How to use Jarrows probiotic?

[Babypinkweeb]

I saw a few threads that recommend the Jarrows Saccharomyces Boulardii + MOS probiotic for cats. Currently I'm finished with the fortiflora that the vet gave me as she wanted to start with probiotics to help my boy's hairball vomit issues and inconsistent appetite.

The probiotic comes in a capsule. Should I just break it open and mix it into his food? How much should I give him to start per day? Would the food be ok to leave out? I know most probiotics need refrigeration but my cat is a very slow grazing type even when starving. Would it be safer to just mix it with some wet treats to make sure he eats it all in one sitting?

Thanks everyone in advance!!

 

[She's a witch]

S.boulardi is awesome for cats with issues like diarrhea. But for regular maintenance probiotics, I’d use something with more strains. I personally use Adored Beast Love Bugs, added to the snack.
Jarrow brand is freeze dried so it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Some cats love it’s taste, but not mine, I serve it in the lickable treat (which is meat only baby food these days) and they love it that way.
I’d start with a pinch only to watch for reactions and increase if there isn’t any. Once I had to give three capsules a day to stop diarrhea in my girl. But for maintenance, I’d use 1/4 or 1/2 of capsule the most.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

S.boulardi is awesome for cats with issues like diarrhea. But for regular maintenance probiotics, I’d use something with more strains. I personally use Adored Beast Love Bugs, added to the snack.
Jarrow brand is freeze dried so it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Some cats love it’s taste, but not mine, I serve it in the lickable treat (which is meat only baby food these days) and they love it that way.
I’d start with a pinch only to watch for reactions and increase if there isn’t any. Once I had to give three capsules a day to stop diarrhea in my girl. But for maintenance, I’d use 1/4 or 1/2 of capsule the most.

Aww darn. Thankfully I also need probiotics so it's not a waste! He had 1 random diarrhea (first in probably forever) on a day when he also had a bunch of vomits which ended with a big hairball, but I guess it won't help much since it seems like a one-off thing, possibly related to the latter.

Would the Adored Beast Love Bugs probiotic be good with a cat with hairball vomit issues? He doesn't have poop issues, just occassional clusters of lots of vomits or iffy appetites.

 

[She's a witch]

Yes, I’d say bacterial probiotics can be really helpful with hairball issues, whatever strengthens intestines will help. Adored Beast brand also uses Larch as prebiotics which may be even more helpful.

I always have s.boulardi at home, you never know when my cats (and people) may need it so I wouldn’t say it’s a waste. It’s really great for diarrhea.
If you look for something else though, I had great success in stopping hairballs in my girl by adding Egg Yolk Lecithin capsule to her food. For some cats, egg yolk alone can help, but not in our case.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Yes, I’d say bacterial probiotics can be really helpful with hairball issues, whatever strengthens intestines will help. Adored Beast brand also uses Larch as prebiotics which may be even more helpful.

I always have s.boulardi at home, you never know when my cats (and people) may need it so I wouldn’t say it’s a waste. It’s really great for diarrhea.
If you look for something else though, I had great success in stopping hairballs in my girl by adding Egg Yolk Lecithin capsule to her food. For some cats, egg yolk alone can help, but not in our case.

now that you mention it, I think you helped me in an older post I made about hairballs! I remember talking to you about Swanson's Lecithin I got a bag of EZ's dried egg yolk powder back then but once that is finished I will try the Swanson one as suggested by you! Thank you for always being so kind and helpful!

 

[She's a witch]

Oh yeah, I like bragging about what helped my cats You can also start adding Swanson’s now as I know that for some cats the combination of the two worked better.

 

[daftcat75]

I would start with the egg yolk powder as it also contains choline. Choline promotes the smooth muscle contractions in the gut that help move everything along, including ingested hair. If egg yolk alone is not enough to stop the hairballs, you can try adding the lecithin supplement too. Start low and slow as egg yolk and lecithin can have a laxative effect. The litter box will tell you when you're giving too much yolk or lecithin.

Smaller meals, more frequently can also help with hairballs as your cat will have less in his stomach to empty into his gut. If you are feeding twice a day, consider breaking breakfast and dinner into two breakfasts and two dinners separated by a few hours. A little hunger is good for cats as the hunger contractions helps empty the stomach, including ingested hair. Scheduled wet food meals will be better for hairball control than free feeding dry food. I would reduce or eliminate the dry food altogether, if you can, as this will improve the digestibility of his diet and reduce intestinal inflammation.

In many cats, hairballs are your first signs of a developing gut issue like IBD. Reducing or eliminating dry food now might save you a lot of grief (and money) later. I would also reduce or eliminate fish in his diet for the same reasons. Fish is inflammatory for many cats.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I would start with the egg yolk powder as it also contains choline. Choline promotes the smooth muscle contractions in the gut that help move everything along, including ingested hair. If egg yolk alone is not enough to stop the hairballs, you can try adding the lecithin supplement too. Start low and slow as egg yolk and lecithin can have a laxative effect. The litter box will tell you when you're giving too much yolk or lecithin.

Smaller meals, more frequently can also help with hairballs as your cat will have less in his stomach to empty into his gut. If you are feeding twice a day, consider breaking breakfast and dinner into two breakfasts and two dinners separated by a few hours. A little hunger is good for cats as the hunger contractions helps empty the stomach, including ingested hair. Scheduled wet food meals will be better for hairball control than free feeding dry food. I would reduce or eliminate the dry food altogether, if you can, as this will improve the digestibility of his diet and reduce intestinal inflammation.

In many cats, hairballs are your first signs of a developing gut issue like IBD. Reducing or eliminating dry food now might save you a lot of grief (and money) later. I would also reduce or eliminate fish in his diet for the same reasons. Fish is inflammatory for many cats.

ah yes! I believe I read this exact post on this site or another about hairballs actually! I have basically everything else checked mentioned in your post, so just trying to narrow in on possible causes/options. I already brought my boy to the vet twice this past month + lots of emails so I didn't wanna drag him in for more testing. So far he hasn't vomited since his last episode (4 voms to get 1 fat hairball out + 2 possibly stress voms) around mid May so fingers crossed. He's threw up once more since then but it was a hunger vom (clear foamy liquid before his breakfast). He's had crappy dry food most of his life so I wouldn't be surprised if I messed up his digestive track, but now have been slowly adding wet to his diet. He's very difficult cat to switch to full wet (we are at 4 months now!) but every little bit helps.