? I'm getting worried- when does the vet need to intervene??

Radar has not deposited poop in the LB in a full day. I'm worried that he may be constipated. A couple days ago he had a very runny out of the litterbox "instance"I gave him pumpkin. Since then he's had a bit of in the litterbox loose stools. I read on the feline constipation website that laxanip (aka laxatone I think) can be given to help with constipation. I gave him some today but have not seen results in the LB yet. I'm starting to feel worried about the little guy and am not sure what to do or if I need to do anything. My vet is out of the country at the moment.... My budget has been shot all to *#% this summer and would like to avoid going to the vet if possible, but don't want my little guy to suffer. At what point do I need to take him in for a vets intervention? Any thoughts will be appreciated.

 

Hi Jan,

I'm sorry that Radar is having poop problems. I know the worry of the wait. Saoirse can go up to 2 days at times without pooping: it depends on how much she eats. On average she goes once every 22-26 hours. The worst time was after her dental. Apparently anaesthetics can constipate as can the bupe she got for post-op pain relief. There was nothing in the box for three days! I brought her in to get checked over to make sure that there was no obstruction. Our vet prescribed liquid paraffin. Two doses got her moving again.

 

I can tell you that after I had my tonsils last year, with the pain meds, I didn't go for a week. Is Miralax the same as laxanip?

 

Thanks Mogs for sharing your experience. I will try to be more patient. But I don't have much experience with waiting for poop.... Sigh

 

Is he acting normal? Is he eating and drinking water? Does he seems uncomfortable? Is he straining in the box?

If the answer is yes to the first two questions and no to the second two questions, he's probably ok. Give him some more time to normalize his bowel movements.

Laxanip is a hairball remedy and can help if it's just that. Miralax draws water into the colon to soften the bowel movement.

 

Laxanip is the stuff I get from the vet to help hair balls pass properly.

 

I personally don't like the petroleum based stuff, if it "goes down the wrong tube" it can cause a difficult form of pneumonia to treat. I think some people here use miralax, but I don't know dosages.

 

Often after loose poops there can be a lapse before the normal poop comes through ( happens in humans too)
It is because the previous poop has gone through the system in a hurry and the next lot may be going through at a normal pace so the time will be longer because the previous lot went through fast.
Did I explain that OK?
Plain boiled pumpkin is good for both diarrhoea and constipation.

 

@Maggies Mom Debby He ate his dinner normally and drank the chicken water I've been giving him with the paw lickin chicken. He is grooming and playing in his new empty box. All normal behaviors. I don't think he's straining in the box. He's not quite as jumpy or frisky as he's been recently so maybe there's a bit of uncomfortableness, but it's not pronounced at this point. It sounds like I need to be patient... And if there's a change then pay even closer attention.

Thanks for the thoughts. They are much appreciated.

 

I second that notion having had more surgeries then I can remember. Vicodin/morphine keep me up for a week and keeps me out of the bathroom even longer.

 

Thread hijack....Tonsils out at 45...yikes!

 

That's really helpful @Bron and Sheba Thanks. So giving him pumpkin every day is a good idea it sounds like ... both as a remedy right now and to keep everything moving smoothly. I'm thinking a teaspoon a day. Does that sound right? Can you give too much pumpkin? I'm thinking about Weruvas "funk in the trunk" which Radar really likes. It's pumpkin and chicken together.

 

I give Shiloh and her brother Spuds about a teaspoon AM and PM. Very good results in the LB.

 

Any of the low carb weruva brand is good. I use it too.
Re the pumpkin....Sheba used to suffer from chronic diarrhoea...from an allergy to a food. Since then I have given her half a teaspoon plain boiled pumpkin twice a day. I feed home prepared food so the pumpkin is now a bit of carb and a bit of roughage but it does the same job. If you are having ongoing issues...I think half a teaspoon twice a day mixed in with meals is a good start. You can adjust as needed.

 

Thanks to all of you for your excellent thoughts. I'll keep you posted on my patient wait...

 

Feline Constipation

 

I wasn't overly thrilled with it myself, Meya, but as an emergency one-off I went with it. I was petrified that the constipation might trigger a pancreatitis flare. I certainly wouldn't want to give it to her as a regular treatment.

Thank you for the additional info about the potential risk. I really do wish that vets would automatically give us information like this so that we can make truly informed treatment choices for our little ones.

 

@Bron and Sheba - I've been following your pumpkin recommendation and it's helping Saoirse. Thank you!


Mogs
.

 

Hi Aine,
That is really good to hear it is helping Saoirse. It is so simple but does so much good.
How is dear Saoirse? And I hope you are well@Critter Mom

 

So sorry to hear Radar is having issues. I certainly am no expert on the subject but I have always heard not to worry too much until after three days have passed. And, yes, painkilllers and anasthesia can have very constipating effects, that's true. I hope he's okay and has a good poop soon! Waiting is always so worrisome!

 

After 48 hours with no poop is when I think they are supposed to see a vet. Marshmallow recently went 2.5 days without a poop and I panicked and gave her Cat Lax (same thing as Laxatone). It worked about half a day later. My vet told me to get more fiber in her diet. I was already giving her 1 teaspoon of pumpkin per day but I bumped it up to 2.5 teaspoons and it seems to have helped. I also bought Miralax in case there's another long period of time without poop, but I haven't needed to use it yet. If you want to try it, the dose of Miralax is 1/8 teaspoon once a day mixed in with a spoonful of food. It's meant to work quickly.

And yes, pain meds can cause constipation. I also started giving Marshmallow some digestive enzymes that are helping her keep everything regular, but she's an IBD kitty so Radar might not need something like that. And they take a couple of days to kick in as well so they're not an immediate help.

 

Thanks for the additional information. I have given more pumpkin and laxatone this morning. We are still waiting patiently......

 

You might try a "mom cat" on him. Get a warm, wet washcloth and stimulate the anus, as would be done on kittens. This can provoke defecation.

 

What a great idea!! BJM. I'm going to try it.

 

Perhaps todays best news is that Radar finally pooped. I don't know which of the many things I've done in the past day worked but now we have a happy smiling cat and happy smiling humans .

 

great photo @Critter Mom - captures exactly how I felt when I found the evidence in the LB!
I hope you and your Saoirse are doing well today too.

 

YEAH FOR POOP!!!!! Waiting for things to work is so awful...

HUGS!

 

Effective communication is a thing of wonder.

 

Hooray! Poop power!

 

Bron, you explained it very well! That's exactly what happened with Hannah last week, following a bout of diarrhea caused by Clavamox. Once we stopped the antibiotic and encouraged her to eat the canned pumpkin, it took a couple of days and all was well in Poopy Land, once again.

 

I give Max 1/8 teaspoon miralax most days. I didn't for two days and he didn't poop today so he will get some tomorrow. It works.