Please tell me what you think about using Egg-Yolk Lecithin to dissolve hairballs.......

raven drake

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I have a smallish 5 year old adult cat who the vet told me has unusually small organs. He appears to have developed a hairball that has grown too large for his little throat to pass on his own. He starts heaving but nothing comes out and he just swallows it again. Im very concerned because if its that big, he surely cant pass it from the other end! Ive heared Egg Yolk Lecithin helps to dissolve hairballs but IM not sure how much to give and if its completely safe. Any ideas?
 

ldg

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Yes. A TCS member, Carolina, searching for hairball remedies for her long haired cats came across it. Some of us researched it, and there's actually science behind it.

I have 8 cats, three boys that have pretty bad hairball problems, especially during shedding season.

The best way to PREVENT hairballs, is, of course, avoidance of ingestion of hair. So using a special brush, like a furminator (which gets at the undercoat, which is what sheds) on him regularly will help. If he's long-haird, a lion cut in the spring / summer helps.

But the bottom line is that cats ingest hair. So it makes no sense that they're not passing it through... something isn't working right.

As it turns out, free-feeding kibble is a contributor. Indigestible solids are the last thing to pass out of the stomach: and it is hunger pangs that cause that to happen. Kitties free-feeding kibble don't have those powerful stomach contractions that trigger gastric emptying. So if you're free-feeding, switching to timed meals will also help.

Another step in prevention is egg yolks. One or two a week, raw or cooked doesn't matter - doesn't have to be fed an entire yolk at a time. My hate them no matter how they're presented, so they get 1/4 yolk mixed into wet food at least 4x a week. The component here that helps is choline. A component of choline is acetylcholine, and that is a neurotransmitter that improves paristalsis (the waves that move everything through the GI system). Of course, egg yolks also contain the lecithin.

For existing hairballs, like your kitty, lecithin is a fat emulsifier. Fat is what binds up the hair creating the hairball. So the egg yolk lecithin emulsifies the fat, enabling kitty to more easily pass the hair.

I don't know how much he'll need - that's the problem. It's best to start with 1/2 a capsule 2x a day, (I usually recommend starting with less, but this is a really uncomfortable situation for him!) - but if that gives him diarrhea, you'll have to cut back and build up more slowly. :( My three boys get 1/2 a capsule 2x a day: in shedding season they get a full capsule 2x a day. But they seem to tolerate it just fine, even with the at least one egg yolk a week.

I have 8 cats - and since starting with the egg yolk lecithin (EYL) last year, there has been like... 2 hairballs. One of them was when I ran out of EYL.

All of this said... for really bad problems, like with your boy, I'd definitely start with the EYL - and I'd probably keep him on at least 1/2 a capsule daily. For us it was just figuring out between the one or 1.5 egg yolks a week and the egg yolk lecithin how much EYL each cat needed to not develop hairballs. For some, it's 1/2 a capsule every other day. But you may need to give him vaseline as well, to help lubricate his system to run it through since it's gotten so big. I don't like vaseline as an all-the-time thing. But in an "emergency" like this, I'd consider using it. The dose is 2ml (a small blob).

There are two manufacturers of egg yolk lecithin in the U.S.: Swanson and Nature's Plus. The Nature's Plus is really sticky, and you have to use something really small to scoop it out of the capsule to put it on the food. The Swanson is mixed with some rice flour, so it's dry, and it pours out of the capsule easily onto food. If you don't feed wet food, get a jar of baby food or a small can of food to use as a treat to put the EYL on.

....and consider moving to timed meals if he's not already on them, and consider a grain free food if the food he eats isn't grain free. As hairballs indicate there's a problem with gastric motility, it means he's at risk for developing IBD or other GI issues.
 
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raven drake

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Thank You so much for your advice! My cats eat Royal Kanin urinary formula kibble so they only get about a 1/2 cup each a day..... and science diet urinary formula wet food. But I do let them eat the dry at their leisure during the day so I will work on that. Im going to try the EYL when I get some more money....THX!
 

blueyedgirl5946

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So is egg yolk lecithin something to give the cat when there is obviously trouble or is this something to give the cat all the time in addition to the regular egg yolks. I need to do something different for my cats as I have to force them to eat that stuff in the tube.
Right now I am not seeing any vomited hairballs or hair in their poop.
 
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ldg

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I use the egg yolk lecithin all the time as a preventative. The average dose for most of my cats is 1/2 a capsule daily. In season those cats get 1/2 capsule 2x a day.

Some get 1/2 capsule 2x a day off-season. In season (spring/summer) those cats get a full capsule 2x a day.

I started at 1/2 capsule for everyone every-other day and increased until hairball hacks stopped.

But I do also give at least one egg yolk weekly, brush them with furminator every few days, use digestive enzymes, and feed timed meals, so I don't know how that affects how much egg yolk lecithin they need.

But bottom line is that yes, the egg yolk lecithin keeps the fat emulsified, so helps prevent hairballs from forming.
 

stephanietx

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What digestive enzymes do you give and is there a dose on the EYL?  Hannah won't eat raw eggs and she's my hairball girl.
 

ldg

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Just FYI, the egg yolk lecithin worked BEFORE I added the digestive enzymes. But the digestive enzymes probably help digest the fat. I use the Prozyme Original. I tried the Mercola, but they hated it, and it required a lot of it. The Prozyme Original requires just a little bit.


The issue with egg yolk lecithin is that the dose is kitty-dependent. It's safe to use, there are no side-effects (other than potentially soft stool or diarrhea at a dose that's too high for SOME cats). Otherwise, the only "side-effect" is improved health - the choline in it is excellent for all cats, and in people has been shown to REVERSE symptoms of Alzheimer's. Turns out something like 80% of Alzheimer's patients are choline deficient. There's a holistic vet that recommends using a choline supplement for all cats over the age of 7 to prevent dementia.

So to dose... It's best to start with 1/2 a capsule every-other-day. Some cats (especially those with IBD) may be sensitive to it, so it can be an issue of figuring out the right balance between the amount needed to prevent hairballs, and the amount your cat can use without loose stools.

My cats have no issues with it, and even for my kitties with the worst problem, during shedding season they get a full capsule 2x a day without any soft poop resulting.

So start at 1/2 capsule once every-other day. Increase to every day if there's still a hairball hack or a hairball comes up. From there, start adding 1/2 a capsule at night (if you're giving it to them in the morning). As I said, for some of mine, I had to go all the way up to a full capsule 2x a day during shedding season. For MOST of mine, they get 1/2 a capsule once a day normally, and 1/2 a capsule 2x a day during shedding season.

But it's a supplement that's healthy to give up to the point there are no hairballs - or there's soft poop - whichever comes first. For soft poop, just cut back a bit to the point poop is normal. It's for those cases that you may still need to use a "regular" lubricant if a hairball forms - though the EYL will likely, even at a lower dose, help reduce the number/frequency of them.

My cats also hate egg yolks (which is why I hide 1/4 of an egg yolk in 4 meals a week). But they eat the capsule or 1/2 capsule of Swanson's egg yolk lecithin sprinkled on their food. I prefer the Swanson's, because it HAS the rice flour in it - that makes it easy to pour out of the capsule. If a cat is sensitive to grains or rice in particular, then you have to use the Nature's Plus. (Those are the only 2 brands in the U.S.). I also prefer the Swanson's, because it has almost twice the amount of choline in it (though the amount of choline in the EYL doesn't even come close to the amount of choline in egg yolks themselves).

For anyone who wants to try to add an egg yolk or two weekly for cats that don't like them, you can use less than a whole yolk, and mix it with water so it's not sticky - then sprinkle them with something they love. This works for most of my cats that hate it - but not all of them. :lol3:
 
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happybird

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Is there anywhere to purchase in person, or is it still only available online? I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't like to make online purchases, and I'd love to try this.
 

ldg

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If you can find a local store, perhaps a health food store, one that carries Nature's Plus or Swanson supplements, they can probably order it for you. I buy it from Swanson's site because with 8 cats, even with shipping it's cheaper than our locally owned health store can provide, but she is able to order it. Call around!
 

meower

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Can someone please verify the mg per capsule.  I see 1/2 a capsule as dosage but I want to make sure and buy the right mg.  I have seen the 600 mg and 750 mg capsules online.

Thanks
 
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