Is lactulose safe for my overweight cat's constipation, teeth, and weight?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, you can give lactulose orally. If he is a medium-sized cat, he can likely get 2 mL by mouth twice daily until his stools are softer. If he does not defecate for longer than 48 hours, he should be seen by a veterinarian right away. Constipation can progress to obstipation, meaning a cat is completely unable to pass the feces. This can lead to rupture of the colon and/or irreversible problems with the colon. I hope this is helpful.

Stick with the dose that your veterinarian recommends. Constipation can kill. The type of diarrhea he gets from lactulose likely will not impair him. Do not feed him dry food, but stick to good quality tinned cat food, or low residue tinned cat food. You can ask your vet if you can reduce the amount of the individual dose, however, please do not do this on your own without consulting with your vet. Unfortunately the broken pelvis has possibly caused the passage through the pelvis to get smaller and the constipation may have expanded the colon before the pelvis so that feces collect there and do not fit through the pelvical opening. So it is much better if the feces are soft, or even fairly liquid provided that is caused by the lactulose.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, as long as you have found the right dose where she is not having diarrhea and losing an excess amount of fluids then it would be ok to be used on a daily basis. Good luck and have a good night!

Most cats will not have a formed stool while on Miralax or any other stool softener. If the stools are quite loose, decrease the amount and/or frequency of Miralax. You are correct in saying that lactulose is a sugar; however, it WILL NOT cause diabetes. Mammals are not able to break the lactulose molecule down and it is not readily absorbed in the GI tract. It stays in the GI tract, which helps draw water into the GI tract---this is how it has a stool softening effect. Regarding your question for "is there still a medical issue," it sounds like the constipation is resolved, however, there could be an underlying motility issue in the colon that will require continued need for Miralax or other ongoing treatment. Another concern in older cats is kidney disease; we occasionally find that constipated cats have chronic kidney disease. I hope that answers your question!! If not, feel free to request a consultation where we can exchange information back and forth. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello, and thanks for your question. The specific flavor of lactulose shouldn't matter, but I'd make sure to give it according to your vet's recommendations. Constipation is a bit unusual in a young cat like Aspen (I'm seeing she is just over a year in your profile), so I would not recommend giving it unless your vet instructed you to do so. Hope this helps!

I would recommend a prescription weight loss diet. Those are high in fiber and have a lot more fiber than anything you can get over the counter. This will help him lose weight and with the constipation. If he continues being this overweight you are risking him getting diabetes which is very common in obese cats. Diabetes can be a true nightmare to manage. The diet I would say is the best for this issue is either going to be Hill's prescription w/d or Hill's prescription r/d. You can get this from your vet or your vet can give you a prescription so you can order online. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

It sounds like Jo Jo has megacolon given that he has been manually cleaned out three times. If this is the case, please do not give Jo Jo any Miralax since it is contraindicated in animals with this condition. The best treatment for constipation is to feed an appropriate diet and to encourage activity. You can absolutely dilute the pumpkin puree in water and syringe feed or you may want to try a low residue producing diet. Lactulose and possibly glycerin suppositories are appropriate medical treatments. You may also want to speak with your veterinarian about medications such as cisapride that stimulate colonic motility.