Digestive aids for small pets include supplements to treat diarrhea, improve digestion and prevent
hairball blockages.
Hairball blockages often cause your cat to become constipated.
Let's look at the treatment options that are available when your cat suffers
a hairball blockage.
Not exact matches
In rabbits, a lack of fiber in the diet can also result in the formation of
hairballs from the fur they ingest while grooming, which can cause
blockages.
Without enough fiber,
hairballs can form and cause a
blockage.
Unlike cats, which can vomit up
hairballs, rabbits can't vomit, so there are a number of supplements that are designed to prevent
hairballs or help them pass to prevent a
blockage.
Diet change
Blockage such as
hairball or foreign object Food intolerance or sensitivity Toxins Cancer Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency Idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease Intestinal obstruction Irritable bowel syndrome Kidney disease Liver disease Diabetes mellitus Hyperthyroidism Pancreatitis Fungal infections Bowel Disease
Grass hay should be the foundation of your rabbit's diet as it is essential to a rabbit's good health, providing roughage, which reduces the danger of
hairballs and other
blockages.
If your bunny isn't eating enough of key foods like hay, they may suffer from problems like
blockages,
hairballs, and even a potentially life - threatening condition called gastrointestinal stasis.
Frequent gagging or vomiting undigested food, or a lack of appetite, swollen abdomen, sluggishness, diarrhea or constipation may be an indication a
hairball has caused a
blockage.
There are also times when the
hairball passes out of the stomach but gets stuck in the intestinal tract and that can become a life - threatening situation because it can cause a
blockage.
Since rabbits can not vomit,
hairballs will sit and grow inside your rabbit's stomach as they clean themselves and ingest hair and can potentially cause a
blockage.
These bacon - flavored chews help eliminate and prevent
hairballs as well as aid in removing accidentally ingested items — as ferrets are prone to intestinal
blockages.
If you don't take steps to prevent
hairballs from forming, your cat could suffer a dangerous intestinal
blockage.
Hay is crucial to rabbit health — it provides the nutrition and the roughage that they need to minimize the risk of
hairballs,
blockages, and gastrointestinal stasis.
In fact, this would be a medical emergency, because the
hairball could create a life - threatening
blockage, which requires surgical removal.
In general younger ferrets are more prone to a foreign body causing an obstruction, and middle - aged to older ferrets are more prone to
hairballs causing a
blockage.
If you notice the following
hairball symptoms, be sure to contact your veterinarian, as they could indicate that a
hairball has caused a potentially life - threatening
blockage:
If a
blockage is detected, surgery may be the only way to remove the
hairball.
Diagnosis of intestinal
blockage, says Dr. Guglielmino, is based on physical examination, bloodwork, radiography and a history of the animal's pattern of
hairball regurgitation.
Remember,
hairballs are nothing to sneeze at; they can become trapped in your cat's intestinal tract and cause
blockage, a more serious problem than occasional vomiting.
As unpleasant as this experience may be, it's far better for the
hairball to be vomited up than to potentially cause a
blockage in the cat's digestive system.
With the
hairball trapped in there, it creates a
blockage so no feces can be pass through and it creates an impaction.
Older ferrets more commonly have issues with
blockages from
hairballs.
The risk is that the
hairball can create an internal
blockage and require emergency surgery.
Without an efficient amount of dietary fiber, an animal's intestines can become sluggish, resulting in bloat and gastric stasis;
hairballs that cause
blockages and cecal impaction leading to enteritis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection of the intestines.
In rabbits, a low - fiber diet can also contribute to the formation of
hairballs from the fur they ingest while grooming, which can cause
blockages.
Bulk - forming agents, such as wheat bran, or other sources of fibre mixed with commercial cat food can help prevent
hairballs and other
blockages.