Where can I get slippery elm bark that isn't contaminated?

It seems like obtaining guaranteed fungus free slippery elm bark is about as difficult as obtaining ground unicorn horn. In your shoes, I'd be looking at alternate treatments. They may not be as much to your liking as SEB, but something is better than nothing.
 
ATH said:
Is it actually a problem if the bark is infected with DED???

If the tree were heavily infected, they wouldn't be able to harvest much because it would be dried out.
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This!

And you have to be prepared to take a leap here. There’s fungal agents in everything, in the air we breathe, in the food we eat. Unless you’ve found research
online that specifically says DED is detrimental to felines/animals in general, just go with whatever slippery elm powder you find, or omit it entirely. And consult with your vet, not us tree dorks. Cats are not trees, the fungal agent that causes DED in an elm tree is not likely to do any harm to your cat.

And be prepared to let go. You can only do so much.
SlipperyTree said:
Yes, it would be a problem. Would you drink tea made from tree wood infected with DED? Would you be thinking about it the whole time? Sounds pretty gross, no?
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We routinely work on trees infected with this and that, that have been sprayed with insecticide, fungicide, what have you, inhaling fine dust particles when we make our cuts. To no known detriment to our health. (Aside from allergies one might have to a species, and to creosote treated wood)

The fact there is no research on the subject of humans inhaling fine dust particles of DED infected trees should give you a sense of what kind of information you’ll find specific to felines.
 
Oh the things we do for our beloved 4 legged companion animals! Studies show many pet owners admit to taking better care of their pets than ourselves.
 
Stumpsprouts said:
This!

And you have to be prepared to take a leap here. There’s fungal agents in everything, in the air we breathe, in the food we eat. Unless you’ve found research
online that specifically says DED is detrimental to felines/animals in general, just go with whatever slippery elm powder you find, or omit it entirely. And consult with your vet, not us tree dorks. Cats are not trees, the fungal agent that causes DED in an elm tree is not likely to do any harm to your cat.

And be prepared to let go. You can only do so much.

We routinely work on trees infected with this and that, that have been sprayed with insecticide, fungicide, what have you, inhaling fine dust particles when we make our cuts. To no known detriment to our health. (Aside from allergies one might have to a species, and to creosote treated wood)

The fact there is no research on the subject of humans inhaling fine dust particles of DED infected trees should give you a sense of what kind of information you’ll find specific to felines.
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Right. I would not expect to find any studies related to felines, that is probably years down the road, if ever. I did buy some slippery elm last night though. I'm hoping that the industry standard is that they not use bark that is obviously infected since apparently they can still harvest from trees that are infected. I don't think my vet considered DED at all, she is very perplexed by my oddball feline. Anyhow, hopefully what I got for her will work. Thank you
 
surveyor said:
How about Miralax? What does your vet say?
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I have tried this and a couple of other laxatives but she can't tolerate any of them. They give her excruciating stomach pain and bad diarrhea. Like "liquidize your intestines" diarrhea. Last week I thought she was going to die from it. I even called a mobile vet over, but they wouldn't euthanize, they said it wasn't appropriate for her yet. I stopped giving her the laxatives and she has bounced back really well, but I still need to find something to give her for this. It won't go away or take care of itself.
 
I haven't given aloe Vera juice to cats but I also have trouble believing that it would be harmful. I'd start with about 20% of the recommended dose for a human. I ran a dog rescue for 15 years and we also frequently took in and re-homed cats, probably 40-50 in that time. I have never heard of a constipated cat so this is an unusual thing.
 
Njdelaney said:
I haven't given aloe Vera juice to cats but I also have trouble believing that it would be harmful. I'd start with about 20% of the recommended dose for a human. I ran a dog rescue for 15 years and we also frequently took in and re-homed cats, probably 40-50 in that time. I have never heard of a constipated cat so this is an unusual thing.
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I don't think cats who are generally healthy tend to be constipated, but cats with kidney disease definitely are. It's made worse because kidney disease also makes them pee more and become even more dehydrated. It can be an incorrigible problem, for sure. I'm surprised you've never heard of it. Did you give aloe vera to dogs? I've never heard of a constipated dog...
 
I've heard of kidney disease in cats, it isn't uncommon. It often goes with diabetes which is also not that uncommon in cats but I've never heard of the constipation part. Never had a constipated dog either so no to trying aloe vera for dogs
 
Njdelaney said:
I've heard of kidney disease in cats, it isn't uncommon. It often goes with diabetes which is also not that uncommon in cats but I've never heard of the constipation part. Never had a constipated dog either so no to trying aloe vera for dogs
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If you're interested in knowing more this website https://felinecrf.org/constipation.htm will tell you everything and probably more than you ever wanted to know. It's a huge thing.
 
SlipperyTree said:
No, I'm not overthinking this at all. This is my cat, my money, my conscience, and my responsibility to do the right thing for my pet who depends on me for everything. The website you suggested to me doesn't work. You should try it out! Just open that link and type something into their search box. Do they even ship???? They don't even have a FAQ or shipping/returns link at the bottom of their site. Their website doesn't even have a DATE on it other than when they finished the tea prices page in 2006. Who are theses people??? Why did you recommend them??? You gave me a busted website and now you're telling me I'm overthinking this. If you don't care about what I'm trying to do, then that's fine. I don't care. But you are trying to dismiss me with a busted website and a flip of your hand. Why bother. That's a lot of effort you're putting in for nothing at all other than to send people around the internet looking for something and then tell them they're overthinking it.
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Call them.. they are a bunch of herbalist hippies who purchase from wild crafters so stock is too inconsistent for web stores. Also if you need to ask questions (and I bet you will) they will do their best to answer them. If they don’t have what you want they will point you to those who can help.
Do a little research on endophyic fungi. Damn shit is in everything, best to give your cat a enema and jump on the bag
 
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