Duphalac, a drug whose active ingredient is a laxative called lactulose, is highly effective in cases of faeces retention or low intestinal motility, such as constipation and megacolon. It is a medicine administered orally as it is a syrup and that in cats is marketed under the name of Laxatract 667 mg/ml.
Cats can suffer episodes of constipation that in some more chronic or severe cases can lead to the formation of a megacolon, which consists of a dilation of the colon, with hypomotility and accumulation of feces that increase the size of it and makes it very difficult to eliminate, causing symptoms such as poor general condition, dehydration, anorexia or difficulty defecating and pain. With the use of lactulose we can help make these stools easier to expel thanks to the changes it produces in the colon and because it reduces hardness and increases peristalsis to promote its exit. Continue reading this article on our site to learn more about Duphalac for cats, its uses, dosage and side effects
What is Duphalac?
Duphalac is a medicine that contains the active ingredient lactulose, a drug that belongs to the group of laxatives and is used in cats in cases of constipation to facilitate the passage of feces.
Lactulose is made up of galactose/fructose units, so it is a disaccharide that cannot be hydrolyzed by intestinal enzymes in mammals, but is metabolized by colon bacteria, which form CO2 and acids of low molecular weight such as formic, lactic and acetic acid. These products increase osmotic pressure, which moves water into the intestine, producing a laxative effect and acidifying the contents of the colon, which in turn produces migration of the ammonia from the blood to the colon, where it is retained as ammonium ion, expelled with the feces, increases peristalsis, and softens the stool, promoting defecation.
Can I give my cat Duphalac?
The drug called Duphalac is marketed for humans, but for cats and dogs there is another similar one that contains lactulose and is called Laxatract 667 mg/ml syrup for dogs and cats, this being the one we should use for this species before the medicine for human use. However, respecting the dose for cats, Duphalac can be used in urgent cases or when veterinary use is not available.
What is Duphalac used for in cats?
Lactulose in cats is used to treat acute or chronic constipation or megacolon, as it facilitates the passage of feces from the colon which can be produced by the following causes:
- Stress (reforms, changes in the house, moving, introducing new animals or people, loud noises…).
- Rectal or perianal pain.
- Stenosis or obstructions of the colon due to fractures, rickets, neoplasms, perineal hernia or spinal injuries (cauda equina syndrome).
- Idiopathic megacolon: dilatation, hypomotility and accumulation of feces in the colon causing severe constipation.
- Neurological damage such as alteration of the hypogastric or pelvic nerve due to dysautonomia, trauma or neuromuscular alteration due to trauma in the sacro-coccygeal region.
- Congenital megacolon due to diseases from birth such as agangliosis, anorectal agenesis or absence of the caudal and sacral spinal segment in tailless breeds such as the Manx.
For more details, see this other article on Megacolon in cats.
Dosage of Duphalac in cats
The dose for cats is 400 mg of lactulose per kg of body weight per day, which corresponds to 0.6 ml of the drug per kg of body weightof the cat once a day. It should preferably be administered distributed in two or three daily doses , mixed with the food or given directly in the cat's mouth and begins to take effect after two or three days of treatment.
Care must be taken when administering the medication and it must be kept away from children, as accidental ingestion can cause diarrhea and flatulence and, as it contains benzyl alcohol, it can produce hypersensitivity reactions or allergies to it preservative.
Contraindications of Duphalac in cats
Lactulose should not be used in cats in the following cases:
- Cats with total gastrointestinal obstruction.
- Cats with digestive perforation or risk of suffering it.
- Cats with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to the excipient.
- Diabetic cats.
- Cats with previous water-electrolyte imbalances due to the risk of causing diarrhoea.
The drug is safe in pregnant and lactating cats and should not be mixed with other veterinary drugs.
Duphalac side effects in cats
In cats, oral absorption of lactulose is less than 2% in the small intestine, so it is not metabolized and is essentially excreted unchanged in the urine within 24 hours after ingestion..
Some side effects that this medicine can produce in cats are the following:
- Gases and flatulence
- Dilation of the stomach
- Colic
- Anorexy
- Weakness
- Inappetence
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
If you observe any of these adverse effects, it is important to go to the clinic to report it and let the specialist decide what to do.
