Our little felines can suffer from episodes of constipation or constipation due to many causes such as stress, pain, obstruction or stenosis of the colon, neuromuscular alteration, metabolic or endocrine diseases, tumors, drugs, granulomas or pelvic fractures. One of the treatments for constipation in cats is liquid paraffin, a lubricant laxative that contains the drug Hodernal® and that facilitates the passage of feces while softening them.
What is Hodernal®?
Hodernal® is a medicine that contains an active ingredient called liquid paraffin, which belongs to the group of laxatives with a lubricating action and which It is composed of a mixture of long linear chain compounds called aliphatic hydrocarbons. These compounds cause feces to be covered by a hydrophobic layer that prevents the intestine from absorbing water from them, maintaining fecal moisture that facilitates their transit through the intestine and colon, which in turn favors their correct exit without damaging or irritate the lining of the intestine.
Hodernal® liquid paraffin is administered orally and has very little absorption at the intestinal level and is not metabolized by enzymes digestive, being the elimination by fecal route.
What is Hodernal® used for in cats?
Hodernal in cats is used as a lubricating laxative in cases of constipationor megacolon The normal intestinal transit of the cat lasts between 12 and 24 hours from the ingestion of food to the elimination of feces. When this transit is altered, there is a lengthening of the duration, which causes a prolonged retention of the feces that causes them to continue dehydrating in the colon until they form hard stools that cause pain and irritation when trying to be expelled, which is known as constipation. Megacolon occurs when this constipation becomes chronic, occurring with a retention of feces that produces a severe dilatation of the colon, losing the ability to contract due to hypomotility.
Our cat may need Hodernal® when he is constipated for the following causas:
- Stress or fear of new situations for the feline, reforms, changes in the home or in the routine or introduction of new animals.
- Pelvic or rectal pain that makes defecation difficult.
- Sacral-coccygeal traumatisms.
- Alteration of the hypogastric or pelvic nerve due to trauma or feline dysautonomia.
- Colon obstruction or stricture.
- Obesity.
- Dehydration.
- Hypokalemia.
- Hypercalcemia.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Hyperparathyroidism.
- Some drugs.
Dose of Hodernal® for cats
As we have mentioned, a cat can be constipated for various reasons, so if your cat cannot defecate you should go to a veterinary center. Keep in mind that constipation can be due to something serious that requires specific treatment, so you should not use this medicine without a veterinary prescription
The dose of Hodernal® for cats will depend on the severity of the condition and the weight and size of the animal, so that only the veterinarian can establish the doseof medication to use on your cat. Due to the pharmacokinetics of Hodernal®, it can be used without dose adjustment in cats with liver or kidney disease because it is not metabolized in the liver and is eliminated in the feces rather than urine.
Hodernal® can be used orally, exerting its action once it reaches the intestine, softening the stool and facilitating its exit. In the more serious cases of constipation, you can apply 5 to 10 ml/kg of Hodernal® as an enemaalong with warm water (5-10 ml/kg) through a well-lubricated 10-12 French feeding tube.
Hordernal® side effects for cats
Hodernal® is safe in cats as long as the prescribed dose is respected, since in cases of overdose effects such as anal elimination of paraffin, cramps, muscle weakness, diarrhea with consequent loss of electrolytes and dehydration.
Side effects are rare, but among them we can observe the following:
- Hypersensitivity reaction to the drug or any of its excipients.
- Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency such as D, E, A and K.
- Dehydration.
- Pruritus or anal itching.
- Fecal incontinence.
- Watery stools.
- Abdominal pain.
Contraindications of Hodernal® for cats
Hodernal®, like all medicines, has a series of contraindications for use to be taken into account before starting constipation therapy in cats with this product. Hodernal® should not be used in the following cases:
- Cats with known hypersensitivity to liquid paraffin or any of the drug's excipients.
- Pregnant cats due to the danger of malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins and risk of damage.
- lactating cats for not having studied the risk of passage into breast milk.
- Cats with intestinal obstruction.
- Cats with fecal impaction.
- Vomiting Cats.
- Cats with paralytic ileus.
- Cats with diarrhea or gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Cats suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
Constipation is quite common in kittens that have been separated from their mother too soon. Therefore, if in these cases you wonder how to stimulate a cat to defecate, we recommend you consult this other article: "How to help a kitten to defecate?". In adult cats, we insist, the best option is to go to the veterinary center before giving a massage or administering any drug or remedy.
