columbine
12-20-2006, 11:52 PM
Smudge was put on a new food (Hill's C/D) to cure his struvite crystals, and it worked! But not long after he started having urinary troubles again, this time because of mucus plugs.
It took me a while to trace back what else had changed. He'd gotten really constipated (because the C/D diverts all his water to his urinary system), and started having major problems with hairballs (enough to affect his appetite), so I'd been giving him petroleum-based anti-hairball treats - of which his opinion had gone from Yum to Yuck fairly suddenly just after the mucus plug problem started.
So I STOPPED the petroleum-based stuff (he never touched the squeeze-tube stuff anyway, and was no longer interested in the petroleum-filled treats) and started:
1) mashing psyllium (from a snipped-open human laxative capsule) into his wet food
2) crumbling Veterinarian's Best Cat LubeŽ Digestive and Anti-Hairball tablets (another psyllium-based formula, with some enzymes and flavorings) over his kibble.
He's now gone FIFTEEN DAYS without urinary problems.
So, if your cat has urinary problems specifically diagnosed as due to mucus plugs (not crystals, stones, or of unknown/undiagnosed etiology) and is taking a petroleum-based hairball remedy, you might want to try a psyllium-based digestive aid instead.
Love, Columbine
It took me a while to trace back what else had changed. He'd gotten really constipated (because the C/D diverts all his water to his urinary system), and started having major problems with hairballs (enough to affect his appetite), so I'd been giving him petroleum-based anti-hairball treats - of which his opinion had gone from Yum to Yuck fairly suddenly just after the mucus plug problem started.
So I STOPPED the petroleum-based stuff (he never touched the squeeze-tube stuff anyway, and was no longer interested in the petroleum-filled treats) and started:
1) mashing psyllium (from a snipped-open human laxative capsule) into his wet food
2) crumbling Veterinarian's Best Cat LubeŽ Digestive and Anti-Hairball tablets (another psyllium-based formula, with some enzymes and flavorings) over his kibble.
He's now gone FIFTEEN DAYS without urinary problems.
So, if your cat has urinary problems specifically diagnosed as due to mucus plugs (not crystals, stones, or of unknown/undiagnosed etiology) and is taking a petroleum-based hairball remedy, you might want to try a psyllium-based digestive aid instead.
Love, Columbine