Author Topic: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)  (Read 5941 times)

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Offline Lola

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More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« on: November 03, 2011, 01:35:51 PM »
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Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly). The primary ingredient in most over-the-counter hairball remedies  (Laxatone, Kat-a-lax, Petromalt), petroleum jelly (or its close relative, mineral oil) can be given to the cat by mouth. Most cats tolerate it, many cats come to like it, and a few even enjoy it. The Vaseline brand is, according to my cats, the tastiest; but other cats prefer one of the flavored hairball types. Give 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon per day. It can also be mixed with a small amount of canned food. However, it can interfere with nutrient absorption so giving it on an empty tummy is best. Note that petroleum jelly is a large molecule that is completely inert in the body. It’s the ideal lubricant and “escort” for intestinal contents, because it reaches the colon unchanged. Vegetable or other digestible oils are broken down and absorbed in the small intestine, and cannot lubricate the colon where it’s most needed.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/constipated-cats/
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2011, 09:07:23 AM »
I wanted to turn to Vaseline instead of the hairball remedies but my vet had some doubts.  Her position is, even though petroleum jelly IS the main ingredient in hair ball remedies, vaseline is not a "food grade" product. 

So we will continue with the hair ball gunk.

However I have found a better way to administer it.  More work for me, but pleasanter for the cats.  I get the laxatone into a syringe.  I put the sryinge in a little warm water to liquify the laxatone.  I syringe the laxatone down the throat.  I worked out this method since my boy is having dental issues again.  FORL to be exact, resorptive lesions, which is is prone to.  He has just been diagnosed with untreatable cancer, so a dental is not on his list of things to do at the moment.  This method is helping me avoid causing him mouth pain when I give him the laxatone.

I always give hair ball remedy on an empty stomach, and wait two hours before feeding a meal.

Offline The Kittens

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2011, 04:47:10 PM »
I use Petromalt, mine love it, will lick it right off my fingers, the kittens go nuts for it. Bump, however, won't, gee, big surprise. I have to put it on his paw, which he thinks is kitty abuse. I have to keep the kittens away from him, or they lick it off their paws.

Stay away from the GNC hairball stuff, which is now, all the Petsmart sells, had several defective tubes, which I took back, and they pulled all of them off the shelf, they were all runny, and my cats wouldn't touch it. If the kittens won't eat it, there is something wrong with it, or its junk, and they are little garbage disposals, m-o-l.

 :-* :P Bumpurr1 cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif   

Offline Lola

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2011, 06:01:26 PM »
I'm going to stick to using a dab of Petroleum Jelly on the paw, when needed.  *ducking* Yes, it isn't for human consumption, but many of the ingredients in pet food isn't either.  
AND...I do just about ANYTHING Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM suggests.  I'm a Pierson groupie...
LPgroupie
« Last Edit: November 21, 2011, 06:35:31 PM by Lola »
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2011, 10:00:46 AM »
I've been doing too much reading, since my seizure boy was diagnosed with cancer on Firday,  and have come across a mention that petroleum is a carcinogen.  Petroleum is what is in hair ball remedy.  And my boy who has just been diagnosed with untreatable cancer has needed this all his life, especially in the past few years.  I am still giving it to him, because I cannot risk him getting his hairball sickness on top of everything else, but I am going to have to find an alternative for the other cats now.

 My one girlie seems to do okay with a little psyllium every few days, but my FLUTD girl, while she doesn't get the sicknesses my boy gets, does have a lot of trouble with hairballs, and has since she was about 2.  I'm going to try the psyllium for her, too.  It means varying her special c/d diet every few days (to give her the psyllium in a watery meal) but I've got to get them off these petroleum products, so I will, once again take the risk with her.

Here is where I found the mention of petroleum being a carcinogen

http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_pet_food_ingredients_8.html

I realize this is a commercial site.  But still......

Offline Shadow

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2011, 02:05:47 PM »
MC I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. :(
I know that you are doing whatever you can to help your furkids. grouphug
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Offline Lola

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2011, 03:11:06 PM »
MC I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. :(
I know that you are doing whatever you can to help your furkids. grouphug

Yup.  We can only read info, until our eyes bleed...and then make a decision (about whatever) that we are comfortable with. 
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2011, 07:18:51 AM »
MC I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. :(
I know that you are doing whatever you can to help your furkids. grouphug

Thank you. I am trying to stay hopeful.  The oncologist was very pessimistic, giving him days to two weeks.   My vet is more optimistic hoping the prednisone will buy him some time.  It's been 6 days since the diagnosis, and the starting of the prednisone.  There isn't any improvement in the fluid build up but he is comfortable, so far.


Yup.  We can only read info, until our eyes bleed...and then make a decision (about whatever) that we are comfortable with. 

That's for sure.  I am continuing with the laxatone.  If he sticks around for a while, I can't risk him having one of his hairball sicknesses.  If he needs to leave sooner rather than later, I'm sure he will forgive the yucky hairball medicine.  I warm it so it turns liquidy and suck it up in a syringe and give it to him that way, it's much nicer for him than me glomming it into his mouth on my finger.

For the other three I'm going to switch to psyllium a few times a week and see if that works for them. Elsewhere I have seen mention of slippery elm.  Anyone know anything about that.  Specifically slippery elm and aloe, but I won't give my cats aloe vera.  No.

Offline Lola

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2011, 01:44:28 PM »
Thank you. I am trying to stay hopeful.  The oncologist was very pessimistic, giving him days to two weeks.   My vet is more optimistic hoping the prednisone will buy him some time.  It's been 6 days since the diagnosis, and the starting of the prednisone.  There isn't any improvement in the fluid build up but he is comfortable, so far.


I'm realllllllllllllllllllllllllly sorry, MC.   grouphug

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Offline Mo

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Re: More about Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2011, 02:26:41 PM »
For the other three I'm going to switch to psyllium a few times a week and see if that works for them. Elsewhere I have seen mention of slippery elm.  Anyone know anything about that.  Specifically slippery elm and aloe, but I won't give my cats aloe vera.  No.

 grouphug

I used Slippery Elm bark for Milo - his CRF made him constantly nauseous, and the Slippery Elm helped calm his stomach a bit.  http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/ is an article about Slippery Elm Bark that would probably help. 

I have heard of using Diatomaceous Earth in animals (and people) with cancer - something about cells with the proper amount of silica can not "host" cancer.  I only read about that recently, and don't remember where I saw that.  http://www.herbalremedies.com/diead6oz.html is an artilce I found via a google search.

A random quote I found, that I do not know the source of:

"The relationship between complex carbohydrates and an accelerated tumor growth rate in people has been established for quite some time. In 1997 the Colorado State School of Veterinary Medicine documented that dogs and cats with cancer had a longer survival time if they were fed a diet high in protein and fat but reduced in carbohydrate. Cancer cells require glucose, derived from carbohydrates, for replication. Cancer cells cannot utilize fat as an energy source, but healthy cells can. Therefore, feeding cancer patients a high fat and protein diet is found to “starve” the cancer cells of the carbohydrates needed for replication.

The well-documented omega 6:3 ratio for fighting cancer in people is 3:1. Veterinary oncologists do not know the exact fatty acid requirements that are best for our pets but many veterinarians are aware that commercial foods are completely devoid of essential fatty acids. Raw foods also contain anti-oxidants, which scavenge free radicals and promote a healthy immune system. A raw food diet contains an abundance of fatty acids and antioxidants beneficial for healthy animals and critical for cancer patients."

There is something else that I can't think of the name of, that a friend used for their dog with cancer, and it helped.  I'll post what it is IF I can think of it grouphug