Smedley is back home with Issac Arnold again... And Verona is VERY happy about that as all day yesterday he was being a very pesky little brother and annoying her..
Smed got to see the vet and it was determined that he has some issues with sphincter control. It is always so amusing to talk to people about anal issues, because they want to be delicate and not use words like anus or fecal matter.. after 12 years I'm so over not using the right words for the matter ;)
When I dropped him off I spoke to the awesome K who has been there (on and off) since I started fostering. She actually fostered a very young Jack before I ended up taking him home. I explained why I thought something else was going on here and why I wanted him seen, and she agreed with me that while it very well may be coccidia causing him issues, since none of the others in the room had this going on it was something else. The vet took a look at him and probed the area with a cotton swab and his determination is that he has some sphincter control issues.. basically what is going on is that his anus is tightly closed until he has to go poop, and he does, but that 'clench' at the end that makes the poop fall off and 'close things up again' isn't as tight as it should be.. thus the looser fecal matter that is supposed to stop and start forming the next stool isn't stopped and it leaks out for a while until it finally closes back up.
It was recommended to put him on a high fiber diet, in hopes that the fiber would 'sop up' some of the matter that was leaking, and maybe give him something to push against?? Once again they attempted to give me W/D. Since it has carageenan in it - a known inflammatory of the bowel - I decided against it. Knowing what the issue is will give me a chance to correct it a bit more holistically.
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| You are taking about my bum again aren't you? |
I will say this morning his bum looked 50-75% better than it had been.. so *knock wood* hopefully this is the last of that.
Oh the poor little guy. I totally would not feed w/d either! I hope the raw helps him out.
ReplyDeleteWahoo! Knowing is more than half the battle... now to get that little boy well and feeling better! Give him pats for me (and IA too!!) (and the girls!)
ReplyDeleteoh so young and so much things going on already. hope that you will find a holistic solution to his problems.
ReplyDeletehugs.
emma and buster
We are so glad he is back with you and that this is something workable.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to ask Mom to get the Foxes down for me to cuddle with.
ReplyDeleteMandu
poor baby - but glad it isn't anything more serious and that you can get a handle on it....so to speak :)
ReplyDeleteThat's the first time I've heard of such a problem. Very interesting. Hopefully the raw will help Smed.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos of those lovely boys, good to hear a possible diagnosis, hope the diet changes do the trick.
ReplyDeletePaws crossed that your approach helps the little guy - those rear end photos from the other blog post were painful to look at!
ReplyDeleteWe hope that this helps him feel better. You're absolutely right, it's funny when vets try to be delicate about talking about anuses or fecal matter. Our vet does it, too. Apparently, the general public have much more delicate sensibilities than the head peep does, because she just thinks it's funny hearing a big guy saying "poop."
ReplyDeleteHope this helps the poor little guy!
ReplyDeleteI am sure blad he is back too and we are sending purrs to that little guy.
ReplyDeleteOops, glad he is back!
ReplyDeletePoor lil poopkin...I mean pumpkin! I thought maybe his rectum was prolapsed, the way it looked yesterday. What about alum, topically? I know humans use it, but of course we don't clean our bottoms like cats do to ingest it.
ReplyDeleteTell that kitten to tighten up!
We hope some extra fiber helps Smedley.
ReplyDeleteAwww little Smedley. Hope the raw food will solve the problem! Sending purrs your way!
ReplyDeleteSounds like Smedley is gonna have to practice on his pooping a little bit.
ReplyDeleteFeel better, little kitteh..
Poor, poor Smed. This cannot be fun for him at all. We really hope you can get this under control with a high fiber diet. We will be praying for him. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
ReplyDeletethis is great that you know what is going on now,xx Rachel
ReplyDeleteYes after being a foster for little ones you say what needs to be said
ReplyDeletePurring for his little sphincter
Timmy
Poor little thing. I hope he gets better soon xx
ReplyDelete