Years ago, our vet suggested adding a little ferretone to some
vaseline & giving 1/4- 1/2 tsp. weekly as a treat. He explained that
laxatone`s main ingredient is petroleum jelly (vaseline). The big
difference was that vaseline didn`t contain corn syrup, malt syrup, or
cane molasses etc. like the prepared lax did. This was good enough for
us, & we have used (and recommended) it for about 10 years.

Chemistry - Mineral Oil, also known as liquid petrolatum , liquid
paraffin or white mineral oil occurs as a tasteless, odorless (when
cold), transparent, colorless, oily liquid that is insoluble in both
water and alcohol. It is a mixture of complex hydrocarbons and is
derived from crude petroleum. For pharmaceutical purposes, heavy
mineral oil is recommended over light mineral oil, as it is believed
to have a lesser tendency to be absorbed in the gut or aspirated after
oral administration.

White petrolatum, also known as white petroleum jelly or white soft
paraffin occurs as a white or faintly yellow unctious mass. It is
insoluble in water and almost insoluble in alcohol. White petrolatum
differs from petrolatum only in that it is further refined to remove
more of the yellow color

Pharmacology - Mineral oil and petrolatum act as a laxatives by
lubricating fecal material and the intestinal mucosa. They also reduce
reabsorption of water from the GI tract, thereby increasing fecal bulk
and decreasing intestinal transit time.

Here`s the ingredient list for laxatone:
White petrolatum USP, light mineral oil NF, corn syrup, malt syrup,
soybean oil, water, cane molasses, gelatin by-products, sodium benzoate
(preservative), iron proteinate, artificial flavors. Tuna Flavored:
White petrolatum USP, light mineral oil NF, corn syrup, malt syrup,
soybean oil, cane molasses, water, gelatin by-products, sodium benzoate
(preservative), natural and artificial flavors

Here`s the ingredient list for petromalt:
Petromalt is an emulsion of Liquid Petrolatum 44%, Malt Syrup 47%,
Glycerine 7%, Acacia 2%, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine HCI) 1 mg

I hope this helps.

Love,
Zoo

[Posted in FML 6526]