Slippery Elm?

Hello Dr. Jean! I have a quick question. One of my cats is diabetic, and he has been recently diagnosed with idiopathic megacolon. He is going to be put on cisapride to try to stimulate the smooth muscles of the colon so that he won't be so constipated (he's had to have about four enemas in a week, poor kitty!).

I'm wondering if adding some moistened slippery elm into his food might also help move things along. Thanks in advance!

Thank you for explaining about the polysaccharide chains in slippery elm. I'll definitely have to look into that. I think I already read the articles you have referenced while I was researching, but I'll reread them and see if there was anything I missed. Would you recommend marshmallow over slippery elm for a diabetic, or since both contain polysaccharides would they be about the same?

Frobisher was on Wellness Salmon dry with pumpkin added for fiber and moisture. Unfortunately the pumpkin added a lot of bulk which filled his intestines and exacerbated the problem, which is why I'm interested in slippery elm since it won't add bulk. I'm transitioning him over to Wellness Core mixed with their Healthy Indulgence wet pouches and thinking of adding moistened slippery elm to that, since it will probably blend with the gravy of the pouches. I have to be extra careful what I feed him because my other cat has allergy issues and although I feed her separately, she tends to sneak a bite of his food from time to time -- the little brat.

I'm aware of the whole dry = evil, wet = good argument and I've read up on it, but frankly I haven't really seen convincing evidence that wet food is measurably superior to equivalent quality dry, especially when moisture is added to dry food. Most of what I've read seem to be opinion pieces with a few facts scattered here and there without reference to actual documented studies.

There's quite a lot of fads now in pet food marketing (wet vs. dry, organic vs. raw, high-carb vs. low-carb, etc), and most of it is to entice consumers away from one brand and switch them over to another on the basis that its better for their pet's health, when really it's all about capturing consumer dollars. I lost faith in a lot of supposedly "premium" pet foods when several of them were involved in the recalls. Fortunately Wellness wasn't one of them, but Eukanuba was, as was Evo and quite a few others that were supposedly superior and health-conscious brands (wet OR dry), including veterinary-only formulas. Now I look at ingredient lists carefully and I look at nutrition information, online reviews from reputable sources, recall lists and reviews of the company manufacturing the product. I also talk to my vet about my pets' diets since they're both older cats with specific health issues.

I'm not saying that all brands of pet food are created equal, as clearly they are not, but IMO judging the nutrition and health benefits of one pet food versus another is far more complex than reducing the argument down to wet vs. dry sound bites.

And that's my rant for today... we now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

Wow, I had no idea slippery elm was endangered. Sounds like it's going the way of rosewood due to overfarming, which is a pity. I've already bought some slippery elm powder, but I'll make a point to look for marshmallow next time. I'll have to see if my local health food store carries it, but they stock a wide variety of herbs, so I'm hopeful. (Yes, I'm familiar with the plant -- other mallows grow wild around here, such as cheeses and musk mallow. We're not near the coast though, and I think marshmallow is found in saltmarshes).

Thanks for the heads-up!