Pabulum Fabulum

I've mentioned my fondness for using herbal support for cats when appropriate, and have also mentioned that this blog is not intended to dispense medical advice and that I'm not a medical or veterinary professional. (Repeat as needed.) I thought I'd explain a little about Why and How I select certain herbs for use.

I learned a lot about herbs when I didn't have health insurance, which amounted to years of my adulthood. I learned that you have to check multiple sources and not accept the first reference to an herb you may find. Look for lab research when available, and know your own limits; if you don't have the patience to read and reason it out, go to someone with experience. The internet has made it much easier to compare differing viewpoints and that's very helpful, if you can distinguish useful warnings from anti-naturopath scare screeds. I apply these same principles to researching herbs and supplements for our cats, and although not all human-safe herbs are cat-safe, in some cases I have found it safe and applicable to use something on Mungo that I've used for myself.

One such herb is slippery elm bark, and (like neem) it is inexpensive, has been used safely on humans and domesticated animals for centuries, and has so far been a good thing for Mungo. I had only used slippery elm myself in throat remedies (I used to get strep throat constantly) but had not realized its value for digestive problems. So Mungo helped me add another useful herb to my list. Since it helps both underactive and overactive bowels, it will be a fine thing to have on hand.

The link provided above will give you all the info you need, but in short the powdered inner bark of the slippery elm can be made into a thin gruel that contains some nutrition, a little gentle fiber, a lot of mucilage (which soothes the tissue it contacts, thus the whole digestive tract), and is not unpleasant to taste. I've seen multiple mentions of it for feline kidney disease, and wish I'd found it sooner.

Although slippery elm is available in capsules very cheaply, these often contain added ingredients, which you don't want. I asked Nature's Way whether the magnesium stearate listed in Other Ingredients (for their brand and others I found) was in the capsule itself or the contents, and got this response;

"Magnesium stearate is used as a flow agent and is mixed in the Slippery Elm. Nature's Way uses magnesium stearate from a vegetarian source."

This makes sense, because the pure, no-additives bulk powder is a bit clumpy, so the mag. stearate probably makes for easier capsuling. I'm sure it's fine for People Purposes, but apparently it is important to use unadulterated slippery elm when making the gruel for pets. I had to look around to find it in bulk locally, but when I did it was very inexpensive, and I was able to get a small quantity. It's not hard to find the bulk powder by the pound online, but a tiny bit goes a looong way and a pound would be serious overkill.

The way I make the gruel is to put a smidge of it in a cook-safe glass measuring cup, add filtered or distilled water, and nuke it in the microwave a minute at a time until it boils, then 30-second intervals for about three more minutes, stirring well with a fork between nukes and adding a little water as necessary to replace what steams off. The slow, long cook and regular stirring with a whisk or fork causes the slippery elm to thicken and expand into a liquid with body to it. Recipes vary on how much powder/water to use, but I am erring on the thin side these days (1/8th teaspoon or less to a quarter cup of water for a small batch) as I believe I made it too thick at first, possibly creating a bulk issue for Mungo. Cats in his condition often have insufficient muscle to move substantial 'material' through their abdomens and ([low bowel motility]+[lots of fiber])=[boa constrictor struggling down a Volkswagen]. (Don't ask me how I know.)

The gruel can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days (up to 10 by some reports), and I find a 1ml dropper to be the easiest way to administer it. I assume shorter storage time as I'm sometimes redipping the dropper during application, but I do wash it out after each use.

I made some thin SlipGruel for Mungo yesterday morning and decided if he wasn't going to eat I'd give him lots of it, as a recovery meal as it's sometimes used instead of as a small-dose tummy tonic. At least he'd be getting some nutrition from it. He got two meals of about 5-6 droppers yesterday, and one this morning. He consented to eat a little of the Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie for me last night, and has done respectable damage to a 3oz can of the Merrick Before Grain quail this morning. He would probably eat tuna and salmon if he had an arrow sticking out of his side as he *adores* fish, but generally he can get down a little quail even if he's having trouble with multi-ingredient, full nutrition cat foods. More on what Mungo is eating in another post.

So once again, Manwich Bounces Back, or seems to be.

Water Boy

Last month, I got sick for a couple of weeks and Mungo went almost five whole days without getting subcutaneous fluids, which he was supposed to be getting about every other day. I almost coralled him up to do it a couple of times but he was eating well and seemed comfortable, and at that point we were still having trouble making ourselves do it at all. The idea of stabbing him in the back with a needle made us both so anxious it made Mungo anxious too, and that made him very vocal about the needle insertion, much more so than I'd seen him be when getting fluids at the vet. I supposed I was doing a bad job of it, my husband felt it was cruel (even if it does make Mungo feel better), and so we were both avoidant of the duty.

Then he started having severe trouble pooing, as mentioned, and also started vomiting again, which had not been much of a problem since the thyroidectomy. He had been eating Royal Canin Feline LP packets (wet kidney diet) with relish, but had stopped eating those altogether and become very picky just before this. Poor Mawich got an enema at the vet that didn't help much, and after a day or two with dark stools and vomiting he was diagnosed with a GI bleed. Dr. M recommended Pepsid AC but I knew that neem worked well for Mungo's acid stomach in the past, so I went that route, with quick results. I also started giving him slippery elm gruel, which is not as strange as it sounds; a good page on its use for cats can be found here. Mungo gets a large dropper of each daily, neem bark in the AM and slippery elm in the PM, with a delay after both before giving food to allow it into his system. Though it was a rough week or so poo-wise for everyone concerned, he gradually improved.

He also had to start getting sub-cutaneous fluids every day at this point, and for about three weeks did very well on this routine. We started warming up the bags and wrapping him in a warm towel out of the dryer and it got so I could even give him fluids by myself. In fact, to save money I ordered several sets of lactated ringer solution and lines and needles from Drs. Foster and Smith. I realize now how much faith I had that Mungo would live at least a few more weeks. Today I'm not so sure, but then we've been here before, and Mungo has so often surprised us in the past.

He has not been eating much these last two days and seems quite pained by the fluids now. I'm trying a smaller gauge needle (20 instead of 18) and it hurts him a little less going in but takes longer to get 2 units into him, and he seems to find the 'water-boob' that collects on his side uncomfortable, which is new. I guess I'd be getting tired of it too. We thought maybe he would require fluids less often if he put a little weight back on, but without eating enough that won't happen. Nothing appeals to him now except fish, which he isn't supposed to have anymore as it's high in phosphorous. And he is allowing only limited petting and cuddling.

He seems to be in pain, and that is the line I drew for myself on whether or not it was getting close to time for the final vet visit. So this may end up being a short-lived blog, after all.

Let's hope not, though.