard stool followed by unformed and very pasty stool all over her. She was acting like she still had to go though. She seemed to feel much better last night and this morning. Now she's straining again and cranky. She went to the box to go but when she saw me watching, got out. She may be afraid I'm going to wash & brush her again after 2 messes yesterday. :) I'm hoping to be able to wait until monday when her vet is back. Is there something that I should look for that would tell me it is unsafe to wait any longer? The day before that after giving miralax, she made a huge hard formed stool that was all one piece and a weird spiral at the beginning end? She seemed to feel better afterwards also until the next day. Thanks so much for any advice.

I was leery of the mineral oil and am glad you cleared that up.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Hi Jenn,

I would ask him if you can. Just make sure he doesn't leave a sharp edge that could cut Baxter's mouth.

I wound up waiting on Racci's insulin last night and feeding a little blueberry yogurt. After an Hour she went to 157 so I gave her 3u instead of her usual 4.5 pm and this morning she was pre-am 263 so it worked out ok. I gave her only 4u today and will be checking her again soon. She may be due for a dosage cut. I'm trying it and tracking her again.

Talk to you later.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Thank you Dr Lisa for clearing up the mineral oil for me. You saved me from giving Baxter any.
I have Miralax on my list. I am going out later & going to pick some up.

I hope Racci numbers drop & she is able to go some relief soon.

Keep us updated.
 
Re: Need help please! Racci is very constipated!

Thanks Jen.

I hope the miralax works for Baxter. Don't forget the syringes. :) Racci is sleeping now but I'm thinking of waking her and giving another 1/8 since she still hasn't gone. She's such a big girl, about 17 lbs, that she might need more. The only thing holding me back is that I know it never works right away with me either and if I take too much I get diarrhea. I hate these decisions.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: Finally Success! Racci is very constipated! Numbers off

Finally, a nice normal stool last night about midnight! I'm hoping we're over the hump but will keep on miralax 2x a day and furball medicine for a few days to make sure unless it makes her too loose.

Meanwhile her numbers are off so I'm tracking her for a few days andd reuced her insulin to see what happens. Her metabolism seems extra slow so it's confusing. Will have her thyroid tested next week. She was doing great on 4.5-5u bid for a long time but now that seems to be too much. I'm trying 4u to see what happens.

About to test and give am shot so will post some numbers from last few days. Thanks everyone for all your help.

I hope Baxter got some relief also. Please let me know.

Melanie & Racci
 
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