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Old December 23rd, 2008, 01:32 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natalia View Post
As of the Slipper Elm Bark, where can I find this? Is it a liquid, tab, or ointment? What size should I get?
Best bet is to try a health food store. Sometimes you can find it in the vitamin section of certain pharmacies, but not always. In the health food store you might be able to get the loose powder, otherwise it comes in capsules that you can pull open and mix with wet food (make sure the caps only contain slippery elm, no other ingredients). I would start with about 100mg twice a day and work up from there as needed (up to 100mg 4X/day). So if you get capsules that are around 400mg, you can pour the powder onto a plate and divide it into 4 equal piles. Cats don't usually mind the taste too much, but if you have a finicky kitty, you can also make a syrup (recipe to be found in the link rainbow gave above) and syringe it in. Or else mix it with something irresistable like plain meat baby food.

Quote:
Originally Posted by natalia View Post
And how much and frequently should I be administering it?
I prefer smaller doses more frequently, which is why the 100mg 4X/day instead of 400mg all at once. One caution with slippery elm is that if your cat is on any medication, make sure not to give it within an hour of the meds. It can interfer with their absorption.

Quote:
Originally Posted by natalia View Post
Also, I have an Aloe Vera plant in my house, can I actually cut a piece of the plant and mix the liquid from inside it into the food?
Probably not the best option. Not to scare you, but aloe vera can actually be somewhat toxic to cats. It's actually the part just underneath the skin that is toxic, and the cat would have to eat an awful lot, and then it might cause a bit of intestinal upset. The inner leaf juice doesn't contain any toxic parts. It works by improving bowel motility, so it has a different action than slippery elm, which balances water levels in the intestinal tract.

Good luck, and let us know how things work out.
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