Colectomy...Has anyone's cat had this surgery?

[Catlady711]

I can totally sympathize with your situation. Jack was diagnosed with Megacolon back in 2007.

You didn't specify which meds your kitty is on. My Jack is on Cisapride to keep the stools mobile in addition to the diet and other meds to keep the stool soft. Is your kitty on Cisapride already?

I had a consultation appointment with a internal medicine specialist and they said they wouldn't consider surgery for Jack unless the meds stop working or he requires more than 2-3 enemas a month. Fortunately Jack hasn't needed an enema since we started the Cisapride & Lactulose along with the high fiber diet.

What the specialist had told me regarding the surgery, worst case scenario was diarhea for up to 6 months, although their experience was more like 6-8 weeks in reality. They told me that they had only a few that had needed to undergo a second surgery for the problem, but it was always a slim possibility. In their opinion the surgery was a last resort and their experience was that most of the cats went on to have long, healthy lives after the recovery.

My thoughts are with you in this situation.

[phesina]

Prayers for Simon, that he does well.

[dehlers43]

The success of this operation may depend on the cause of your kitty's "poo problem".....it's a common surgery used frequently and successfully to treat megacolon. However, my Winston had the surgery and did not make it. He was born with nerve damage that affected his colon and the left side of his body. The vet explained that the nerve damage most likely prevented the reconnected colon from healing. She did a second surgery to see if anything could be done and sadly, there wasn't......I told her if that was the case to just not let him wake up.....
In spite of all the $$, time and effort to help my special needs kitty it was not all in vain. Winston lived almost two good years and I am grateful for that time.

Anyhoo, he did really well up until the very end, which was why I tried the surgery as a last-ditch effort. His little colon just quit working.....

Someone else mentioned lactulose - that's what I used for Winnie....I just sprinkled it into his food (a mix of baby food meat and Clnicare) and it worked really well.
Good luck......all paws crossed for you.....

[Purr-tender]

So sorry to hear Winston didn't make it. We've got to give them a chance though, don't we. Simon's problem is from and old pelvic fracture. Surgery to rebuild his pelvis was done October 2009. Still doesn't have a normal size opening for the stool to pass through his colon even after the surgery.
Simon has been on lactulose for a year now. My vet wants to increase his dosage and add laxatone plus pumpkin for more fiber. He's still in the hospital. I went and spent some time with him this afternoon. I got some good headbumps and lovins'. He is still straining and crying. I had hoped for more improvement by now. He's had 3 days of enemas and laxatives. He is not a happy camper. I was holding him and his vet came up to me and he swatted her! That's not like Simon. He's just been poked and prodded one too many times.
I read on the Catster forum this evening about switching from lactulose to miralax with better results. I'm going to call his vet in the morning and ask her about that.

[columbine]

My Smudge gets psyllium fiber, but he doesn't have any particular cause for his tendency to constipation (other than just being a senior kitty). Just one more thing that's been proven safe in cats, and works well for my little one.

Blessings and strength to both of you!

Love, Columbine

[dehlers43]

Well, it sounds like Simon's issue is "structural", much better (I would think) in terms of healing than Winston's nerve damage problems.
And thank you for your kind words....yes, at least I know I did everything possible for my Winnie...sounds like you're doing the same for your Simon.
Maybe the vet could try a little "kitty valium" when working on Simon...that made things so much less stressful for Winston.

All paws crossed for Simon.....

[Anikaca77]

I can't offer any advice but my thoughts and prays will be with you and your husband and of course for Simon.

It's never easy to make a decision about if it's time to let go or not but I think that what Laura's Babies said makes a lot of sense "I would check out ALL options and weigh them all, research online as much as possiable to learn all I could keeping in mind quality of life verses quanity. If he could live a normal happy life after having that surgery and you can afford it, and are prepared for the after care and make my decision from there."

Good luck,
Melissa

[Kitten903]

My cat witches had many enemas. On alot of different foods, meds, and fiber. I spent alot of money too. And i agree no price could add up to his life. 2000 for the colectomy surgery alone. Dont do it i repeat dont do it. My baby lasted 4 months after the surgery. Weighing at 6 lbs at his death. He just skyrocketed after the surgery. If u ever wanna talk heres my e-mail. [email protected] with love and purrs and hope this advice helps melissa