Let's say "NO" to Vaseline

gloriajh

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There are so many other natural remedies for things like hairballs - why can't we just come together on this?

Vaseline is a petroleum product. It's good for a lot of things, BUT, not for ingesting.

I googled Vaseline, "petroleum products ingesting"

here's just some of the findings:

Poisoning by Petroleum Products in Cats | PetMD
http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/...carbon_toxicos
If your cat ingested the petroleum products recently, a stomach lavage (wash) will also be performed. Causing the cat to vomit is usually not wise under ...


Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook - Google Books Result
by Debra Eldredge, Delbert G. Carlson, Liisa D ... - 2007 - Pets - 626 pages
Never use a product made for dogs on a cat. PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Gasoline ... Ingesting these compounds will cause gastrointestinal upset and may burn the ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=047009530X...

Petroleum Product Poisoning: Introduction - The Merck Veterinary ...
Both dogs and cats may ingest petroleum products during grooming if their fur becomes contaminated. Dogs may ingest these products directly when they are ...
www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/212600.htm - Cached - Similar

So, how about it, Members - let's not offer Vaseline as a remedy for hairballs (or anything else) any longer - please.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by GloriaJH

There are so many other natural remedies for things like hairballs - why can't we just come together on this?

Vaseline is a petroleum product. It's good for a lot of things, BUT, not for ingesting.

I googled Vaseline, "petroleum products ingesting"

here's just some of the findings:

Poisoning by Petroleum Products in Cats | PetMD
If your cat ingested the petroleum products recently, a stomach lavage (wash) will also be performed. Causing the cat to vomit is usually not wise under ...
http://www.petmd.com/cat/.../c_ct_pe...carbon_toxicos - Cached - Similar

Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook - Google Books Result
by Debra Eldredge, Delbert G. Carlson, Liisa D ... - 2007 - Pets - 626 pages
Never use a product made for dogs on a cat. PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Gasoline ... Ingesting these compounds will cause gastrointestinal upset and may burn the ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=047009530X...

Petroleum Product Poisoning: Introduction - The Merck Veterinary ...
Both dogs and cats may ingest petroleum products during grooming if their fur becomes contaminated. Dogs may ingest these products directly when they are ...
www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/212600.htm - Cached - Similar

So, how about it, Members - let's not offer Vaseline as a remedy for hairballs (or anything else) any longer - please.
Did someone recommend Vaseline for hairballs? I must have missed it and with my mod hat on I should not have missed it. Can you point it out for me so I can edit it please?
 
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gloriajh

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Did someone recommend Vaseline for hairballs? I must have missed it and with my mod hat on I should not have missed it. Can you point it out for me so I can edit it please?
I'll try to locate - most of what I've been seeing are members commenting in his/her posts that they use vaseline ... I'll see if I can find the one(s) that got me going this morning.

gloria
 
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gloriajh

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Did someone recommend Vaseline for hairballs? I must have missed it and with my mod hat on I should not have missed it. Can you point it out for me so I can edit it please?
I sent you a PM with just one of my Search findings - by using Search, it was a lot faster than trying to find the post that was the "last straw", resulting in the topic of this thread.
 

carolina

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I have seen several comments from members using vaseline...
In my house Butter is the remedy of choice.
 

mrblanche

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Sorry, I'm going to have to speak up here in disagreement.

Liquid petrolatum (vaseline) is an ingredient in almost all commercially available hairball remedies. Go to all the vet sites and see if any of them agree with banning it.

The first link in the OP is a dead link. The second and third ones are referring to such petroleum products as motor oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, and gasoline. Do not feed those to your cat. They are bad for your cat. Is this news to anyone?

The problem with butter is that it is a fat completely digestible by cats; it doesn't make it to the parts that often need to be lubricated. You specifically need an indigestible oil.

Having said all that, such remedies need to be used in moderation. We once had a cat that we had to hide the hairball remedy or vaseline from, because he WOULD find it and he WOULD eat it all.
 

snake_lady

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From: The Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook 2008 by Debra M Eldredge, Delbert G Carlson, Liisa D Carlson and James M Giffin

Put into my own words: for hairball prevention one can use several methods: brush your cat more often, use a hairball preventative (one of the many pastes that are petroleum based), white petroleum jelly or mineral oil.

It also notes to use caution as both mineral oil and petroleum jelly may decrease the absorption of fat-soluable vitamins if given in large doses or for a prolonged period. It also states that the home remedy of white petroleum jelly is safe and effective.
 
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gloriajh

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

Sorry, I'm going to have to speak up here in disagreement.

Liquid petrolatum (vaseline) is an ingredient in almost all commercially available hairball remedies. Go to all the vet sites and see if any of them agree with banning it.

The first link in the OP is a dead link. The second and third ones are referring to such petroleum products as motor oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, and gasoline. Do not feed those to your cat. They are bad for your cat. Is this news to anyone?

The problem with butter is that it is a fat completely digestible by cats; it doesn't make it to the parts that often need to be lubricated. You specifically need an indigestible oil.

Having said all that, such remedies need to be used in moderation. We once had a cat that we had to hide the hairball remedy or vaseline from, because he WOULD find it and he WOULD eat it all.
Thanks for checking the link, I thought it worked when I went to it.

I wouldn't use any of the over-the-counter remedies, either - nor, butter (don't think cow's milk products are that beneficial to cats) .

So, I'm thinking that something like Virgin Olive Oil, or Almond Oil would work - being digestible only would mean that it is still helpful to slide the hair balls down the pipes? My cats love Almond Oil.

I also find that grass is helpful - either getting it up, or "out".
Surely, even tho' something is digestible wouldn't mean that it didn't work?

You raise good points to think about - guess I have more research to do.

Never-the-less --- I certainly don't think Vaseline is a safe product to ingest.
 
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gloriajh

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

Sorry, I'm going to have to speak up here in disagreement.

Liquid petrolatum (vaseline) is an ingredient in almost all commercially available hairball remedies. Go to all the vet sites and see if any of them agree with banning it.

The first link in the OP is a dead link.
This is the link that works: http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/...carbon_toxicos
I copied the address directly from the browser address field. The article doesn't identify "Vaseline" directly, it just talks about petroleum products in general.
g
 

samhainborn

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I've never used vaseline on cats knowingly. That being said, I HAVE had a cat get sick from hairball paste (that I didn't realize had petrolatum) because she also snuck the tube and ate too much of it. Loose stools everywhere! Very nasty.

My new remedy that really helps is a little vegetable oil (about 1 tsp to 1 tblsp) beaten with a raw egg. (if you're worried about salmonella, search and read the "raw feeding" subforums) I've used extra virgin olive oil, but the scent seems to be too strong for cats to like it, so you may have to adjust what you use. Just a little info on what works for me.
 

yosemite

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It seems as though we have a pro and con thing going here so I'll just say that if I personally would not ingest vaseline then I'm certainly not going to give it to my cat. I'll stick with butter just as Carolina does.
 

bookworm

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Despite the fact that several of the cats have long hair only one had a real problem with hairballs. When he first arrived he would puke up 5 or 6 a day. He had a long, soft, thick coat, and given commercial hairball remedys would have loose stools everywhere.
He was here for over a year, and small pat of unsalted butter every week kept the hairballs down without upsetting his tummy.
He's found a permanant home, and has two little girls who brush him obsessively, and their Mom has yet to see a hairball!
 

snake_lady

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2 of mine have really long hair, but only 1 seems to have a prob with hairballs.

I use a commercial prep, which contains petroleum jelly and some vitamins... We use it once a week if needed.

ETA: no side effects for the hairball remedy, however, I gave it to Kizzy once and within a couple days, he broke into rodent ulcer.... so I think something in it did not agree with him.
 

mrblanche

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We haven't found anything to give Punkin, our hairball chucker, that he will take. We honestly don't mess with it. Brush him as much as we can, and clean up the occasional long yellow hairy cigar.

Truman, on the other hand, loved the commercial hair-ball remedy, but we used it so often to get him to take some other treatment that he got so he would both purr and growl while he ate it!

Petrolatum is "hyper refined" and is used in many medicines, skin treatments, lip balms, etc., both for humans and cats.

No, I don't use lip balm on any of my cats.
 

sarahp

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The laxatone ingredients are:

White Petrolatum USP, Light Mineral Oil NF, Corn Syrup, Malt Syrup, Soybean Oil, Cane Molasses, Water, Gelatin by-Products, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), and Artificial Flavors.

The ingredients for petroleum jelly are:

Active Ingredients: Petrolatum. Other Ingredients: Water, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, Myreth-3 Myristate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Wax, Tocopheryl Acetate Ceteareth-20, Carbomer, Tea, Ethylene Brassylate, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.

So while the main ingredient for both is petrolatum, it's the other ingredients in Vaseline that separate it from something like Laxatone and would prevent me from giving it to my cat.
 

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I use what is needed.... normally butter or olive oil work but I have one who get some commercial hairball goop..

use all things moderately
 

violet

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Originally posted by sarahp

The ingredients for petroleum jelly are:

Active Ingredients: Petrolatum. Other Ingredients: Water, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, Myreth-3 Myristate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Wax, Tocopheryl Acetate Ceteareth-20, Carbomer, Tea, Ethylene Brassylate, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.
Are these the ingredients in Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly or some other product?

Could you possibly post the link to the above information?

Thanks!
 
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gloriajh

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http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/pro...?prod_id=71042
(Warning to Humans)

"... Warnings from packaging: For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Not for eye makeup removal. If condition worsens or does not improve within seven days, consult a doctor. Not to be applied over deep or puncture wounds, infections, or lacerations. Keep out of the reach of children."
________________________
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-petroleum-jelly.htm
(Another warning to humans)

"...Some people recommend petroleum jelly for chapped, runny noses, especially in the winter. Unfortunately, petroleum jelly should not be used around the nose, as it can cause a condition called lipid pneumonia, a lung infection caused by the inhalation of fats. It may also interfere with the nose's ability to naturally scrub air as you inhale, which could also contribute to lung infections. ... ".
_______________________

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...7190257AA4RKa0
" ... * Toluene – Poison! Danger! Harmful or fatal if swallowed! Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) contains toluene. Other names may include benzoic and benzyl. ... "
_______________________

There are so many things to learn about Vaseline - interesting that stores promote it for burns, when there are warnings in other places about doing that very thing - may cause bacterial to be trapped, resulting in infections.
Then there are so many types of Vaseline, ugh.


Even the SPCA talks about using it on pets. They don't specify which Vaseline to use, though - they should.

I guess we all get to take our chances as to the decisions to use it on our pets - after reading all the warnings that I found - and, by all means couldn't possibly list all the websites here - I'm not sure if I even want to use it on myself.


I wonder how many people are going to be careful to use a certain kind of Vaseline on their pet for them to ingest?

So after using it from time-to-time, and your cat begins to have kidney problems, I wonder about how Vaseline usage might contribute to the kidney getting clogged up and damaged? Just wondering "out loud".

Since I'm the one who pays the vet bills (not to even mention the pain and suffering my cat may be going through), I'm going to be saying "NO" to Vaseline.
 
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