Pooping question

The past couple of days Ruby has had some problem, um, finishing the job when pooping. Twice in the past week it has landed just outside the litterbox with some evidence of bum scootching on the floor. She gets 1/4 teaspoon of Miralax, twice a day and has for about a year. Its worked well for her. The poop is well formed, not dry, not overly stinky. She just seems to be having trouble with the release. She's been OTJ for a year now, the only meds she gets other than the Miralax is Dasaquin twice a day. She was diagnosed with CRF/CKD last fall (her numbers have been steady since) but she hasn't needed sub-Q fluids or anything else. She's her normal cranky self. Appetite good. Water intake steady. Peeing inside the box with no problem. I scoop the box at least twice a day and use Feline Pine. The box has been in the same location for 6 years and nothing else has changed.

Any ideas? Too much Miralax? Not enough Miralax? We already have an appointment with Dr. K next week for her regular blood & urine workup but I thought I'd check in here to see if anyone has any ideas what could be going on.

Thanks!
Amy & Ruby

 

Sigh... good luck. I hope the Vet appointment reveals something easily treated. Seems like there is always one little duck that just wont get into that line...I know...:/
jeanne

 

Is the poo perhaps getting hung up on the fur? Maybe time for a sanitary trim?

 

Nope. She's a short hair and has an over-grooming issue (has for years, no tests have been conclusive as to why) so there isn't much going on back there.

 

Hi Amy
Brie started with constipation last year around Christmas. He also has CRF, DM and cancer. When the constipation started last year I started him on miralax. He was doing ok with pooping until March and he needed three enemas in one week. Since then he was also put on cisipride twice a day and petroleum jelly once a day and now he is pooping every day. CRF kitties tend to get dehydrated and can have problems with constipation. His kidney numbers stay good as long as I give him fluids every other day. The dose of miralax he is on is 1/4 tsp twice a day. When he started not feeling well in March I thought his cancer was progressing but since getting him regulated with his bowels he is doing much better so it was just constipation. When he was constipated I noticed him straining and being vocal in the litter box.

 

Up the Miralax slightly.

When my cat Wink does the bum scootching action, it means the poo is a tiny bit too firm. Not hard, but firm. I add a touch more Miralax, say from a level 1/8t to a heaping 1/8t. My vet advised me to take the dose up until very soft to get the poo moving along and then back the dose down to firm up the poo slightly.

Are you giving the Miralax 2x day?

Is she dehydrated? If you pull up on the scruff of her neck, does it snap back or more slowly move back? She could be a little dehydrated. The Miralax is osmotic, meaning it draws water from other parts of the body to work.

You could try adding a bit more water to her wet food, until the consistency of very thin applesauce to the consistency of tomato soup. With the water I add to my cats wet food, they haven't taken a drink from a water dish in 3 months,getting all their water needs from the canned food.

 

Scooting may also be a sign of overly full anal glands. These may need expressing (very stinky job!). These glands can become impacted and/or infected. Take a look around the anus - is there any redness? swelling? oozing of black which when wiped off with tissue reeks?

 

No sign of dehydration, that I can tell. I add quite a bit of water to the food. She won't eat it if its soupy, though. I soften it up nicely and then pour the rest of the water on like broth (her favorite part). She also has 3 bowls of water around the house. She gets the 1/4 teaspoon of Miralax twice a day. That keeps things moving, but not too soft. When I picked up the present this morning, it was definitely not dry. I would call it easily squish-able but firm enough to hold its shape. Not crumbly at all. Her bum doesn't seem irritated, red or leaky.

I'll try upping the Miralax a bit and see if that works. If it happens again, I probably won't wait until next Thursday to take her in.

Thanks!

 

Have you been to the website Feline Constipation? Lots of info about how the digestive tract works, why it may not, and so forth.