SUMMARY: During tonight’s monthly Q&A Empower Hour! webinar, we gathered to recap HMDM and answer questions. They ranged from supplements for a pup with a heart murmur to what to do about mouth and ear stuff, behavior challenges etc.
Many cats have chronic problems with conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye membranes). Often, the problem comes and goes. The symptoms of feline conjunctivitis in cats are red, swollen, watery, crusty, or goopy eyes.
Causes include infection, congenital defects (small or absent tear ducts), facial conformation (Persian features), and scarring from previous infections. Unlike humans, allergies are rarely involved. The most common cause of conjunctivitis in cats is a viral infection, usually with a herpes virus.
In cats, herpes is an upper respiratory virus (not an STD); it’s also called “rhinotracheitis” and is one of the components of the combination upper respiratory/panleukopenia (feline distemper) vaccine for kittens. The vaccine does not actually prevent herpes infection; its main function is to reduce the severity of the disease.
Herpes attacks the nerves, and is painful. It usually causes quite a bit of redness and a watery discharge. It often attacks only one eye, producing a lopsided squint. Affected cats tend to be photophobic; that is, they squint against the bright light, or try to avoid it altogether.
Nearly all cats are exposed to the herpes virus as kittens. For most cats, no further problems occur. However, herpes is a sneaky virus, and likes to lie dormant until it gets a chance to get one up on the immune system. Because stress suppresses the immune system, cats under stress are particularly susceptible to recurrent herpes flare-ups.
Diet is also a factor in feline herpes. Corn is deficient in the amino acid lysine; as dry foods have, over the years, replaced meat with corn gluten meal and other poor-quality ingredients, herpes flares have become more common. Dry food is not good for cats for many reasons; this is just one more. Cats need a high protein, high moisture diet such as canned, homemade, or raw food. Long-term nutritional support with antioxidants, BioSuperfood, and other immune boosting supplements will also help prevent recurrences.
Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses, so conventional medicine doesn’t have a good treatment for herpes. Nevertheless, most veterinarians use topical eye drops or eye ointment containing antibiotics as a treatment. Steroids may also be included in such topical products; they will reduce pain and inflammation, although there is a risk that the immune suppressing effects of steroids will inhibit healing.
There are several holistic treatment options for herpes. One of the simplest is l-lysine, which is inexpensive and readily available at the health food store or drug store. It comes in capsules or tablets, usually 500 mg. Capsules are much easier to work with, if you can get them. (There is a liquid lysine supplement but the concentration is low and it contains The dose is 500 mg twice a day for 5-7 days (total 1,000 mg/day). Lysine has a slightly salty taste, and is easily disguised by mixing it with wet food or meat baby food. If that seems like a huge dose for a cat, it is – but that’s what it takes to work. Once the acute episode is under control, a maintenance dose of 250 mg per day can be given indefinitely.
To relieve irritation and wash viral particles from the eye, you can make a homemade saline solution. Use 1/4 teaspoon of table salt to 1 cup of water (room temperature). Three or four times a day, use a cotton ball to drizzle a small amount of saline into the cat’s eyes. Make the saline fresh each and every time, because bacteria could grow in the solution between treatments.
Another surprisingly effective treatment for conjunctivitis in cats is “Willard Water.” This is a catalyst that theoretically changes the molecular structure of water. It is usually available at health food stores. Follow the directions on the bottle to make up a gallon at a time. Use this as the only source of drinking water for your cat. The effects are not scientifically explainable, but they are usually immediate – within a day or two – and dramatic.
Homeopathic remedies can also be very helpful for these kitties. A formula that I designed has proven to be exceptionally good helpful: Only Natural Pet Eye & Upper Respiratory Treatment Homeopathic Supplement Remedy
Because herpes flare-ups are so commonly stress-related, stress management is an important part of treatment. Flower essences such as Spirit Essences are designed for this type of support. Additionally, all cats benefit from Play Therapy and Indoor Enrichment.
If symptoms worsen or persist for more than a few days, a check by your veterinarian is warranted. Herpes can cause serious corneal ulcers that may result in loss of vision if untreated.
Holistic veterinarian and author Dr. Jean Hofve has more than 20 years’ experience in integrative veterinary medicine. She has a passion for feline health and nutrition, and has intensively studied and researched pet nutrition and the pet food industry since the early 1990s. She has written dozens of articles and has been interviewed for print, radio, and television around the world. She is an advisor to AAFCO, the organization that sets standards for pet food production.
In 1995, she founded Spirit Essences (now owned and operated by Jackson Galaxy), which makes flower essence remedies for many animal health and behavior problems. Her first book, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care: An Illustrated Handbook, co-authored with nutritionist Dr. Celeste Yarnall, won a 2010 Certificate of Excellence as well as the 2010 Muse Medallion Award for best book from the Cat Writers’ Association.
Dr. Jean is retired from veterinary practice; she is no longer providing consultations. However, she is on Holistic Actions! faculty and participates in member webinars and the forum.
Figure 1. A normal stool is Type 4; anything below that (Types 1-3) is moving toward constipation.
A surprising number of cats have problems with constipation (abnormal accumulation of feces and difficulty defecating), and similar but more serious conditions such as obstipation (complete obstruction of the colon by feces) and megacolon (damaged nerves and muscles in the colon causing an inability to defecate).
Constipation is uncomfortable, even painful. Constipated cats may defecate (or try to) outside the litterbox, because they associate pain or discomfort with the box itself. Other signs of constipation include
The colon, the last part of the intestinal tract, is a large muscular structure ending at the rectum. It contains most of the intestinal bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These bacteria finish up the digestion of protein. By-products of this process include short-chain fatty acids that nourish the cells lining the colon. Some of these lining cells absorb water, while others secrete mucus to lubricate the stool and keep it moving along.
Most cats defecate about once a day. A constipated cat may only defecate every 2 to 4 days, or even less. Usually the stools are hard and dry, because their long stay in the colon allows for absorption of most of their water content. However, occasionally a constipated cat can appear to have diarrhea, because liquid stool is the only thing that can get around the stuck mass of feces.
Causes for pooping problems include neurologic problems, pelvic injury, obstruction (by hair, bones, etc.), pain (especially in the low back), and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). (See this article for more info on IBD.) A dirty litter box may cause a cat to avoid the box and become constipated by holding the stool too long. Hooded litterboxes are a particular problem because they hold odor in, potentially making the box environment extremely unpleasant for the cat.
In more than 18 years of experience as a feline veterinarian, I have not personally seen constipation problems in cats who do not eat dry food. It’s logical, therefore, to think that diet plays a significant role in development of the problem. (Since I first wrote this article many years ago, I have heard from several readers whose cats developed constipation problems even on all-wet-food and raw diets; so, it’s not impossible, but happily it is fairly rare.) Some cats may need more fiber than is present in very low fiber diets such as most canned, raw, and homemade diets. You can always add a pinch of fiber (ground flaxseeds and ground chia seeds, aka Salba, are reasonably palatable and work very well).
Indeed, the initial treatment for constipation is usually a change in diet. Historically, these cats have been put on high-fiber dry foods. Fiber modulates intestinal mobility. Depending on the type of fiber and the circumstances, fiber can either speed up or slow down digestion. It’s therefore used for both constipation and diarrhea. Light, senior, and hairball foods all contain increased fiber, and there are also several medical high-fiber diets.
High-fiber foods often seem to lose their effectiveness over time.
Usually, any diet change helps, at least initially. However, high-fiber foods often seem to lose their effectiveness over time. More fiber, such as canned pumpkin, may be added. Again, sometimes this produces a temporary improvement. Yet most of these cats continue to have problems. In fact, excessive fiber can irritate the digestive tract, potentially aggravating the issue. Psyllium and powdered cellulose seem to be particularly harsh.
Since fiber encourages water absorption and increases the amount of stool produced (because it is indigestible), many experts have swung the other way and are recommending “low-residue” diets to minimize stool volume. “Low-residue” means that the food is highly digestible and produces minimal waste. Cats digest protein and fat best, but there is controversy about carbohydrates; it is clear that many cats are carb-intolerant. By this theory, the best food would be high fat, high protein, and low fiber, as well as high moisture. One would think that such a food would also be low fiber, but that is not necessarily true. However, most canned foods fit the bill, as do most homemade diets. However, some low residue diets incorporate a large amount of digestible carbohydrate, even in canned foods; excess carbohydrate may contribute to obesity and even feline diabetes. Reading the label is an important skill to develop (learn more about that in this article).
Cats eating some canned, homemade, and raw diets actually produce less stool, and may defecate less frequently simply because there is less waste. The key to distinguishing this from abnormal constipation is the extreme dryness of constipated stool, and the increased difficulty in passing it.
Water balance is crucial in constipated kitties. Most vets will give constipated cats subcutaneous (or even intravenous) fluids to boost their hydration.
Treatment for constipation depends on the severity of the problem. For mild cases, occasional enemas may be all they need. For severe blockages, the cat must be anesthetized for manual extraction of the feces (a process my favorite tech graphically but accurately refers to as a “dig-out”).
Once the cat is “cleaned out” by whatever means, it’s wise to take steps to prevent the problem from recurring. Several options are available; an individual cat may need only one of these, while others need several or all of them.
If your cat is chronically constipated, the most important thing for you to do is be observant. Look for early signs of constipation; straining, abdominal discomfort, decreasing appetite, etc. Be aware of how often the cat is defecating. (If he does not produce adequate stool for more than 2-3 days, call your vet, or begin home treatments if you have established this routine. Kitty constipation is far easier to treat when it’s caught early; and dietary changes are more likely to be successful. If you wait, treatment will be far more expensive, and there is a greater chance of irreversible colon damage.
Click here to read Dr. Jean’s extensive interview on Floppy Cats on constipation.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have questions or concerns about your cat, please contact your veterinarian. If you are dissatisfied with your veterinarian’s advice or treatment, then it would be wise to seek a second opinion.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine developed more than 200 years ago by German chemist Samuel Hahnemann. It is a form of “holistic” medicine, in that it takes into account the “whole” organism—its physical, mental, emotional, historical, and environmental conditions.
Homeopathy relies on two fundamental principles: “like cures like” and “the minimum dose.”
The first principle, “like cures like,” means that a substance, which—in a large dose—would cause a certain symptom in a healthy individual, will, in homeopathic potency, cure the same symptom in a sick individual. For instance, Syrup of Ipecac is often given to induce vomiting in cases where a child or animal may have eaten a toxic substance. Giving the syrup will cause intense nausea, profuse salivation, and vomiting. Therefore, you would give a dose of homeopathically prepared Ipecac to an animal that was exhibiting these same symptoms, in order to cure them.
The “minimum dose” means that the practitioner will give a highly diluted and specially prepared form of the substance, that is, a potentized remedy, rather than a large amount of substance. A dog with motion sickness, for example, would get an infinitesimal dose of Ipecac, which has been prepared so that we are actually using the energy of the substance, rather than the actual physical substance with its (rather unpleasant) physical properties. (It worked like a charm for my sensitive dog!) Homeopathic remedies are made from natural substances such as plants and minerals. The serial dilutions that a remedy goes through eliminate any toxic effects of the natural substance. Many remedies are made from a variety of snake venoms, poisonous plants, and toxic substances like sulfuric acid. That is the beauty of homeopathy—to capture the essential nature of substances and turn them into instruments of healing.
(See “Introduction to Homeopathy” for a more complete explanation of homeopathic principles.)
Holistic practitioners consider that there are two main forms of disease: acute and chronic. Acute disease would be something like a wound or injury, or a sudden (and usually self-limiting) illness like a cold or flu. A chronic disease would be a condition such as diabetes, asthma, seizures, recurrent infections, or arthritis. Such conditions often have a gradual progression and are not typically “curable” by conventional medicine, although the symptoms are often suppressed with drugs. Veterinary homeopaths today consider virtually every domestic animal to have some form of chronic disease, due to many generations of over-vaccination and under-nutrition. Serious chronic disease is not something that an ordinary person can treat homeopathically. If your cat has a chronic illness and you wish to use this modality, it is best to establish a relationship with a certified veterinary homeopath, who will carefully monitor the case and instruct you on when and how to give remedies.
However, there are still many minor problems that crop up that can be treated at home, such as injuries, or acute flare-ups of chronic problems that just need symptomatic management until your veterinarian can be contacted. Generally, you will use low potencies (up to 30C), and give one dose every 6-8 hours for up to three treatments (unless specifically stated otherwise). If you are not seeing results after the third dose, that remedy is probably not going to work, and you should seek veterinary care, either holistic or conventional.
Giving the remedy itself is easy. While many practitioners caution about handling the remedies, they are really not that fragile. (However, they should be stored out of direct sunlight and away from strong odors–such as spices or perfumes–and electromagnetic fields, such as a microwave or refrigerator motor). You can give them directly by mouth, mix with a little food, or mix with a little water, then give a dropperful of the water (which has been imbued with the energy of the substance).
The following is a list of my “Top Ten” favorite remedies for treating various feline woes. These are specifically chosen for cats, and while they may be given to other species, other remedies may be more applicable.
This remedy is one of the most important in the homeopathic arsenal, especially for cats. Aconite, made from the lovely but highly poisonous plant “Monkshood,” is the first remedy for sudden fear or terror. A dose of Aconite should be given to any cat that has nearly met its Maker—chased or mauled by a dog, a narrow escape from the wheels of a car, or any situation where a cat would be “frightened to death.” This intense, deep fear, when left untreated, can result in a cat with seemingly minor injuries taking a drastic turn for the worse or even dying.
The other major use for Aconite is for any “-itis” or sudden inflammatory condition. It is great for “aborting” upper respiratory infections (rhinitis or sinusitis) if given at the first sign of fever or sneezing, and may have a similar effect if given early for flare-ups of chronic cystitis (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, or FLUTD episodes). A complete inability to urinate, however, especially in a male cat, requires immediate veterinary intervention.
Occasionally, Aconite will cure chronic conditions that originally began after a deeply frightening experience. Very high potencies are usually necessary.
This remedy is made from the honeybee, and is used for ailments that are similar to a bee-sting, with a lot of burning, redness and swelling. Usually we think of this remedy for swelling that is unusually intense, and is relieved by application of cold compresses. It can be used for insect bites or stings of any kind that have a red and swollen appearance. It is a good remedy for cats with chronic herpesvirus conjunctivitis (eyelid swelling) that is very red and puffy. Apis patients may be particularly irritable. It is sometimes useful for tonsillitis, which may sound unusual in cats, but is common and probably under-diagnosed by conventional veterinarians.
No home should be without Arnica, a remedy made from a floral member of the Aster family. It is the primary trauma remedy: essential for bruises, blows, falls, and concussions. It is a good remedy to give any cat post-surgically (especially after tooth extractions), to help heal the tissues. It is essential first aid for any cat hit by a car or crushed by a door—of course, do seek emergency medical care immediately! I once used it successfully on a kitten who was accidentally stepped on by a houseguest, with resulting severe trauma to the chest and lungs. In humans we think of it as a sort of “Monday morning” remedy, to ease achy muscles that were overexerted on the weekend. Arnica pain has a sore, bruised feeling. Arnica is also excellent for healing chronic conditions resulting from old injuries, such as post-traumatic arthritis.
This wonderful remedy, made from the toxic metal arsenic, has great application in many feline conditions. It is the primary remedy for poisoning of any kind, but especially for food poisoning, or for having eaten something a little “off.” Vomiting and diarrhea together often call for Arsenicum. Watery stool, especially with blood, is another indication for this remedy, as are acrid (burning) discharges from the eyes or nose—the kind that take the fur off when you wipe them away. Cats that eat well but vomit within a few minutes often respond to Arsenicum. Cats in an Arsenicum state are usually very chilly, restless, anxious or fearful, and thirsty for frequent, small drinks of water. Of course, this describes many cats in their “normal” state and indeed, Arsenicum is a common feline constitutional remedy. It is also a major “vaccinosis” remedy (one that can relieve symptoms that are commonly attributed to vaccination, such as asthma or irritable bowel syndrome).
For very ill cats who are nearing death, Arsenicum often provides at least temporary relief of discomfort, and may ease their transition as well. Arsenicum in very high potency is sometimes used for euthanasia.
This is not a frequently needed remedy, but it does have two very specific applications. One is for breathing difficulty, where the cat seems unable to get enough air (due to asthma, heart or lung disease, or any other condition). The other use is for shock. Severely injured cats will rapidly become shocky—their bodies, especially the extremities, feel cold and their mucous membranes may be pale and bluish rather than pink. Cats needing this remedy obviously also need emergency medical care, but while you are on the way to the vet, give this remedy every 10-15 minutes, to help forestall cardio-respiratory shutdown.
Carbo-veg is also helpful in cases of known carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is the number one cat-bite remedy. If you know your cat has been in a fight, especially if you find any evidence of a bite wound (but even if you don’t), give a dose of Ledum as soon as possible. Ledum will often prevent abscesses from forming if given quickly after a puncture wound. I have used it very successfully myself after being bitten. Ledum wounds tend to feel better with application of cold rather than heat. Any insect bite, injection, or other deep puncture may also call for Ledum, and it is absolutely essential to give immediately after having your cat microchipped. The origin of this remedy is the primitive plant, club moss.
As you might expect from the name, this is a good remedy for vomiting problems. Known in humans as an excellent hangover remedy, it has great application in cats for chronic vomiting and suspected ingestion of foreign objects. (Nux-v has helped my patients expel such delicacies as baby socks and chicken bones as well as some world-class hairballs!) Nux-v can be used for spasms or cramping, as well as for constipation. It soothes irritated tummies as well as simply irritable cats. (Nux-v patients tend to be very grumpy and want to be left alone.) Nux-v comes from the same plant as the well-known poison, strychnine.
Here’s an interesting remedy from a plant most of us would rather avoid—poison ivy. Rhus-tox is a wonderful remedy for arthritis, especially where the cat is very stiff upon rising but feels better after moving around for a few minutes. Rhus-tox is a chilly remedy—these patients seek warm places to sleep or cuddle up. The other major indication for Rhus-tox is an ailment that comes on after a change in weather, especially when it turns cold and damp. Those pesky upper respiratory infections that seem to occur in the variable weather of spring and fall may respond very well to this remedy.
If you didn’t have Ledum on hand, or your cat was in a fight that you didn’t know about, then you may be reaching for this remedy. Silicea, made from silicon dioxide (common sand), is terrific for healing abscesses. In low potency (30C or less), it will tend to draw the abscess out and cause it to drain, getting rid of the built-up waste products of infection. Silicea is also said to help externalize foreign bodies—you might want to try it for your next splinter! Silicea patients tend to be meek, timid, sensitive, and chilly. These patients can often be characterized as “lacking grit.” It is another major feline constitutional remedy and is also used for vaccinosis. This remedy has successfully cured litterbox avoidance problems in a few cats—if you try it for this purpose, give a single dose of 30C potency one time only.
Pronounced “thoo’-yuh,” this is the primary vaccinosis remedy for all species. If you must have your cat vaccinated, it is a good idea to give a dose of Thuja 30C within two hours of the injection. It is also helpful in case of immediate vaccine reactions such as vomiting or diarrhea occurring within a few hours of the shot. Thuja, which is derived from the northern white cedar, Arbor vitae (“Tree of Life”), is indeed a lifesaver. Thuja symptoms tend toward the skin, with rashes, eruptions, warts, cysts, and tumors being common indicators for this remedy. Its other major spheres of action are the gastrointestinal tract (it is excellent for “sputtery” diarrhea) and the urinary tract (some cases of chronic cystitis are helped by this remedy).
Most of these remedies are available at your local health food store in potencies up to 30C, or you can obtain them from a homeopathic pharmacy. While these ten remedies will not replace competent emergency medical care or the long-term support of a certified homeopathic veterinarian, they may get you through a crisis or two, and using these remedies appropriately will give you confidence and demonstrate the gentle power of this modality.
By Jean Hofve, DVM; Updated 2/2/22.
A lot of cats have learned to love fish, but it’s not a natural feline food; and it’s really not a good idea to feed it to your cat. Why not? Because it is simply not safe to feed fish to cats (and humans should be very careful about eating it themselves, and especially about feeding it to their children!). Here’s why:
Quality
Most fish used in canned pet foods comes from the decaying leftovers of the seafood industry around the world. It is a mishmash that’s high in phosphorus and magnesium, which can be a serious problem in cats with a history of urinary tract disorders or kidney disease. In practice, I have seen many cats develop urinary tract infections and blockages if they eat fish—even canned tuna. After I shared one meal of halibut with my three cats, within hours two of them had urinary tract flare-ups, and by 6 a.m. I had my boy kitty on the surgery table while I inserted a catheter. It’s even worse if, as is most common, the fish are simply ground up, bones and all. Excess phosphorus is dangerous for kitties with kidney disfunction; there is as much phosphorus as calcium in bones.
(Sorry about the image quality; we are working on getting a better one.) Watch the video here. [Note that they mention in passing that they found a food labeled “Duck” that actually contained sheep!]
Could contaminated fish in cat food be a hidden factor in the high rate of chronic kidney disease in older cats, who may have been consuming this toxin every day for years?
A great deal of seafood sold in the US comes from Asia, and in particular, Thailand. The New York Times and U.K.’s The Guardian have both run exposés revealing the terrible human conditions—including outright slavery—involved in Thailand’s seafood industry, as well as the cheap but foul trash-fish slop that is not only used by fish and seafood farmers around the world to feed their stocks (including salmon, tilapia, trout, catfish, carp, shellfish, shrimp, and prawns, much of which is destined for US markets) but also goes directly into pet food. Thailand is a major source of fish and seafood products used in pet foods. Mars and Purina have both admitted that fish used in their pet foods may come directly from slave labor. Some brands are made right there in Thailand, then shipped to the U.S., including several popular “boutique” brands of canned cat foods. (Many thanks to Mollie Morrissette of PoisonedPets.com for her tireless reporting on this terrible trade.) A 2016 federal law bars all imports of fish produced using convict, forced or indentured labor, thereby ending an exemption in the US Tariff Act of 1930 that allowed goods made by slaves to be imported. However, it is unclear whether this law is being applied to pet food.
Fish farming, or aquaculture, is more common than most of us would imagine. More than 600 species are farmed around the world, but the more common ones are salmon, trout, catfish, tilapia, yellowtail tuna, cod, trout, halibut, squid (calamari), krill, crawfish, oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp/prawns, and scallops.
My grandfather was a salmon fisherman, so this delicious fish was one of my favorite meals. When I went off to college in Colorado, I remember bragging to my mom that, all of a sudden, my land-locked home state had salmon for sale at a fraction of its price in California. Now I know why: it came from a factory farm. The situation has only deteriorated since then, and it grieves me to see this amazing animal so damaged and abused.
The meat is unsafe, and the fishing/aquaculture industry is cruel and environmentally destructive—need we say more? Please, feed fish no more than once a week, and even then, only in very small amounts. Avoid farmed species (especially salmon and tilapia); herring, anchovies, and smelt are far safer.
Alborough R, Grau-Roma L, de Brot S, Hantke G, Vazquez S, Gardner DS. Renal accumulation of prooxidant mineral elements and CKD in domestic cats. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):3160.
Enyoh CE, Shafea L, Verla AW, et al. Microplastics Exposure Routes and Toxicity Studies to Ecosystems: An Overview. Environmental analysis, health and toxicology. 2020;35(1):e2020004.
Funk JA, Janech MG, Dillon JC, et al. Characterization of renal toxicity in mice administered the marine biotoxin domoic acid. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2014;25(6):1187-1197. February 2014
Henríquez-Hernández LA, Carretón E, Camacho M, et al. Potential Role of Pet Cats As a Sentinel Species for Human Exposure to Flame Retardants. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2017;4:79.
Lefebvre KA, Kendrick PS, Ladiges W, et al. Chronic low-level exposure to the common seafood toxin domoic acid causes cognitive deficits in mice. Harmful Algae. 2017;64:20-29.
Nestlé sued over fish allegedly caught using slave labor. Petfood Industry. 2015 Aug 18. https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/5343-nestle-sued-over-fish-allegedly-caught-using-slave-labor
Salmon of the West: What is the difference between wild and hatchery salmon? https://www.fws.gov/salmonofthewest/wild.htm
Walter KM, Lin YP, Kass PH, et al. Association of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with hyperthyroidism in domestic felines, sentinels for thyroid hormone disruption. BMC [BioMed Central Ltd] Veterinary Research. 2017;13(1):120.
Watershed Watch. Top 3 reasons open net-pen salmon farms threaten wild salmon. https://watershedwatch.ca/top-3-reasons-open-net-pen-salmon-farms-threaten-wild-salmon/
Yeong CL. NW salmon sent to China before reaching U.S. tables. Seattle Times. 2005 Jul 16.
Article originally published November 18, 2010.
Holistic veterinarian and author Dr. Jean Hofve has more than 20 years’ experience in integrative veterinary medicine. She has a passion for feline health and nutrition, and has intensively studied and researched pet nutrition and the pet food industry since the early 1990s. She has written dozens of articles and been interviewed for print, radio, and television around the world. She is an advisor to AAFCO, the organization that sets standards for pet food production.In 1995, she founded Spirit Essences (now owned and operated by Jackson Galaxy), which makes flower essence remedies for many animal health and behavior problems. Her first book, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care: An Illustrated Handbook, co-authored with nutritionist Dr. Celeste Yarnall, won a 2010 Certificate of Excellence as well as the 2010 Muse Medallion Award for best book from the Cat Writers’ Association.
Dr. Jean is retired from veterinary practice; she is no longer providing consultations. However she is on Holistic Actions! faculty and participates in member webinars and the forum.
Updated 5/17/20.
As a holistic veterinarian and animal advocate with more than 25 years of experience and thousands of hours of research under my belt, I’ve concluded that dry food is not a fit diet for our cats and dogs–carnivores who need a meat-based diet.
I constantly try to make the case against feeding dry food. But it’s really a hard concept to get across to people. Against me are the convenience and relatively low cost of dry food; and those are powerful opponents.
In this article, I’ll give you 10 reasons why dry food is so very bad for pets so you’ll understand why, if you want optimal health and long life for your pet, dry food isn’t going to get you there.
Dry food is typically made from rendered ingredients, such as chicken meal, poultry by–product meal, and meat and bone meal (MBM). Rendering starts with animal-source ingredients being fed into a massive grinder to reduce them to chunks. The resulting hodgepodge is boiled at high temperatures for hours or even days, turning everything to mush. Fat floats to the top and is skimmed off for other uses. The remainder is dried to a low-moisture, high protein powder suitable for use in dry foods.
Some rendered products are better—or worse—than others. Chicken meal, for instance, is likely to be relatively pure, because the rendering plant is usually associated with a slaughterhouse that processes only chickens. On the other end of the spectrum, MBM is the “dumping ground” of the nastiest raw ingredients. These may include:
Because all of this ends up as an amorphous brown powder, it’s impossible to know what went into it. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that dog foods containing MBM and/or “animal fat” (both rendered ingredients) were the most likely to contain pentobarbital, the primary drug used to euthanize animals.
In some dry foods, such as those found at grocery stores, discount stores, and large pet supply stores, even rendered meat is too costly to make the needed profit, so manufacturers substitute rendered by-product meals and/or vegetable proteins such as corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and plant protein concentrates to get the protein up to minimum acceptable levels.
Other ingredients of the dough include carbohydrates, or starch (either grains or starchy vegetables), a vitamin-mineral premix, and water. Adult dogs and cats do not need any carbohydrates in their diet; all these starches do is provide calories. Because they aren’t a natural part of our carnivorous pals’ diets, most of those calories are quickly converted to fat. And then veterinarians wonder why we have a “pet obesity epidemic”!
Cost isn’t a reliable indicator of quality, although extremely cheap foods are bound to contain extremely cheap ingredients. The manufacturer has to buy ingredients, process them, bag and ship the finished food to a distributor, and at the same time pay for labor and overhead. Then the distributor stores the food and ultimately delivers the food to retail outlets. Those stores charge for shelf space to keep themselves in business. And yet, the food may sell for $1.50 a pound, while guaranteeing a profit for everyone along the way! The cost of all the ingredients in a $1.50/pound food can’t be more than 30 cents/pound. And if the manufacturer also promotes the food through expensive advertising, that cost has to be deducted, too.
A survey of dry cat food for sale at a popular internet pet site found a huge variation in the price and quality. As expected, generic and grocery-store type dry cat foods were less than $2.00 per pound, while “organic” and many “grain-free” foods were more in the $3.00 per pound range. But the most expensive foods were not grain free, organic, or natural; but rather were those most massively (and expensively) advertised. Science Diet’s Feline Indoor Maintenance rang up at an astonishing $3.96 per pound, despite containing not one single shred of real meat (mainly poultry by-product meal, rice, and corn). Don’t even ask about Hill’s Prescription Diets—but if you just gotta know, their “hypoallergenic” z/d formula is over $6.00 per pound!
To make dry food, whatever rendered high-protein meal is being used is mixed into a sticky, starchy dough that can be pressed through an extruder, which forms the kibble. The dough is forced by giant screws through a barrel and ultimately into tiny tubes that end in a shaped opening, much like a cake decorator. The heat and pressure in the extruder are tremendous. As the compressed dough exits into the air, it passes through a whirling mass of sharp knives that cuts the pieces individually as they “pop” when they reach normal air pressure, creating the familiar shapes associated with each pet food brand.
While heat processing makes vegetables, fruits, and grains more digestible, it has the opposite effect on proteins. Not only are cooked proteins less digestible, but they become distorted, or “denatured,” by heating. These abnormal proteins may be a factor in the development of food allergies, as the immune system reacts to these unfamiliar and unnatural shapes.
Enzymes, special proteins that aid in thousands of chemical reactions in the body, are especially fragile, and are rapidly destroyed by heat, even at relatively low temperatures. The normal food enzymes that would help digest the food are destroyed by the heat processing that dry food undergoes. This forces the pancreas to make up for those lost enzymes. Over time, the pancreas can become stressed and enlarged, and even get pushed into life-threatening pancreatitis.
Carbohydrates are molecules that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) —carbon and water (H2O) —in other words, “hydrated carbon.” The simplest carbohydrate is sugar; and all carbs are varying configurations of sugars. Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate made by plant cells to keep their cell walls rigid, allowing plants to grow upright from a relatively small base. It takes a special enzyme (cellulase) to digest fiber that dogs and cats do not have.
Dogs and cats are carnivores, meat-eaters. Their natural diet is high protein and high moisture. For example, a whole rat contains about 8% carbs. Natural prey (birds, rabbits, rodents, etc.) contain from 9-10% carbs. Most of this consists of glycogen, the storage form of sugar that the body stores in the muscles and liver; and some comes from undigested food in the prey’s gut. The carnivore’s ideal diet is essentially the Atkins diet: lots of protein and fat, and a small amount of complex carbohydrates from vegetables.
The average carb content of dry cat food is about 30% carbohydrates; but it ranges from 8% in EVO Cat and Kitten food (the carbs are replaced by 44% protein and an astronomical 47% fat), to 48% in Blue Buffalo Lite. Protein is the most expensive ingredient, and carbs the cheapest; so in general (but clearly not always!), cheaper foods contain more carbs.
While classified as carnivores, dogs (and humans) are, in practice, omnivorous, meaning they can use pretty much any food as fuel. They use carbs directly for energy by breaking them down to simple sugars. Sugars not needed for immediate energy, or to replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, are turned into fat. This takes place through several biochemical pathways; but a major pathway used by most mammals (involving the enzyme glucokinase) is essentially absent in the cat. Strictly carnivorous cats preferentially use protein and fat for energy, and these pathways are mandatory. Felines can digest and absorb carbohydrates, but those carbs mostly turn quickly and directly into fat.
Another disadvantage of carbohydrates is that they have a high glycemic index; this means that they raise blood sugar higher and faster than other nutrients. Increased blood sugar triggers the release of the hormone insulin from the pancreas. Insulin allows sugars to be absorbed into cells, where they can be used for fuel. Without insulin, no matter how fuel-starved cells may be, sugars stay in the bloodstream.
Heat processing increases the glycemic index of carbohydrates. Corn—a common ingredient of dry food—has a glycemic index similar to a chocolate bar. When dry food is available all the time, cats in particular will nibble at it 15-20 times a day. This causes multiple sharp swings in blood sugar and requires the pancreas to secrete insulin each time. Over-secretion of insulin causes cells to down-regulate and become resistant to insulin. This is one reason why dry food is a major contributor to feline (Type II) diabetes. While dry food does not directly cause diabetes in dogs, it does contribute to metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition.
The pancreas also secretes bicarbonate to neutralize the acid in food coming from the stomach. Continual pancreatic stimulation also creates an alkaline environment in which urinary crystals and stones can easily form.
It’s currently estimated that more than 50% of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight, and many are seriously obese. Carrying extra weight isn’t cute or cuddly—it will shorten your pet’s life, create unnecessary discomfort, and will surely lead to one or more chronic diseases, such as diabetes, bladder and kidney disease, arthritis, liver failure, chronic gastrointestinal problems, poor immunity, and even cancer. You’re not doing your pet any favors by giving in to those big eyes, and those even bigger appetites, which are in most cases caused and perpetuated by dry food.
Dry food is a highly concentrated source of calories. Dry food, not canned food or any other high-moisture food, is where the calories are. Dry food is the leading cause of obesity in pets. Obesity by itself leads to many serious diseases, including:
Obviously, dry food is dry. This is a very big problem for cats, whose ancestors are desert-dwelling wild cats. They have passed on their super-efficient kidneys, which are designed to extract every last drop of moisture from prey animals. As a result, cats have a low thirst drive, and don’t drink water until they are about 3% dehydrated—a dehydration level so serious that most veterinarians would consider giving intravenous fluids. Dogs have a higher thirst drive and will drink more readily, so they are less prone to serious dehydration.
Dehydration causes or contributes to many serious health issues, including urinary crystals and stones, bladder infections, FLUTD, constipation, and kidney disease.
Given the types of things manufacturers put in pet food, such as pesticide-soaked grains and diseased, dead, and dying animals, it is not surprising that bad things sometimes happen. Ingredients used in pet food are often highly contaminated with a wide variety of toxic substances. Some of these are destroyed by processing, but others are not.
Slaughtered animals, as well as those that have died because of disease, injury, or natural causes, are sources of meat, by-products, and rendered meals for pet food. Rendered products commonly found in dry pet food include chicken meal, poultry by-product meal, and meat and bone meal.
Animals that die on the farm may not be transported to the rendering plant for days after death. These carcasses can be heavily contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. Coli released from the decomposing digestive tract. Dangerous E. Coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than 50% of meat meals.
While the rendering process kills bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins some bacteria produce during their growth. These toxins can survive processing, and can cause sickness and disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their products for bacterial endotoxins.
In addition, flavorings such as “animal digest” that are sprayed onto dry food can easily become contaminated with Salmonella, as numerous recalls and human illnesses have proven. In 2012, Salmonella sent 49 people to the doctor after they simply touched dry pet food.
Because sick or dead animals are frequently processed for pet foods, the drugs that were used to treat or euthanize them may still be present in their meat and organs. Penicillin and pentobarbital (the euthanasia drug) are just two of the drugs that can pass through processing unchanged. Antibiotics used in livestock production also contribute to antibiotic resistance in pets and people.
Toxins from mold or fungi are called mycotoxins. Modern farming practices, adverse weather conditions, and improper drying and storage of crops can contribute to mold growth. Pet food ingredients that are most likely to be contaminated with mycotoxins are grains such as wheat and corn; and fish meal. There have been many large pet food recalls in response to illness and death in pets due to a very powerful poison, called aflatoxin, in dry food. More than 100 dogs have been killed by this toxin by contaminated dry food.
Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers may leave residue on plant products. Grains that are condemned for human consumption by the USDA due to residue may legally be used in pet food. The USDA does not even test for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup®, so there may be any amount of it in either human or pet food!
Genetically modified plant products are also of concern. As of 2015, 95% of the planted area of soybeans, 88% of cotton, and 95% of corn in the U.S. were genetically modified varieties. Corn in particular is heavily contaminated with glyphosate. Cottonseed meal is a common ingredient of cattle feed, as are soy and corn. Soy and corn are also used directly in many pet foods. A 2010 study found significant damage to the liver and kidneys of rats fed genetically modified corn, as well as an increase in tumors. Unless corn is specified to be organic, it is almost certainly loaded with glyphosate.
These carcinogenic compounds form at cooking temperatures of about 250˚F in foods that combine certain sugars and the amino acid asparagine (found in large amounts in potatoes and cereal grains). It forms during a chemical process called the Maillard Reaction. Most dry pet foods contain cereal grains or starchy vegetables such as potatoes, and they are processed at high temperatures (200–300°F at high pressure during extrusion; baked foods are cooked at well over 500°F). These conditions are perfect for the Maillard reaction. In fact, the Maillard reaction is desirable in the production of pet food because it imparts a palatable taste, even though it reduces the bioavailability of some amino acids, including taurine and lysine. The amount and potential effects of acrylamide and MRPs, many of which are toxic) in pet foods are unknown.
Preservatives are not needed in canned foods since canning is itself a preserving procedures. Dry food manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long shelf life (typically 12 to 18 months) to remain edible through shipping and storage, fats used in pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or “natural” preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. For these antioxidants, there is little information documenting their toxicity, safety, interactions, or chronic use in pet foods that may be eaten every day for the life of the animal. Propylene glycol, which is what keeps semi-moist food and “bits” soft and chewy, is banned in cat food because it causes anemia in cats, but it is still allowed in dog food.
Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels in pet and some human foods. The use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied, and long term build-up of these agents may ultimately be harmful. Ethoxyquin has never been tested for safety in cats. Despite this, it is commonly used in well-known veterinary “prescription” diets.
The liver is first in line to receive all the blood returning from the digestive tract. That’s because the liver is a major detoxifying organ, with enzyme systems in place to intercept and dismantle many potential poisons. Large numbers of white blood cells also reside in the liver, ready to attack invading organisms.
The liver is also responsible for making many proteins, such as albumin; it makes cholesterol, the base molecule for important hormones; and it produces bile, which is essential for digestion and absorption of fats.
Cats’ livers are particularly sensitive to dietary changes. If a cat does not eat, the liver gets stressed and starts calling for “reinforcements.” In the cat’s case, this consists of fat breakdown around the body, which the liver then grabs from the blood stream and packs into its cells. This extreme fat hoarding can become so serious that it prevents cells from functioning properly, and a life-threatening type of liver failure, called “hepatic lipidosis” (fatty liver disease) can result. Overweight cats, and cats eating mostly or only dry food, are most at risk.
You may have heard that 80% of the immune system is found in the gut. While that isn’t quite accurate, huge numbers of white blood cells do live in groups (“Peyer’s Patches”) along the intestinal lining. That makes sense, since the gut is one of the primary routes of entry into the body for invading organisms, from viruses to worms.
As mentioned briefly above, the high-heat processing that dry food undergoes during manufacturing can denature proteins, meaning that it distorts their shape. To a protein, shape is everything, and only a protein in the correct shape will function properly. Shape is also how the immune system identifies proteins that belong in the body (“self”) versus foreign proteins. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other invaders are all identified by the proteins found on their surfaces. When an immune cell identifies a foreign protein, a whole cascade of signaling for reinforcements and production of antibodies is set into motion. Antibodies then scour the bloodstream looking for invaders matching their shape; when they find one, they latch on and signal for support. Inflammation is one of the primary responses.
When an abnormal protein is picked up by an immune cell and antibodies are produced, then every time that protein appears, antibodies flock to it and stimulate inflammation. More bad proteins = more inflammation.
The gut doesn’t take kindly to this reaction, and will start rejecting the food one way or another: vomiting, diarrhea, or both. Cats seem to be especially good at vomiting, and indeed, vomiting is the primary symptom of food allergies, as well as full-blown inflammatory bowel disease.
A true food allergy is different from a dietary intolerance—though the symptoms may be the same. An allergy involves the immune system, while an intolerance may simply be a reaction to something in the food—one of the colorings, texturizers, or other additives. Allergies are generally to proteins; but there are proteins not only in meat, but also in soy, corn, wheat, and other grains.
Both food allergies and dietary intolerances are more common with dry food. Fortunately, they both respond to dietary therapy.
Both dogs and cats can develop inflammation, crystals, and stones in their bladders and kidneys. These conditions are exacerbated, if not outright caused, by dry food.
Cats get a condition called “Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder” (commonly referred to as FLUTD, LUTD, or sometimes by the older, outdated term, FUS—feline urologic syndrome) is not a single disease. In fact, it comes in at least three distinct varieties:
The term “cystitis” means “inflammation of the bladder.” The majority of LUTD cases (about 2/3) fall into the category of “idiopathic cystitis” (bladder inflammation of unknown cause). This syndrome in cats is very similar to interstitial cystitis in women. It is rare for bacteria to be involved—most are “sterile” inflammations. (Diabetics and elderly cats are more prone to get bacterial infections because their defenses are compromised.)
Crystalluria is a condition where mineral crystals form in the bladder. There are many types of crystals in dogs, but only two are common in cats: struvite (also called magnesium-ammonium-phosphate), and calcium oxalate. Male cats who block usually have crystals that are held together in a matrix with mucus from the irritated bladder. This “plug” can slither down the urethra, where it can become stuck where the urethra narrows at its end.
A “lith” is a stone, and of course “uro” means it’s in the urinary system. Only about 20% of LUTD cases involve bladder stones—about half of these are struvite, and half are calcium oxalate stones. They form most easily when the urine is very concentrated, which maximizes the chances of the components—which are all normally in urine—banging and sticking together into crystals or stones. Struvite stones can be dissolved by temporarily feeding an acidifed veterinary diet (the canned version, please!), but calcium oxalate stones must be removed surgically.
Dogs also get cystitis, crystals, and stones. However, in dogs, these conditions are far more likely to be caused by bacteria, partly because so many dogs must hold their urine for many hours while their guardians are at work or school. The urinary system’s natural defenses include urine flowing through and washing bacteria out along with it. When urine is held, bacteria have many hours to colonize the bladder and start causing havoc.
The best way to prevent all bladder problems is to keep lots of fluid flowing through the urinary system to flush these problem particles out. The dehydrating quality of dry food produces highly concentrated urine that is much more likely to form crystals and stones. Wet food is needed to keep the urinary tract healthy; and it’s essential in any dog or cat with a history of bladder disease.
To give your pet the moisture and protein content that are so necessary for good health, try canned, homemade, or raw food.
Even though canned food is processed, it’s cooked only once (briefly at lower heat), rather than twice at high heat for dry food (once when the animal products are rendered, and again during extrusion). Canned food also tends to have a much higher protein content than dry food.
Homemade food is ideal, if you are following a balanced recipe.
Warning: Most “cookbooks” and recipes on the internet are NOT balanced, and can cause serious harm over time. When you make your pet’s food, you are 100% in control of the quality of the ingredients, and you can add additional supplements depending on your pet’s individual needs, rather than getting a “one size fits all” commercial pet food.
Raw, meat-based diets can be made at home, or purchased frozen or freeze-dried. Even just adding a little raw meat to any commercial diet will be an improvement. However, raw meat is always contaminated with bacteria, and may even harbor worms and other parasites. Dogs and cats are quite resistant to Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other common meat contaminants; and parasite eggs and cysts can be rendered harmless by freezing at -4oF for three days before using.
For Dr. Jean’s best-selling ebook “What Cats Should Eat” (including an updated list of Dr. Jean’s recommended brands by name), please visit her Bookstore or Amazon.com. For our canine pals, “Paleo Dog” has information not only on diet, but also lifestyle: holistic health care, vaccination, and much, much more!
As you may know, it is potentially dangerous to give herbs to pets, especially cats. Many people commonly extrapolate a dose of herbs by using the pet’s weight compared to the “standard” 150-pound human. A large dog, however, has a comparatively slow metabolism, while a small dog’s rapid heart rate and high energy level may make it difficult to get the desired effect. Cats have very different metabolism and enzymes, and many compounds that are safe for humans and dogs (like aspirin) can be toxic to cats.
Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva) is an exception to the fears and cautions surrounding the use of herbs in animals. It is very safe and non-toxic. The part of the tree used is the inner bark, which is soft and stringy. Simplest to use is the powdered form, which can be purchased in bulk, or pre-packed in capsules, at most health food stores. It is readily available over the Internet from herb suppliers.
North American elm trees have been decimated by Dutch Elm Disease; make sure your source ethically and responsibly harvests their products, like Oregon’s Wild Harvest Slippery Elm Organic Capsules; and do not use more than you need! Alternatively, Marshmallow root can be substituted for most applications.
Herbalists attribute many wonderful healing properties to Slippery Elm:
It can be used both internally and externally. Slippery Elm is one of the herbs used in the original formulation of “Essiac,” an herbal brew widely promoted as a cancer-fighter.
In the gastrointestinal tract, Slippery Elm acts directly. It can be thought of as a sort of natural “Pepto-Bismol.” (Pepto-Bismol itself should not be used because it contains salicylate, a.k.a. aspirin). Its mucilage content coats, soothes, and lubricates the mucus membranes lining the digestive tract. Slippery Elm is an excellent treatment for ulcers, gastritis, colitis, and other inflammatory bowel problems. It is high in fiber, and so helps normalize intestinal action; it can be used to relieve both diarrhea and constipation. It may also help alleviate nausea and vomiting in pets suffering from non-GI illnesses, such as kidney disease. A syrup made from Slippery Elm Bark can be used to help heal mouth ulcers from all causes (see recipe below).
Slippery Elm is said to relieve inflammation of virtually any mucus membrane, and has been used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the lungs (bronchitis, asthma), kidneys, bladder (cystitis, FLUTD symptoms), throat (tonsillitis), and joints (arthritis).
Slippery Elm contains many nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, and several trace minerals) that can be beneficial for recuperating pets, and it may stay down when other foods are not tolerated. It is known as a “survival” food; George Washington and his troops survived for days during the bitter winter at Valley Forge eating nothing but gruel made from Slippery Elm bark. However, Slippery Elm may interfere with the absorption of certain minerals and pharmaceuticals, so is best given separately from any concurrent drug therapy.
In the case of cystitis (bladder inflammation), Slippery Elm is thought to soothe the bladder lining. However, it is somewhat high in magnesium, so may be contraindicated in dogs who have an active infection with an elevated urinary pH, where struvite crystal formation may be a risk. (In cats, urinary tract infections are very rarely bacterial.) Slippery Elm bark contains natural pentosans, a class of complex sugars that contains the same compound found in the drug “Elmiron®,”the major pain-relieving treatment for interstitial cystitis (IC) in women. Pentosan has been used by the pharmaceutical industry as an anti-coagulant and anti-inflammatory for more than 40 years. (Anti-coagulant effects are not seen with normal oral administration.) Since bladder disease in cats is very similar to that in women, slippery elm may be especially beneficial for our feline friends. Small, frequent dosages of pentosan has been shown in humans to be more effective than single large doses.
Externally, a soothing paste of Slippery Elm powder (mix the powder with a little cold water) can be used as a poultice for hot spots, insect burns, rashes, scratches, ulcerated areas, or other shallow wounds. Native Americans used Slippery Elm bark to stop bleeding. It forms a natural “bandage” that can be left in place for several hours, if you can convince your dog to leave it alone! Moisten with water to remove it.
To give internally, mix about 1/4 teaspoon of Slippery Elm bark powder with cold water for every 10 pounds of body weight. For very small dogs, it is fine to use the same 1/4 teaspoon dose. The bulk powder may be very fluffy, so pack it down as much as possible to measure it. Alternatively, use 1/2 capsule (per 10 pounds), opened and the contents mixed with water. Slippery Elm powder will absorb many times its own weight in water, so be sure to add enough to make a moderately thick gruel. This gruel can be given before meals by syringe or eyedropper, or added to baby food, canned food, or a homemade diet. It has a slightly sweet taste and is usually well-tolerated by cats and dogs when mixed with food. Give a dose 5 to 30 minutes before meals for sore throat, and before or with meals for digestive tract problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease, until symptoms resolve.
NOTE: Slippery Elm may interfere with absorption of medications; and long-term use may have some effect on nutrient absorption. It may be best to give Slippery Elm at a different time, separate from medications. Please discuss use of all supplements and herbs with your veterinarian.
Author Anitra Frazier gives the following recipe for Slippery Elm Bark syrup in her book, The New Natural Cat, which applies equally well to our canine companions when adjusted for weight:
Slippery Elm bark is inexpensive and easy to use; it would be a great addition to your holistic medicine chest!
IMPORTANT! Slippery Elm should have a very mild, slightly sweet taste. Several people have reported that the Slippery Elm bark they were using tasted bitter, or turned bitter with time. The cause is unknown, but it can’t be a good sign! Therefore I must recommend that you personally taste the slurry or syrup each and every time before you give it to your pet, and if it tastes bad–don’t use it!
So, your cat is declawed: maybe it was done prior to adoption; or a landlord or family member may have insisted on declawing, your veterinarian may have talked you into it, or you just didn’t know at the time how physically and psychologically damaging declawing is. But at this point the damage is done, and it is irreversible. Now what?
Fortunately, there are things you can do for a declawed cat to help relieve pain and improve quality of life.
Sadly, nothing can reverse the physical damage of declawing, but at least we may be able to help declawed cats feel better and be happier despite it.
By Jackson Galaxy (Updated 7/17/21)
The common wisdom in introducing a newly adopted cat to a resident one in the past was to open the carrying case and “let them work it out.”
We most definitely have a new way of looking at things; from the cat’s perspective.
Cats are, after all, about territory. Bring a new, utterly alien scent of the same species into the house, and more times than not, we’re asking for chaos.
Of course everyone has a story about introducing two cats that went smoothly doing the old fashioned technique. The point to stress is, if it goes poorly, this one meeting is the association that these two cats will hold onto for quite a long time and make a peaceable kingdom a difficult task. It is, ultimately, better to be safe than sorry.
It is crucial to recognize that it’s the cats who dictate the pace. With some, things go smoothly from the start, and they’re ready to be best pals in a matter of days.
However, it is much more likely to take longer–weeks to months! We cannot emphasize this too much:
It’s not up to you to decide how long each step should take! The cats themselves will signal when they’re ready to go to the next step. If you move too fast, you will jeopardize the whole process.
A slow and steady introduction starts with the establishment of a base camp for the newcomer (see our article on setting up base camp). Once you’ve set up his or her space, you’re ready to start letting the cats make positive associations between one another.
This is key, and will be repeated ad infinitum; all associations between the cats during this critical period have to be as pleasing as possible to reduce possible friction when they finally have free access.
Let’s start with one of the most pleasing motivators—food! Feeding time will happen at the door of base camp until introduction is complete.
If the resident cat is not on a scheduled feeding diet, it might be best to put him or her on one for now. Or, if you leave dry food out and supplement with wet food, greatly decrease the amount of dry so that wet feeding time is looked forward to more.
Remember that the only time either cat gets wet food is during these “meet and greets” at the base camp door, which can be divided into two daily sessions.
Place food bowls on either side of the door with a couple of feet of breathing room for each cat. Ideally, there should be a family member on either side of the door to praise each cat as they eat.
The idea is that they are rewarded with food for being so close to the scent of the unfamiliar cat, and also rewarded by you with praise for eating.
At this initial point, the door should be closed; the cats can smell one another just fine. If they don’t devour their food at first, that’s okay. They will eventually eat. Don’t give in and move the food.
The next step is to open the door just a tiny crack, giving the cats limited visual access to each other.
How soon do you move on to this step?
As with all steps in introduction, pay attention to the cats; let their body language tell you when they are comfortable enough to move on. Remember that proceeding too quickly will force you to jump backwards by anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Slow and steady definitely wins this race.
We need to remain safe, so use rubber doorstops on either side of the introduction door to prevent any more than visual accessibility. If the door is too high off the ground to use stops, or if one or both cats are muscling the door open, try using a hook and eye setup. Instead of using it to lock a door shut, you would employ it backwards, to give us just a couple of inches of cracked space between the door and the jamb.
Again, the time required in moving from step to step is determined by your observation and the cats’ level of comfort.
Keep cracking the door further until each cat could, if they wished, bat at one another—first up to the elbow joint then all the way to the shoulder, just making sure not to leave enough room to let a head get through. The object of “the game” is to give them enough rope to succeed. If they fail, just go back to the previous step.
Other tricks to use during the introduction period are “scent swapping” and “site swapping.”
In scent swapping, we take a washcloth per cat and rub them down with it, making sure to go across their cheeks, head, sides, and around the base of the tail. Then, present the other cat with the scent of the washcloth in a conspicuous part of their territory, perhaps near a favored sleeping spot or near (but respecting the space of) their food or water. This will start getting them accustomed to the new facts of life; their space will have to be shared with one another, and better to have this fact introduced by scent than sight.
Site swapping relies on more paws-on physical exploration of one another’s space. Once a day, switch the two cats. The new cat gets to explore the house while the resident cat is base camp to freely explore the scent of new arrival without the fear of retribution. This process is best done with a human partner just to make sure the cats don’t inadvertently get in each other’s way while trading places; but if you don’t have help, try putting the resident in, say, a bedroom. When the new cat heads for the kitchen or other area out of sight, move the resident cat into base camp. Both cats should get the praise and encouragement they need/deserve in bravely going where they have not gone before!
Don’t forget, during this entire process, to play with the cats!
This may seem elementary, but remember, they are just energetic balloons naturally, and even more so during these intense times of stress. Of course, you will have separate play sessions during the introduction phase. Once they’ve met and cohabitated for a bit, group playtime will be another wonderful way of diverting aggression they might have towards one another into a positive route. Refer to our article on play therapy to learn the ins and outs of keeping them both as happy as possible during the period of adjustment.
Additionally, consider flower essences to help both (or all) cats get through the initial introduction period with the least amount of stress and anxiety. Jackson Galaxy Solutions has many formulas to choose from, depending on the personalities involved, including Peacemaker, Ultimate Peacemaker, and Safe Space for Cats.
When you think it’s time to let them be in the territory together at the same time, take precautions. If a fight breaks out, do not try to break it up with your hands!
Unfortunately, this is most of the time our first instinct. You are almost sure to be clawed and bitten, and it will not be pretty. In the heat of the moment, the cats will not be able to distinguish between your arm and each other, and they will have no inhibition about attacking whatever is handy, even if it’s you.
Instead, have an immediate barrier like a couple of large, thick towels or blankets at the ready. You can toss them over the cats to disorient them, and immediately relocate them by scooping them up inside the towel (to protect yourself).
There is no need to follow this up with a scolding. That will not do anything except increase the cats’ agitation, which is just what you don’t need! Let the event pass with each cat in their own “time-out”, and start again fresh tomorrow—at the very beginning. Also make sure that when the two cats meet, they have escape routes from one another. Getting cornered is a sure recipe for a fight in the mind of a defense-minded animal like a cat.
Keep a close eye on all interactions for the first week or so, not letting the cats have free access to one another when nobody is home.
Finally, keep the food and litter setup established in the base camp room, at least for the next while. The accepted “recipe” is three litterboxes for two cats (to be precise, 1 box per cat + 1), so bear that in mind. Also bear in mind escape routes from the boxes, as the last place we want a skirmish to erupt is while one of the cats is having a “private moment.” They should be able to see as much of the room around them as possible when in the litterbox, which is why uncovered boxes are best.
This should pretty well cover the bases for the initial introduction between your cats. Of course there are always variables, but the broken record theme should get you going:
Watch a short (11 min.) video on cat-to-cat introductions below.
Article by adjunct faculty, Dalma Heyn, Pet-Loss Grief Specialist, Psychotherapist
When I speak with pet-parents whose beloved companion animal has died, I often encounter an emotion I rarely encounter with someone whose friend or family member has died: GUILT.
Guilt can take hold as a result of the anger we almost inevitably feel when our beloved animal is no longer here, playing with his toys, eating his dinner, romping at the end of a leash or in the yard. Yes, we’re angry when a spouse dies, or a parent, or a friend, but rarely have we had the responsibilities we have with a pet.
Rarely are we in almost total control of another human being. Think of it: We feed, walk, play with our pets and — this is important — make all the decisions surrounding their end-of-life care.
And here’s the rub: Everything is on us: Chemo or no chemo? Euthanasia or no euthanasia? Is the pain too much—or just too much for me? On and on it goes….all of it is in our hands. The shock of the actual death, however it comes, reminds us of these agonizing decisions and makes us question them over and over (and over) again.
Some people direct their anger at someone else—placing blame for not being perfect, not saving the life, not doing something…. on a vet, a tech person, or a family member.
Others turn that blame against themselves: that’s the guilt I’m referring to. So I hear: “I should have given her favorite treat on her last day and I didn’t have it in the house”; “I couldn’t afford the treatment for cancer that the vet recommended, and I wish I’d been able to”; “I gave him wrong homeopathic and so she suffered so much.” There’s no end to the ways we can find to beat ourselves up when heartbroken. And of course, we’ve rarely done anything wrong. We didn’t have total control of the end, is all….and that makes us mad.
“It’s crucial to understand this because guilt,
like blame, is truly a waste of time”
Okay, so how does this power inform our response to pet-loss grief? I believe it is this: We know our companion animals have shorter lifespans than we do (that’s the we-cannot-control part). So, we should plan on the inevitability of the death of our pets–because it’s our lack of preparation that makes terrible surprises hurt even more. Stoics teach us to face, process and deal with grief immediately, instead of running from it with delaying tactics, like blame and guilt and anger.
We can’t bring back our darlings. What’s more, guilt literally prevents the all-important grieving process. Guilt is not one of the stages of grief. Guilt interrupts the normal, healthy, important, and ultimately healing process which, when allowed to unfold, actually restores our relationship with our companion animal. So unless we have a need to impede that lovely outcome, we must grapple with and find a way to get rid of guilt.
It’s a huge subject, and one that I’ll be returning to.
Until next time….
Dalma
Click here to see all Dalma’s posts.
Dalma Heyn, MSW, LMSW, is a therapist, author and certified pet-loss grief specialist, who lives at the Connecticut shore with her scruffy, fluffy Havanese, Luna. Dalma graduated from The University of Southern California with a degree in psychology and English, and from New York University with a MA degree in social work.
Speaking and writing about human intimate relationships for so many years brought her to another kind of intimate relationship: the one we have with our companion animals. Dalma finds that many aspects of this love are woefully underestimated, for reasons she discusses here with other passionate readers on this site. Her mission is to shed light on this important reciprocal love–which she believes can transform the inevitable loss of our pets from an unbearable experience to a meaningful and healing one. Dalma is now available for consultations for our members.
Article by adjunct faculty, Dalma Heyn, Pet-Loss Grief Specialist, Psychotherapist
Last time I spoke about some of the ancient Stoics’ ideas for having a better life. Dr. Jeff and I were taken by, among other good things, their focus on lessening the pain of loss by consciously, deliberately, planning for it well in advance.
We cannot control events—like hurricanes, or death—but, they believe, we can prepare for them and thus control our emotional response to them when they do happen.
Most of us tend to be averse to thinking about the future’s scary things – particularly, in our culture, death and dying. This aversion holds true even though we who have companion animals know, intellectually anyway, that we’ll likely be around at the end of their lives. Even so, we hate to think about it too much. Stoics advise us to look it right in the eye and, instead of running from it, plan for it.
As I looked more deeply into their thinking, I noticed something in me that I wanted to share here. I realized that, unless one has practiced this kind of disciplined mind-control for many years, we’re likely to fall short of success in the case of pet loss.
We may know that our beloved pets’ lives are shorter than our own, and we may even plan for it as well as we know how. But, in my experience, we cannot imagine how desperately unhappy their deaths are likely to make us; we just can’t comprehend, in the abstract, this onslaught of emotion.
The theory and practice of doing what we can to anticipate this loss may be healthy, and is probably the most we can do to prepare for the pain. But the stunning force of the loss when it happens can simply knock the wind out of us.
It’s this gut punch, the sudden immersion in a sea of emotion, that my clients say overwhelms them. I share this not to dismiss an important and helpful ancient practice, but to offset any shame and guilt that may crop up when doing all that homework, all that hopeful acceptance of the inevitable, fails us anyway.
Think of the years-long preparations to shore up levy systems, strengthen power grids, and build competent flood walls, in southwestern Florida, before Hurricane Ian smashed everything to bits. As careful as their planning was; as hard and long as they worked to prepare; who can deny that the storm’s devastation simply defied all preparations?
Does this mean Florida shouldn’t have prepared for the storm? Of course not. Does it mean that the Stoics’ techniques for offsetting pain are useless? Not at all. But it does mean that sometimes, try as we might to insure against our own devastation, physical or emotional, when what we planned for comes to pass, we have no idea what hit us.
If and when that happens, dear pet parents, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Emotion is a wild thing, not easily controlled. And the really good news is that there is a whole community right here that understands and will support you in every way possible.
Until next time….
Dalma
Click here to see all Dalma’s posts.
Dalma Heyn, MSW, LMSW, is a therapist, author and certified pet-loss grief specialist, who lives at the Connecticut shore with her scruffy, fluffy Havanese, Luna. Dalma graduated from The University of Southern California with a degree in psychology and English, and from New York University with a MA degree in social work.
Speaking and writing about human intimate relationships for so many years brought her to another kind of intimate relationship: the one we have with our companion animals. Dalma finds that many aspects of this love are woefully underestimated, for reasons she discusses here with other passionate readers on this site. Her mission is to shed light on this important reciprocal love–which she believes can transform the inevitable loss of our pets from an unbearable experience to a meaningful and healing one. Dalma is now available for consultations for our members.
