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Feline anal stricture
Hello and thank you in advance. I am new to the forum so hope the last post went to the right area. My 6.5 yr old cat had a ruptured anal gland a few months ago and was treated with antibiotics and food was changed to a higher fiber Medi Cal WD. She has had a few more episodes of high haunching and vomiting. I took her for exploratory surgery this week and was told she has a fibrous stricture preventing her stool from passing easily. Vet prescribed cisapride but told me he could not operate. Dilemma is if she is made to be too losse she cannot drain her anal sacs and if too constipated she cannot pass stool.. Any suggestions as I do not want to put her down. She strained 8 times last night for 5 min a time before finally passing an almond size stool. So sad to see her. like this and she changes position every ten minutes as her bottom is sore.
thanks for such a lovely poem. It is a very sad day and her brother has been looking for her all monring. So sad. I loved her so very much.
Oh no...I am so very sorry to read this, poor little tyke...be comforted knowing all you've done for poor Patch, she would have faced a horrendous life out on the streets the past few years without your love and care...with you she had a short life but a happy and loved one. She must have been in a tremendous amount of pain, you did the right thing by being able to say no more...and thats such a hard thing to do. We tend to hangon to long at times for our sakes because we can't bear to let go.
Your heart will be heavy for awhile yet momma, let the tears flow in her memory...RIP little Patch, you were loved well.
Have you read the Rainbow Bridge....our Jade has recently posted it in another thread and I will copy for you...it helps to read this.
again we are so sorry for your loss, sending along some ((hugs)) too.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
Your heart will be heavy for awhile yet momma, let the tears flow in her memory...RIP little Patch, you were loved well.
Have you read the Rainbow Bridge....our Jade has recently posted it in another thread and I will copy for you...it helps to read this.
again we are so sorry for your loss, sending along some ((hugs)) too.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
Hi there,
well the little beautiful Patch lost her fight tonight and we had to put her down. We went to the emergency vet and she saw a surgeon. Her left anal gland was huge and ready to burst. She had a flap of skin that was so fibrous it was blocking her and it was attached to her sphincter. He explained that no amount of pushing would ever make her be able to pass her stool. He would not do surgery as it could cost thousands of dollars and her prognosis would not be good. By today she was really suffering. I am very sad. I feel like a big part of me has left too. But I know she is not suffering and I durely would not have wanted the other gland to burst at any moment. Thanks for all your help and support. It has really helped the last few days. Take care and love to your furry friends.
well the little beautiful Patch lost her fight tonight and we had to put her down. We went to the emergency vet and she saw a surgeon. Her left anal gland was huge and ready to burst. She had a flap of skin that was so fibrous it was blocking her and it was attached to her sphincter. He explained that no amount of pushing would ever make her be able to pass her stool. He would not do surgery as it could cost thousands of dollars and her prognosis would not be good. By today she was really suffering. I am very sad. I feel like a big part of me has left too. But I know she is not suffering and I durely would not have wanted the other gland to burst at any moment. Thanks for all your help and support. It has really helped the last few days. Take care and love to your furry friends.
this is just a quick reply for the moment....yes absolutely give her what ever she will eat, she MUST EAT. sometimes we have to go very slowly with any food change,cats love dry food and its very hard to get them to eat it at first.
try different kinds of canned food and just a tiny bit at a time...but also offer her the dry if she won't eat....she must eat.
many think sooner or later if a cat is hungry enough they will eat...but thats not the case with cats, they will starve themselves and quickly go into organ failure with even a day or two without their required calories.
if she hasn't passed any stool for a few days and is straining than yes it is time to see the vet again...
when I started making cat food I had to only add ONE new supplement or new flavor at a time, with most cats too many changes all at once and it will turn them off trying. so when you try a new can DON'T add any inulin or anything to it at first, esp pumpkin since she doesn't seem to like it..
did you try a 1/8 teasp. of mirlax in her milk? however if its been too many days she may be blocked up and in need of an enema first....can't use laxatives if theres a blockage...that would really cause harm....I never let my Nemo go more than 4 days without a bowel movement....
good luck, let us know ok
try different kinds of canned food and just a tiny bit at a time...but also offer her the dry if she won't eat....she must eat.
many think sooner or later if a cat is hungry enough they will eat...but thats not the case with cats, they will starve themselves and quickly go into organ failure with even a day or two without their required calories.
if she hasn't passed any stool for a few days and is straining than yes it is time to see the vet again...
when I started making cat food I had to only add ONE new supplement or new flavor at a time, with most cats too many changes all at once and it will turn them off trying. so when you try a new can DON'T add any inulin or anything to it at first, esp pumpkin since she doesn't seem to like it..
did you try a 1/8 teasp. of mirlax in her milk? however if its been too many days she may be blocked up and in need of an enema first....can't use laxatives if theres a blockage...that would really cause harm....I never let my Nemo go more than 4 days without a bowel movement....
good luck, let us know ok
Hi there,
I was able to get the inulin and I have put it in her milk twice now. I also got some plant based raw food from the holistic vet and was instructed to sprinkle it in with her wet food. It has all the vitamins and minerals, and even pumpkin. Luckily I bought the sample size for 2 dollars and not the big bottle because she hated it, would not even touch it. I do think she is holding out for her dry food. Yesterday she did not eat any food. I tried several times with several cans of wet. By bedtime last night she was literally sitting by her crunchie area crying so I broke down and gave her 5 little crunchies. As of this moning she has not moved her bowels since
Sat. night. She works really hard in her litter box pushing but nothing comes out. I even put flaxseed in her food hoping she woud take it but no luck. She let me rub her tummy this morning and she is still purring but refuses to let me pick her up anymore. How many days can she go without a bowel movement. I wondered if I should go back to the vet and see if he can give her an enema. She is not throwing up or anything though. The only time she seems distressed in her litter box. Thanks for the advice on the turkey pate. If I could get her to eat it for now ar least it is something in her tummy. Thanks again for your suggestions and concern.
I was able to get the inulin and I have put it in her milk twice now. I also got some plant based raw food from the holistic vet and was instructed to sprinkle it in with her wet food. It has all the vitamins and minerals, and even pumpkin. Luckily I bought the sample size for 2 dollars and not the big bottle because she hated it, would not even touch it. I do think she is holding out for her dry food. Yesterday she did not eat any food. I tried several times with several cans of wet. By bedtime last night she was literally sitting by her crunchie area crying so I broke down and gave her 5 little crunchies. As of this moning she has not moved her bowels since
Sat. night. She works really hard in her litter box pushing but nothing comes out. I even put flaxseed in her food hoping she woud take it but no luck. She let me rub her tummy this morning and she is still purring but refuses to let me pick her up anymore. How many days can she go without a bowel movement. I wondered if I should go back to the vet and see if he can give her an enema. She is not throwing up or anything though. The only time she seems distressed in her litter box. Thanks for the advice on the turkey pate. If I could get her to eat it for now ar least it is something in her tummy. Thanks again for your suggestions and concern.
omg what a sad beginning for little Patchy...the poor baby a mommy at only 4-5months old no wonder her system is having some issues.
I am so glad your not willing to give up on the poor little girl, she really needs someone like you to fight for her.
just a couple things...the Miralax has to be mixed in water...not given in the crystal form...can you mix it with a tbsp or two or water and give it to her by syringe or dropper?
and as far as the turkey baby food thats fine for a kitty whose temporarily not eating or a senior with limited time left in life...rip dear Raymond what a grand old age!!
however to feed this to a young cat on a permanent basis wouldn't work, cats do need a number of vitamins and nutrients that would be missing. these are added to cat food. they would become ill without these essential supplements.
you could try organic raw cat food if there is a distributor locally for you??? many cats thrive on this...mine wouldn't touch it.
I am so glad your not willing to give up on the poor little girl, she really needs someone like you to fight for her.
just a couple things...the Miralax has to be mixed in water...not given in the crystal form...can you mix it with a tbsp or two or water and give it to her by syringe or dropper?
and as far as the turkey baby food thats fine for a kitty whose temporarily not eating or a senior with limited time left in life...rip dear Raymond what a grand old age!!
however to feed this to a young cat on a permanent basis wouldn't work, cats do need a number of vitamins and nutrients that would be missing. these are added to cat food. they would become ill without these essential supplements.
you could try organic raw cat food if there is a distributor locally for you??? many cats thrive on this...mine wouldn't touch it.
Hi there,
Thanks again for the info. Her name is Patchy and she is only 8 1/2 pounds. Real little girl and so sweet. We rescued her and 3 others from a sewer when she was 4 months old. They were all ferrel so took awhile to tame them but eventually they all made their way inside. Only 2 weeks after she came in we realized she was pregnant. The vet said the poor thing must have been raped as she still had baby teeth that were out and her adult teeth not in yet. But she managed to have 4 little kittens. Her start in life was poor and she has had to have several teeth extracted which is sad too. She has been through a lot but we love her to bits. I am going to go to the apothecary tomorrow and see if we can get the inulin. She loves to drink our cereal milk in the morning and sits by us waiting for it so giving her a little more will be good too. Will keep you posted. I had a thought- I had a lovely boy cat named Raymond who lived to be 17 and the last few months I fed him only organic turkey pate baby food. I wondered if this might be good for Patchy. Any thoughts?
Thanks again. So nice to chat with someone that has gone through this. I am just not ready to give up on her yet. BTW we tried the Miralax before and she hated it so my hubby just rubs it on her paw and she licks it off once she realized she cannot shake it off. lol. We will keep trying...
Thanks again for the info. Her name is Patchy and she is only 8 1/2 pounds. Real little girl and so sweet. We rescued her and 3 others from a sewer when she was 4 months old. They were all ferrel so took awhile to tame them but eventually they all made their way inside. Only 2 weeks after she came in we realized she was pregnant. The vet said the poor thing must have been raped as she still had baby teeth that were out and her adult teeth not in yet. But she managed to have 4 little kittens. Her start in life was poor and she has had to have several teeth extracted which is sad too. She has been through a lot but we love her to bits. I am going to go to the apothecary tomorrow and see if we can get the inulin. She loves to drink our cereal milk in the morning and sits by us waiting for it so giving her a little more will be good too. Will keep you posted. I had a thought- I had a lovely boy cat named Raymond who lived to be 17 and the last few months I fed him only organic turkey pate baby food. I wondered if this might be good for Patchy. Any thoughts?
Thanks again. So nice to chat with someone that has gone through this. I am just not ready to give up on her yet. BTW we tried the Miralax before and she hated it so my hubby just rubs it on her paw and she licks it off once she realized she cannot shake it off. lol. We will keep trying...
yeah its real hard to get them off of dry food, its so full of taste enhancers like us getting off chocolate:(
My Nemo only eats a tbspoon or two at one meal as well...so I feed him up to 5x a day. the tiny bit of pumpkin her gets is made up with a large batch of food I make than freeze, so its real hard for me to tell you exactly how much to use...since she eats such a little amount and is so hard plus already getting cisapride it may not even be such a good idea to use this, pumpkin is FIBER and if she's not moving regularly it would tend to bung her up...use only when and IF she begins to move her bowels well...sorry if this is confusing.
btw WHATS her name???
before you get the inulin and incase she gets bunged up, its okay to use MIRALAX this is a laxative and I don't like to use it often but will if he goes more than 2-3days without a poop. I mix 1/8 teasp. in water to disolve that give it to him with a syringe...make very sure you give liquids via the side of the mouth, never from the front and do so slowly so they can swallow properly. I would get some of this now until you get the inulin, its available at all drug stores. this is what my Vet told me to use, however after some research I decided for permanent use inulin is better. since she is already on cisapride I would check with your Vet before adding another lax. but sounds like she needs more help, constipation is so uncomfortable the poor baby...
you can give the inulin this same way(by dropper or syringe) if for some reason she doesn't like it in her food.
its best with water, so even in can food mix a touch of water.
If she's not overweight something else I also use for Nemo is 50/50 cream/milk I give him a very small drink of this every night...it also helps keep his stools soft...and he never drinks enough water so I will add a touch of water to it, I sometimes put his inulin in this instead of in his food....beware milk will cause diarrhea in some cats...never has in Nemo and he loves his milk, I think the added fat helps with the pooping issue...;)
it is so dang hard looking at their begging little eyes and saying no you can't have this....by treats I think you mean the dry type in bags? one a day for a special treat wouldn't hurt:)
My Nemo only eats a tbspoon or two at one meal as well...so I feed him up to 5x a day. the tiny bit of pumpkin her gets is made up with a large batch of food I make than freeze, so its real hard for me to tell you exactly how much to use...since she eats such a little amount and is so hard plus already getting cisapride it may not even be such a good idea to use this, pumpkin is FIBER and if she's not moving regularly it would tend to bung her up...use only when and IF she begins to move her bowels well...sorry if this is confusing.
btw WHATS her name???
before you get the inulin and incase she gets bunged up, its okay to use MIRALAX this is a laxative and I don't like to use it often but will if he goes more than 2-3days without a poop. I mix 1/8 teasp. in water to disolve that give it to him with a syringe...make very sure you give liquids via the side of the mouth, never from the front and do so slowly so they can swallow properly. I would get some of this now until you get the inulin, its available at all drug stores. this is what my Vet told me to use, however after some research I decided for permanent use inulin is better. since she is already on cisapride I would check with your Vet before adding another lax. but sounds like she needs more help, constipation is so uncomfortable the poor baby...
you can give the inulin this same way(by dropper or syringe) if for some reason she doesn't like it in her food.
its best with water, so even in can food mix a touch of water.
If she's not overweight something else I also use for Nemo is 50/50 cream/milk I give him a very small drink of this every night...it also helps keep his stools soft...and he never drinks enough water so I will add a touch of water to it, I sometimes put his inulin in this instead of in his food....beware milk will cause diarrhea in some cats...never has in Nemo and he loves his milk, I think the added fat helps with the pooping issue...;)
it is so dang hard looking at their begging little eyes and saying no you can't have this....by treats I think you mean the dry type in bags? one a day for a special treat wouldn't hurt:)
Thank you soo much for your post. I most definitely will try this. I will ley you know how it goes. I switched her to the Medi Cal WD wet food (she was used to the dry form) and she seems to love it. The only problem is she only eats about 1 tsp at a time so we are forever feeding her. But she has been asking for her cookie treats today and she can no longer have them. It is hard to see her ask so nicely and she doesn't understand why she cannot have them. But I have to do what is best for her, Thanks again, Much appreciated.
hi and welcome, yes you did post at the right place and I am glad to say I think i can help...hope so anyway.
I too have a kitty with an anal stricture....he is Nemo 10 years old now.
he's too has been plagued with constipation most all of his life and I have tried numerous remedies...with marginal success. until recently.
first of all no matter what the Vet sells you must never ever feed him dry food, it must be canned...
AND high fiber is not necessarily good for anal constrictures...too much fiber and the stool will just sit and bulk up than be impossible to pass. I was completely unsuccessful at getting Nemo off of his dry food, I tried every single can food on the market even having some brands shipped in that were unavail. here....NO luck he simply refused to eat it, I was forced to learn how to make him a HOMEMADE DIET....
however he is an exception most cats do love can food.....so find one that your kitty likes and feed him that exclusively!!!
also add just a tiny bit each day of canned pumpkin for some insoluable fiber...total abt 1/8 teas per day...again most cats love this. be sure its the unflavored pure pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
than what has worked best for Nemo's bowels and he now has a good bm each day rather than 'occasional pellets' is a product called INULIN...this is a probiotic and speeds up the transit of the stool. I will give you a link to the brand I use, and it is completely safe for cats...believe me, I research this very carefully before I ever give anything to my cats...I mix 1/8 teas. in his wet food each day..no flavor or taste so he accepts well. here is the link to inulin. your local vitamin supply store may also carry it, but I need to order it, this is NOT like psyllium it works differently and is much much better......be sure its this brand as its the best...keep posting.
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Organic-Inulin-100-Pure-Powder-8-oz-227-g/1100#bid=NOW&p=1&oos=1&disc=0&lc=en-US&w=inulin%20powder&rc=9&sr=null&ic=1
I too have a kitty with an anal stricture....he is Nemo 10 years old now.
he's too has been plagued with constipation most all of his life and I have tried numerous remedies...with marginal success. until recently.
first of all no matter what the Vet sells you must never ever feed him dry food, it must be canned...
AND high fiber is not necessarily good for anal constrictures...too much fiber and the stool will just sit and bulk up than be impossible to pass. I was completely unsuccessful at getting Nemo off of his dry food, I tried every single can food on the market even having some brands shipped in that were unavail. here....NO luck he simply refused to eat it, I was forced to learn how to make him a HOMEMADE DIET....
however he is an exception most cats do love can food.....so find one that your kitty likes and feed him that exclusively!!!
also add just a tiny bit each day of canned pumpkin for some insoluable fiber...total abt 1/8 teas per day...again most cats love this. be sure its the unflavored pure pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
than what has worked best for Nemo's bowels and he now has a good bm each day rather than 'occasional pellets' is a product called INULIN...this is a probiotic and speeds up the transit of the stool. I will give you a link to the brand I use, and it is completely safe for cats...believe me, I research this very carefully before I ever give anything to my cats...I mix 1/8 teas. in his wet food each day..no flavor or taste so he accepts well. here is the link to inulin. your local vitamin supply store may also carry it, but I need to order it, this is NOT like psyllium it works differently and is much much better......be sure its this brand as its the best...keep posting.
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Organic-Inulin-100-Pure-Powder-8-oz-227-g/1100#bid=NOW&p=1&oos=1&disc=0&lc=en-US&w=inulin%20powder&rc=9&sr=null&ic=1
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