Special needs home for my girl.

[MELODIEROCK]

I'm needing to place my female to a special needs home to finish out her life. Penelope is her name and I was wondering if anybody has ever done that and where to do it? After her c-section 3 years ago, She has had cronic diahrea with very little control of her bowels. I'm in a wheelchair and is very hard for me to keep up cleaning after her everyday and can't bring myself to put her down but that is the next step, after trying everything the last 3 years. Anyone have any sugestions?

 

[PitRottMommy]

You might try searching under "diarrhea" to get the entire forum's previous messages.

Please detail for me exactly what you've done, I may be able to help. Believe it or not, chronic diarrhea seems to follow a good number of sphynx. I hope you can find a solution before having to find her a home.

 

[Brooke]

I'm needing to place my female to a special needs home to finish out her life. Penelope is her name and I was wondering if anybody has ever done that and where to do it? After her c-section 3 years ago, She has had cronic diahrea with very little control of her bowels. I'm in a wheelchair and is very hard for me to keep up cleaning after her everyday and can't bring myself to put her down but that is the next step, after trying everything the last 3 years. Anyone have any sugestions?

If PitRottMommy can't help you find a solution to the diarrhea, and you do indeed decide to rehome your girl, I highly recommend using the Yahoo Sphynx Rescue Group:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/sphynxrescue/

There are over 450 members, all over the country, who are actively looking for sphynx cats or who are eager to help rehome a sphynx in need. More often than not, they see Sphynxes like Penelope, who have special needs, and expect to have increased medical expenses or have experience with problems just like this. I have no doubt if you post there, you'll have an overwhelming response and you'll have a better chance of getting her into a home with someone who has experience with the breed.

Best of luck to you and Penelope!

ETA: I just adopted two of my kids (Nelson and Mandy) from this rescue group!

 

[penelopeasaurus]

oh, what a sweet girl! my kitty's name is penelope too...i hope that you find a solution to the diarrhea or at least find a perfect home for her.

 

[susi794]

What are you feeding her? Has the vet said why she has chronic diarreah? What all have you tried to do?

 

[susi794]

Sorry---hadn't seen PitRottMommy's response--having trouble with getting things to load well.
Anyway, good luck with Penelope.

 

[sheryl]

Hi Melodie...My two Sphynx had some SERIOUS diarhhea. I tried medicacation, prescription foods, grain free foods, everything. I was honestly, ready to give up. Didn't know what else to do. Then I tried them on Primal raw food. What an absolutel miracle. What are you feeding now?
Sheryl

 

[MELODIEROCK]

Thank you all so much for your advice and responces. I've been treating this for about 2 years now and there hasn't been any slowing down. It's actually getting worst, I think. She does't have any control with her bowels And it almost comes out like water. I'm suprised she's still alive. I've tried raw diet, grains, about every brand of cat food there is, just dry, just wet, hollistic, you name it. I can't even mention all the perscription meds she has tried. It all started after she had a c-section with her first litter. A specialtist said it could be caused from the c-section cause it can screw up their system pretty good, but they were't sre either. She will be getting her last fecal results back in a day or two but they've all been clear so much hope for this one either. I will look to rehome her first but if I can't I will have to give her a rest for her own good I think. I just hate thinking about it. She was in my wreck with me. She and my dog were crated together and not a scrath on them. Mom brought her in everyday to my rehab recovery to see me and let her sleep in the bed with me. I just don't want to give up on her but It's killing me to see her going through this too.

 

[PitRottMommy]

Have you had a culture and sensitivity run on her stool?

Anesthesia and the stress of a c-section can absolutely throw the intestines out of whack. In most cases, the good bacteria decrease and the bad bacteria increase. Running a C&S would let you know what you're battling in her intestines and would allow you to know what medications work. If you haven't has this done yet, I urge you to do so before giving her up to a new home. Remember, it's going to be a problem whether you help her with the diarrhea now or send her to a new home to continue the same problem.

Can you give me a list of holistic/raw diets you've tried?

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Ok this may sound crazy but could they have damaged her colin or something while doing the c-cection? We had A mom in our town have that happen and she died from it it was so very sad was about 6 years ago. If it could happen to A person I think it could to A cat?

 

[PitRottMommy]

I have yet to see a c-section performed that didn't involve totally extruding the uterus of a cat. And blocking it off with huck towels or lap sponges. From my understanding of human anatomy, it's more of a "go in and get it" sort of thing. By extruding the uterus, you pose less risk to organs remaining in the abdomen. Of course, that isn't to say that it couldn't happen. Most injuries to bowel heal within a few days (and, at most, weeks). If not, the risk would be peritonitis, sepsis, shock and death. It's safe to say that if something would be leaking into the intestines, something would be leaking out of them too.

 

[EmbraceMonChat]

Question for PitRotMommy...

Just in general, not specific to Penelope...

I think I recall an issue (dogs?) where they can't control their bladders and "leak". I seem to recall a connection with whelping (unsure if c-sec would have the same effect as maybe it's carrying the litter as opposed to method of delivery). Anyway, isn't there a drug to help them control the muscle or whatever to help with leaking? If so, wonder if it has the same effect on the bowel.

Again, just thinking out loud...

I've heard of cats who are chronically constipated because the final portion of their bowel connecting to the anus lacks perastalsis (ie the motion that helps move the feces along). For a cat that leaks feces, wonder if it could be a compound issue of IBD or t.feostus (causing the chronic D) and lack of sphynctor control, perastalsis? So, it's runny and it can't be held back?

 

[PitRottMommy]

Generally speaking, what affects dogs usually doesn't affect cats. For example, about 30% of whelping bitches will have problems with delivery (dystocia) at any point during their reproductive lives. For queens, cats that is, only a rare 3% do. I, actually, have performed countless c-sections (read hundreds) for dogs and only 1 for a cat (which may have delivered on her own, her owner was simply too anxious to let the cat do it herself). Alot of that has to do with the fact that cats are, generally speaking, all about the same size. Dogs, are not. While breeding a Maine Coon to a Devon Rex isn't at all recommended, the chances of a small mom producing medium sized kittens naturally is pretty good. However, breeding a Great Dane with a Beagle would be a death sentence for the petite mom. Not to mention what it would mess up as she tried to produce the larger puppies.

THAT has alot to do with why urinary incontinence can follow breeding bitches, but not all of it. The urinary system is not comprised of the same type of muscles as the bowel. Neither work the same way nor have the same function (aside from the sphincter muscles themselves at the end of either tract). For example, as you mentioned, peristaltic action does not happen in the urinary tract. But, regarding medicine, yes--there is a medication known as Phenopropanalomine that can help with smooth muscle contractility (the bladder muscles) which is commonly used in dogs that cannot seem to hold their urine. It does absolutely nothing for the bowel. And, moreso, is used more frequently in older dogs than mom's who are having difficulty post-delivery.

As far as chronic constipation, you're speaking about Megacolon. With a cat that has chronic diarrhea, it's the opposite end of the spectrum (and about the only way to treat chronic megacolon as it stands today). So, unless this cat had previously been unable to produce stool (because that's precisely what happens with megacolon), the chances of this are low. Even then, you don't see the bowel producing diarrhea on its own. It's still capable of removing water contents, which keeps the constipation happening. I could go on all day about megacolon, it's worse in cats than one would expect. I would estimate that 8/10 geriatric cats will deal with MC toward the end of their lives. And it's mostly because of their diet.
This affliction is the exact reason why you'll never hear me recommending dry kibble on the open forum. It's a proven fact that dry kibble increases dehydration in cats (who don't get enough water as it is), predisposing them to kidney problems and megacolon.

With your mentioning of IBD and Tritrichomonas foetus infection--know that lack of control is usually secondary to inflammation and pain...not a TRUE loss of sphincter capability. Tritrichomonas is something that could be found on a fecal without too much effort. Therefore, if they've been performing fecals (esp. "out house" fecals that go to a lab), they should have found Tritrichomonas.

I've seen a wide variety of overgrown bacteria cause exactly what this kitty is having. My own cats were no different, starting with Baldwin. And, speaking of IBD, I had to switch diets simply to keep their stools firm. To say that I spent months of time and hundreds of dollars to diagnose such an easily treated medication (one that cost me all of $5) would be an understatement. This problem hits very close to home for me.

 

[EmbraceMonChat]

Thank you!

You cleared some of my thoughts up and taught me something new in the process. Gotta love it when that happens!

 

[PitRottMommy]

Not a problem at all, it's what I'm here to do