Psyllum and Famotidine

CatLover49

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Hey..Who can tell me about these 2 meds..Psyllum..and Famotidine???Yas experience with the use of them on your cat or cats..
And what did it help your cat with
Thanks
 

Kieka

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What are you trying to treat? Both of those would typically be a treatment for digestive issues. But they shouldn't be given without vet recommendation. Home treatments of cats is rarely advisable without vet supervision since it can delay proper treatment or be trying to treat the symptoms instead of the root cause.
 

daftcat75

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Psyllium is a fiber that can help with constipation. It can also make matters worse if you give too much or your cat doesn't have adequate moisture consumption.

Famotidine is Pepcid. It's basically an antacid. I'm not really sure about it's use in cats as they need stomach acid for proper digestion. It depends on what your vet is trying to treat. There may be a better prescription or a different food that meets that need better. I guess it's a conservative first medicine for stomach problems as that was the first one Krista was on for vomiting. I found it was only really effective at training her that the microwave timer meant meal time. As I had to give it 30 minutes before meals, I used the timer on the microwave to tell me (and her) when those 30 minutes were up. For a long time after we discontinued its use, she would still come running into the kitchen when the microwave beeped. Eventually, smaller meals more often and eliminating dry food helped her more than famotidine did.

But as Kieka Kieka mentioned, these treatments should be discussed with your vet.
 
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CatLover49

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What are you trying to treat? Both of those would typically be a treatment for digestive issues. But they shouldn't be given without vet recommendation. Home treatments of cats is rarely advisable without vet supervision since it can delay proper treatment or be trying to treat the symptoms instead of the root cause.
The veterinarian gave them for snowball for digestive issues
Cause around mid May
Snowball was loosing weight and I took him to the vet and they did an exam and then did an exray..and the vet said he was full of poop
I said hes been going to poop in the litter box at least 2× a day..n she said he may been pooping but he was still constipated
She put him under anesthesia and did a enema and cleaned him out
Well now around a month later hes starting to act as if he dont feel well
So I called different vet and hes the one prescribed those 2 meds
Got today..
He said snowball is a senior..12yrs old n maybe having digestive issues even with the enema done by the other veterinarian..He said there shouldn't be any nausea or lethargic at this time from the enema
So he said he was going to give something to help snowball if he is trying to get constipated again
And said if snowball didn't perk up after using these to bring him in
 
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CatLover49

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Psyllium is a fiber that can help with constipation. It can also make matters worse if you give too much or your cat doesn't have adequate moisture consumption.

Famotidine is Pepcid. It's basically an antacid. I'm not really sure about it's use in cats as they need stomach acid for proper digestion. It depends on what your vet is trying to treat. There may be a better prescription or a different food that meets that need better. I guess it's a conservative first medicine for stomach problems as that was the first one Krista was on for vomiting. I found it was only really effective at training her that the microwave timer meant meal time. As I had to give it 30 minutes before meals, I used the timer on the microwave to tell me (and her) when those 30 minutes were up. For a long time after we discontinued its use, she would still come running into the kitchen when the microwave beeped. Eventually, smaller meals more often and eliminating dry food helped her more than famotidine did.

But as Kieka Kieka mentioned, these treatments should be discussed with your vet.
What would be some foods for me to consider to help snowball with preventing constipation ???Cause thats what was found on exray..cause his stomach felt bloated she said
So the other veterinarian I spoke with said snowball could be getting ready to get constipated again and that can cause nausea and he wouldn't want to eat.and be lethargic..
Thats why he gave me those 2 meds
To see if snowball perks up any.
If not i have to take him back in...
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Fiber help certain cats with constipation, depending on what the issue is. I can't fathom how the famotidine would help with constipation. It's usually given to cats who have certain types of nausea issues, like throwing up froth, typicallly in the early morning. I've had two cats that were given that, but they both had kidney disease and so had over acidity caused by that issue.
 
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CatLover49

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Fiber help certain cats with constipation, depending on what the issue is. I can't fathom how the famotidine would help with constipation. It's usually given to cats who have certain types of nausea issues, like throwing up froth, typicallly in the early morning. I've had two cats that were given that, but they both had kidney disease and so had over acidity caused by that issue.
He prescribed that cause snowball was starting to act like he did last month when he had to get that enema under anesthesia
And he is thinking snowball is trying to get constipated again cause he said its very common in older cats..snowball is 12yrs in July..
So he gave him the asyllum for constipation
And Famotidine for nausea..that he could very well be nauseated due to constipation
A preventive measure I assume
Cause he wants to see how snowball does on these 2 meds..
If he continues to not feel well..like Himself..the usual I see
I have to take him back.
But this is different veterinarian than the one did the enema. ..I wanted second opinion
 

daftcat75

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What would be some foods for me to consider to help snowball with preventing constipation ???Cause thats what was found on exray..cause his stomach felt bloated she said
So the other veterinarian I spoke with said snowball could be getting ready to get constipated again and that can cause nausea and he wouldn't want to eat.and be lethargic..
Thats why he gave me those 2 meds
To see if snowball perks up any.
If not i have to take him back in...
If he's eating dry food, try to reduce that or eliminate it altogether. Dry food is low in moisture and that can certainly cause constipation issues. Dry food can also have inflammatory ingredients. Inflammation can cause constipation.

When shopping for wet food, look for something that is as close to meat, organs, and supplements. Anything else--starches, grains, fruits, vegetables, and gums--has the potential to be inflammatory. Inflammation will cause food and stool to pass slower leading to constipation. Rawz is a great, but expensive, brand. A cheaper brand is Fancy Feast Classic pates. Another food that's meat, organs, and supplements is Tiki Cat After Dark.
 

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I can't speak to cats (not helpful, I know!), but I can say that both drugs are generally safe, low risk options in humans.

Famotidine is in fact a drug that reduces stomach acid. It's true that cats need acid to digest their food/kill pathogens, but when dosed appropriately, it's not so potent that it should interfere with either of those things. If it's a heartburn/acid reflux type nausea, then famotidine could help. If not.... then it's probably not going to do much (unless vet things that ulcers might be a problem).

Psyllium is pretty helpful for constipation. It's basically an indigestible fiber that "moves things along", so to speak. But as others have mentioned, you'll want your cat to be hydrated for it to work, since it'll handle the constipation by pulling water into his digestive tract. Hydration in and of itself is a decent treatment for constipation.

Adding wet food may be a good option for an older cat, simply to keep him hydrated. The options mentioned above are all good, though the fancy feast is the only one I can afford myself at the moment. I also add a little extra water to their food most of the time.
 
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