Is pumpkin safe for my diabetic cat who has slight constipation?

Make sure she has plenty of water. You can add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin (NOT pie filling) per 10lbs body weight once or twice daily. Mix well into the food. Canned is preferred since it contains more moisture which will aid defecation. Too much pumpkin may cause diarrhea. It should not cause pain. If Mishka is painful, have her examined by your veterinarian.

You can keep feeding her the pumpkin, provided it s not pumpkin pie filling. Regular brushing /combing your cat , removing any loose hair from its fur as well as mattes, before they get too big will also make a big difference. If her blood glucose values stay constant, there should be no problem.

1-2 tsp of pumpkin (not the pie filling) given once daily does not pose any toxicity concerns for cats. You are ok to continue giving this. Vitamin A toxicity has been documented as being caused mainly by the consumption of liver cod oils or raw liver. Pumpkin does not have a substantial amount of Vit A in it to cause any health concerns in cats, because it takes >300,000 ug retinol/kg diet to cause toxicity concerns. Here is a website link as well that discusses other foods your pet should avoid. https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/people-foods-pets-should-never-eat I hope this was helpful. Best wishes and take care.

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.

Canned pumpkin (not pie filling, just the straight-up pumpkin) or liquid paraffin can be used, and should work straight away in the following 8 hours from administration. DO NOT TRY to give an enema as it could be dangerous and cause electrolyte imbalances and colon perforation. If constipation lasts more than 24 hours from administration of those or 48 hours in general, a check up at your local vet is required.

Since constipation issues are directed at increasing water content and fiber, I would recommend sticking with the canned Purina urinary food and then adding in fiber daily with 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin or Metamucil. Also have him checked with your vet if there is ever a time he can't go at all because he may have a condition called megacolon (enlarged colon) which would require medicaiton to treat. You can also try Laxatone over the counter. Here is a website link with more information for you.http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=634 I hope your fur baby gets well soon.

Poor Marshmellow! It would not be safe to give her an enema at home. You can give her some canned pumpkin to see if this helps soften her stool but it really sounds like she needs to see a veterinarian for care. Your veterinarian can also discuss medication options like Lactulose or Miralax to soften her stool in the future and prevent constipation. In older cats constipation often occurs secondary to some other issue like kidney disease or inflammatory bowel disease so blood work would be a good idea for Marshmellow.