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Hi...I think I have a cat with megacolon....we have tried everything....may have to have him put to sleep....just researching all therapies
Hi there.Can you tell me why you think your kitty has megacolon? What type of therapies/medications have you tried?
My cat is about 10 years old. He has had a long history of constipation. About a year ago he had to be dis-impacted under anesthesia. After that he was placed on cisipride and lactulose. We gave him the meds but he still periodically was constipated. He would get in the litter box and strain so we would give him enemas. I am a nurse so the vet instructed us how to do it. For about a year we have kept him going. Recently, about 2 weeks ago, he became impacted again. he was put under anesthesia and disimpacted, We brought him home and a week later he had to be disimpacted again. At the same time, the vet was curious as to why he had done so well under our care and suddenly sterted having problems. She did a stringht cath and found he had a bad UTI. So, we treated him for the UTI and now I fear after less than a week he is impacted again. We are feeding him special wet food (no dry), giving him cisipride, miralax, hydrating him well withwatered down food, giving him some kind of fishy oil in his mouth....he just won't poop!
Got it, thank you.Unfortunately, megacolon is a somewhat common cause of recurrent constipation and obstipation in cats. There many other causes, including underlying conditions such as kidney disease, so it's important to rule those out. This usually involves blood testing and abdominal x-rays, so if this hasn't been done yet, it should be. Megacolon is usually a diagnosis of exclusion, so once everything else has been ruled out, megacolon may be diagnosed. Frequently, though, megacolon is highly suspected, by the appearance of the colon on x-rays and the history of frequent bouts of constipation/obstipation.Yours is a case that is very common, unfortunately, and your kitty could benefit from surgical treatment. A subtotal colectomy is a procedure in which a large part of the colon (the diseased part) is removed. This resolves the constipation in most cases forever. Obviously, there are potential complications, as in all intestinal procedures, and the procedure is invasive, but the benefit is that your kitty could very well be free from constipation from that point on. If you're able to, I would seriously consider this as the next step, given that medical therapy has not been effective.Hope this helps!
My vet has done testing...think we are down to the megacolon diagnosis. Do you recommend this surgery or should we just let him go?
If you're able to afford surgery, I would go for it. There is a very good chance it would be curative... He's only 10 years old and potentially has many years left. Make sure your vet is comfortable with this procedure; if not, consider referral to a board certified surgeon in your area (or a university veterinary teaching hospital, if there is one around).
Experience: DVM degree from Ontario Veterinary College, diplomate of American Academy of Pain Management