Slippery Elm For Constipation

[sidneykitty]

Hello. If you've seen my recent posts, then you know my cat Amber has been dealing with constipation for some time. I've read about slippery elm bark/powder on this site previously and I am curious to learn more about it.

Is it possible to purchase it sort of ready-made? I've had a look at a few products and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with any of these or other SEB?

Organic Slippery Elm Powder - but I understand the powder may have to be added to water?
Slippery Elm Animal Essentials liquid - I like that this is a liquid form
EasyGo Original - I don't know much about the other ingredients (or their effects) in this (Arabinogalactan, kiwifruit extract, magnesium citrate) so I am unsure about them but willing to try it if it will help.

I like the idea of a liquid vs. a powder. She already gets Miralax, egg yolk powder and probiotics added to her food so I think adding any more powders would just be too much. I have a liquid glucosamine that I really like as she also has arthritis. I may cut out the Miralax and trade the SEB for that if it works.

I also read SEB can help arthritis as well as digestion and constipation? Anyone know more about that or have experience with it? What worked best for you, particularly for constipation?

 

[shadowsrescue]

I use slippery elm with 2 cats that have digestive issues. It is good for both constipation and diarrhea. I make a syrup from loose powder and keep in the fridge for a week and then make a new batch. It is very easy to make. I add
1 t. mixed in some baby food and give once a day. When one of my boys was quite ill with digestive upset, I gave the slippery elm 3x a day. Here is a good article about as well as how to make the syrup.

The 'Emergency Food' Herb Every Pet Owner Needs to Have in the Medicine Cabinet

 

[cheeser]

We've used homemade slippery elm bark syrup for our kitties for constipation, as well as for some other health issues (e.g., antibiotic-induced diarrhea, nausea, hairballs, urinary tract health, mouth sores from herpes flare ups, inflammation, etc.)

We've had the best luck with this recipe from Tanya's site.

To be honest, we kinda stumbled across another solution for Buddy's chronic constipation, so we don't need to give him slippery elm for that as much as we used to. We started giving him a teaspoon of Young Again LID Zero Mature dry food a while back as a snack after his twice daily meds and supplements to help him get the taste out of his mouth so he wouldn't puke, and that has pretty much resolved most of his problems re: constipation. I think it may be the guar gum in it, as his poop usually improved after eating Natural Balance LID Venison & Green Pea, which also contains guar gum.

Of course, lots of people would prefer not to feed their cat anything that contains any kind of gum, which I can certainly understand and appreciate. I just thought I'd mention it since it was such a godsend for us.

 

[sidneykitty]

shadowsrescue - Thanks for the info! Wow that link is amazingly informative! Do you buy SEB in capsules or a tub? When you say you give 1t. do you mean 1 teaspoon?

cheeser - Oh I think I may have read through your thread about Max's constipation while looking for SEB info! Thanks for the link.

Wow - I'm so glad to hear the food helped Max so much! That's really great and what I dream of! I worry her Miralax will sort of stop being effective, so I'm thinking "what else can I do?"

I definitely tried the Venison & Green Pea once, couldn't get Amber to touch it! I wish I could find her magic food... the Royal Canin Rx Fiber food was working really well when we first started, but seems to be less effective lately as I've noticed a wee appetite decrease recently.

 

[Burts]

You mean royal gastrointestinal food? My boy eats the high energy one...

Most times he poops once in the morning, sometimes he skips a day and I panic and I give him lactolose...Is it normal for sometimes he skips a day, am I panicking for nothing? I mean Allie poops like once every 3 days since I got her

Like today he never pooped yet and I get panicky like im waiting for him to poop so I get some relief, I think im panicking for nothing I dunno

 

[shadowsrescue]

I buy the slippery elm loose in a container, no capsules. I then give 1 teaspoon daily. Yet if he has a flare and starts to vomit, I give it 2-3x a day. I know others who use SE, but can get by using only 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the syrup. It just depends on your kitties needs.

 

[Libby.]

I've discovered lecithin granules is very helpful for constipation and furballs. I buy a pound of it at my local health food store and just sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon on everybody's food once a day. I tried, in the beginning, a 1/2 teaspoon twice a day and it caused loose stools. I'm seeing fewer hairballs too when it's given daily.

Just something to think about if your cat doesn't like the slippery elm.

 

[sidneykitty]

cheeser ah sorry I think I may have confused you with someone else... I'm sorry I got Buddy's name wrong! I'd recently read a thread about a constipated cat named Max and I thought the avatar looked similar...

Burts - no, its the specific fiber recipe. I know what you mean about pooping every other day. The vet always tells me that pooping every other day is not normal, she should poop every day. I'm not sure a blanket rule can really be applied to all cats, though. Typically, I take her pooping every other day as a sign she might be on the verge of heading toward constipation and I'll try to give her extra water/wet food/Miralax or lactulose if I'm really concerned.

I think its a lot of knowing what's normal for your cat. You know your cat better than anyone else. If your cat normally poops every other day, I don't think its something to worry about too much...but that's my opinion.

Thanks shadowsrescue ! That's helpful.

L Libby. that's interesting, one I haven't heard of before! Thanks. I'll look into it and see. Good to know there's another option out there to try.

 

[sidneykitty]

to update: I opted to try the Animal Essentials Colon Rescue Herbal GI support product from Chewy for a first try. Its on its way now. I'll modify (possibly making homemade SEB syrup) based on how this goes for us. Thanks all for your help/suggestions!

 

[sidneykitty]

I wanted to follow up (in case someone reads this thread later) but so far, the GI Colon Rescue from Animal Essentials seems to be working well for Amber! I did notice a change in her stools after starting it, so I'm hoping for positive results to continue.