Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A psyllium-supplemented gastrointestinal diet is effective for the management of chronic constipation in cats: a 6-month controlled clinical trial.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Rochon, Julie et al.
- Affiliation:
- Royal Canin Research & Development Centre · France
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This study looked at how well a special diet with added psyllium (a type of fiber) helps cats with chronic constipation, which means they have trouble going to the bathroom regularly. Over six months, 49 cats were divided into two groups: one group received the psyllium diet, while the other group got a similar diet with much less psyllium. The cats were monitored for improvements in their constipation symptoms, like how hard their stools were and how often they could go. The results showed that the cats on the psyllium diet had a much lower rate of diet failure due to gastrointestinal issues and saw better improvements in stool consistency compared to those on the control diet. Overall, the psyllium diet was effective in helping cats with chronic constipation.
Abstract
ObjectivesThis study evaluated the efficacy of a psyllium-enriched diet for the management of chronic constipation in cats.MethodsA multicentre, controlled, blinded, 6-month trial randomly assigned client-owned cats to a gastrointestinal test diet containing 6% psyllium or similar control diet containing 0.5% psyllium (as-fed values). Inclusion criteria included two or more constipation episodes in the previous 6 months and two or more constipation signs for 14 days or longer. Constipation severity (stool consistency and frequency, and defecation pain/difficulty) was scored on days 7, 30, 60, 90 and 180. Cats could switch diets if constipation signs did not improve or the diet was not tolerated. Diet failure was defined as study withdrawal due to lack of improvement in constipation, new gastrointestinal signs or diet switch. Cats switching diets were considered as new cases in the group into which they moved, and statistical analyses (linear and linear mixed models) included them in both diet groups.ResultsOf 49 cats enrolled, two were removed for non-compliance, leaving 26 in the test group (18 assigned, eight switched from control) and 30 in the control group (29 assigned, one switched from test). Of the remaining cats, 19/26 and 11/30 completed 6 months of the test and control diets, respectively. The rate of diet failure for gastrointestinal reasons was significantly higher in the control group than in the test group (22/30 [73.3%] vs 7/26 [26.9%]; = 0.0005). Constipation signs improved significantly from baseline in both groups at each visit after day 7. For stool consistency, improvement was significantly greater in the test group vs control group except at day 30.Conclusions and relevanceIn cats with chronic constipation, a 6% psyllium-supplemented gastrointestinal diet resulted in sustained improvement of clinical signs, a significantly lower probability of diet failure and greater improvements in stool consistency than a control gastrointestinal diet.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41631677/