Vet's Best Hairball Relief - Interesting observation

[ldg]

:dk: Doesn`t make sense to me why a change in shape would necessitate a change in formula.   And besides, I use their Urinary Tract Support product which still uses those flying-saucer shaped wafers.

Has anyone tried crushing/breaking up the new tablet into small bits?   Maybe it`s just coated with something that is a cat-repellent.    

They said they didn't change the formula, and they label has stayed the same. But clearly something is different. My cats LOVED these things - begged for them, tried to grab them out of my hand. I don't know if one ingredient is now a larger portion than another or what. But not one single cat will eat them. They don't like them crushed on food (though they didn't before, either).

:dk:

Oh - and I do break them up. As GoHolistic says, before I could break them easily. Now I use a knife. I quarter them. Doesn't make a difference.

 

[zoneout]

@2KETZELS How old is your cat?

 

[ldg]

...and though it is a REAL PIA compared to feeding these treats, I am now feeding Spooky, Tuxedo, and Sheldon 2 teaspoons of slippery elm bark syrup 3x a day. Lazlo I have to syringe it. None will eat it in food - it is fed separately, heavily covered with some kind of freeze dried topper to get them to eat it. I make the syrup, then thin it out with water, then add the topper. Well - other than for Lazlo. He gets no topper in the syringe, just a treat afterwards that he never has any interest in eating.

 

[zoneout]

They said they didn't change the formula, and they label has stayed the same. But clearly something is different. My cats LOVED these things - begged for them, tried to grab them out of my hand. I don't know if one ingredient is now a larger portion than another or what. But not one single cat will eat them. They don't like them crushed on food (though they didn't before, either).

:dk:

Oh - and I do break them up. As GoHolistic says, before I could break them easily. Now I use a knife. I quarter them. Doesn't make a difference.

Well obviously something is different because the shape is different means they are using a different tablet making machine maybe in a whole new factory. This new machine could be lubricated with something that smells different to the cats. So while ingredients could be the same - the pills could SMELL different. Smell is very important to cats as we know. Hey, how about putting a few drops of tuna water on the pill in a dish?

 

[zoneout]

just wondering if anyone has a kitty like mine, regurgitating-wise. miss kitty eats a little bit at a time...it's almost as if her stomach is too small. and she always eats slowly, usually taking the food out of the bowl and then eating that small portion.  sometimes she'll actually eat from the bowl but she only likes pate and prefers only trout--- tho' she used to tolerate other fish (I'm talking canned).. 
on the weekends i have the time to be home and can 'serve' her whenever she wants a bite. I seal her 'leftovers' in a little plastic baggie so it's handy for a re-feed.
the problem is that I have to work Mon-Fri so I give her food in the morning...she usually leaves a lot in the bowl and, if I'm lucky, she doesn't throw it up and I won't be late for work again.
for a while I put babies' probiotic sprinkles on the food. I did this for a few months but then, suddenly, she started throwing up each time so i stopped. now we're back to straight food.
she never throws up hairballs. any advice?  

I think you should move/start this in a new thread. Maybe one of the MODS can help. I don't know how to get their attention.

 

[myrnafaye]

Yes, well, the vet(s) know that as Obi throws hairballs, there is probably an issue in the small intestine.  But back to the VB/duck formula regurgitation - what would you speculate about that??

 

[zoneout]

Honestly, I would consider switching dry foods. As with any food, there are plenty of complaints. But a TCS member's vet said that of 12 cases of kidney failure she'd seen in cats over about six months, each cat was eating Blue. This was last year. Perhaps try Wellness Core if it's available where you shop, and see if that makes a difference?

And this is EXACTLY why it is beyond me that vets do not as a rule keep track of what their patients are being fed.   This should be standard protocol for a vet`s office practice.  But, who am I but a lowly rinky-dink pet owner in the eyes of the almighty AVMA.

 

[zoneout]

 
Yes, well, the vet(s) know that as Obi throws hairballs, there is probably an issue in the small intestine. 

Yes, that seems to be what most researchers are coming to realize... that throwing hairballs is an indication of a compromised GI tract.   The more frequent it becomes the more likely there is inflammation or other internal issues.   IMO, depending on how advanced the damage is to the GI tract, throwing hairballs is likely irreversible.   It then becomes a game of controlling it through supplements, or even shaving the cat if necessary.

  But back to the VB/duck formula regurgitation - what would you speculate about that??

Hard to say with just this one occurrance - could be a one-off.   Like you said, it could be due to one or the other or both - or even neither.    We would need more episodes unfortunately in order to draw informed conclusions.

 

[2ketzels]

you mentioned Blue - what is this about feeding Blue - causing kidney failure?  is it Blue crunchies or canned food or Blue Wilderness?

by the way I started a new thread which Zonedout recommended but I don't know if it's working; I've never started a thread before. don't mean to clog up your VB discussion

 

[myrnafaye]

That IS frustrating, isnt it, that vets pay so little attention to the food / nutrition of our cats.  Most have a company they do business with - most notably, Hills - and that is what they recommend.  I was very impressed when the internal medicine doc went on line, to the website of Nature's Variety, looked at the ingredients and saw that it was equivalent or better than the Royal Canin she was about to suggest.  I admired that.  But yes, one would think vets would have some sort of data base that entered the food(s) their patients are eating; and see if it correlates with any other medical problems in other veterinary practices.  If there is no such data base, some computer whiz should develop one.  Any geeks out there??

 

[peaches08]

Vets have to wear too many hats.  We don't ask human doctors to wear what we ask vets to wear.  We expect vets to be GP's, radiologists, oncologists...and that's when owners will even let them run diagnostics.  When they're asked to be Jacks of all trades, we have to understand that most will be experts of none.  And then throw in the owners that simply won't do better for their animals...that's much more common than one thinks.  I'm not talking about financial limitations, I'm talking about laziness/stupidity.

 

[myrnafaye]

Good points, Peaches.  Still, I live in Madison, WI, where there is a very reputable school of veterinary medicine.  I would think that it would have some resources to put toward having better knowledge and understanding of nutrition, and perhaps keeping a data base.

 

[peaches08]

 
Good points, Peaches.  Still, I live in Madison, WI, where there is a very reputable school of veterinary medicine.  I would think that it would have some resources to put toward having better knowledge and understanding of nutrition, and perhaps keeping a data base.

Vs. the system as it is now, where Hill's and others fund their nutritional segment?  Not gonna happen. 

 

[zoneout]

 
Vets have to wear too many hats.  We don't ask human doctors to wear what we ask vets to wear.  We expect vets to be GP's, radiologists, oncologists...and that's when owners will even let them run diagnostics.  When they're asked to be Jacks of all trades, we have to understand that most will be experts of none.  And then throw in the owners that simply won't do better for their animals...that's much more common than one thinks.  I'm not talking about financial limitations, I'm talking about laziness/stupidity.

There are so many facets to this topic that I don`t even know where to begin.    Everything you say is true.   The major difference between dealing with vets and human doctors is cost.   I went to the emergency room twice this year - for myself.   The bills came to around $30,000 but since I have health insurance, thanks to President Obama,  I only wound up paying $300 in copays.

This same year my cat Precious became increasingly ill.   I had no insurance for her and no pet insurance company on earth would likely cover her anyway.   So I spent everything I could with my vets and even onto care-credit all to the tune of about $3,000.   

So bottom line, I spent more on my cat`s doctors directly than I did my own doctors.   That is why we demand more from vets than human doctors.   Believe me, if we had to pay human doctors directly everyone would be raising hell when they look at the bill.

 

[myrnafaye]

Yes, that is a problem, isnt it.

 

[peaches08]

No, that $30,000 is being paid.  That's what the premiums are for, and why some of our premiums went up.  I don't mean to sound like I'm slighting you personally because I'm not.  But if I couldn't afford $85/month (I was a student without a job), I don't know where insurance gets off raising me $125/month.  And dropped some of my prescriptions like my rescue inhaler.  That makes a lot of sense, drop a RESCUE inhaler.  Thanks to Obama, we're looking at asthmatics having to choose between the water bill or their inhaler. 

I'm very sorry about your cat.  But $3000 isn't that bad.  I know it's a lot when you don't have it though!  But we must remember that cats are a luxury.

 

[zoneout]

 
No, that $30,000 is being paid.  That's what the premiums are for, and why some of our premiums went up.  I don't mean to sound like I'm slighting you personally because I'm not.  But if I couldn't afford $85/month (I was a student without a job), I don't know where insurance gets off raising me $125/month.  And dropped some of my prescriptions like my rescue inhaler.  That makes a lot of sense, drop a RESCUE inhaler.  Thanks to Obama, we're looking at asthmatics having to choose between the water bill or their inhaler. 

Ya, I understand that the $30,000 gets paid.   My point is the insurance company pays it - not the patient.   In most cases people don`t even look at whatever bills they get from doctors and hospitals knowing that the insurance company pays it.   Sad to say, but people go running to the doctor for anything nowadays knowing that all they have is a co-pay.   For instance when I was in the emergency room from when I fainted and hit my head, there were people in there because they had caught a cold.   Its an abuse of the system and we all pay for it. 

Unfortunately, it has the exact opposite effect with pets.   People avoid going to the vet until its absolutely necessary cause they have to pay for it out of their own pocket or put it on a credit plan.

 

[peaches08]

 
Unfortunately, it has the exact opposite effect with pets.   People avoid going to the vet until its absolutely necessary cause they have to pay for it out of their own pocket or put it on a credit plan.

Again, pets are a luxury.  We do NOT have to have them.

Now to get back to Vet's Best Hairball Relief and what people are seeing in their pets.  My cats still do not have hairball symptoms, but I started with these larger tabs.  I know @Carolina likes this product too, and I wonder if she's got the new tabs yet and how her cats reacted to them.

 

[myrnafaye]

VERY true, Zoneout. 

 

[zoneout]

 
Again, pets are a luxury.  We do NOT have to have them.

Now to get back to Vet's Best Hairball Relief and what people are seeing in their pets.  My cats still do not have hairball symptoms, but I started with these larger tabs.  I know @Carolina likes this product too, and I wonder if she's got the new tabs yet and how her cats reacted to them.

In the event this new formula turns out to be unusable are there any reasonable alternative products that anyone has tried?