Vetoquinol Azodyl Kidney Health Supplement for Dogs & Cats, 90ct - Probiotic Pet Wellbeing - Help Support Kidney Function & Manage Renal Toxins - Renal Care Supplement - Easy-to-Swallow Small Caps

1. Chronic renal failure is a fatal disease but can be treated and your pet will probably live longer. It is growing in incidence and vets aren't sure why (research feline or canine hyperthyroidism which is often a precursor to CRF). Your pet should have a full blood panel every six months after age 8 and before that if, e.g., your pet is prone to kidney disease (Persians, Siamese, e.g., and others). The earlier you catch the problem, the longer your pet will live. Note that one of the first signs of CRF is an increase in thirst and more output in the litter box.2. Azodyl was not available for our first two CRF cats. Even so, with home-administered subcutaneous Lactated Ringer's Solution (LRS) and other meds they lived two years of good quality life after diagnosis. (See [...] for very helpful info.) One of the things we do, which you may not find recommended, is give all our pets distilled water. We also feed only very high-quality protein, relatively low phosphorus food, no mystery meat. Two of the best, in our nonprofessional opinion, are Solid Gold turkey and By Nature turkey (also available via Amazon). Keep fish to a minimum; there is a little in the Solid Gold.2. Our experience with Azodyl. Our third cat lived five years after early diagnosis, this time with Azodyl available and other good care. The Azodyl capsule is too big for most cats, thus we gave it to her mixed in food--but it was not known that one hour prior to a meal is more efficacious. We are now on our fourth CRF cat, who is 18 years old, diagnosed eight months ago from a 6-month check-up. We give her the contents of one capsule of Azodyl mixed in a teaspoon or so of food one hour prior to her main meal, twice a day. Mixed in with her main meal are one or two drops of sublingual B12 complex. On her 6-month check after diagnosis, her results were about the same--and one was back in the normal range. The vet was surprised at the results because we aren't feeding our cat any of the prescription diets due to their mysterious "meat by-product" content. Note: this is our personal choice and we are not veterinary professionals--listen to your vet and do your own research too.2. Our current CRF cat is semi-feral. It is well-nigh impossible to give her fluids unless we slip her a LITTLE valium, prescribed by our vet. Obviously, it's not a good idea to sedate her twice a week, so we haven't administered fluids as is necessary. Thus far she's drinking enough to compensate but we'll have to start giving her fluids before it's all over. The point is, even without fluids her numbers are good. I think they would have been better with fluids, though.3. After your pet is diagnosed, anticipate the weather and order a sufficient quantity of Azodyl in the temperate months to get you through the extreme heat and cold of other months so you don't have to worry about dead cultures. That said, the supply we ordered last time coincided with an unexpected hot spell and arrived with melted ice packs. It did not appear to have affected the product's quality, as evidenced by the check-up six months later.4. This information is anecdotal, of course, but our experience with Azodyl has been very positive. The keys to CRF treatment are early diagnosis, subq fluids, healthy cat food--and Azodyl. Regular checks after diagnosis and a close watch on signs of problems that accompany CRF are necessary. Read all you can--you might want to begin with FelineCRF.com .5. Now I'm going to order a 6-month supply from Medi-Vet--that's how optimistic I am about Azodyl!

My kitty's BUN numbers had increased 20 points over normal within two months, and she is in stage II of IV of CRF. I started her on the Azodyl, and a month later, her numbers have decreased 10 points. She She is also on subcutaneous fluids twice a week.I tried using pill pockets to administer the capsules, but she decided since there was something hard inside, she'd chew it first. Of course, once she tasted the powder, she wouldn't eat it. I also tried dumping the powder inside the pill pocket - again, no luck, plus, they pack a lot of powder into the capsules, and I had to use two pill pockets. So, I broke down and mixed it in with a teaspoon of her prescription wet food (Science Diet K/D). Bingo. She laps it up now with no argument. The manufacturer does state the probiotic should be given on an empty stomach. However, their website also states if it is given with no more than a teaspoon of food, it should be okay. I have also read that a teaspon of full fat yogurt also might work.For those of you having difficulty with your pet eating the prescriptive canned food, I had to mix it with regular canned food for about a week. Little by little, I began to mix in less of the regular canned food until all I did was put a teaspoon on top of the prescriptive food. My cat now is eating only prescriptive dry and wet food. Also, my kitty is on Cosaquin for her arthritic hips, and mixing that into the prescriptive wet food was helpful getting her to like it (different feeding than the Azodyl).However, I must state that my cat has maintained a voracious appetite. If your pet is refusing food, try mixing the powder into a very small amount of tuna water (liquid dissipates the probiotics too fast). Some people whose pets were much worse off than mine have had great results with Azodyl and their pets regained their appetite. A very small percentage have not had luck with it (BUN levels over 150). However, please don't give up; this probiotic is at least worth a try for a month.Update:My kitty's numbers continue to fall toward normal, albeit not quite there. However, the vet is very happy with my cat's progress and her condition is no longer considered "guarded." She looks and feels great. I am still mixing the Azodyl with a small amount of food twice a day. Considering my cat's progress, the vet did not feel giving the probiotic with a small amount of food was an issue.Straight from the manufacturer's website: "Azodyl capsules should be given whole and not opened or crushed. If necessary, administer capsule with a piece of the animal's favorite food or treat." For more information, see: [...]