PetMeds^® Blog

One of the most frustrating problems many feline guardians encounter with their furry friends is the common issue of vomiting hairballs. This is especially common in long haired breeds such as Persians, but it can occur in any breed or domestic short hair or long hair cat. Over the decades there has been much research on this topic, however, veterinarians are still uncertain why many cats have this digestive problem.

It’s thought to perhaps be a problem with the stomach muscle function in breaking down the hair and/or the stomach/small intestine moving the hair through the digestive tract. In some cats this problem can be so bad as to cause a blockage necessitating surgical removal of the hair, which can act like a linear foreign body in some cats. There are many suggestions I will often give my clients to help lessen the frequency and severity of this problem.  Amongst the oldest remedies include products like Lax’aire or Petromalt hairball remedy. I find these petroleum-based products at best partially effective, and they do contain a large amount of sugar and a preservative that some cats are sensitive to called sodium benzoate.  I would definitely not use these products in diabetic cats because of the sugar content.  Other products worth trying include Vetri-HBR, by Veri-Science, which is a wonderful lubricant, full of natural ingredients and soluble fiber. Vetasyl is also a wonderful source of soluble fiber that can easily be added to meals. I have also found olive oil to be helpful for many cats given initially at 1/2 to one teaspoon daily for one week mixed with food or given directly, and then a few times weekly as maintenance to help lessen the problem.

Finally I do find that excellent probiotics like Fast Balance GI and enzymes like NatureVet Enzymes and Probiotics can help normalize digestive tract function and motility in many cats.  In some cases veterinarians may prescribe prescription drugs like Metoclopromide to help with stomach motility. It is important for both animal guardians and veterinarians both to NOT over diagnose hairballs as causes of vomiting and coughing in most cats.  While hairballs can certainly play a role in vomiting, chronic vomiting or coughing should have full medical workup at the veterinarian, including CBC/chemistry and heartworm blood testing, as well as urine analysis, X-rays, and if necessary, ultrasound depending upon other clinical symptoms.

One of the most controversial topics in veterinary medicine today is whether guardians should give bones to their dogs and cats. While there is growing interest in homemade and even raw meat based diets in dogs and cats, there has been an equal interest in the feeding of bones to our pets as well.  In fact, the feeding of raw meaty bones to dogs and cats is a major part of the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet, developed by veterinarian Ian Billinghurst of Australia. Many guardians around the world have seen huge differences in their pets’ health when incorporating bones into their pets’ diets.

Not only are bones a major source of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, but they also have been an excellent way in my experience and opinion of keeping pets’ teeth clean and free of tartar and gingivitis. Feeding dogs marrow bones, beef backs and chicken backs as well as feeding cats raw chicken wings can make a remarkable difference in the health of the teeth and gums of dogs and cats. The key is to NOT feed cooked bones which can easily splinter and cause obstruction, but to use fresh raw bones at least a few times weekly. In my opinion, feeding a diet of  50% raw meaty bones as part of Billinghurst’s BARF diet can be overkill in terms of exposing pets in the United States to potentially toxic levels of mercury, lead and arsenic, which are also concentrated in the bones of cattle, and easily measured and quantified. However, allowing pets the ability to chew up and/or ingest raw bones a few times weekly can go a long way in providing necessary minerals for healthy bones, teeth and other organ systems.

Many of the calcium sources in processed commercial pet foods comes from questionable sources, as evidenced by cryptic listings on ingredient labels with terms like “meat and bone” or “meal as a source of calcium,” which leaves this ingredient wide open as to what the actual meat and bone meal consists of and where it came from. And while most veterinarians are strongly against giving raw bones for fear of E. coli or salmonella exposure, salmonella has actually been part of a normal cat’s digestive tract flora. In most cats there are few problems unless they are immune suppressed and/or on immune suppressive therapy. However, it is extremely important for pet parents to thoroughly wash their hands after handling raw bones.

Although they are domesticated, dogs and cats’ digestive tracts are still identical to their wild dog and cat relatives, and the anatomy of both their teeth and digestive tract hardly evolved to chew on carbohydrate based processed dry kibble. Over the years I have received many distressed phone calls from feline guardians when their outdoor cat has killed and ingested a bird. The fears of poisoning and obstruction are often raised, however, I have yet to see a cat have any problem after killing and eating a healthy bird, as that is what they evolved to eat – bones and all! As for other imitation bones, giving processed chewable toys like rawhides, beef jerky and other related products are full of toxic ingredients in many cases, as well as preservatives and flavor enhancers that are hardly health promoting in our dogs and cats.

In recent years there has been increasing interest in both the human and veterinary communities for utilizing various holistic modalities in either treating acute or chronic illness as a means of preventing illness in the future. In my opinion, the main reason for interest in these areas is the failure of conventional medicine to address most chronic and especially immune-mediated diseases, where the body’s own immune system is reacting against itself. Depending upon which organ system is the target of immune system attack will determine which symptoms will be experienced and what diseases are ultimately diagnosed.

Most of the particular chronic illnesses are typically treated with powerful immune suppressive medications as well as antibiotics, which often lack any scientific validity or clinical studies as to their benefit. Two of the biggest examples I can mention in every day veterinary practice are cats afflicted with feline urinary tract inflammation, known as feline urologic syndrome (FUS) and dogs diagnosed with degenerating discs in their backs. Both cortisone, nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and antibiotics are commonly used in both situations, although little data backs up their efficacy in either syndrome.

It is because of the failure of modern conventional medicine in such common and frustrating chronic conditions and/or the side effects seen with many drugs, why clients are seeking out doctors who are learning about or skilled in other methods of treatment. And while my conventional veterinary brethren will often cite lack of evidence based medicine and double blind placebo controlled studies in speaking out against using complimentary medical modalities, they fail to realize that MOST of every day conventional veterinary medical practice is based on individual experience, and not based on their own scientific model of “evidence based” medicine. A practice that is quite hypocritical in my opinion.

And while conventional medicine is wonderful at treating acute diseases such as emergency trauma patients or fractures, in most cases it falls short in truly enhancing long term health in those patients afflicted with chronic disease. As opposed to more and more drugs are needed to control various clinical symptoms and syndromes, as the body ultimately weakens over time.

While people and pets may be living slightly longer than years ago, we are also sicker for longer periods of time, and actually at younger ages than we ever were before in the history of medicine. As we all know, this has placed a huge economic burden on this country, and its reliance on expensive conventional and pharmaceutical medical treatments and surgeries. We’ve seen a similar economic burden placed on the animal guardian as well, because many have become disenchanted to say the least, at the epidemic increases in autoimmune diseases in our beloved feline and canine companions that were rare only a few decades ago.

The reason many doctors are now looking to become trained in holistic modalities is because it is the process of examining the generational health of people and animals as opposed to just an individual approach. Rather than looking at external germs or external stressors or agents outside of the body as causes of the ailments of both people and pets, every true holistic modality of medicine looks at the patient’s own “terrain” and innate weaknesses or susceptibilities as the reason why illness occurs in the first place.

By concentrating on the patient’s side of things through techniques or medicines that strengthen the body’s healing abilities, rather than relying on powerful suppressive drugs and surgeries, that is the basis for long life and health.  Holistic medicine also realizes that everything put on or in the body, whether through diet, vaccination or pesticide can have a short and long term effect on the health of a sensitive individual over time. That’s why it’s so important to feed a healthy diet as Hippocrates the father of medicine stated. “Let food be thy medicine”.

Holistic veterinary medicine has been growing exponentially in recent years to address this growing need and demand of small animal veterinary medicine. Membership in organizations such as The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, The American Veterinary Chiropractic Society, and The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society has taken off in recent years. To learn more about these various modalities, including where to find a trained veterinary practitioner in these areas, and how they may be of help to especially chronically ill pets, one can start at the websites www.AHVMA.org and www.DrPitcairn.com

When seeking out a holistic veterinarian it’s important to make sure that they are adequately trained in their particular area of interest, and that they receive ongoing continuing education each year. Just as there are great variation in conventional veterinary medical skills and practice, the same can be said of holistic veterinary medical practitioners, especially as there is growing interest and an economic niche seen in this area of veterinary medicine.