Meet Today's Cat!
- Name: Tigger
- Age: 16
- Sex: Male (Neutered)
- Weight: 10 lbs
- Blood Test Levels: 2.5 (CREA), 33 (BUN)
- Notes: Has stage 1 CKD and suffers from severe arthritis. Put on a high-protein diet by caregiver.
Caregiver
Tigger (my cat) has incredibly severe arthritis, and has to take up to 9 different supplements a day.
It’s really stressful for him, so I was wondering if I could cut down the number of supplements.
Or, if possible, can I replace any of his current supplements with your (Greycoat Research) products?
If so, would that help me save money on supplement expenses?
Greycoat Research
Many of the cats who we offer consultation services to are currently taking many supplements and drugs a day, ranging from 5 to 12.
Reducing these numbers can both lower your expenses and help you maintain a more consistent feeding schedule, so we’d be more than happy to help you with your issue.
Could you tell us about the supplements that you’re feeding Tigger at the moment, and the dosage you’re giving him?
Caregiver
Here’s everything that I’m giving him at the moment.
- Dental Plaque Remover: $14.60
- Omega-3 (liquid drops): $39.99
- Probiotics (powder): $39.99
- Milk Thistle Renal Supplements: $22.99
- Antioxidants: $61.99
- Joint Supplements (capsule): $19.99
- Joint Supplements (liquid): $22.99
- Ipakitine (phosphorus binder): $33.49
- Porus One (uremic toxin adsorbent): Prescription medication
For the record, that’s 2 months' worth of supplements and medication for Tigger.
The phosphorus binder and uremic toxin adsorbent are because of Tigger’s high-protein cat food.
I’d rather not make changes to his diet, if possible.
I’m also giving him 2 kinds of joint supplements for his arthritis.
Greycoat Research
Based on our conversation, we suggest making the following changes to Tigger’s supplements.
The following are safe to remove:
- Dental Plaque Remover
- Milk Thistle Renal Supplements
We do not judge that Tigger needs them in his current condition.
Only one of the following is required:
- Joint Supplements (capsule)
- Joint Supplements (liquid)
- Antioxidants
Just the first type of joint supplements (the capsule-type) should suffice.
The two joint supplements have overlapping ingredients, so we recommend that you stick with just one.
Additionally, as Greycoat Research’s Intensive Protocol contains both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it should be able to replace your current antioxidants while offering Tigger additional benefits.
The following supplements should be changed:
- Probiotics (powder)
- Omega-3 (liquid drops)
You can switch out your current probiotics with our Probiotics Protocol supplements.
In the case of the omega-3, we recommend switching to capsule-type omega-3 supplements.
Omega-3 oils are prone to going bad when exposed to oxygen, and this can lead to inflammation in your cat’s body.
Capsules are more resistant to rancidity than oil, making them a safer option.
Additionally, when choosing omega-3 products, we recommend choosing those with at least 1000 mg of DHA and EPA per serving.
The following supplements (and food) merit caution:
- Ipakitine (phosphorus binder)
- Porus One (uremic toxin adsorbent)
- High-protein cat food
Tigger’s BUN level of 33 is comparatively high when considering his CREA level of 2.5.
Furthermore, his CREA level of 2.5 itself is at risk of skyrocketing.
As such, we advise taking Tigger off his high-protein diet and putting him on a renal diet.
However, we understand that Tigger might be attached to his current lifestyle and diet.
If Tigger is resistant to a complete overhaul of his diet, we suggest mixing renal cat food into his current high-protein cat food.
This, in turn, means that you will not have to feed him Ipakitine.
However, as his BUN is still high, and if he insists on eating high-protein cat food, then you should continue to give him Porus One.
While many people focus on creatinine levels when it comes to feline CKD and kidney care, BUN is also an important factor to monitor to ensure your cat’s health.
If you continue to feed Tigger a high-protein diet, his BUN and phosphorus levels are likely to go up.
As such, we once again recommend slowly transitioning him to a renal diet.
With all the changes applied, Tigger’s new schedule would look something like this:
- Probiotics Protocol: 1 capsule per day
- AIM Dr. Toru Protocol: 2 capsules per day (morning and evening)
- Intensive Protocol: 1 capsule per day
- Joint Supplement: 1 capsule per day
- Porus One: 1 sachet per day
- Omega-3: 2 capsules per day (morning and evening)
With these changes, Tigger’s daily schedule has gone down from 9 supplements a day to 6!
Furthermore, both the expenses and time required to feed Tigger the supplements will have also gone down.
Please feel free to contact us when your order arrives!
We’ll work with you to help you figure out the optimal time to administer Tigger’s supplements to best suit your own daily schedule.
We look forward to hearing back from you and Tigger!
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In this consultation case, the names of specific supplements have been removed and replaced with an identifier, with an exception being made for products that have no replacements and prescription medications. The details of this consultation are relevant to Tigger, based on Tigger’s personal blood test results and supplement regimen.
No one cat is the same - each cat has different circumstances and conditions that require customized consultations accordingly.
| Greycoat Research offers free, expert consultation services for cat caregivers with questions about our supplements and their administration to ensure that every cat can receive the customized care they need.
In order to make important information more readily available to all cat caregivers seeking help with their cat’s CKD, we at Greycoat Research are compiling our consultation cases and making them publicly available*. *Any personal information that could be used to identify our customers and their cats have been removed to protect their privacy. |
