Monday, August 10, 2009

Papain and hairballs!


He is part Maine Coon, has gorgeous long fur, is soft as can be......and leaves hairballs everywhere! It has become such an issue that Jaz was developing other gastric problems as well so off to the vet we went. Before we run the gamut of expensive tests (ultrasound, endoscopy), the vet suggested we try something she has been using for her cat who has had the same problem a lot of house cats have.

First she told me that rabbits have hairball issues but they can't get them up. They've found that pineapple juice actually dissolves the hair and enables it to pass through their system. Cats, however, refuse pineapple (you think????) so that's not an option. However.......papain, an extract from papaya, does the same thing and you can sprinkle it on the cat's food (I actually mix it in with something gooey and put a dab on Jaz's paw so he licks it off.) It can be bought at a health food store (I actually got it at GNC for $2.99....tablets which I break up, crush and then use only a very little amount). Lo and behold.....we have not see hairballs or any sign of him being sick for about 10 days now. He's perkier, more like himself and we're not having to look in our shoes every time we put them on! Whether this will be a long term solution, we'll find out but for now it does the trick!!


Two of our latest custom pet treat jars.


















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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hairballs in dogs are a rare occurrence but it does not mean that it will not happen to your dog. A lot of the times, we associate this phenomenon with cats especially since they are the ones who love to lick and groom their bodies most of the time. We rarely see a dog which will continuously lick his fur just to become clean. See more http://dogsaholic.com/care/hairballs-in-dogs.html