Soy Lecithin vs Egg Lecithin?

trixiekitty

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Hi everyone! I've been reading about egg lecithin and how it can help with hairballs. I have three longhaired cats (Ragdolls) who have hairballs frequently. Brushing helps a little bit, but I'd like to try something else, on top of the brushing. I read on here that egg lecithin is really good for hairballs. So I went out and got some lecithin capsules (they're in gel form), but when I gave them some yesterday evening with their dinner, I noticed "egg" wasn't mentioned anywhere on the bottle. I found something that may suggest that I bought soy lecithin. Will this work as well? Should I be giving this to them?

I got it from a local store, but here is what I believe to be the same thing (I'm at college right now, so I don't have the bottle with me).
 

ldg

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There are only two brands of egg yolk lecithin available in the U.S., one by Swanson and one by Nature's Plus. They are difficult to find in most stores, unless you have a locally owned health food store, where they MAY carry it, or can order it for you. Otherwise it needs to be purchased online.

Part of the point of using egg yolk lecithin is that it is from an animal, which is a species-appropriate form of food or supplement for a cat. But there are problems with soy beyond just being a plant. I don't have time to find a better source, but this explains the issues: http://grocerynews.org/health/42-so...ready-gmo-organic-side-effects-phytoestrogens

I wouldn't use it. On the other hand, I wouldn't feed my cats a food with soy in it, so please take that into consideration.
 
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trixiekitty

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Thank you so much for the quick reply! I'll have to order it online, since the store didn't have anything else. Thank you for the article, I had no idea.
 

jcornman

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I agree, egg is definitely the way to go. I don't know if that will hurt your cats, but it isn't going to do nearly as well as egg lecithin will.
 
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trixiekitty

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I don't want to risk anything. The egg lecithin has been ordered! Thank you again for the help! I'm glad I found out now rather than later. 
 
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