kittie with possible megacoclon

[linda]

If anyone out there has any help for myself and this little 5wk. old kitty, please share any info. Rescued kittie can't have bowl movement, strains and strains. Was at the vet for 2 days, cleaned him out went on his own about 3 times. Picked him up yesterday, had one poop last night, but now is struggling again. My vet didn't want to put him on meds yesterday till we saw if he would be ok. I have a call into him now, don't want to waste any more time. Any ideas throw them out there. I will try anything that won't hurt this precious baby.I know there is a surgery out there, but he is way to young, and small. I don't know without help if he can live that long to have the surgery. Any help would be greatly appreciated, don't want to give up on him. Thanks, Linda

[Jennifer]

I'm glad you are catching it , it can be deadly as we found out with our handicat in 2002, yes there is medication that from what i understand can help a great deal and then of course if that doesnt' do the trick there is surgery , basically they just remove part of the colon, at his age though surgery would be a lil risky , but megacolon is fatal too , give the meds a go. I'm sure others will post shortly about possible diets that would assist in making the stools easier to pass as well that sort of thing. This is an excellent community

[critters]

What evidence do they have that he has megacolon? Xrays? 5 weeks is VERY young for that. I had 2 babies a couple of years ago that stayed HORRIBLY constipated. I put pumpkin and olive oil into the bottles, which worked nicely. What's he eating? Maybe he needs more fiber or fluids; if he's not drinking enough, it's not hard to give him extra under his skin with a needle (it'd probably be only temporary). Critter enemas are available, if necessary, and OTC softeners with DSS (docusate sodium) are safe for big kitties (I don't know dosages for such a little fuzz anymore). Another possibility I've used is mixing high fiber food, like canned W/D, with canned kitten food. Babies can't have only high fiber food because there's not enough nutrition, but mixing seems to do nicely.

I suggest a second opinion; I think you need more concrete info, like xrays, before considering something as drastic as megacolon and surgery, and other measures, like diet or even meds, are easy to try.

[SandyNY]

Wondering if you could use a damp washcloth or cotton ball as you would on a younger kitten, to help stimulate him to go. Will be hoping that his little system kicks in itself, and you won't have to fuss for too long. I don't think you are doing anything wrong with the feeding, etc... will be wishing you both good luck.

[CarolC]

for emptying kittens. Hopefully Bendy will be along soon. My copy of "The Pill Book Guide to Medication for Your Dog and Cat" says: "The available lactulose solutions are sweet liquids that many cats and dogs do not like, making administration difficult. Milk may be a readily accepted alternative in some cases." My dog's physical therapist says lactulose really works, and that you can get it compounded at the pharmacy, where they can add flavors such as grape, cherry, liver, or tuna.

[critters]

You can find lots of EXCELLENT info at merckvetmanual.com. Put "megacolon" into the search box for 10 good resources on constipation and diarrhea; the first article is very comprehensive.







link

[critters]

Are you using clumping litter? Clumping litter isn't suggested for babies because they may eat it and become blocked.

[linda]

Thanks again for the info, and yes, he is part manx. That means he does have a tail, but only a quarter of one. I pulled these kids out of my barn. The neighbors have many cats that they don't have fixed. Most of them are feral, so I thought when I found these kids I better pull them or they would end up the same way. I have seen what I would think is the daddy, looks just like this little baby. I have two grown cats that I pulled 4 yrs. ago from the same place. I'm going to work with a cat group here to see if I can trap them, and at least have them fixed. I'm from Ca., and you couldn't trap them there and have them fixed. I was told here that if they were trapped on my property that you could do it. Wish me luck! Spay and neuter, is that soooo hard!!!!

[critters]

Enemas come from the vet. It's DSS in, basically, a big syringe. With such a tiny baby you'd probably have to put some of the goo into a smaller syringe to get it into him.

Your poor pupper. Hopefully this boy has just simple constipation that will pass as he grows. As the dr about mixing canned W/D with canned kitten food; that combo has done wonders for at least 3 of my GI babies. If you don't want to do SQ fluids, I'd mix some water in with that, too.

I know you don't want him filled up with fiber, but finding a fiber/water balance is probably his best bet out of this, so I wouldn't skimp too much. You can always keep an eye on his growth; plus, hopefully, he'll outgrow this--all of my guys did. Yes, they LOVE pumpkin!

Is this baby a Manx or Manx mix? Just wondering--they're far more prone to this kind of syndrome than kitties with tails.

[linda]

critters, thank you for your responce. That's why I put possible megacolon! I'm not sure about kitties, but I had a rescue puppy 5 yrs. ago that had megacolon at 3 wks., as soon as he was weened. When I took this kittie to my vet day before yesterday, he down played the megacolon, I, on the other hand, immediatly recognized the signs.My vet at this point didn't want to do the x-rays. As of tonight he is on lactulose 2 to 3 times a day. I will see how that works. He eats Kitten chow REALLY soaked in water. Started him off with science diet and thought maybe that was his problem. I gave him pumkin today, really liked it. I don't want to give him much of that, it is used many times for a filler to loose weight, don't want that. You mentioned critter enemas, they are available where? Your suggestion is a second opinion, I will for sure do that, but I do really trust my vet, we work very well together. As far as considering something drastic, like surgery, I will try everything available to me before I consider that. I will not allow this precious baby to suffer, if it is megacolon, I will do my best to save him, if not I will have to put him down. I did everythig for my puppy, at the vet 2 times a day for wks., then his colon ruptured, had to euthanize. I will never forget that, ever. Thank you, Linda

[CarolC]

It might do him good to put him down your shirt while you lie on the sofa when he's in a sleepy mood. Warm contact should help his whole being.

[Bendy Kitty]

i don't have lots of net time, but I wanted to pop in here! I'm assuming he is constipated, poor kitten!
Docusate Sodium is a safe (but horrid tasting) stool softener, it is very effective. For a tiny kitten you puncture the capsule & put some on the back of their tongue. Squirt a little tuna juice or something else strong tasting after it. The kitten will still hate it & might foam some. don't panic!

Pumpkin pulp - which many kitties adore - is also very helpful. even just a quarter teaspoon a day for such a tiny kitten should be helpful.

Warm soaks are very very very helpful. Darned if I know why. We have done thsi many times Put some nice warm warm water in a pan or bowl & sit the kitten in it. Massage their belly, give them lots of scritches. Soak the kitten butt for at least 5 minutes, more if he'll let you!

It is very importatn to thoroughly dry the kitten afterwards as lil kittens get chilled very easily. What we do is put a hairdryer on low and sit it about 5 feet away from where we are. That makes a nice warm breeze, but isn't so terrifying to the kitten.

Thank you for trying to help this kitten!

bendy kitty

[critters]

Poor little guy. Good luck with him.