Constipation

[marko]

Hi Everyone,

Our cat Nuda is having occasional bouts of constipation. (We are still looking for a quality wet food that keeps her regular all the time.)
I know canned pumpkin is good, (we've used it though sometimes it's harder to find) and we also have a 'hairball paste' that we just bought. It's made up of Mostly malt Syrup, Petroleum jelly, cod liver oil... Seems harmless... I'd rather use other foods/ trusted products though -

Do others have ideas?

Thx!

[hazelrunpack]

I belong to a group on FB of people with cats that have IBD and other digestive issues and I know a lot of them use psyllium husk fiber for their cats' constipation. It works much the same as pumpkin on water balance in the intestine, I gather--so it will work to relieve both constipation and mild diarrhea.

[Reg]

hi Marko:

When it comes to Psyllium seed husk, we have never used it on the cats. But I understand that it is a good product. We take it ourselves every day.


The one I was put onto many years ago was Slippery Elm Bark powder. We buy it by bulk at a health food store in a bulk package. Years ago, perhaps 2007, a friend of ours suggested it to us and she was a doctor of Homeopathy. The one that was recommended to us at the time, for Missy, was the gruel that is mentioned in the attached article.

It is a product that we take as well ourselves......due to our ages and some digestive issues.......and it seems to be working quite well for us too, without going to hazardous chemicals.

The issues that we had with our late Missy and IBD-? IBS and we had decent success with it. We are now using it on the other cats as a preventative, now that they are senior cats aged 9 and 10 plus and now I'm mixing it into their raw food.......1/8 tsp dry mixed into their meals, morning and night, plus adding 2 to 3 ml of extra water.

I'm including a web site that is well worth the read on Slippery Elm and she touches on Marshmallow Root - which looks like an interesting alternative.

As far as hairballs and throw ups are concerned, I use Plant based Digestive Enzymes and they get about 1/3 of a capsule each with their evening meal. And that put an end to the throw ups.


http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/


I read an article somewhere that suggested that one shouldn't expect good results from using the Slippery Elm for perhaps 6 to 8 weeks - if it is irritable bowel problems.

[hazelrunpack]

One caveat about slippery elm bark, though--in some cats (more than half in my IBD group on FB), SEB can cause or intensify constipation, so if you try it, do it cautiously.

[Reg]

I agree HRP .......... caution is needed when you are attempting new protocol.

I normally start small - usually half of the required dose - and watch very closely over the next few days to see whether an increase or decrease is needed, or get out of it altogether.

I have found in some literature that some of the recommended dosage can be too high.

[zefig]

I've used Psyllium seed husk and it works great

[Longblades]

I thought I posted on this topic but ... Anyway, if it is still a problem, SEB did work for my old girl, 18 years old. So well I was able to get her back to her regular very wet food. I think what amazed me most was, she ate the stuff. She only got a very tiny amount in her food but you know what cats are like, and it does have a noticeable smell, not unpleasant to me. Maybe you are all over this bout of constipation? Hope so.

[raptors]

Instead of canned pumpkin, what works best is small sachet of pumpkin - by Weruva (www.weruva.com) called Pumpkin Patch Up! There are more with chicken, tune flavors etc

They're single use and easily available, ~1$. Try them out.

You can also put a few drops of coconut oil around their lips which might help.