Pig 4/24 amps 68

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LuvinThisPig

LuvinThisPig

Member Since 2017
Yesterday's

Well, he has decided to grab the board again! Yay! I am still in total awe by how awesome he is! I find him today slowly adjusting to these new found greens and he had decided to lounge out in the sun instead of in a ball on the rug. :D:D:D He had a total of 4 fairly productive poos last night (equaling about 2 normal cat poos) and as he has done this that huddling has gone with it. Then, once again, it was a back up of poo that caused a bit of the icky look and feel. :confused: I have said this before and I will say it again and again, the megacolon is actually far harder to manage than the diabetes and acro. I am learning, though. For Pig, it is about consistency, schedule, and a whole poo ton of care! :rolleyes:

Pig's Best Megacolon Care:
  1. All meals need to be blended in a mix of 4 parts food 1 part water - or 2 parts food to 2 parts water if he is overly backed up. (Water need also determined by BG levels)
  2. Meals need to be given in very small amounts quite a bit more often. 3tbs BID with shot times. And / Or 2tbs every 4 hours or 1tbs every 3 hours. MiraLax in every meal (small amount to = 1.5tsp a day).
  3. EZ Egg (1/4tsp) with BID meals and shots.
  4. Fish Oils given with pm BID meal.
  5. Cisapride to be given precisely 30 minutes before BID meals when it is most effective.
  6. For Pig ONLY : Prazosin 2 hours after BID meals (with 1tbs food) to relax urethra and sphincter muscles.
  7. Pure Conjecture Only : This is only a long shot, but to be serious, it really works! When he is overly constipated I will take a personal back massager and massage his tummy. Apparently it breaks up the pieces or stimulates the walls.

The acro will make him sluggish and I have seen some of the varied side effects of such. However, nothing seems to get him down more than the megacolon. I am hoping that with SRT some of the decreased neuro functioning will improve, but this is a guess and long-shot only. Either way, he is just being quite the amazing little guy! Everyday in the greens gets a bit easier for him.

I will say this, though. He gets very, very lethargic around the 70 range. I think this is why it scared me a bit because I have taken care of many, many animals in the hypo stage. Mainly smaller babies that have not eaten owing to sickness, but the signs are almost always the same. White gums, a heavy head, and very decreased body movements. This is what he does in that range. Or did, but he is adjusting a bit now. Like he just does not have enough fuel. However, last night's cycle only had 2 meals during the 12 hours and he remained in the safe zone. Meaning, I think we have found quite a good dose amount! Thanks to @Wendy&Neko the acro and dosing genius!!! :woot:
 
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I like that you have outlined your routine so others can learn from it and understand it. One question for you re: Cisipride. I see you give it after eating. The typical guidance is to give it prior to eating. Can you say more about how you came to determine it is best after food? I know ECID, but it sounds like there is a level of precision here that I would like to learn from. Thanks!
 
Carol in Chicago said:
I like that you have outlined your routine so others can learn from it and understand it. One question for you re: Cisipride. I see you give it after eating. The typical guidance is to give it prior to eating. Can you say more about how you came to determine it is best after food? I know ECID, but it sounds like there is a level of precision here that I would like to learn from. Thanks!
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:eek::eek::eek: Great catch! That is what I meant.... To give before. Not sure what my fingers were thinking... I will edit it. Thank you!!
 
Interesting that you mention tummy massage. This link to Zener massage, was posted by a member here a while ago. Zener had cerebellar hyperplasia, which added to his digestive issues. The video is Zener's vet and her magic fingers that always got him loosened up. The part along the spine is very similar to the acupressure I gave Neko daily for pain relief.

I am wondering if you should lower the dose a smidge more. He does seem to be trending down and what we are seeing now is strictly the 55 unit dose. Although there are nothing wrong with these numbers (in fact they are great!), there is no need to keep Pig at a dose that gets him into numbers where he's not comfy. A good goal is a dose where he spends most of this time under renal threshold. An acro cat does not have to be tightly regulated, and with larger doses (and not using R for a buffer), the larger depot can be a concern should he really decide he needs less insulin.
 
How did you discover Pig has megacolon and not just constipation? Bronx will only go once every 3 or 4 days and the movements are huge. Wondering what the diagnosis is for megacolon? Also, is there any reason you don't give Pig probiotics?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Interesting that you mention tummy massage. This link to Zener massage, was posted by a member here a while ago. Zener had cerebellar hyperplasia, which added to his digestive issues. The video is Zener's vet and her magic fingers that always got him loosened up. The part along the spine is very similar to the acupressure I gave Neko daily for pain relief.

I am wondering if you should lower the dose a smidge more. He does seem to be trending down and what we are seeing now is strictly the 55 unit dose. Although there are nothing wrong with these numbers (in fact they are great!), there is no need to keep Pig at a dose that gets him into numbers where he's not comfy. A good goal is a dose where he spends most of this time under renal threshold. An acro cat does not have to be tightly regulated, and with larger doses (and not using R for a buffer), the larger depot can be a concern should he really decide he needs less insulin.
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This massage thing looks very interesting... Thank you! I will check it out in further detail when I am off work...

How much lower were you thinking? Perhaps to 52-53u. Or more?
 
Bronx's dad said:
How did you discover Pig has megacolon and not just constipation? Bronx will only go once every 3 or 4 days and the movements are huge. Wondering what the diagnosis is for megacolon? Also, is there any reason you don't give Pig probiotics?
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This is a bit complex... I will craft a detailed response when I get home. I am not a big fan of typing on the phone.. Lol.
 
Okay.. Just got able to sit down and type this out. Sorry for the delay @Bronx's dad ...

Okay.... When dealing with megacolon it is important to remember that it is a secondary condition for the most part. Meaning, that it is a condition that has happened because a cat has been chronically constipated for a very long time and it went unnoticed causing fecal matter to build up in the digestive tract. Once the fecal matter begins to build it starts to stretch the colon walls and this stretching is sort of like when you stretch out an old t-shirt. The colon sort of loses its elasticity. More importantly, owing to the fact that the walls have been stretched beyond their means the they have lost their necessary muscle tone and now lack the ability to undulate the fecal matter through the digestive tract. Additionally, it becomes a big issue in the colon as the colon actually draws out moisture from the fecal matter which leaves the colon packed with hard, dry chunks of poo which are difficult or impossible to pass. The difference with megacolon and chronic constipation being the actual ability to move fecal matter as in megacolon cats the digestive motility is almost none. So, when I say that Pig passed chunks they are actually quite small in relation to Tail's massive poos because even the smallest chunk is neigh on impossible for him to pass. Often, megacolon cats will present with loose stools as you are seeing the liquid fecal matter above the colon moving past the harder chunks lodged in the colon. This is why and how I know Pig is constipated as the fecal matter builds in his tract and presses his urethra. Not long after his bladder will get a bit bigger than normal and soon after he will pass a few chunks. It just seems to hang out longer. Now, typically, as I mentioned, megacolon is a secondary condition resulting from constipation. However, it can be congenital or hereditary. I am fairly certain that this is what happened with Pig.

I had noticed a 'lump' in his abdomen that no one else could seem to feel. The vets even missed it, but I insisted upon x-rays. Turns out the lump was his bladder that had gotten swollen as he was quite literally constipated from the top to the bottom of his digestive tract and the fecal matter was weighing in on his urethra obstructing his ability to pee. Now, Pig has always, always had loose stools and I have tried literally everything to change that. However, nothing ever has and looking back on it now I am fairly certain that the decreased neurological functioning he has because of the Manx syndrome has a play in this. I am almost positive, given the signs and what I know now, that he has never had a full gut motility and because of this, he has never really passed fully formed stools. Who knows, he could have suffered constipation his whole life and it was not until recently that it became or caused a secondary issue. Now, I do not give pumpkin, or fiber, or probiotics, or anything of a such that would solidify or 'bulk' up the fecal matter anymore than it already is as anyting like that would just make it quite a bit harder for him to pass the poop. This was under direction of my vet. I have tried all the expensive and not so expensive probiotic options and to no avail anyways.

Before all of this started with the diabetes dx and acro dx my vet prescribed him a dental food that was seriously loaded with fiber... Now, that was miserable. Megacolonic cats need just the right balance of fiber. Too much is just as bad as too little. I have also found out that the smaller the meals more often the better... This seems to allow the digestive tract to manage it better.

As far as diagnosis, it is as simple as getting an x-ray. I have attached a view for reference.
 

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Oh... @Bronx's dad I forgot to mention... Typically with megacolon there will be more intestinal or digestive noises than is typical. As in, the rumbly in the tumblys... I can hear Pig's belly from a mile away when he is very constipated. Its odd...
 
Bronx's dad said:
How did you discover Pig has megacolon and not just constipation? Bronx will only go once every 3 or 4 days and the movements are huge. Wondering what the diagnosis is for megacolon? Also, is there any reason you don't give Pig probiotics?
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Girlie also only goes every four - and sometimes five - days. My vet said that as a senior lady, not to get too worried about that, but I don't let her go over five days. On, the joys of constipation! Not! :rolleyes:
 
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