Tom constipated again .... Question

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Sonia & Tom (GA)

Sonia & Tom (GA)

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:sad:
Don't know what to do. He was squatting and I managed to help him but he is quite angry right now and none of us can approach him. Don't know if he's done and just cranky. He is laying down in his usual spot now.

We had to take him the the vet 2 weeks ago because of this issue and they cleared it out. They ran full tests (he was due) and everything is normal, save for slightly elevated kidney values.

I guess I'll just keep watching him for now.
ETA: last time, the vet talked about trying a stool softener to help. Just backread comments from last time. Will find Miralax equivalent.

Will try to call today. They may be closed since they are downtown with the G20 violence expects again today.
 
Talked to vet who mentionned lactulose. Doesn't that contain sugar?

I mentionned Restoralax (Miralax Canadian equivalent) and she was not familiar with it. She will look into it and call me back.

Opinion on lactulose?
 
I found Lactolose very inconvenient to use. You can get a pint bottle from a pharmacy (need Rx).
It is sticky, hard to measure, and some cats don't like it. Sweet taste so I assume it has sugar.
Expensive compared to Miralax.

Miralax (polyethlyene glycol) is cheap, available with out Rx, tasteless, odorless. Easy.

Start with 1/8 tsp 2x/day mixed into wet food. Add 1 teaspoon water to the food and mix well.
 
Karen & Smokey(GA) said:
I found Lactolose very inconvenient to use. You can get a pint bottle from a pharmacy (need Rx).
It is sticky, hard to measure, and some cats don't like it. Sweet taste so I assume it has sugar.
Expensive compared to Miralax.

Miralax (polyethlyene glycol) is cheap, available with out Rx, tasteless, odorless. Easy.

Start with 1/8 tsp 2x/day mixed into wet food. Add 1 teaspoon water to the food and mix well.
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Thank you. I just talked to vet and agrees that Miralax would be better. She appears a little inexperienced but I really like the fact that she is open to me proposing other things (Miralax as suggested here) instead of pushing what she usually uses (lactulose). Unlike my other vet who would get offended when I would not just do as told - why she is no longer my vet.

I will go out to find the product in a bit. Then I will try to feed Tom separately.
 
Big chain stores have their own generic brand of 'Miralax'...or whatever they call it in Canada.

Just look for 'polyethelyene glycol' as the ingredient....
 
Just as an FYI, I taste test many of the meds I give my cats so I can see how to administer it. Miralax is odorless and tasteless. I have no problem putting in food, they eat it without issue, just be sure to add more water to their diet, I add the water right to the canned food. Miralax draws water into the colon and in doing so it takes water from other parts of the body.
 
Just for information most of Lactulose is not digestible and is not a concern for diabetics. "Each 15 mL of Lactulose Solution USP contains 10 g lactulose (and less than 1.6 g galactose, less than 1.2 g lactose, and 0.1 g or less of fructose). It also contains D&C Yellow No. 10, FD & C Yellow No. 6 and Purified Water."

"General: Since lactulose solution contains galactose (less than 1.6 g/15 mL) and lactose (less than 1.2 g/15 mL), it should be used with caution in diabetics"

Quoted text is from: http://www.rxlist.com/lactulose-solution-drug.htm
 
I just got him Lax-a-day, equivalent to Miralax.
He is by himself in a room so he can eat his soupy dinner.

The other 2, who normally rush to the bowls to inhale the food, did not want to eat without Tom. Weird.
 
Hillary & Maui said:
by any chance do you put probiotics into the food? This can help with the overall digestion and is safe to use daily.

Here's what was recommended to me: http://www.vitacost.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Pet-Dophilus

You may be able to find it locally in any vitamin shop store.
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I have Fortiflora, have given it when we had the opposite problem when on ABs after his dental. Does this help for constipation or just good for overall digestive health? Any issues with giving both?
 
I've used lactulose and Miralax both. Overall, I prefer Miralax, but it really comes down to your convenience and how your cat tolerates it. Either one should be safe and effective. If using Miralax, remember to add extra water to the food; it's necessary for the Miralax to work correctly.

Also, I'd suggest talking with your vet about Tom's kidney function. You said his values were elevated, meaning his kidney function is lower. Lower kidney function can lead to varying degrees of dehydration, and any amount of dehydration can trigger constipation. If Tom is having recurring constipation issues, you may want to start treating his kidney problems earlier than usual. At the very least, you should be encouraging him to drink more water: add it to his food, put additional bowls at each end of each floor, give to bowls or fountains a good scrubbing (if a fountain, don't forget to clean the motor and replace the filter), invest in a pet fountain, put ice cubes in the water, etc, etc.
 
Just get Lax a Day, or ReversaLax if you want at Shoppers' Drug mart.

I got Lax a Day for Oliver because his Xrays showed among other things that "he's got alotta poops in there!"

it took a couple days to loosen up good but he had a good bowel movement on the first day.
I think I have seen smaller horse droppings so no wonder he has problems.

I started with 1/4 tsp BID just mix in food and add plenty of water as it draws water from body to work. And it does work so I started adding to Shadoe's foods as she has already had to be 'expressed' once, and she did NOT like that AT ALL!
 
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