just need a boost

[Kris & Janie]

janie had surgery not quite a week ago to remove an anal region tumor and had her sphincter removed and a rectal pull-through. of course, she's fecal incontinent now, and she just had her first poop at home.... just please tell me i CAN do this and it WILL get easier-- it was all gooey and had dried onto her stitches and i just held warm compresses and got nearly all of it off, but she sure didn't enjoy it.

i just need a little encouragement, oh please.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Oh, you can. We are here to give you that muc h needed encouragement! If it is any consolation, I had to do this for my mom. Mom was mortified, but as my sister reminded me, it was a gift to be able to help her, and you find anything is possible when you love.

You can do this, and you have done this and you will be encouraging other folks before too long, that YES, anything is possible! You have amazed yourself, haven't you? Have you not just dazzled yourself? You should be patting yourself on the back, Kris, your Janie has made you stronger, more able, more loving, more willing to step into the unknown.

Congratulations on how far you HAVE come!

[amyd]

YES...it is going to get easier. It's like anything new. You think you can't do it or aren't doing it right or you are hurting your little one. We've all had babies ourselves, some of us, episiotomies and stitches right there near our bottoms. They are sore for a little while and "going" and wiping isn't much fun. BUT...constipation is worse in your case I think. Brooklyn has no sphincter either, but a pull through was not going to help her. I know how you feel. You are doing an awesome job. You know how when you don't feel good, you feel better just because someone you love is taking care of you. Don't think for a second that she doesn't appreciate your care for her. I get little whines and dirty looks sometimes too, but, it doesn't take long at all and you will be very good at taking care of her. Just a part of the day, really. I get up, express Brooklyn, change her diaper, give her some love, fix her breakfast. No big deal. You'll get it down. Hang in there. We all understand and have been there I'm sure. It will be OK. Keep up the good job you are doing. It definitely gets easier. Amy

[CarolC]

If she is on antibiotics, they may be affecting the quality of her stools. You could ask the vet if that is the case.

I wonder if a low residue food would be helpful, meaning less solid waste passing through. Examples are Iam's/Eukanuba Low Residue or Hill's Science Diet feline i/d. You might ask the vet--or did they already start her on a special diet?

There is a technique of expressing the bowel rather than letting nature take its course. It will probably have to wait until she's healed, and you'd need to ask the vet if it is safe for her. You may be able to learn to massage the colon to empty her, and then she may be good for a number of hours. See Bendy's message in this thread:

http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ ... hp?p=15625

In this article see the section on Fecal Incontinent Kitten:

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

Your website is a riot!

[Nancygirl]

Elvis still has stitches into and around his rectum so I know how you feel. The first stool he passed lasted all day, it just kept running out. The occasional warm sitz bath won't hurt the stitches and it will help loosen up the gunk. Just be sure she's not licking the area too much and aggravating it (we had to put clothes on him) and be sure to adjust her diet accordingly to help it come out in a more manageable form. For us, a 50/50 combo of dry kitten chow/wet food and a low dose stool softener given a couple times a day does the trick. He's using the litter box now for stools, but can't always tell when he's finished so it's still messy at times. The expression has become part of our daily routines and since we've gotten used to it it only takes minutes to do. You CAN do this. I swear I cried and cussed every day the first week, but having people to talk to that are going through the same things really is a blessing. Janie is a doll! Keep doing what you're doing. We're all here with you!

[amyd]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who "cussed and cried" at the beginning! I thought I was a bad person for feeling that way. No more cussing and crying now though. Just lots of love and affection. And I have actually come to like her diapers. They are cute instead of a pain in the behind. Well, I guess there are some days I cuss...like the day after Brooklyn begged and begged for bites of prunes...yikes. Won't make that mistake again!

[CarolC]

prunes?

[amyd]

California marketing thinks "Dried Plum" is more appealing to the public. Brooklyn loves fruit, and she was begging me, so I caved. I guess you should just sign me up for Mother of the Year. I might as well have given her a bottle of X-Lax. Prune, dried plum, geez...what a moron...what was I thinking?

[CarolC]

Sorry, I'm still laughing!

It's a little like the time I gave my dog lactulose on the same day as a Heartgard chewable. I had to clean the playpen, 2 blankets, a sheet, the wall, and bathe the dog. (Note to self: Don't do that again.)

(Note to self: No dried plums either!)