Cat with hairballs, possible allergies, and possible IBD - but most certainly hairballs.

  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #21

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Denise:  I only feed canned food and I meal feed, no free choice feeding here.  The food I give was recommended here, no grains or additives, canned. Nature's Variety Instinct.  He his not a finicky eater; honestly, his only symptoms are the hairballs. I noticed a shift in his mood also.   He has thrown up hairballs all his life, its just that about 3 months ago it was almost daily, and at that point I took him to the vet for a battery of tests, and the only thing slightly elevated was a liver enzyme and protein.  She thought he had an allergy because he had overlicked a small area over a nipple til it was pretty bare.  Long story short, I switched vets back to my old vet who had come out of retirement, and we have been treating him with prednisolone, pepcid, and metaclopramide, diet changes.  I can see that he feels better but last night he threw up a giant hairball.  Perhaps I am not giving him enough time on the new food?  what do you do for your IBD cats?
 

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,836
Purraise
13,144
Location
Columbus OH
You are doing everything that I do.  Don't loose hope though this stuff is really a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for a specific kitty.  Has he had an ultrasound?  I don't know if that is doable for you but that might be a good thing to have done.  Does he also have constipation?  My IBD kitty is prone to constipation.  He never had a lot of issues with hairballs so I guess his issues were further along in the digestive tract.

Have you added probiotics?  
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #23

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Thank you for your response, Denise.  No , Obi is not constipated, nor, to my knowlege, has he ever been.  No mucosa in the stool that I can discern.  I have been giving him fiber fish for treats, though, and I just read that they have corn and corn gluten so that will stop.  I am thinking about probiotics, but if I change too many things at one time, I wont know what works.  what probiotic(s) do you recommend, you and others reading this thread?

He has not had an ultrasound.  I will discuss that with my vet tomorrow.
 

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,836
Purraise
13,144
Location
Columbus OH
An ultrasound might be a good idea, just to be sure you aren't dealing with something other than IBD.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/274582/long-term-ibd-meds   If you go down to LDG's post in this thread there is a lot of good info including info about probiotics.  I would also try the egg lecithin  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/266178/...using-egg-yolk-lecithin-to-dissolve-hairballs   LDG also has a good post in that thread.  She has done a lot of research on natural ways to control chronic digestive issues.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #25

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Does anyone know the cost of an ultrasound?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #27

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Vet's Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid.

says the following:
  • Supports a normal healthy digestive tract
  • Helps eliminate hairballs without petroleum-based ingredients
  • Contains slippery elm bark
  • marshmallow and papaya
  • Bares the seal of the National Animal Supplement Council
It had over 300 reviews on Amazon and almost all of the ratings were very high.  I am not sure if I should have ordered this or the egg lecithin, but I ordered it before I read about the egg lecithin...
 

oneandahalfcats

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 13, 2013
Messages
1,437
Purraise
179
 
Vet's Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid.

says the following:
  • Supports a normal healthy digestive tract
  • Helps eliminate hairballs without petroleum-based ingredients
  • Contains slippery elm bark
  • marshmallow and papaya
  • Bares the seal of the National Animal Supplement Council
It had over 300 reviews on Amazon and almost all of the ratings were very high.  I am not sure if I should have ordered this or the egg lecithin, but I ordered it before I read about the egg lecithin...
I have looked into this product and it sounds very promising based on the two main active ingredients which are slippery elm and psyllium husk. It contains marshmallow as well which is similar to slippery elm but perhaps not quite as potent.

I have personal experience with slippery elm as a herbal supplement for the relief of constipation and so can vouch for its effectiveness in this respect. Unfortunately I have not been able to find a local supplier for this product here in Canada and so may have to order it online. If you are able to get some of this and try it, it would be helpful to hear your thoughts on whether it worked in your situation.
 
Last edited:

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,836
Purraise
13,144
Location
Columbus OH
I honestly don't know.  My IBD kitty has had it done but he was hospitalized at the time.  That was over 3 years ago so I don't have the itemized bill anymore.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #30

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Thank you for your feedback, oneandahalfcats.
 

goholistic

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,306
Purraise
370
Location
Northeast USA
I just recently purchased this product since my two short-haired cats are shedding horrible ('tis the season) and Boo was getting hairballs. So far so good! AND they love the taste.

It came highly recommended by several TCS members (@otto, @mrsgreenjeens, @LDG and others), so I thought I'd give it a shot.
 

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,836
Purraise
13,144
Location
Columbus OH
I wonder since it has slippery elm bark in it if it would need to be given at least two hours apart from his medicine.  I know the slippery elm itself has a coating effect which affects the absorption of medication.
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
I wonder since it has slippery elm bark in it if it would need to be given at least two hours apart from his medicine.  I know the slippery elm itself has a coating effect which affects the absorption of medication.
Even though the amount of SEB is small, I would say yes, you would need to ensure that the Vets-Best is not given within 2 hours before or after any medication.

Incidentally I am using this for my Mazy cat who has a poor motility problem resulting in frequent regurgitation. I won't go into all I've done to help combat it here in this thread but she was doing really well until this shedding season hit. She was back to regurgitating almost daily until I put her on the Vets-Best. (In addition to her other palliatives) she gets 1/2 Vets-Best tablet with her middle of the night meal. It has made a huge difference and she is back to going up to 14 days between regurgitation episodes.

I highly recommend Vets-Best hairball relief. OH, and as for toxicity? It isn't. At all. I know because one night a year or so ago Jennie stole about 6 or 8 tablets, I mean she ate them all at once. Horrified I called the Animal Poison Control Hotline and they assured me there was nothing in them, even at large doses, that could poison her in any way. They did say she might have diarrhea. She did not. That's because Jennie has the digestion of a goat. :lol3:

I also often use them, just a tiny piece crushed to dust, as incentive dusting for reluctant eaters.

I do recommend giving the Vet's-Best with a small watery meal, because of the psyllium.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #34

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Thank you for the feedback!  in any case it looks worth a try  ...I think this is supposed to go in their food, but I am not sure.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #35

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
Ultrasounds here sound like a racket.  There is the cost of the ultrasound; the cost of the consult/examination.  One clinic has a "transfer" fee from the referring vet, the cost of the procedure, and the cost of interpreting the results.  Over $300.  Kinda sucky.   I really hate being suckered for the price of the procedure but then to have t he result read is an additional charge.  They might as well just say the cost is $300 or whatever it is because the prodecure itself is useless unless it is read by the doctor.  
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
You can give it in food, or simply break it in pieces and feed it as a treat. Just make sure they get some source of liquid after or during, because of the psyllium.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #37

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
As I researched hairballs, I am finding that there are  2 schools of thought.  One is that an occasional hairball is normal for cats.  Normal varies; for some cats its a couple times a year; a couple times a month; once a week.

The other school of thoght - seemingly adopted by feline specilalists - is that hairballs are NOT normal, and are indicative of abnormal motility in the GI tract.

Sheesh.  This is frustrating.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
Normal for 2 of my cats is never a hairball.  Normal for my other cat is about one every 2 weeks or so.  A lot of it depends on diet and brushing. 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #39

myrnafaye

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
923
Purraise
164
I agree - but as I have said in previous posts, they are on the best diet I can find for them, and I brush daily - and there were 2 hairballs the last 2 days.
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
 
I agree - but as I have said in previous posts, they are on the best diet I can find for them, and I brush daily - and there were 2 hairballs the last 2 days.
The biggest immediate threat from a hairball is if one gets lodged and cant pass in poop and can't get vomited up, then you have an obstruction.

But long term, frequent hairballs may be connected to IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) although this is poorly and incompletely understood.  Some thing that a cat with active IBD and as a result an inflamed bowel may have trouble passing a hairball, others think that hairballs may irritate the intestinal tract and lead to IBD.  

Two sites that discuss this briefly are: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pe...health/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-cats/291 and http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-in-Cats.html

If there hairballs continue to be a frequent issue I would consult with a vet who takes them seriously.
 
Top