Anybody use Slippery Elm for constipation?

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katiesmom

katiesmom

Member Since 2013
I wanted to try it for my Anabelle's' constipation. Just the psyllium powder just isn't doing the trick anymore and she ended up in the ER on Sunday because had a "plug" she couldn't pass and was in terrible distress. I have used Miralax with little success, and would prefer a more natural approach if possible.

I have read several articles on the use of SEB, but am a bit confused. Does it have to made with water and administered as a syrup or can you sprinkle the powder on their food? I have read various different things concerning dosage and am unsure about that as well.

Does anyone use both psyllium and slippery elm? Is it okay to use both at the same time? I ask because their raw food already has psyllium added to it when it's made and I wouldn't want to upset their systems by cutting it out entirely all at once since their little bodies are used to it. I always try to make changes slowly.

Any recommendations of a brand? I have been researching and have mixed reviews on several brands and am unsure what to purchase and I want to get some ASAP.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi,

Oh, your poor baby. And poor you...

I've recently started using slippery elm for my CRF foster kitty, and so only have limited experience of it.
My foster kitty was having hard poop (though not actually constipated) and occasional vomiting. I read that SEB could 'soothe the digestive' tract and thought it was worth trying. (I was also giving a small amount of cooked pumpkin every day).

Like you, I was confused about how to give it (and may have read the same info that you did!). But fortunately it's been much simpler than I expected. I just put about quarter of a teaspoonful into his food, morning and evening, and......he eats it! Woohoo!
I wasn't sure if he'd eat it because it has quite a strong smell something like fenugreek, maybe. Although when I tasted a bit of it there seemed to be little taste at all.

My foster kitty is puking much less than he was. And his poop seems softer and not so dark. So I will definitely continue using SEB.
But that is the extent of my experience of it. Hopefully others will have much more experience to contribute....

Hoping you find something that works for your girl.

Hugs,

Eliz
 
Definitely read over the Feline Constipation website. It explains how the feline GI tract works and interventions that may be helpful when it doesn't.
You may want a combination of tactics - ex psyllium holds water in the GI tract, Miralax draws water into it, SEB as a demulcent (softener) and adding water to the canned food, too
Has the vet diagosed anything like megacolon?
 
Thanks for the replies.

@elizabeth- what brand of SEB did you buy? Loose or capsules and what brand? I normally research different brands before buying, but I want to get some ASAP and don't have the time to do a thorough search. And you just use it dry, right?

I have read the feline constipation site many times. That's what made me think about the SEB.

She gets psyillum in her food and I have tried Miralax. I dont know what her specific problem is, she hasnt been diagnosed with anything.
She has always been prone to a little constipation, but nothing Like what happened Sunday. I need to prevent what that from happening again. It was horrible.
She gets lots of extra water in her food, always has.

Any recommendations of a brand? I have been researching and have mixed reviews on several brands and am unsure what to purchase and I want to get some ASAP.
 
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I'm in the UK, so brands here will be different to yours in the US. But I read on the Tanya CRF site/forum to get a good quality SEB, organic if possible, (and without other additives) from a health store. So I got my SEB from a health store on Amazon after reading a few reviews there. It's usually sold in a fine powdered form.
Like you, I wasn't sure what to buy, the choices made my head spin! So I just bought one of several that looked good, and hoped that it would do. I just thought I had to start somewhere. And fortunately it seems to be helping.

There might be someone else here who can recommend a particular brand.
Sorry not to be more help with that...

And yes, I mix it straight into food*. But as you've read, there are other ways of administering it; ie, making it into a syrup. Or some folks put it into capsules and get the kitty to swallow those (that sounded like hard work to me, so I tried the easy way of mixing into food first! And so far that seems fine (touch wood/anti-jinx....))

*Edited to add: I do also add a little extra water to the food at the same time.
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Hello Katiesmom & Elizabeth,
This is a coincidence as over the past two days I have been looking into SEB for Baileys tummy problems (which he has has since a kitten)he must have had the start of a ulcer,as a few weeks ago the vet prescribed Metacam for a flare up of pancreatitis and it perforated,and he was vomiting blood. The research I have done says that it is safe to give SEB to cats and it is of great benefit for digestive issues such as IBS and colitis and ulcers as it coats the digestive tract,and therefor very soothing,most of the articles I have read advise to start off with 1/8 to1/4 of a teaspoon mixed into a paste with a little water,this can be added to food but must not be given with other medication and if on other medication to allow at least 2 hours between.I understand that it must be pure SEB with no additives,this I can buy from my local Health Store loose.And now we come to too much information from the Internet!!! I found a article this morning saying not to give to Diabetic cats as it can alter their BG!!! So what to do? as you know Eliz,Bailey for the past year has been doing well on Aloe Vera juice for his pancreatitis,I am a little concerned about giving him both but have decided to give it a try.
Eliz I presume your foster kitty is diabetic? if so have you seen a increase in their bg?
Katiesmom,hope this info is of some use to you.
 
BaileyUK said:
Eliz I presume your foster kitty is diabetic? if so have you seen a increase in their bg?
Click to expand...
Hi Diane,

No, the foster kitty isn't diabetic, his blood glucose is usually an enviable 2.9/52 (I tested him a few times when he came here because he was drinking/peeing so much). Foster kitty has kidney disease, a heart murmur, and is completely deaf....but no diabetes!
So, sorry, I don't know about the impact of SEB on blood glucose. However I'd have thought that a lot of the content of it is fibre (it is tree bark after all) but I could easily be wrong on that... Maybe someone else here knows? Or maybe it's one of those things that you just have to try to find out what happens... :nailbiting:

I am so sorry to hear about Bailey's pancreatitis flare up, Diane. That sounds truly awful, and must have given you a real fright...

Big hug to you, and chin scritches to beautiful Bailey,

Eliz
 
I'm a new member and not as well versed in diabetes as everyone else, but I give my kitty Vets Best Hairball Relief ($5 on Amazon and it's a prime add-on item). It has slippery elm bark and psyllium powder.

I gave one tablet pre-DX one or two times a day and it's the only thing that helped her hairballs, now I give her 1/2 a tablet once or twice a day to keep her regular after post hospital constipation. Plus, she's grooming again, so I want to ward off any future hairball issues. I give her less now because there is some papaya extract in it (2 mg) and I can't be sure of the carb content, just want to be safe there. Edit: Her vet thought the ingredients were fine, too!
 
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Thanks Eliz,poor Bailey he was on a drip for 24hours,and we had daily vet visits for the next 8 days,but he is a tough old man!and seems to be no worse for his ordeal ! Nice to be intouch with you again.
Katiesmom,see what feedback you get but the good thing about SEB is they say it can have no adverse affect on cats
 
Have just been to the health store to pick up the SEB powder for Bailey.At my request the lady who owns the shop rang the supplier to make sure that it was pure,and contained no additives,it didn't ,and quess what they import it from the USA!
Eliz,thanks for your concern for Bailey,we had a horrid week,he was on a drip for 12 hours,and then for the next 8 days daily visits to the vet,thankfully he is now fine,but just thought the SEB might be a precaution for his delicate stomach issues,if it is as safe as they say it is it's worth trying. Will let everyone know our progress.
Hope Annabells constipation is improving!! Diane
 
Hi Diane,

I'm so sorry to hear about Bailey's flare up - sounds like it was really tough on both of you. (((Diane and Bailey))). I hope the SEB helps him. I'm looking forward to hearing how he gets on with it. I want to treat Saoirse with it, but I've not managed to get buy-in from our vet for it yet.
 
kallima_butterfly said:
so no SEB for diabetic cats then?
Click to expand...
Hi,
Actually I just entered 'slippery elm bark' in the search box at the top right of the page and did a quick search, and there are loads of posts which show that people here certainly do give their kitties SEB. And in the couple of dozen random posts I had time to read I didn't find any mention of it raising BG.... (Maybe someone somewhere has found that it raised BG and I just didn't come across those posts...). It does seem to be generally accepted here as a useful remedy. :)
 
On the old forum, I did ask at some stage whether SEB might affect BG adversely. The consensus in the replies I got at the time was that SEB is OK to give.

I suppose the best thing, as with so much of this sugar dance, might be to trial the SEB and monitor BG a bit closer.
 
I managed to get Bailey to take the first 1/8 t spoon of SEB yesterday,I mixed it into a paste and added it to his food (you are supposed to take it on empty stomach,but he was having non of that,sniffed it and walked away!) so into his food it went.His stools are very normal,but last night before bed I cleaned out a fairly soft one from his litter box,It is now early the following morning in the UK and over night he has had a very loose poo in the litter box,so for all those who have been wondering about the benefits for constipation,it has certainly worked it wonders on my boy!! Paws crossed that it helps sooth his tummy & colon.
Aine if you have any problem getting the pure powder SEB do let me know,as I can put some in the post for you,the one I bought yesterday is sold as loose powder,with nothing added. Diane
 
Forgot to mention Baileys bg this morning was a lovely 11.1 (this is a good reading for him at AMPS) so it looks like the SEB has had no adverse effect on his bg.
 
Thanks for the bulletins, Diane. :)

Saoirse's becoming more symptomatic at the moment plus I think I've got another batch of Smilla kitten food that's disagreeing with her (vomiting, distended abdomen and BG 10.1 yesterday :( ). The abdominal distension came before the increased signs of pancreatic aggravation. I'm as convinced as I can be from her clinical signs that gastrointestinal irritation from the 'wrong' food for her is what's aggravating her pancreas. I'm seeing our main vet on Wednesday and I really want to put the case to him about the SEB (and also get allergy tests run). My attention was really grabbed by Bailey's good AMPS after the SEB. Saoirse's numbers started climbing as I started feeding her from the new batch of Smilla. Nothing else has really changed to cause her numbers to go out of regulation. I switched her to the Porta 21 complemenatary food after she got sick yesterday and her numbers started falling straight away. Surely it must be food doing this?

Saoirse has to eat. If SEB could help alleviate her digestive discomfort and maybe allow her digestive tract to heal somewhat, I think it could only help her little pancreas. I'm really grateful to you for sharing Bailey's progress with us.

(((Diane and Bailey)))
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Okay, folks, now I am confused.

I searched some old posts here about SEB and found one regarding diarrhea and SEB that said "You can give this once a day for a MAXIMUM of 3 days. The diarrhea should slow down and stop within this time. You need to watch closely, as too much of it could cause constipation. "

You can only use SEB temporarily? I thought it was something you could use daily. And using too much or using for too long can CAUSE constipation? What?! I wanted to try it daily to prevent issues.

Also, are we absolutely sure it's okay for diabetic kitties? I have spent hours trying to research this, and of course you can't believe everything you read, but I keep reading conflicting articles. I wanted to use this on Katie also, like Anabelle, she is prone to constipation. But she is OTJ, but I certainly don't want to risk her OTJ status.

Help!
 
@katiesmom - Is there any chance you might dig up that post and put a link here for it, please? I'd like to read the post and the thread it came from so I can learn more.
 
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