Megacolon in Cats

Question:

Dear Dr. Smith:

We have a neutered 8 1/2 yr old cat that has suffered from MegaColon for years. The condition has progressively gotten worse, more visits to the vet for cleaning out.

He has been eating can WD as well as dry WD. Mixed with the WD is 1/4 tsp twice a day of Miralax, as well as baby food squash for moisture and whole milk. He also gets 0.5 of Cisapride, stimulate, which has recently been increased from 2x day to 3x.

I want to order the Natural Moves, feel it's a last ditch effort since nothing else is working, condition over time getting worse. Surgery is not an option. I'm concerned about mixing everything I mentioned from above with the Natural Moves. Your opinion?

Response:

Hello Deb,

Thanks for your inquiry to Holistic Pet Info. I would like to first discuss his diet. Personally, I don’t find the Hills WD diet to be effective or nutritious. It contains pork/chicken “by products”, which is non-meat refuse, powdered cellulose is basically sawdust, corn gluten meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ. I could go on but in essence most of the first 5-6 ingredients in WD is non-nutritive fillers. I would change his diet to a wet only food with whole proteins and vegetables, such as EVO, Wellness or Halo.
Secondly, I would offer canned pumpkin instead of the baby food squash, much of the fiber is lost in the processing and sugar is added for palatability. Additionally, change the whole milk to fat free; fat slows the digestive process making any constipation worse.

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. Best of luck.
Sincerely,
Colleen Smith DVM, CVA