Digestive Enzymes And Ulcers

[leechi]

This thread got me wondering about the risk of ulcers from feeding enzymes, but I haven't gotten a response and don't want to change the subject on the thread anyway. I've tried researching it, and all I can find is that it might be a good idea to mix them in the food and let sit for a while before feeding. Has anyone else found a correlation between the two? And for that matter, has anyone found that they help with hairballs?

 

[Furballsmom]

Probably the best for hairballs is a paw-gel type product, with various oils to help lubricate things through the feline system like Nutrivet salmon flavored hairball gel.
I didn't see any difference regarding hairballs with a probiotic that had plant enzymes in it, if that helps.

 

[leechi]

My kitten is getting hairballs from eating bits of fur that my other cat sheds, and it's been affecting her appetite. I'm already giving her egg yolk, slippery elm, and pumpkin. The problem is she's getting sick of having them in her food. I was hoping to avoid anything petroleum based, soy oil, beeswax, or psyllium if possible and I thought digestive enzymes might be a better long term solution if it works. Especially since she's a kitten, I don't want to be impeding her absorption of nutrients with lubricants or fiber.

I am trying to prevent her from eating the hair of course, but no amount of brushing the other cat or vacuuming can keep all the fur bunnies at bay.

 

[Furballsmom]

I was just talking with a friend who has a dog that sheds like crazy. The vet put the dog on something, it helped a little, the owner changed food it got a lot worse. She then talked to someone else who had found a food that helped their dog with it's shedding so my friend is going to try it.
Maybe you could try a diet change for your shedder?

 

[leechi]

Thanks for the suggestion, but she's on a mostly raw diet with some canned, and has a luxurious, shiny coat if I do say so myself . I don't think she'll ever completely stop shedding.

 

[Furballsmom]

What a gorgeous sweetheart!!

 

[leechi]

Thanks

 

[leechi]

I want to update this thread with what I learned about the enzymes, which wasn't much. I added them to my kitten's food for several days and then discontinued because it seemed like she was eating less. I tasted the powder myself and it has no flavor so I'm not sure if they were even the cause, but they didn't seem to be helping in any case.

My kitten does however seem to be over her hairball issues by this point (she's not eating fur off the floor any more yay!!) so I've stopped all of the supplements so that I don't put her off her food. But while she's no longer vomiting, the whole experience has made her pickier about her food. She no longer wants the raw, only Wellness Kitten canned, and only from a fresh can. Today I found she also likes a flavor of Earthborn, so fortunately I can add a bit more variety.

From doing a little more research it seems like the risk of ulcers is more from pancreatic enzyme supplements, not the plant enzymes I was using. I still mixed them with food to be safe though. Eating pineapple can make your mouth feel burned due to the bromelain (a protein digesting enzyme), so I'd imagine the enzyme powder could do the same thing.

Editing to add:
I've also been giving her raw goat yogurt, which possibly has played a role in her recovery, but I can't say for certain.

 

[Furballsmom]

Thank you for the update and information