New to this, please help.
New to this, please help.
When our Elvis was ran over last week I made up my mind to do whatever it takes to help him get better. He is, after all, my four year old's best friend. He falls into the 50% category on broken tail recovery, but the vet says she has high hopes for his recovery due to the fact that he has decent use of his back legs (r more than l). I have read the sticky on expressing cats but have yet to see one quite like our situation. My boyfriend has gotten quite adept at it, I am still failing to grasp the concept... It takes the TWO of us each time to accomplish. He is on Valium and Prazosin to help relax his bladder but it seems every time we do it, it is doubly hard. He turns into a demon-wrapped-in-a-kitty: thrashes, contracts, bites, and flops. This is not the sweet, loving Elvis we are used to. I have no doubt that it is excruciating for him, and it brings me to tears almost every time. And all that whiplashing cannot possibly be good for his his spinal trauma! The vet told us he was difficult to express, but hoped the Valium would help. He is also constipated and has a deep laceration to the rectum with several stitches. I've increased his stool softener, and changed him to moist food. He is being treated with prophylactic antibiotics to prevent a UTI and gets Metacam in the morning for pain. Is it time to consider an indwelling catheter??? My baby hasn't purred once today... Please tell me there's some kind of hope...
Buddy wasn't happy being expressed either; I finally developed a technique that Dr. C couldn't believe--I scruffed him with my R hand and held him on his back on the floor (well-padded) with it. I then expressed him with the left. We also tried bunches of stuff for his bladder--phenoxybenzamine, bethanechol, etc. I knew expressing technique, at least in my head, from being around here, but it still wasn't easy to get the hang of it. I spent many a day fussing, cussing, and crying in frustration over it; you're lucky your BF has it down, so it's not a dire emergency that you have to learn NOW. Can he describes what he's feeling as he plays tiptoe-through-the-guts? The bladder is like a water balloon, and Buddy's was always right between his hips.I'm right there with the fussing, cussing, and crying in frustration! I have no problems locating and grabbing hold of his bladder (thanks to the sticky), the problems arise a few seconds after the pressure is applied.. Thats when he thrashes so violently we can't keep hold of him. So I have taken the backseat and become the assistant while Josh expresses. I already have one bite wound with accompanying bruise to my upper arm from trying it by myself. His bowels finally emptied (with help of course) a few minutes ago so I'm hoping the 12 o'clock lunch break express will be less eventful than the last few.. And we will try the upside down method and see how that works out.. I'm just hoping he is not doing further damage to his sacrum with all the acrobatics he's done. Thank you so much for the reply, I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't found this site!!! 
You know, Buddy would throw his biggest expressing fits when he had to poop; expressing would push the poop out too, usually first, and he wanted to take care of that first.
Finding his bladder is a GOOD start!!!
Also know that it takes a fair amount of pressure to get the pee out one-handed; some people may not have big enough, or strong enough, paws. 
For me, I HAD to do it. No choice. Therefore, I had to come up with a way that worked, ASAP. Your way might be different, but just because your BF, the vet, or whoever doesn't do it that way doesn't make it wrong. You might also try it baby-style, rubbing with a warm, wet cotton ball, etc; baby-style worked for us until I got the expressing down, and it's worked for others.
Finding his bladder is a GOOD start!!!
Also know that it takes a fair amount of pressure to get the pee out one-handed; some people may not have big enough, or strong enough, paws. For me, I HAD to do it. No choice. Therefore, I had to come up with a way that worked, ASAP. Your way might be different, but just because your BF, the vet, or whoever doesn't do it that way doesn't make it wrong. You might also try it baby-style, rubbing with a warm, wet cotton ball, etc; baby-style worked for us until I got the expressing down, and it's worked for others.
You know, I could be wrong, but it doesn't sound to me like he is in horrible pain expressing his bladder. You know how newborn babies cry when you change their clothes, you know it doens't hurt, but they pitch a fit anyway. the stitches on his bottom, now that sounds painful, but it will heal. no differnt than an episiotomy or something after childbirth. If he'll let you, I would try cool packs to his bottom, it'll help it feel better. you just want to watch for infection where those stitches are. keep them clean - pat dry - it wold hurt to "scrub them". I think he' just being a little rebellious. Keep trying, it gets easier. there's also a laxative for cats that I have used for my dog, Laxatone - it tastes good. even in tuna flavor. that might help keep stools soft so he doesn't have to strain until his bottom is back to normal. Much luck. amy check out my baby in the photo gallery - Brooklyn from Texas.
sorry, I keep thinking of things - try some pure canned pumpkin added to his cat food. the fiber helped push things along. google it - it just takes about a teaspoon and then you go up or down depending on how hard the poo is. make sure it's just plain pumpkin - not the kind with spices and stuff. and water - that's a big one to get stools softer. soak up his food with water to increase his fluids. my only other suggestion, but i would talk to my vet - is when he is is really constipated, the hartgaurd worm treatment will give him diarrhea and push things through - although I would only do that under despertate times. diarrhea can get him into trouble with dehydration which isn't good all the way around.
I think you are right about him pitching a fit, it has been easier lately. We are no longer suffering from constipation. I think he was backed up to his eyeballs because he unloaded for about 24 hours. Boy did we have a mess! I thought it would never end. I am now decreasing the dosage of Lactulose to hopefully give the stools more form. We just got him back from the vet again, his testicular cord protruded through his scar from getting neutered... Poor little guy! He has to wear 'clothes' now so he won't keep licking his rectum raw. He pooped in the litter box successfully twice tonight (thats progress right? or luck?!) Btw- I too am a nurse, I work in a nursing home so poop and pee are no strangers to me! Any advice on diapers/pants for him though would be much much appreciated at this point. And thank you guys sooooooo much for the support and info!
Michelle
Michelle
Check out this link. viewtopic.php?t=4
You might ask about Cavilon spray to protect his poor little butt, but it might "glue" the stitches and make them hard to get out.
I'd say 2 poops, by himself & where they belong, is a VERY good thing!!!
You might ask about Cavilon spray to protect his poor little butt, but it might "glue" the stitches and make them hard to get out.
I'd say 2 poops, by himself & where they belong, is a VERY good thing!!!