Manx syndrome questions

Post any other problems here that do not fit into the categories above.
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dexnleilaOH
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Manx syndrome questions

Post by dexnleilaOH »

We have a female kitten,Lilly, she is 5 months old. She was born here in our home. We are fostering a momma cat and her 3 remaining kittens until they are adopted, she is one of those kittens. Lilly started showing signs of urinary incontinence and problems walking, she hops rather than walks. We had her spayed recently and the vet at the spay clinic said she thinks Lilly has a mild variation of Manx syndrome. Lilly can use the litter box on her own, we just have to wash her bottom because stool will get stuck under her tail. It's somewhat deformed and is very close to her body. The vet we took her to at the kittens' first check up said he wasn't sure what was wrong with her, just that she would probably always be a "messy" cat. He thought she had nerve damage. The vet at the spay clinic said if we were to have her hips x-rayed she wouldn't have any hip joints, and her last 3 vertebrae would be missing.
Lilly adapts well to everything, and doesn't appear to be in any pain. She may develop Megacolon, according to the vet, when she gets older. Already having a beagle we express daily this isn't a concern to me. I'm just looking for other pet owners who have dealt with this kind of problem for some advice and support.
Maureen
He is your friend, your defender, your partner, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
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dexnleilaOH
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by dexnleilaOH »

Can someone suggest the topic this should be posted under?
He is your friend, your defender, your partner, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
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CarolC
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by CarolC »

Hi Maureen,

You might try posting under Incontinence, although really this wasn't a bad place to post. Your title was good. There are several people I can think of among current members who have experience with something like this in cats (Diana R., Debbie-Spain, Bendy Kitty, Mumpkees, Jean, Critters, and I think LisaInCAN all have incontinent cats--there are probably others), but some do not visit every day. This may be one of those questions where you don't get a reply right away.

I read your message and was interested in it, as I deal with some of the same issues with my paralyzed chihuahua, but she doesn't have Manx sydrome--it's just that some of the problems are the same. I'm sorry you didn't get any replies yet. Don't give up! ;)
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dexnleilaOH
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by dexnleilaOH »

Thanks for replying to my post!!
I won't give up, don't worry!!
I'm familiar enough with Lilly's condition that I'm comfortable caring for her now. It makes me angry that I suggested her problem was related to her deformed tail and her "hoppiness" and the vet said it wasn't. I have a medical background because I am a nurse, just applying it to my animal friends is different.

Maureen
He is your friend, your defender, your partner, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
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critters
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by critters »

Hmm. Mari/mumpkees will probably be along tomorrow. In the meantime, bunny hopping seems to be more a hip thing than a neuro thing; all of my hoppers have been "hippies," while Neuro Boy doesn't do it at all. Mari has lots of experience with spina bifida/Manx; Bendy is either out of town or getting ready to leave.
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Bendy Kitty
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by Bendy Kitty »

I am checking in while mom is away ;)
us thumbed kitties can do that.

we took care of a manx syndrome kitten once, got him all straightend out for his owner - her vet had just said 'put him down' and she said no, and went looking for options.

give him a high fiber diet, that will help keeps stools moving along smoothly. If he seems to have any pain associated with hopping, or with anything else, I"d reccomend Cosequin for Cats. It is an anti-inflammatory that works great. I have a fused lower spine (no nerve function issues as of yet, just some pain) and it has worked wonders. no more sore back for me!

wasn't it nice of mom to leave the computer on for me while she is away?

she called and said she arrived fine, btw.

bendy
In loving memory of Bendy Cute Kitty 9/15/00-4/23/12

Meet the cats at Bendy's Home http://www.alittletlc.com"
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LisainCAN
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by LisainCAN »

Hi Maureen.

Are you the one who posted on Homesteader's? Is so, then I am the one who referred you here.

I have two Manx Syndrome cats, both of whom are missing vertebrae, according to their X-rays.

Harry, a Maine Coon mix, almost died before 3 months. He had major surgery on his intestines, had his stomach pumped and had countless enemas. He is now healthy and happy and never has any symptoms.

My other one, Egg, is a tailless Siamese who suffers recurrent bouts of constipation/diarrhea due to megacolon. I monitor Egg closely. When she starts to leak fecal matter, I give her a dose of lactulose. I usually start with 1 ml but can give her up to 3 mL a few times a day. Lactulose is a laxative. It helps reabsorb water from the stool back into the colon so that there is no more diarrhea. I also use lactulose for its laxative purposes when Egg becomes impacted. Her anus protrudes and is open about 1/2 inch and I can see/feel the hardened stool. I have never yet had to give her an enema but this is certainly a possibility if she even gets really backed up. When Egg really has a bad bout of the leaky bums (constantly oozing fecal matter), she gets a diaper. This is a whole other post though and I won't go into it unless you are at that point.

As for diet, I feed Nutro Adult Cat food. I have tried them all and this is the best for a dried food. I really recommend raw and will try that myself as soon as I can get to the local slaughterhouse.

From what I understand, your cat has a kinked tail. It should be removed because it will cause painful osteoarthritis over time. It is best done while the cat is young.

The "bunny hopping" seems to be a characteristic of tailless cats. Egg and Harry only do this when they run but some tailless cats do it all the time. I have never in all my reading seen anything mentioned regarding the bunny hopping being due to having no hip sockets. This may be the case with your cat, but I would be surprised. As I said, it just seems to be part of the taillessness and the lack of the end verterbrae. I agree with whoever suggested that you add a joint supplement to their diet though just to balance any undue stress on their joints.

Here are a few links:

http://www.manxalotrescue.org/myth.html

http://vetmedicine.about.com/gi/dynamic ... -desc.html

http://web.archive.org/web/200402200208 ... bunny.html

Above all, don't give up on your kitty. There isn't a lot of info out there on Manx Syndrome for the simple reason that many people listen to their vets and put their Manx Sydrome kittens down. Also, you should know that Manx Syndrome does not worsen with age. In fact, it plateaus when they are a few months old.

Enjoy your Manx Syndrome kitty and let us know how you are doing. I hope I have been helpful.

Lisa
Egg (3 yrs.)
Harry (3 yrs.)
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dexnleilaOH
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by dexnleilaOH »

Thanks so much for your replies!
I don't think I posted on Homesteaders, that doesn't sound familiar to me.
So everything I have heard that she will get worse isn't true? I really couldn't find a lot about it on the internet. Everything I did find was very negative. I had someone who was wanting to adopt her and once the lady talked to her vet she wasn't interested anymore. The vet said it wasn't something she could handle.
Lilly's tail doesn't bend at all, it's kind of like it's locked in one position. Does that sound like a kinked tail?
Bendy I'm glad your mom arrived safe and sound!! That was great of her to leave the computer on for you!
Thanks again, and I'll check the links out.
Maureen
He is your friend, your defender, your partner, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
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Bendy Kitty
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by Bendy Kitty »

people tend to be very negative about any animal disability, it seems.
I'd ignore the nay-sayers, keep that kitty's butt clean and on a high fiber diet and she'll probably straighten up just fine.

she will probably always hop, but again i don't think that is any big deal. it just makes her different - which unfortunatley makes her harder to adopt.

headbonks and purrs

bendy
In loving memory of Bendy Cute Kitty 9/15/00-4/23/12

Meet the cats at Bendy's Home http://www.alittletlc.com"
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dexnleilaOH
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Post by dexnleilaOH »

Just to update- we've been offline for a while since we moved, and had computer crashing issues prior to moving.
Lilly is doing well. Obviously she stayed with us. She had the rest of her tail amputated and can now poop without getting feces stuck under her tail. Giving her a bath every day was too much to handle, and there were hygiene issues from where we couldn't get her clean enough. She still leaks urine from time to time but it isn't bad.
I'll post new pictures of her soon, we're finally getting internet service again Friday!!
He is your friend, your defender, your partner, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
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mumpkees
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Post by mumpkees »

What wonderful news to hear - that Lilly is doing well and that she found her forever home with your family!!!

Isn't it amazing that in the past nine months you have learned so much and you have perfected a daily routine that now seems effortless? When we adopted our first spina bifida baby I really wondered if we had taken on more than we could handle - the constipation then the diarrhea, the leaking urine, diapers, baths, UTI's but after getting very little information from our vet (strongly urged pts because of 'quality of life' issues), we met some wonderful people here and on several other disabled / special needs cat yahoo groups who shared tips and information with us. Once we got our routine down, it was a snap to come home, run KaiWind's bath water, pop him in his 'bathtub' for a sitz (half) bath, rinse and towel dry him. He'd hop up on the dryer and get his fluff and blow dry - he loved the blow dryer. A couple of his fur-iends did too so we always had company. Kai wore diapers when he was having family time, so he'd get his diapers on and then hop down to go play with the others. He had his 'own room' that he shared with others who had 'potty issues' during those times he wasn't diapered. His whole routine took us less than 15 minutes each night and was a very special bonding time for us.

Didn't mean to ramble. Just so happy to hear that Lilly is doing well and has a wonderful family who loves her 'specialness'. /mari
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Post by FBRmom »

Hello All - I am a new kitten-mama to Boston Go-Go and Roxy Go-Go. Roxy has some hygeine issues that sound similar to Lilly's. Roxy is 6.5 weeks old and has half of a tail. Her rectum (or spine?) protrudes a bit so that there is an area that traps her poo. In the week I have had her, she has had two baths already. She stinks, and so does Boston (from snuggling and playing with her). Roxy doesn't seem bothered by her problem, but I don't want cat feces all over me or the furniture. I love her so much, but I am absolutely clueless as to what all to do for her. The vet mentioned spina bifida and under developed rectum, but has just said be aware of the possibility of UTIs and she may have hygeine problems. I knew the mother cat wasn't much of a mother and the mother cat's owner isn't too great herself, but I wasn't expecting this. I have a lot of questions. First, how often is too often for a bath? Any advice on kitten baths? Second, is there a chance she may grow out of this problem as she gets bigger? I think this is a sufficient start. Thanks in advance. Paige
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critters
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Post by critters »

You need to see this bb, especially the initial sticky on expressing, diapers, and poop on demand.
viewforum.php?f=5&sid=ce6961b8e7d597023714159260522cc4
viewtopic.php?t=4

This CAN be managed!! Use buttwipes and baths as necessary; if the baby stays dirty, she may get sores or UTIs.
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mumpkees
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Boston and Roxy

Post by mumpkees »

Congratulations on the new additions to your family! What cute names!!! Got pictures?

Here is an interesting article on spina bifida/manx syndrome - facts and myths. http://www.manxalotrescue.org/myth.html

Is Roxy's tail 'alive'? I.E., can she move it as a normal cat does? If not, it may be better to have it amputated as that will help to keep her clean and put less strain on her spine.

Is Roxy leaking urine or feces? Or do the feces just get stuck in the area of her rectum that protrudes? Does the rectum protrude all the time or just after a bowel movement? If it is just protruding after she has a bowel movement it could be that the food she is eating isn't exactly right for her. When we had our two spina bifida babies we had to do a good deal of experimentation to get the right food that either didn't cause diarrhea or cause them to be constipated. (both diarrhea and constipation can cause straining and the rectum to protrude). If the rectum is protruding a great deal, Roxy may have a prolapsed rectum which will require minor surgery.

Your vet is right in that you do need to practice very good hygiene to keep bacteria from the rectum from entering the urethra and causing UTI's (urinary tract infections). Our vet was adament (and after two bouts with UTI's we became believers) about giving a DAILY half bath with an antibacterial soap. Once we adhered to his advice, neither had another UTI.

For our babies we just got two plastic dish pans and put them in the sink. One we filled with rinse water, the other we filled with warm water and added the soap. We put KaiWind in the one with the soap -just his back half. He liked to rest his front paws on the edge of the sink and get ear scritches. He sat in the soapy water a few minutes and then we just did a 'butt swish' to make sure all the 'crusties' were removed. Then he was put in the rinse water to get most of the soap off of him. Final rinse was with a spray attachment. Towel dried and then he loved the blow dryer on low to thoroughly dry him and usually a companion or two.

KaiWind wore diapers when he was having family time. There is an excellent section on how to choose the right sized human baby diaper in the archives here. KaiWind had his own room that had easily mopped surfaces for his bed time and when we were at work. You don't want to leave diapers on a cat all the time because cat urine is very acidic and will cause urine scald which is very difficult to clear up once it starts.

I would start Roxy on baths now as a regular daily occurence as it is much easier to control a small kitten than a bigger cat. KaiWind wasn't happy at first either, but in a few weeks he knew that when mommom got home, we'd have our bath and then put on diapers and get to do anything the rest of the kitties were doing.

I'm not sure what you mean about Roxy outgrowing her condition as to me it doesn't really sound like she has that much of a problem. I'd put her on the best food you can afford, give her a good vitamin supplement and see how that affects her feces. If one diet causes very hard stools, then try another food. If that food causes diarrhea, then try another food. As I was saying, it took us several tries to get the right combination for KaiWind. He ate a quality dry food, but all canned foods gave him diarrhea with the exception of nine lives tuna select. Not the best choice, but it worked great for KaiWind.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to ask additional questions and do share pictures of the kids. Does Boston have any issues?

/mari
/mari
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Re: Manx syndrome questions

Post by Bwalden »

We have a kitten that was born with make syndrome. Almost lost her a couple weeks ago. Doctors wanted me to put her down but I found a new Doctor Who is working with me. It is very hard
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