we have POOPage!
2023-Feb-05, Sunday 08:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtigger
I earlier voiced concerns about how to accomplish veterinarian visits. It was because Hope has had increasing problems with constipation during the last year. I've successfully used olive oil on dry kibble for mild cases, and I bought the generic "Smooth LAX" product to help with the worse ones. This last week was the worst case yet. I had to increase the daily dose from the usual 0.6mL / 1⁄8 teaspoon. And it took 3 days instead of 1, with a total of I think 5 days when she couldn't poop. But I see this morning that she has finally pooped.
I've already ordered a lot of wet cat food at Petco. It should be delivered this week. I'll start alternating between wet and dry food, hoping to increase the hydration in her gut.
I suspect, though, that part of the problem is her tendency to eat my long hair that's loose on the floor or stuck in the blankets we use in winter. She's the same with cobwebs. She seeks them out and starts snacking at them like they're cotton candy. I know it causes digestive problems for her, because I've had to pull the, uh... "formation" from her behind that she can't shake loose. When I get to it, I discover that a single human hair is keeping it attached to her insides like an umbilical cord. I snap it off so she stops freaking out about the messy condition, but I know that my hair is still in her intestine.
Nearly every year I wonder, "Is this the year that I finally cut my hair?" I've never had a good reason to finally do it, but that's the only solution I can think of, if it keeps her from having these worsening digestive problems. I need to get her to a vet to make sure she doesn't have kidney problems that are disrupting the fluid balance in her stools.
But for today, at least, I'm relieved that she has a functional digestive path again.
no subject
Date: 2023-Feb-07, Tuesday 04:35 pm (UTC)