HELP!! Cat with Megacolon

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Nat & Black cat

Nat & Black cat

Member Since 2020
My 11 year old female cat has megacolon after getting hit by a car 2 years ago, she shattered and lost her tail and now has megacolon as a result, she gets lactalose and fibre response everyday but she was in the cattery for 5 days and didn't get her meds properly so got backed up again and had to get an enema the other day, since the enema 2 days ago she hasn't pooed and isn't really interested in her food or even her fibre response. Vets basically told me I should put her to sleep . She is such a happy and loving cat and don't see how putting her to sleep is even an option.

Please help
 
Hi Nat,

I'm so sorry to hear Black Cat's not doing so good at the moment. I've no experience dealing with megacolon, only GI issues associated with diabetes (can affect gut motility) so I do know that constipation can badly affect appetite but it's nowhere near as complicated as megacolon to manage (clearance of any stubborn stool, short period of treatment with prokinetic agent such as metoclopramide to help 'get things going' again followed by addition of fibre and stool softeners to diet as preventative).

The best I could find online in terms of treatments is this article (meds, supplements, surgery options).

This site also mentions use of prokinetic treatments. From the article:

Prokinetic agents – These medications increase peristalsis and/or promote gastric emptying. There are several drugs available which include:
  • Cisapride (only available through compounding veterinary pharmacies), Metoclopramide, Tegaserod, Nizatidine, Ranitidine, Erythromycin and Clarithromycin.

According to this page nausea can potentially be a factor in the inappetence exhibited by cats with megacolon. it's definitely something I'd suggest asking a vet about to see whether there might be something to help Black Cat get her normal appetite back. Good meds for nausea are ondansetron (caution: can be constipating) and Cerenia (tablet form may cause GI upset). Hopefully a vet will be able to advise you whether such meds might help. (NB: They don't help until constipation issues are sorted - for obvious reasons.)

I'm sorry for probably posting stuff you already know. Just wish I could do something to help. One firm suggestion I do have is seeking a second opinion from a different vet - maybe a cat-only specialist - and if you could find something to immediately relieve Black Cat's current symptoms, possibly a referral to an appropriate specialist?

Sending prayers for your little one. Please let us know how things go. I hope you can find a vet to help you.

(((Black Cat)))

:bighug:


Mogs
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Hi all, didnt mean to offend anyone by messaging I just thot it would be nice to possibly speak with people who maybe are in a similar situation.

I'm taking her to a different vets in the next hour as she is now crying over her litter box.

Feel very sad that the first vet just condemned her to death without even a thought.

She hasn't been tested for diabetes but I believe the megacolon is as a result of her being hit by a car 2 years ago, she shattered her tail and broke her pelvis.
 
@Nat & Black cat -

Hi Nat,

It's absolutely fine to post here about *anything* cat health-related. Lots of us have both diabetic and non-diabetic cats, and many of the diabetics have more than one condition (e.g. CKD, pancreatitis, IBD, etc., etc.). We all post for help with whichever condtion we're worried about and share what experience we have. Yourself and Black Cat are very, very welcome here.

As in all walks of life, there are good, bad, and indifferent vets. I sincerely hope that the new vet will be able to help Black Cat better. Please let us know how you get on. Sending prayers for your beautiful girl to get the help she needs.

(((Nat and Black Cat)))


Mogs
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Nat,

Some of our members spend most of their time on other subforums at FDMB. However many of them have experience of managing a range of conditions. I've posted on the busiest subforum (the Lantus group) to ask whether any members there might know more about megacolon (no guarantees, but it doesn't hurt to ask!).

I've directed them to this thread but just in case they reply on the other forum, here is a link to the thread requesting help from any members with experience managing megacolon in case anyone replies there instead of here so that you can check there for possible replies as well as here:

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...egacolon-help-needed-on-feline-health.237528/


Mogs
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Hi all, will have a look at the other thread now

Just back from vets, my black cat is called Puds she's 11 years old and is just me wee darling. Basically long story short I've gone for a second opinion, the vet this evening has told me she has stone like stools in her colon which the vet last week advised me off, they done an enema on her but didn't remove any of these stools leaving me to take home a cat who still has the problem I brought her in with (I am livid to say the least) I asked the vet this evening about surgery, he said he doesn't think she needs it, he told me to up her dose of lactalose and he will try and remove all the stones tomorro morning , he believe she will be absolutely fine when the stone are removed as nothing can pass them at present as they are blocking the colon. He never mentioned putting her to sleep. I feel much more reassured but will see how thing go tomorro.

Many thanks
 
Nat & Black cat said:
Hi all, will have a look at the other thread now

Just back from vets, my black cat is called Puds she's 11 years old and is just me wee darling. Basically long story short I've gone for a second opinion, the vet this evening has told me she has stone like stools in her colon which the vet last week advised me off, they done an enema on her but didn't remove any of these stools leaving me to take home a cat who still has the problem I brought her in with (I am livid to say the least) I asked the vet this evening about surgery, he said he doesn't think she needs it, he told me to up her dose of lactalose and he will try and remove all the stones tomorro morning , he believe she will be absolutely fine when the stone are removed as nothing can pass them at present as they are blocking the colon. He never mentioned putting her to sleep. I feel much more reassured but will see how thing go tomorro.

Many thanks
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Puds can be better with the megacolon issues. Glad you checked with another vet, that didn't recommend putting your cat to sleep, just because she has pooping issues.

My civie has megacolon, with rock hard poops if she doesn't get her fiber/ stool softener. She gets 1/8 level teaspoon of psyllium husk fiber and 1/8 level teaspoon of miralax (generic is fine) added to her first AM meal along with extra water. Then she gets an additional 1/8 level teaspoon of psyllium husk fiber along with extra water added to her first PM meal. It took trial and error, to find the correct dose for her. But she has been on this regimen for 6+ years and it's working. I've been doing this for so long, it might actually be 7 years that she has gotten the extra fiber in her meals. Whenever I try to cut back on the amount of psyllium husk or miralax, her poops get harder and she is straining to poop.

I do "poop patrol" of her litter box, and check the consistency of her feces daily. If too soft, it causes issues too.

A consistent diet of Friskies pate and Fancy Feast pate style foods helps also. She gets some Tiki Cat foods, but they can cause her poops to be a bit softer and have the poop not fall from her butt. So when she jumps out of the litter box, the poop drops outside the box. No big deal for me to cleanup, but she hates when that happens and tries to "bury" the poop in the wood floor and the litter mat outside the box. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but you want feces that are not too hard and not too soft.

I've never had to use Cisipride, but it helps with gut motility, to get things moving. Sounds like Puds has a more advanced case of Megacolon than my cat does.
 
Hi @Nat & Black cat :bighug:

Just got home from work. Our Cosmo has megacolon from idiopathic cause (unknown). Some kitties can develop megacolon from pelvic injuries as well. It sounds like Puds potentially has some pelvic injuries that make it harder for the stool to pass through, so super important that the stool remains soft and passable. I’m so sorry the meds were not given :(

www.felineconstipation.org is a great site with info too. I am also part of a Facebook megacolon support group that is very good. They have a good at home regimen to treat bouts of constipation before it becomes a larger problem. I’ll see if I can find a copy.

Cosmo needed to have a few manual extractions under sedation. It can be quite painful, so the sedation is required. Since his last extraction, he has had no problems as long as we stick to the regimen.

We feed RC gastrointestinal fibre response and have cisapride and lactulose on standby if he goes 36 hrs without a BM. For many megacolon mamas/papas this is the take action point, where a regimen of meds and at home enemas are performed to prevent blockages. The at home enemas CANNOT be of the human variety. Must be for felines. We also have subq fluids to help keep the stool soft and prevent dehydration - which can make the problem worse if kitty doesn’t have enough moisture available to draw upon. Some megacolon kitties require lactulose and cisapride every day as part of preventative maintenance...Cosmo does not at this point.

I hope everything goes ok at the vet! Many vets are really reluctant to do the manual extractions as it can be complicated and there is risk of puncturing the colon with the tools needed to break apart the cement stool. The pros and cons need to be evaluated accordingly.

Please feel free to reach out if you need anything and update on how things are going :)
 
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I would emphasize hydration as super critical.

Miralax, lactulose and even psyllium require extra water to be given as all of those act as stool softeners, which draw water towards it into the stool. Miralax, for instance, when given to humans, asks that the Miralax powder be dissolved in a certain amount of water to be gulped down. The same is true for kitties. I did the calculation once and 1/8 tsp of Miralax needs 2 tsp of water. 1/4 tsp Miralax needs 4 tsp of water.

I tried Miralax for a short time, but found lactulose more effective for Cosmo.

Without the extra hydration, these products can ‘work’, but if kitty is dehydrated, they may have enough moisture to help temporarily, but then become dehydrated and the cycle can continue.
 
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