My precious kitty is 11 years old and was diagnosed with megacolon and most recently with Adenocarcinoma. He is currently on 1/4 of cisapriade twice a day and 3 ml of lactulose syrup in the morning and 2 ml at night. He eats 1 to 1 1/2 cans of wet CD food daily. My vet doesn’t want me to give him more than 1 1/2 cans of food as more than that seems to cause constipation. He’s down to 9lbs (from 12 1/2 lbs two months ago).
He’s currently comfortable and relatively active and I love to find a way to help him stay strong and either be able to maintain his weight or perferably gain weight. In addition, any suggestions to help his immune system to fight this cancer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry to Holistic Pet Info. I know it’s tough to have these two diseases to deal with. I understand why he is on cisipride and lactulose but not why he is on the CD diet. You have not mentioned he has a crystal or stone issue; therefore the
first thing I would recommend is to change his diet. For felines I usually advise a better quality protein diet, as CD is heavy on the carbohydrates, which are very pro-inflammatory and the primary energy source for cancer cells. The first 5 ingredients of CD don’t contain a true protein. (Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Pork
Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor.)
You may also offer canned pumpkin, which is a more natural fiber than the petroleum based lactulose.
Natural Moves would be a good option to help with the constipation; you may be able
to decrease the Cisapride. It should not interfere with the other medications.
Probiotics such as Gastriplex by Thorne may also help with inflammation in the GI tract therefore increasing the motility. I have also had some success with acupuncture for mega colon to improve motility; it has no side effects and can be used with any medications.
For the adenocarcinoma, you may offer Immugen and Super EPA-Vet fish oil by Thorne. The Immugen contains vitamins, minerals that strengthen the immune system, detoxifies the liver and has herbs that are found to suppress tumor growth. The fish oil is very anti-inflammatory and can often improve the appetite in cats.
Best of luck.
Regards,
Colleen Smith DVM, CVA, CVCP