I switched my 12 yr old female Boo to canned/raw recently, prompted by her bout of constipation. She's improved vastly - no more vomiting, consistent appetite - but her poops are still a touch on the hard side. Its only been a couple of weeks that she's been kibble free - we phased that out very gradually. I want to try and find a way to help her along a bit that I can stick with - many remedies seem to work only for a while. Case in point: Laculose. I've used it, she hates it, and many say it only works for a while anyway. Plus, after all the effort to get the carbs from kibble out of her diet, to turn around and give her a sugar she can't digest or corn syrup seems counter-productive.
Looking at the different categories of laxatives, those in the lubricant category seem to be the mildest with the least side effects. I don't like the idea of adding any more fiber - she gets a little pumpkin in some of her canned food. I suspect some of her issues may be back/hip pain, so I prefer keeping poop volume down. I also wonder if fiber is irritating for the digestive system of an older cat.
People seem to have some luck with various lubricants, anything from petroleum jelly, mineral oil, olive oil or fish oil. Salmon oil has the added benefit of the extra nutrients, so I thought I'd start there.
So - has anyone seen improvement with mild constipation/hard stools with the addition of salmon/fish or other oil? I mean, half the hairball remedies out there have vegetable oil - if that's the main ingredient, why not just use some olive oil? If a little lubrication can help things along, a little bit of the right oil seems like a nice simple way to go.
Thoughts?
FYI: her raw intake is only 1/3 to 1/2 of her meals - still transitioning. My other cat has normal to loose stools, so don't think we have too much calcium. We use the catinfo.org Dr. Pierson as our guide.
Looking at the different categories of laxatives, those in the lubricant category seem to be the mildest with the least side effects. I don't like the idea of adding any more fiber - she gets a little pumpkin in some of her canned food. I suspect some of her issues may be back/hip pain, so I prefer keeping poop volume down. I also wonder if fiber is irritating for the digestive system of an older cat.
People seem to have some luck with various lubricants, anything from petroleum jelly, mineral oil, olive oil or fish oil. Salmon oil has the added benefit of the extra nutrients, so I thought I'd start there.
So - has anyone seen improvement with mild constipation/hard stools with the addition of salmon/fish or other oil? I mean, half the hairball remedies out there have vegetable oil - if that's the main ingredient, why not just use some olive oil? If a little lubrication can help things along, a little bit of the right oil seems like a nice simple way to go.
Thoughts?
FYI: her raw intake is only 1/3 to 1/2 of her meals - still transitioning. My other cat has normal to loose stools, so don't think we have too much calcium. We use the catinfo.org Dr. Pierson as our guide.
