? Suggestions for kidney health supplement

[BellaBlue82]

Hi all!
As I was talking with my vet the other day, she indicated that Nico may be at risk for kidney disease. We've jumped quite a few hurdles the past year with FDM, and then HBP... Now after his most recent UTI she's a little concerned that his urine specific gravity and SDMA are a teeny bit higher than normal. I have been giving him corn silk and D-mannose when I detect a flair up, but am curious if there is something more appropriate I can give him as a supplement to help with his kidney health? Or even something else I could be doing? He has a water fountain that he loves to drink from, so water isn't much of an issue. I guess I'm just trying to delay the inevitable as much as I can.

FYI we have a recheck of SDMA, gravity, etc in a month. So I'm hoping to stop those values from growing, or possibly get a little better.
Thanks all!

 

[FrostD]

Can you share latest labs, or add to Labs tab in your spreadsheet? The latest I see is March 2023.

How you treat kidneys depends on the lab results.

@Lee Renfro you give the AminaVast for kidneys correct? You're the first I've seen use that as a supplement. Benazepril too but there's pros and cons to that

 

[BellaBlue82]

Can you share latest labs, or add to Labs tab in your spreadsheet? The latest I see is March 2023.

How you treat kidneys depends on the lab results.

@Lee Renfro you give the AminaVast for kidneys correct? You're the first I've seen use that as a supplement. Benazepril too but there's pros and cons to that

The labs sheet is correct, the latest was March of this year. He'll be getting a recheck at the end of June per the vet; she didn't seem overly concerned, but wanted to do a three month follow up to see if we need to monitor more closely, or if it was a byproduct of the HBP.

 

[FrostD]

Ok, I would see what the recheck says. There's not a whole lot "actionable" at this point. Typically the early steps are treating any underlying conditions (regulation diabetes, blood pressure, etc), then a switch to low phosphorus food and/or a phosphorus binder depending on labs, and at some point subQ fluids.

If you haven't seen this yet, this is what nearly all of us use as a reference for CKD - https://felinecrf.org/site_overview.htm

You will probably find this page most helpful - https://felinecrf.org/early_detection.htm

There is a link on that page to the IDEXX SDMA Algorithm PDF - in your case it could go either way, early kidney disease or just a byproduct of the HBP. The recommended monitoring interval is 2-4 weeks but that gets pricey...

 

[BellaBlue82]

Ok, I would see what the recheck says. There's not a whole lot "actionable" at this point. Typically the early steps are treating any underlying conditions (regulation diabetes, blood pressure, etc), then a switch to low phosphorus food and/or a phosphorus binder depending on labs, and at some point subQ fluids.

If you haven't seen this yet, this is what nearly all of us use as a reference for CKD - https://felinecrf.org/site_overview.htm

You will probably find this page most helpful - https://felinecrf.org/early_detection.htm

There is a link on that page to the IDEXX SDMA Algorithm PDF - in your case it could go either way, early kidney disease or just a byproduct of the HBP. The recommended monitoring interval is 2-4 weeks but that gets pricey...

Ok, thank you so much! I think I'm just scared for him and wanted to make sure I was doing all I can. I'm keeping an eye on phosphorus levels, and switched his food to lower phosphorus wet pates. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that with bringing his BP down his values will look better next time. I appreciate the links, those are always super helpful!!

 

[Lee Renfro]

Can you share latest labs, or add to Labs tab in your spreadsheet? The latest I see is March 2023.

How you treat kidneys depends on the lab results.

@Lee Renfro you give the AminaVast for kidneys correct? You're the first I've seen use that as a supplement. Benazepril too but there's pros and cons to that

AminaVast used to be marketed as RenaVast, but was renamed due to the USFDA filing an injunction because the makers marketed it as an actual TREATMENT for feline kidney disease. The label was reworded and the name changed to AminaVast. It contains 6 amino acids and a peptide that many people swear by as a good supplement for their kitties with high BUN and other kidney values. They hide behind a proprietary formula and no clinical trial tests, which is concerning to say the least. Many people DO swear that it works to a great extent though. There are also a few negative reviews, as it's marketed as a supplement for cats who are on a LOW PROTEIN diet. Our diabetic kitties are mostly on a HIGH PROTEIN LOW CARB diet. It wasn't lowering my Spikes kidney lab numbers at the 30 day point, so in addition to continuing the supplement, the Vet put my Spike on 2.5mg.x1/day of the ACE Inhibitor BENAZEPRIL. At the 30 day point, his lab numbers had stabilized, but were still elevated above normal. This was expected, as the clinical trials for felines on Benazapril all showed a lowering at 44 days and even better lower results at 78 days.

The benazapril works by increasing blood flow to feline kidneys and renal activity, but doesn't seem to lower feline blood pressure all that much. At least there have been clinical trials with the benazapril at 2.5mgx1/day on kitties. The only side effect that I've noticed is Spike has softer stools now. Once or twice at the beginning, he had runny stool and didn't make it into the litterbox...the Benazapril is said to actually RAISE their BUN numbers for the first 7-9 days then lower them. My Vet didn't seem concerned about that when I showed her the clinical results and just said that she's seen it work many times and to not worry about the first few days while on it...go figure.

At this point, I'm a bigger believer in the benazapril than I am of the AminaVast supplement. Either, or in Spikes case, both, seem to not be dangerous. My Vet claims that she has seen great results with AminaVast as well as the Benazapril.

I hope that any of this can help.

 

[BellaBlue82]

AminaVast used to be marketed as RenaVast, but was renamed due to the USFDA filing an injunction because the makers marketed it as an actual TREATMENT for feline kidney disease. The label was reworded and the name changed to AminaVast. It contains 6 amino acids and a peptide that many people swear by as a good supplement for their kitties with high BUN and other kidney values. They hide behind a proprietary formula and no clinical trial tests, which is concerning to say the least. Many people DO swear that it works to a great extent though. There are also a few negative reviews, as it's marketed as a supplement for cats who are on a LOW PROTEIN diet. Our diabetic kitties are mostly on a HIGH PROTEIN LOW CARB diet. It wasn't lowering my Spikes kidney lab numbers at the 30 day point, so in addition to continuing the supplement, the Vet put my Spike on 2.5mg.x1/day of the ACE Inhibitor BENAZEPRIL. At the 30 day point, his lab numbers had stabilized, but were still elevated above normal. This was expected, as the clinical trials for felines on Benazapril all showed a lowering at 44 days and even better lower results at 78 days.

The benazapril works by increasing blood flow and renal flow, but doesn't seem to lower feline blood pressure all that much. At least there have been clinical trials with the benazalril at 2.5mgx1/day. The only side effect that I've noticed is Spike has softer stools now. Once or twice at the beginning, he had runny stool and didn't make it into the litterbox...

At this point, I'm a bigger believer in the benazapril than I am of the AminaVast supplement. Either, or in Spikes case, both seem to not be dangerous. My Vet claims that she has seen great results with AmiaVast as well as the Benazapril.

I hope that any of this can help.

Thank you for the insight, this is very helpful! At least I'm a bit more knowledgeable now in case we need to move forward with next steps for Nico.