Fish Oil for Hairball Prevention

[bfls]

Does anyone have any experience with using fish oil such as salmon oil to help prevent hairballs in cats?

I have one cat that is prone to getting constipation and intestinal blockages from hairballs (he's been hospitallsed twice, surgery once). I've taken to brushing him at least once a day and feeding him food that is supposed to be good for hairball prevention but I he's still having problems.

My vet suggested giving him a dose of those laxative pastes once or twice a week, but he doesn't like the taste so I can't see him letting me do that on a regular basis. Googling came up with suggestions of a pat of butter or else a teaspoon of olive oil once a week. I'll give them a try but I'm not sure he'll like the taste of those either. However, I've also come across a product (Salpet Salmon Oil) that is formulated for cats and dogs which claims to be 99% salmon oil and suggests giving him 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon daily. Now I can see him liking the taste of that!

Does anyone have any experience with using something like this? My vet had never heard of it.

 

[Maurey]

Fish oil is great for improving coat quality as it has good omega 3 content (though I’d recommend fish oil from small fish, like Nordic Naturals’ over salmon), but doesn’t do much for hairballs. I wouldn’t give more than 1mL a week to a cat on a complete diet. 1/4 teaspoon daily is too much unless recommended by a vet.

You want (raw) egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin for hairballs.

What tools do you use to brush you cat? How often do you do so?

 

[bfls]

Fish oil is great for improving coat quality as it has good omega 3 content (though I’d recommend fish oil from small fish, like Nordic Naturals’ over salmon), but doesn’t do much for hairballs. I wouldn’t give more than 1mL a week to a cat on a complete diet. 1/4 teaspoon daily is too much unless recommended by a vet.

You want (raw) egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin for hairballs.

What tools do you use to brush you cat? How often do you do so?

My vet had never heard of using fish oil to prevent hairballs so I guess that is a "no" on the vet recommendation front.

I brush Jack daily. It isn't his fur that is causing his problems. A few months ago I took in a medium haired ex-street cat, Fergie, as a foster. She is poorly socialised but she and Jack get along well. They play together, sleep together, and - here is the issue - groom each other. At the moment, she will only let me get to within arm's length. She won't let me touch her, let alone brush her. We will get there (she has come a long way since I first got her) but it will take months. In the meantime, I need to keep Jack's insides well lubed.

Does it matter if the egg yolk is raw or cooked? Where do you get egg yolk lecithin from? I've done a little googling but I can only find tablets for people or else powered egg yolk for cooking with. How much is a good dose?

Any advice gratefully welcomed. Poor Jack is not a happy kitten.

 

[LTS3]

Supplements can put all sorts of claims on the label Fish oil doesn't help with hairballs.

Here's info on using egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin for hairballs: How Best to Manage Hairballs

The link has a separate link to the EZ Egg Yolk product and a link to how to make your own homemade dried egg yolk powder.

If you use raw egg yolk, make sure to separate the raw yolk from the raw white. Raw egg white affects a cat's ability to absorb vitamin B7.

 

[stephanietx]

I would switch him to an exclusively wet diet and add pumpkin to his food (just about a teaspoon each feeding).

 

[bfls]

Supplements can put all sorts of claims on the label Fish oil doesn't help with hairballs.

Here's info on using egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin for hairballs: How Best to Manage Hairballs

The link has a separate link to the EZ Egg Yolk product and a link to how to make your own homemade dried egg yolk powder.

If you use raw egg yolk, make sure to separate the raw yolk from the raw white. Raw egg white affects a cat's ability to absorb vitamin B7.

Thanks for the link. That was very helpful. I'll try making my own powdered egg yolk. Doesn't seem too hard.

 

[bfls]

I would switch him to an exclusively wet diet and add pumpkin to his food (just about a teaspoon each feeding).

I'm afraid switching him to an exclusively wet food diet isn't possible. I have several cats and one refuses to eat anything but dry food. They are all grazers too, so there is much snacking from each other's food bowl. They are all convinced that someone else has tastier food than they do, even when it all comes out of the same tin! Cats