B12 advice for weak hind legs/neuropathy

[Joe and Jinx]

Hi everyone, I've been browsing different topics on this board and realized that Jinx probably needs some B12. He's definitely exhibiting signs of neuropathy -- he's laying down more frequently after short walks and his hind legs have gotten noticeably weaker. Based on what I've read, we can take our cat to the vets to get a B12 shot; try to get the vet to write a prescription so we can administer the shot at home; or get B12 in a pill or liquid form. Is there a consensus on what type/form of B12 is most effective?


Thank-you,

Joe

 

[Dyana]

I believe you want Methylcolabamin, which is hard to get in an injectable form. I bought some of these from a local health food store http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Encapsulations-Methylcobalamin-1000-mcg/dp/B0017CU65Y but I'm not sure it's what everyone else uses for neuropathy. And, I'm not sure of the dose either. Sorry, I'm not much help.

 

[Joe and Jinx]

I appreciate the info, Dyana!

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

This is the one I used:

http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitami ... 0-capsules

Since it's a capsule, just empty one capsule daily and mix in wet food. Whatever the body doesn't need will be peed out.

3-5 mg or 3000-5000 mcg once a day is all you need to give.

If you get pill form, add water to melt it and mix with wet food.

 

[Joe and Jinx]

Thank-you, Hillary. Did it work well for Maui?

 

[Vidya & Boo]

We give Boo Zobaline -- formulated for diabetic cats (no flavours, no sweeteners). An injection is really only needed if a cat can't absorb B12 from food (I get them myself for this reason).

 

[Joe and Jinx]

Thanks, Vidya. I really appreciate the info.

 

[Susan D]

Joe,

Forgive me if you mentioned this elsewhere, but have you had Jinx's potassium levels checked? Both of my kitties exhibited this weakness when their potassium levels were below normal, and supplementation -- I did it both at the veterinary center through an IV and through supplements -- could help.

The B12 should also be a good thing, but you may well want to get the potassium level checked.

Susan, and Angels Sasha and Orlando

 

[Joe and Jinx]

Thanks, Susan. What potassium supplements did you give them? And how long did it take to restore the strength to their legs?

 

[Susan D]

Joe (for Jinx),

Some cat owners give Tumil K supplement to their cats. However, I would not start a potassium supplement unless I had a sense of whether Jinx does have a below-normal potassium number. (I say this because too much potassium can be a problem, too.) I know with both my Sasha and Orlando, they exhibited weakness in the hind legs and the vets confirmed below-normal potassium levels.

My vets also prescribed Renal K, a potassium gluconate gel. However, my kitty Sasha did not take to the taste, so it was a challenge getting the supplementation done each day. Ultimately, Sasha was severely low at one point, so my vet worked with me to do three days of "outpatient" IV fluids with potassium supplementation and a fourth day of overnight IV treatment. This ultimately raised Sasha's potassium level from 2.4 to 3.8. Still, he was very compromised by this time and had trouble retaining a sufficient level of potassium.

I would Google "feline potassium deficiency" and also "Tumil K" so that you can find out info about both of those.

Sending good thoughts to Jinx!

Susan

 

[Joe and Jinx]

Thank-you very much for the info and good thoughts, Susan. I plan on having Jinx's potassium level checked early next week and will go from there. I've also started him on methyl B12 so based on member recommendations, I'm optimistic that will help.