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I'm seeing this stuff about pills for hairballs. As a raw feeder, aside from brushing them, is there a more natural solution?
What might be causing hairballs?
What might be causing hairballs?
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Vet's Best Hairball Relief - Interesting observation
- Thread starter peaches08
- Start Date
Why do you ask - if I may. Have you cats been vomiting haitrballs - how often?
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- #163
Another hairball, it was Gadget this time, and it had a gizzard in it that must have been from this morning. I don't know who dealt the one a few days ago. It's been 9 hours since breakfast...? So, I just Roto-rootered them again. I hadn't increased their dosage of Vet's Best yet, but now I will. I'll start with 1/2 tab twice a day.
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Do you think it would be OK to grind these up and add it to my cats raw food as I prepare it (a big batch at a time which is then portioned and frozen)?
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- #165
I don't know. I'd rather be able to adjust dosage as needed, so I add it the the meal as needed.
stiletto
The "pills" are a tablet that contains slippery elm bark powder, marshmallow root, and psyllium (and I think chicken liver).The more natural solution is egg yolks and egg yolk lecithin (EYL): http://catcentric.org/care-and-health/hairballs-species-appropriate-treatment/
But for some of us, that hasn't been enough. I have four cats that are 12 years old, and they free-fed kibble for 8 years. It left its mark. Until now, the egg yolks and EYL managed the problem. This has just been a horrendous year.
On the previous page, AbbyNTim posts a recipe for a homemade version of the Vet's Best Hairball Relief tablet that contains just the slippery elm bark powder and marshmallow root.
I am also using slippery elm bark syrup. The recipe is somewhere in this thread, I think one of my posts on the prior page.
I just received my order of VBH last night. I gave each cat 1/4 of a tablet in last night's dinner. Is liquid poo a known or typical reaction to VBH? One cat of my cats is suffering from runny poo this week. The other, Dory, had it over the weekend but is/was back to normal. I don't know who the owner of the liquid poo is...it would make sense it's Josie since she's got the issue. But her butt looked spotless. I'll have to keep an eye out.
Second, do you use VBH in place of Lecithin? Or do you use both?
Second, do you use VBH in place of Lecithin? Or do you use both?
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I raised a question about whether VB and SEB can both be used. But lecithin is used for different purposes, isnt it?
I am still cautiously optimistic about my "hairball blend". I haven't seen a hairball in a week and both cats are passing hair in their stools.
Tim is on the blend that contains psyllium (1,000mg; 2 500mg capsules), marshmallow root (500mg; 1 455 capsule plus extra by weight), and slippery elm bark (500mg by weight). This makes the equivalent of 20 Vet's Best tablets and Tim gets one "dose" per evening. I am using the dry powders and mixing with water when I serve. I tried pre-mixing with water, but it gelled and thickened way too much, probably due to the psyllium, and I had to add more water to serve, anyway. Tim was the chronic hairball barfer, so I am glad that I haven't seen one from him in over two months.
Abby does not tolerate slippery elm, so every three to four days I give her equal amounts of psyllium and marshmallow root. I use the tiniest measuring spoon on "mini measuring spoons", which I believe is a drop, to measure each. She seems to be tolerating this. Abby never had a hairball problem, so I was puzzled when she barfed up a couple recently.
Right now, Tim is getting a little extra psyllium and slippery elm in the morning. The psyllium is temporary until he regulates his bowel movements; we just stopped cisapride after a very long weaning process and even longer period of daily use. He's been off for almost three weeks and doing very well, so I will begin to taper the extra psyllium pretty soon. He's getting slippery elm because he is showing signs of mild intestinal upset. We plan to begin the slow introduction to raw later this month, once I'm satisfied he's pooping regularly.
I am watching both cats' poops closely to make sure they don't get too big with the psyllium. But I've noticed the bigger poops are those with lots and lots of hair (yeah, I break them open and check), so can't really complain about that.
Tim is on the blend that contains psyllium (1,000mg; 2 500mg capsules), marshmallow root (500mg; 1 455 capsule plus extra by weight), and slippery elm bark (500mg by weight). This makes the equivalent of 20 Vet's Best tablets and Tim gets one "dose" per evening. I am using the dry powders and mixing with water when I serve. I tried pre-mixing with water, but it gelled and thickened way too much, probably due to the psyllium, and I had to add more water to serve, anyway. Tim was the chronic hairball barfer, so I am glad that I haven't seen one from him in over two months.
Abby does not tolerate slippery elm, so every three to four days I give her equal amounts of psyllium and marshmallow root. I use the tiniest measuring spoon on "mini measuring spoons", which I believe is a drop, to measure each. She seems to be tolerating this. Abby never had a hairball problem, so I was puzzled when she barfed up a couple recently.
Right now, Tim is getting a little extra psyllium and slippery elm in the morning. The psyllium is temporary until he regulates his bowel movements; we just stopped cisapride after a very long weaning process and even longer period of daily use. He's been off for almost three weeks and doing very well, so I will begin to taper the extra psyllium pretty soon. He's getting slippery elm because he is showing signs of mild intestinal upset. We plan to begin the slow introduction to raw later this month, once I'm satisfied he's pooping regularly.
I am watching both cats' poops closely to make sure they don't get too big with the psyllium. But I've noticed the bigger poops are those with lots and lots of hair (yeah, I break them open and check), so can't really complain about that.
@tdonline, there are other ingredients in the Vets Best that are on Tim's "suspect ingredient" list, which is why I chose to make my own blend using similar proportions of the active ingredients. See my post just above. I don't think the active ingredients, especially in the amount you gave, should cause runny stools, but some of the other ingredients might. Blending on your own gives you some control over ingredients. For example, my girl does not seem to tolerate slippery elm bark, so I give her just the psyllium and marshmallow. Others don't want to give their cats psyllium, so use just the marshmallow and slippery elm. I've found that a tiny amount of psyllium really clears the hair from my cats, so I do include that.
@myrnafaye, I am using both my hairball blend (evening) and slippery elm syrup (morning) with Tim. As the hairball remedy contains slippery elm, I don't see a problem. But because of the slippery elm and marshmallow, I give the hairball blend two or more hours after the cats finished their evening meal, as sort of a bedtime snack. I do have to mix it with a bit of food to get Tim to eat it, but it's a tiny amount. I give the slippery elm syrup right before I leave for work in the morning, usually at least an hour after the cats eat their last plate and about two hours after they've ingested most of their morning calories.
I don't know anything about lecithin. I'm trying to simplify and use as little as possible. My blends (described above) seem to be working, so I don't have plans to add more stuff unless I have to.
@myrnafaye, I am using both my hairball blend (evening) and slippery elm syrup (morning) with Tim. As the hairball remedy contains slippery elm, I don't see a problem. But because of the slippery elm and marshmallow, I give the hairball blend two or more hours after the cats finished their evening meal, as sort of a bedtime snack. I do have to mix it with a bit of food to get Tim to eat it, but it's a tiny amount. I give the slippery elm syrup right before I leave for work in the morning, usually at least an hour after the cats eat their last plate and about two hours after they've ingested most of their morning calories.
I don't know anything about lecithin. I'm trying to simplify and use as little as possible. My blends (described above) seem to be working, so I don't have plans to add more stuff unless I have to.
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I put both the SEB and VB in their food, is there a problem with that??
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I am hoping my new vet will have some thoughts about this problem with Obi...
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #174
I'm egging the crap out of my cats (no pun intended), and the hairballs this year are insane.
Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way? Maybe this year's batch of Lecithin is crap. Fake or whatever. I had nary a hairball last season. While this season, it seems like all brushing and supplementals in the world have done zilch.
One of my girls is experiencing soft poo, not related to VBH. I haven't pinned down the cause but leaned heavily towards a possible lodged and/or irritating hairball. Yesterday she only had one normal-sized poo albeit soft. So I thought...maybe it's a not a hairball? I mean would she be able to have a normal-sized BM around a hairball?
Talked to the vet today and he advised only kibbles for the next couple of days to see if things clear up. Well, not 10 minutes after eating some kibble, Josie upchucked everything undigested. Now I'm back on the hairball is the cause theory. And definitely back to canned food.
Well, the only problem with thinking there's something wrong with this year's batch of egg yolk lecithin is that like peaches08, I also use egg yolk. I use organic, locally pastured eggs - and I doubt very much there's an issue with them.
I'm in a number of cat groups, and people everywhere - healthy cats, IBD cats, raw-fed cats - are seeing problems this year that don't normally have problems. I think it has something to do with the winter last year. :dk: Especially as people out west don't seem to be having the same issues with their cats!
I don't remember who asked, but the egg yolk lecithin emulsifies the fat that binds the hair, helping pass it. But ... not working this year, not alone!
Tuxedo is doing GREAT on the Prosperous Farmer, BTW. I don't even give him the SEB any longer. So far.... knock wood, no problems. He IS eating 1/2 a tablet of the VB. I quarter it, get it wet and roll it in freeze dried liver powder, and he'll eat it. Shel will too. Not Lazlo or Spooky. So they're on only the SEB/Marshmallow syrup stuff. Spook - so far, so good. Lazlo had the hairball hack today.
I may just use AbbyNTim's recipe - and perhaps pill him with it. Not sure how I'll get it into him. Maybe I should just crush the VB and stuff it in #3 gelcaps..... Half a tablet would probably fit in two gelcaps...
I'm in a number of cat groups, and people everywhere - healthy cats, IBD cats, raw-fed cats - are seeing problems this year that don't normally have problems. I think it has something to do with the winter last year. :dk: Especially as people out west don't seem to be having the same issues with their cats!
I don't remember who asked, but the egg yolk lecithin emulsifies the fat that binds the hair, helping pass it. But ... not working this year, not alone!
Tuxedo is doing GREAT on the Prosperous Farmer, BTW. I don't even give him the SEB any longer. So far.... knock wood, no problems. He IS eating 1/2 a tablet of the VB. I quarter it, get it wet and roll it in freeze dried liver powder, and he'll eat it. Shel will too. Not Lazlo or Spooky. So they're on only the SEB/Marshmallow syrup stuff. Spook - so far, so good. Lazlo had the hairball hack today.
I may just use AbbyNTim's recipe - and perhaps pill him with it. Not sure how I'll get it into him. Maybe I should just crush the VB and stuff it in #3 gelcaps..... Half a tablet would probably fit in two gelcaps...- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #177
Yeah I use egg yolk, not EYL. I mix 18 eggs (or a few more from my personal pack of eggs) for 12-17 lbs of meat/skin/bone. Sometimes I added an egg yolk to the meal itself, in hopes to stop this hairball nonsense but it didn't work. I used to be able to open a pack of hairball treats and give the 3 cats a whole bag and clean them out, and they were good for a week or so. Before VB, I was having to do it twice a week sometimes. That's actually why I went to the VB, because I don't like doing the hairball treats.
Well, there goes that theory! My cats are indoor only...even if the weather has been extreme from winter to summer, they are buffered by heating/cooling. It's bizarre really.
Is it possible for a normal volume of poop to go around a hairball? I swing back and forth on whether Josie's issue is hairball-related. The irony is that Josie really has been trouble-free for years in terms of hairballs. Her sister, Dory is the hairball generator though thus why we have EYL and now VBH.
Is it possible for a normal volume of poop to go around a hairball? I swing back and forth on whether Josie's issue is hairball-related. The irony is that Josie really has been trouble-free for years in terms of hairballs. Her sister, Dory is the hairball generator though thus why we have EYL and now VBH.
Wouldn`t the poop stick to the hairball? I mean what size hairball are we talking about? If it`s the size of a golf ball there might be a problem.
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- #180
Mine are also indoor only. Strictly raw fed cats don't have as much residue in the diet to form poop like canned and dry kibble will produce, so most describe the poop as hair with a poop crust on it.
