How to add psyllium for fiber..

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Sue & Emma

Sue & Emma

Member Since 2020
Hi All,
I've been using pumpkin to help Emma with her constipation. Her poos were very skinny and sticky until I starting using pumpkin. I am putting 1/2 tablespoon into a half can of Friskies pate 3 times a day. I feel that she is not getting enough nutrients in her diet because of too much pumpkin. (she's looking a little thin) But when I give her less pumpkin she does her strange walk to help push the poop out. So I thought I might try psyllium instead.

How do you add it to the Friskies pate? Just sprinkle it in dry or mix with water first?
How much do you feed your cat daily?

I'm also thinking of getting powdered egg whites to increase the protein if it's needed. But I'm hopeful that getting the right amount of fiber will help.

Thanks in advance for any tips.
 
Sue & Emma said:
Hi All,
I've been using pumpkin to help Emma with her constipation. Her poos were very skinny and sticky until I starting using pumpkin. I am putting 1/2 tablespoon into a half can of Friskies pate 3 times a day. I feel that she is not getting enough nutrients in her diet because of too much pumpkin. (she's looking a little thin) But when I give her less pumpkin she does her strange walk to help push the poop out. So I thought I might try psyllium instead.

How do you add it to the Friskies pate? Just sprinkle it in dry or mix with water first?
How much do you feed your cat daily?

I'm also thinking of getting powdered egg whites to increase the protein if it's needed. But I'm hopeful that getting the right amount of fiber will help.

Thanks in advance for any tips.
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I give my boys (one sugar boy one not)1/4 of a teaspoon of mirilax one time a day mixed in with there food. I started at 1/8 of a teaspoon. It works for them. I have to play with my sugar boys dose a little because he has a UTI & sometimes has a liquid poop & other times he has a hard time going. I tried giving him pumpkin by itself in the beginning but he turned his nose up to it eventually.
 
I also recommend Miralax. I have used psyllium, but my cats are not fond of eating it in their cat food - it changes the texture of the food. It absorbs water and makes the food kind of gummy. You do have to add additional water to their food with the psyllium.
 
Same here for Miralax, (clearlax actually)
We have tried pumpkin and psyllium for Duke. He didn't like the pumpkin or the psyllium but no problem with Miralax. We add extra water to his food to make sure the miralax is well mixed in.
 
Thank you so much for the replies. I am already giving Emma 1/4 and 1/8 teaspoon of the Walgreens brand Miralax 3 times a day. When I just do that by itself her poos are the diameter of a pencil and very sticky. She struggles terribly to get it out. That's why I added the fiber. It didn't seem like the SmoothLax was bulking up her poos but it was making them softer so she could push a little easier. Sorry to be so graphic.
I cut back on her pumpkin and she had a really bad day yesterday. So I'm back to giving her 1/2 Tablespoon of pumpkin in 1/2 can of Friskies 3x daily.
I'd still like to try the psyllium. How much should I start with in a 1/2 can of Friskies?

Thanks so much for all your help. I really do listen and appreciate your advice.
 
Hi Sue
Try 1/8 of a teaspoon twice a day mixed into her food and see how Emma gets on with that, i would also add a little water to that as the psyllium draws water from the body into the colon and could result in dehydration, so make sure she's well hydrated.
If she's still bad you could add a little pumpkin to that or increase the psyllium to 1/4 teaspoon twice a day, it's all trial and error until you get the correct dose. If she's too loose then just decrease it.
I don't know if you are aware of this site for feline constipation, some great advice on there.
https://felineconstipation.org/index.html
 
Thanks Teetee. The psyllium does seem to help. I started with 1/8 tsp as you advised. Her poos are bulking up a bit which is good. I'm being gentle with the psyllium. Can everyone tell me which brand of psyllium you use? Is it just regular Miralax like you get at the store or something else?

And Teetee, I've been to that constipation site that you linked but I don't see where you can ask questions like we do here. Is there a place on that site that has a forum? I just don't see one.
 
Hi Sue
I'm glad it's helping Emma with her constipation.
sorry i can't say what brand of psyllium to use as you are probably in the US but i have found a post by @Suzanne & Darcy and she bought just psyllium husk powder from Amazon, here's the link she posted but i can't say which one she purchased, hopefully she can advise more.
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=just+p...ix=just+psy,aps,107&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8

Unfortunately the constipation site is not a forum so you cannot ask any questions.
 
Sorry. I did not get this tag. I just happened to be scrolling through posts this morning and saw this. Yes, I bought the It's Just Psyllium from Amazon (the one in the link above.)
 
Teetee (UK) said:
Hi Sue
I'm glad it's helping Emma with her constipation.
sorry i can't say what brand of psyllium to use as you are probably in the US but i have found a post by @Suzanne & Darcy and she bought just psyllium husk powder from Amazon, here's the link she posted but i can't say which one she purchased, hopefully she can advise more.
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=just psyllium husk powder&crid=REZMDW7Y2W5H&sprefix=just psy,aps,107&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8

Unfortunately the constipation site is not a forum so you cannot ask any questions.
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I've been adding psyllium to my raw mix for years, usually get Konsyl but this last time ordered the Now brand from Amazon for a lot less. Brand shouldn't matter, just look for husk powder vs husk & no other ingredients. Husk should work though, just a diff texture

I've also used guar gum in a pinch, better texture but it's much more expensive. Results are similar, cats don't seem to care. There's info on catinfo.org

Best is to start with a smaller dose & increase as needed (mix in & add liquid, I make & use plain chk stock from unused bones)
 
Susan for Artemis (Maus) said:
I've been adding psyllium to my raw mix for years, usually get Konsyl but this last time ordered the Now brand from Amazon for a lot less. Brand shouldn't matter, just look for husk powder vs husk & no other ingredients. Husk should work though, just a diff texture

I've also used guar gum in a pinch, better texture but it's much more expensive. Results are similar, cats don't seem to care. There's info on catinfo.org

Best is to start with a smaller dose & increase as needed (mix in & add liquid, I make & use plain chk stock from unused bones)
Click to expand...
Interesting about Guar Gum... especially since it is added to so many canned cat foods.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Interesting about Guar Gum... especially since it is added to so many canned cat foods.
Click to expand...
I wanted to give it a try, so bought a scoop from the bulk section of my local grocery & was surprised at how much it cost; like you say, it's in everything. Could be less expensive online. My cats (current & angels) really didn't seem to care and I haven't noticed enough of a diff on the backend to to justify spending more.

Others may have more unique problems to solve, so could be worth knowing how they work in the intestines & trying different options
 
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