Papaya Enzymes

[TammiL]

Hello,

QUESTIONS ABOUT PAPAYA ENZYMES FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN GIVING PAPAYA ENZYMES TO THEIR CATS TO AID IN DIGESTION and HAIRBALLS.

My cat Chewey has been doing well with his new food.....Darwin's Pet. Started him with chicken. I have been giving him vaseline and he is "pooping" nicely with more hair coming out! He is showing more energy and jumping and trotting too!!!! However, I don't want him to remain on Vaseline so I thought I would add in Papaya Enzyme as Dr. Jeff had mentioned in order to break down the hair he is ingesting by cleaning himself and his extra licking and licking from being itchy.

My question: On the NOW site I see Papaya Enzymes in different forms.....not a chance I will get pills down Chewey's throat yearly let alone more often. HA HA HA

I have highlighted the differences between what each option contains....

QUESTIONS:
-Is there one that would be more suitable for cats?
-Extra Calcium..... a good idea if he is eating raw frozen foods?
-I see they contain Sulfites which are not good for humans, are they good for cats?
-How much and how often for the one you think IS a good idea?
-Is there a different brand anyone thinks works better?

Options:
1. PAPAYA LOZENGES

• Chewable
• With Mint and Chlorophyll

This one has Sugar Alcohols....sorbitol and mannitol......probably not a good idea for this one. Odds are they won't eat the mint either.....


2. SUPER ENZYMES TABLETS
Formulated with bromelain, ox bile, pancreatin and papain,
I'm guessing I could break these open and pour some????? on his food daily or per meal??? He gets like 5 meals a day on a usual basis.

Calcium (from Calcium Carbonate)	20 mg	2%
Betaine HCl	200 mg	†
Ox Bile Extract (min. 45% Total Cholic Acids)	100 mg	†
Papaya Fruit Powder	45 mg	†
Enzyme Blend:	182 mg	†
Pancreatin 10X Supplying: Amylase 20,000 USP Units † Protease 20,000 USP Units † Lipase 1,600 USP Units †		†
Bromelain (from Pineapple)	120 GDU	†
Papain (from Papaya)	100,000 FCC PU	†
Cellulase	10 FCC CU	†
Pepsin	500,000 FCC Pepsin Units

3. SUPER ENZYMES CAPSULES
Also Formulated with bromelain, ox bile, pancreatin and papain
These and Tablets have a little bit different ingredients

Betaine HCl	200 mg	**
Ox Bile Extract (min. 45% Total Cholic Acids)	100 mg	**
Papaya Fruit Powder	45 mg	**
Pancreatin 11X Supplying: Amylase 37,000 USP Units Protease 37,000 USP Units Lipase 2,960 USP Units	134 mg	**
Bromelain (from Pineapple) (120 GDU)	40 mg	**
Acid Stable Protease (Aspergillopepsin) (50 SAPU)	10 mg	**
Papain (from Papaya) (100,000 FCC PU)	2 mg	**
Cellulase (10 CU)	0.1 mg	**

4. PLANT ENZYMES CAPSULES

Multi-Enzyme Blend	71 mg	**
Protease	12,500 HUT	**
Acid-Stable Protease	2,500 HUT	**
Amylase	2,500 DU	**
Lipase	750 FIP	**
Cellulase	500 CU	**
Lactase	200 ALU	**
Papain (from Papaya)	6,000 FCC PU	**
Bromelain (from Pineapple)	5,000 FCC PU	**

As always, thank you for your expertise! BTW, I have tried to give BOTH of my cats scrambled eggs and they BOTH snubbed their noses up at it 2x now. Just a little extra tidbit. Maybe they like sunny side up? Over Easy? Hard Boiled? Ugh! Is there a form that is NOT good or BETTER for them?

:0)
Tammi

 

[GinnyW]

I like the looks of the Super Enzyme products. I don't know how well anything will break down hair; all the traditional hairball remedies seem to focus on greasing it up to poop it out, like the vaseline. If there were a similarly textured but more natural product, that would be a good way to go. I'm not current; I remember when I was a kid we gave the cats PetroMalt. They didn't like it.

 

[Dr. Christina]

thanks, Ginny. those look good to me, too, but only if the powder in the capsules is tasty or the tablets are tasty.
Remember, Tammi, there are many, many different holistic approaches and the joy is you can think which your cats would like best, then try different ways.

Healthy cats never vomit hairballs, nor are constipated from hair, even if they are grooming all the cats and dogs in the house, so your goal needs to be balance and vitality rather than merely each symptom.

Since you switched to the better food and there is such good improvement in energy, I would suggest stopping the vaseline for a few days, and seeing what happens.

Sometime enzymes are needed for good digestion, sometimes probiotics are needed, or raw goats milk or fermented products - until your cat is completely healthy and balanced.

Most importantly, has the itching decreased on the better food? You may want to look on the site for how we approach itching and skin problems. You may need to work with a homeopathic vet (can be done by phone) or a local well trained TCVM vet.

Just checking, have you taken the FUN-damentals course? Great way to start. Especially read the section on creating your holistic health care team - lots of links there to the different organizations. Then do a search for the different issues that Chewy has.

@Dr. Jean may answer these cat and diet questions, or @Dr. Sue .
-Is there one that would be more suitable for cats?
Maybe for palatability
-Extra Calcium..... a good idea if he is eating raw frozen foods?
Usually the raw frozen need no extra calcium.
-I see they contain Sulfites which are not good for humans, are they good for cats?
-How much and how often for the one you think IS a good idea?
See above comment - when healthy no need for them, usually
-Is there a different brand anyone thinks works better?

Dr. Christina