mega colon ???

[sirhc]

My cat has battled with constipation and was diagnosed with mega colon over two years ago. He has been on propulsid and lactalose for the past year and a half, and it has seemed to help some. However, I had to take him for an emergency visit this past week and they gave him several enemas to try and clean him out. Since that time, he has not been his normal self and yesterday and today has not touched his food. In addition his bm activity has been very limited since his visit to the vet and non existent the past two days. Money is not an issue here, as I take him to the vet anytime he seems to have any discomfort. He is not doing his normal straining routine and when I palpate his lower stomach, I do not feel any hard areas like usual when he is blocked. I will be taking him first thing in the morning and am going to have them xray his intestines to make sure there is not a blockage higher up that they may have missed. Any suggestions on questions for my vet are appreciated..

[Traci]

How old is your kitty and does he have any secondary health problems?

What did the ER vet tell you? Several enemas, were these spaced out or were they all in a very short time frame (all at the same time of the ER visit)? Did this require anesthesia? Did the enemas produce results? What was used for the enemas, a specific pet enema or soapy water or?

What are you feeding him? Is he normally well-hydrated? Does he drink water on a sufficent basis?

Has your vet prescribed prednisone at any time since diagnosis? Was an endoscopy or colonoscopy ever discussed by your vet?

[mamabear]

Diet is important as is hydration. Has vet given you electrolytes to give to kitty for hydration?

Did the vet say to continue to use laxatives/high fiber diet to help prevent this?

The litter box MUST be clean at all times so he doesnt feel he has to hold it (cats hate a dirty litter pan)

megacolon kitties have a problem with the colon walls not contracting properly so therefore the waste is not pushed out and constipation happens. Has the dr. prescribed a colon stimulant?


Poor thing! (((((((((KITTY)))))))))

[sirhc]

He is 10 years old, but usually still a handful and very playful. They sedated him again and did an enema and got him cleaned out again. My concern is that he is almost lethargic and has not been well since these procedures. My vet is highly recommended but I am getting very worried and am going to call first thing in the morning and see about finding a specialist. All of his blood work has come back excellent. When they saw him a couple of weeks ago, they shaved a small patch of hair and took blood from his chest area. They had difficulty drawing it and had to stick him several times and he has not been doing well since. He is still not eating hardly at all and seems to be drinking very little. Holding him this evening it is like he is drugged and is very warm. He is on propulsid and also lactalose. The lactalose is a recent addition and it seems like his lethargic behavior started when he was put on it.... Is it possible he is having a negative reaction to it????? On the litter box being clean, there is one upstairs and one downstairs and with my ocd they are kept cleaner than I could imagine anyone has ever kept a litter box.

[mamabear]

Wait so you took him again to the vet and they sedated him again and gave anohter enema??????????

did they not do an xray? if so what did it show, did it show more fecal matter to justify putting this cat through yet another anestesia and then yet another enema?

Or are you talking about what they did friday?

He was not looking good on friday did you tkae him on saturday to vet? If you havent tkaen him please do so asap.


If you did take him and you are saying that he had another enema I dont see why they would unless there were xrays done to show reason to do so. Find a CAT ONLY vet.

You didn't say what he was getting fed?

Lactulose is actually sugary they use it on children as well for constipation or fissures so I don't think that would be causing lethargy. More the oposite actually. (if i'm wrong please someone tell met tho)

[sirhc]

mamabear thank you for the questions and suggestions. I am picking up his chart from my regular vet and have found a center that specializes in cats only. I asked if they should have done xrays on saturday when I took him, but they said they could feel the blockage when they palpated his abdomen. He is drinking some fluids, but his intake of food is almost nothing at all, and has not had a bm. I did get him to take a few bites of salmon this evening, but only from my hand. He normally eats fancy feast ocean whitefish and tuna. I had tried him on Iams before, but he seemed to have more trouble when he was on it. He had gone almost a year since moving him to the ff canned without an issue, until the last two weeks. Advice is always appreciated as I had always been a "dog guy" and this is the first cat I have ever owned. I will post after we see the specialist tomorrow. It is a little bit of a drive, and am praying to find some answers for Simba.

[mamabear]

Him having the enema again on sat and not eating would certainly leave him empty and therefore not produce fecal matter. What little he has he might be already getting stuck there due to the MC(megacolon). Your vet should have had at least had him on a prescription diet this whole time (in my opinion). I Know he was doing ok for a year on the FF but MC cats and Dogs need a high fiber diet to help with prevention.

To be blunt , the gut cant push the poop out because their muscles don't contract well enough to bring it out. Please also be careful in the future of him straining too much, that can cause some parts of his rectum to come out of his anus. If you see anything that doesn't look like fecal matter hanging out side of his anus bring him to the Vet or Vet ER asap. If I recall that is a prolapsed rectum and is a medical emergency.

I am glad you are bringing him to a vet today and not excepting the continued enemas of the other. Personally I feel they should have done the xray, But I am a pain in the butt and would rather see the obstruction or what ever it is on xray with my own eyes myself. lol

I know you say money is not a problem for you and I commend you for that.

My dog(West, German Shepherd) has megacolon and the diet I have him on I give him plenty of fiber. His brother (we don't have brother) has megasophagus). Megacolon is not fun but it is treatable and is maintainable.

I wish you a safe journey with your kitty to the new vet, even if the old vet doesn't give you the records bring kitty anyway to new vet. You can always have them fax over the reports to the new place.

I hope you find some answers with this new vet. I think the diagnosis sounds right but the prevention really needs to be looked at. A high fiber diet is needed and that needs to be talked about. Of course if there is a change talk to vet about how gradual it should be as to not stress kitty any further than need be. Since he is not eating right now this might be a good time to change it with adding it to his regular food.

GOod luck and let us know.

[Traci]

I think you need a new vet, more experienced and preferrably feline-only, or as you said, a specialist. The emergency vet gave several enemas, which obviously didn't work, or, they never checked for impaction deeper in the colon. Saturday's enema may or may not have worked, but without an xray, there's no way to determine (short of kitty actually having stool), whether or not an impaction is still present. My guess is there is, or there is severe inflammation that is preventing him from having normal bowel movements. Repeated enemas, and/or incorrect products of enemas can rob the colon of mucosa that is needed to aid in elimination (which also leads to pain, lethargy, refusal to eat/drink). The anesthesia also could be culprit, it takes a toll on cats, especially in senior cats. Find out what anesthesia protocol was used both by the emergency vet AND your current vet, that's important since he could be reacting to the anesthetic agents used. Were they injectable agents or combined with masking, etc...I doubt a tracheal tube was used, but if it was, have the vet make sure he does not have a tracheal infection that could be causing him inappetance!

An xray is imperative, get one immediately! You can't feel a deep impaction by palpation alone! If they didn't tell you the amount or consistency of the fecal material produced from the enemas, then they can't tell you if there is still an impaction further in the colon!

Don't wait on this, see a new, more experienced, feline-only or feline specialist IMMEDIATELY! His nutrition and hydration status are critical right now, that needs to be addressed before it starts affecting his liver and kidneys, there could also be something else going on, secondary, that needs to be addressed now! Lastly, find out from both the ER vet and your current vet WHAT was used for all of the enemas. (Absolutely NO human products, or Fleet enemas, etc should ever be used in cats, ever). Discuss with the new vet, possibly adjusting the lactulose and cisapride, and discuss suitable diet that is more easily digestible, fiber-oriented. Prednisone may be a good choice, but that has to be the specialist's call and based on kitty's specific needs.

[sirhc]

He had a bm during the early morning, but still seemed lethargic and not eating. He has been drinking fluids, but not wanting to touch any solids. I took him to another vet that is a cat specialist and they palpated his abdomen again yesterday and said everything felt fine to the touch. They reviewed all the blood work from the other vet and said that everything there looked very good for a cat 10 years old. They did start him on amoxicillin as they feel he may have an upper respitory infection. The suggestion is to watch him the next 48 hours and see if he improves or if there is any change. When I get home this evening, if he is not better I am going to take him and leave him with them so he can have xrays and be monitored during the day while I am at work. They suggested to continue with his cisipride and lactalose dosages even though he is not taking hardly any solids.

[mamabear]

I would have preferred they did the xray already but ok maybe upper respritory is making him feel icky.

I will pray at this point that this is what it is and you seem to have it under control with what you will do and not hesitate to go back there if need be.

HUGS TO YOU and TO KITTY! Plenty of love and kisses for him!