Slippery elm

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

Hi does anyone have a slippery elm brand recommendation? I was to buy it for my cat. She is having constipation issues.

 

[Lazy Orange House Cat]

Maybe try Laxatone instead, with plenty of wet food and water.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

Thanks but I have used laxatone but I think it doesn't help. She needs something that'll help coat her intestines. Whenever she has laxatone she isn't into it. I think she doesn't like the molasses in it. She doesn't like that. Séems they add that to most vitamin paste and hairball stuff in the past few years. She used to do well with the hairball paste from petco but they changed the formula and added the molasses to it. I have looked into slippery elm and I think this would help but just not sure which brand to get.

 

[Tobermory]

I use Now brand for some of my girls’ supplements.

I should add that if I’m giving meds like antibiotics, I separate the administration by a couple of hours to make sure the meds are absorbed.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

Thanks. Yeah I appreciate it. I have been wanting to use it for a year but she was on other meds in the past. Since those meds are now discontinued we can go ahead and try this.

 

[LTS3]

What about Miralax or generic equivalent? Many people use that for their cat's constipation. Miralax is an OTC Human constipation medicine that you can buy at any pharmacy. Ask your vet if this would be ok to use for your cat's specific need. I think more vets would know about Miralax than slippery elm bark.

 

[Elphaba09]

Do you have a health food store near you? That is where I get all my herbals.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Tbh, I think Miralax is your best bet, as mentioned above. It draws moisture into the bowel to soften the stool for a more natural form of evacuation. 1/8 tsp mixed with a tiny bit of water and then added to food is a good place to start. A couple of days of that and you don't see a difference, increase it to twice a day or 1/4 tsp. Experimentation is generally necessary.

 

[mani]

I use Blooms, but I'm in Australia.

I use Now brand for some of my girls’ supplements.

I should add that if I’m giving meds like antibiotics, I separate the administration by a couple of hours to make sure the meds are absorbed.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

We have used mirlax and lactulose in the past. We wanted to try to give her something to help coat her intestines since the poop is formed but it is hard for her to push out. I don't want to use Vaseline because when we use it sometimes on her dry nose and she licks it gives her the runs. I also try to steer clear of extra virgin olive oil because that isn't too good for her too.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

She doesn't need much when we do use mirlax we use less than 1/16 a tsp.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

Her wet food already has pumpkin in it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

We wanted to try to give her something to help coat her intestines since the poop is formed but it is hard for her to push out.

Tbh, I am not sure what 'coating her intestines' even means. To better enable her stool to 'slide out'? That being the case, that is what Miralax does, just not so much how you are describing it.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

I appreciate your feedback. Something to lubricate her intestines. I thought mirlax is more for bulking up stool and making it softer? This is an issue she had in the past because she was on and off with pill pocket which causes so many issues. Btw everyone should steer clear from that. The below link talks about it

Top 286 Reviews From Legit Greenies Buyers

Read reviews and complaints about Greenies, regarding cat food options, dog food options, dental treats, nutrition, pricing and more.

www.consumeraffairs.com

I even had a emergency vet tell me how bad it is when I brought it up after I did research. I was also using another brand and that was also causing issues. Her poo isn't too hard they are just gummy when she can get it out. Sometimes they are very very skinny pieces that she struggle with. However doesn't come out and gets stuck. I do check her temperature daily and sometimes I use Vaseline on the rectal thermometer sometimes not. However since It seems that they get suck right in between her tailbone sometimes or sometimes they have trouble moving along her intestines. They are solid pieces so I feel like maybe bulking up the stool might cause more of an issue. She has had a few xrays in the past year and had a ultrasound last month. However most vets aren't aware of this issue. I mean they are aware of me bring the issue up but they don't realize how bad greenies products are. Plus finding a good vet that actually listens to the pet parent is hard. I have found maybe a decent one now but he isn't as knowledgeable as I want.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

I know laxatone does something similar to what I am looking for but I have been researching slippery elm and I think that this is what might work but I am completely open to another possible natural remedy. Also I read that long term laxatone can cause issue with nutrient absorption. Since once you start with laxatone you have to use it all the time. I would use a hairball remedy but she doesn't like how the molasses is in it. Anything that has molasses she won't eat even the vitamin paste or Under The Weather Ready Cal High Calorie Supplement Gel for Cats. I have tried to find ones without molasses but seems like they no longer make it without. She used eat the vitamin paste and hairball remedies in the past but with the changes made by almost every manufacturer she doesn't like it.

 

[mani]

I get the powder, not the capsules.

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/88513/henry-blooms-slippery-elm-bark-powder-125g

I'm thinking you're probably in the USA, so not so good for you, but you'll have far more options than I do for a quality product.
I've had my two on it for furballs for months now, as egg yolk lecithin just wasn't doing the trick. They haven't been throwing up at all, and as a side benefit I've found they've been really regular, bowel-wise. It's worth a try as it's fine for cats, and my very fussy pair don't mind the taste at all.. I mix it in with their food.

 

[chelsmarie]

I’ve had better luck with something more natural like pumpkin. My cat liked these and they worked:

TIKI CAT Tummy Topper Pumpkin Puree Wheatgrass Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Topper, 1.5-oz, case of 12 - Chewy.com

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

chelsmarie Thank you. In the past when we tried to use pumpkin as a fiber is wasn't doing the trick. So the vet told us to discontinue it. Unfortunately due to her and the food switches I had a hard time finding something she likes that is grain free without pumpkin. We are in the process of looking for something else but don't want her to stop eating again. We used just plain pumpkin puree. However I wonder if what you suggested might work because of the wheatgrass. I will have to do some research on wheatgrass to see the pros and cons for cats.
mani I know it's a shame about the slippery elm disease in the USA. That is one of the reasons I am nervous about just picking up a random company to go with. I know there are tons of threads about it here but most of the stuff is older so reputations and quality control for companies change. I have been looking into it for almost a year. It even talks about it on the vca website, various vets pages and other places onlne. I know with the way Madison body works she will probably only need a small amount more likely once a day. Just for a day or two. I don't know if long-term is a good idea for her. Just because how her body works.

 

[LTS3]

Would egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin helps? Both are used for hair ball issues but might help with constipation some? How Best to Manage Hairballs

I would use a hairball remedy but she doesn't like how the molasses is in it. Anything that has molasses she won't eat even the vitamin paste or Under The Weather Ready Cal High Calorie Supplement Gel for Cats. I have tried to find ones without molasses but seems like they no longer make it without.

I use this one that has no molasses but it's out of stock at multiple places I looked: RICHARD'S ORGANICS Tuna Flavor Hairball Remedy, 4.25-oz tube - Chewy.com

Is malt syrup ok? This one contains it but no molasses: CAT LAX Cat Supplement, 2-oz tube - Chewy.com

I don't know if hairball treat type things would lubricate the digestive tract in any way.

 

[Madison P. McGuire's mom]

LTS3 Thanks. I am not sure. I think one of the brands she had in the past had malt in it. So it might be worth a try. Do you have experience with cat lax? Is it like a beige color or more of a dark brown? It's a shame that so much stuff has been out of stock at chewy the past year and a half. She just had the runs today but usually that can also be a sign of a constipation issue. I get nervous about giving her anything raw. She was taking Instinct Freeze Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain Free Digestive Health Recipe Cat Food Topper but I am not sure if it was causing more of an issue of dehydration. I know with fiber and things like that a little goes a long way. She was on visbiome for a little while but she was having issues with that. Her body reacts differently than most animals. Like whenever she has had antibiotics in the past they make her constipated instead of giving her the runs. She is eating all her food and takes 1.25 ml of oralade and has started on antinol again. Her body has issues with gelcaps. So I cut open the gelcaps and give her two with breakfast. Since that is the starting does. In the past when we give her two of those she does get the runs but it hasn't been doing that this time around. We are on day 10 of the 15 days of the double pill dosage. I am trying to find a new fish oil for her to have with it. I was told that krill oil isn't good for her. In the past I was using a hemp,krill & salmon oil from nuturvet.