Life has to go on. I have so many to look after.
In the course of looking after Cleo ever since we discovered that her creatinine level was shooting off the roof because of chronic kidney disease (CKD), I’m again reminded that we are very, very lucky that Cow Mau’s creatinine levels are still “normal”. This is more so because his two siblings, Pole and Bunny, both had CKD and Cleo, his niece, also had CKD (it’s strange having to talk about Cleo in the past tense now…sigh).
When Cow Mau went for his annual blood test just 20 days ago, I was so relieved to see that his creatinine level was still normal. I was so sure it would have gone up to “CKD” levels, but that wasn’t the case.
However, Cow Mau has HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) which is a more accurate term to describe his “congestive heart failure” (heart not pumping as efficiently as it should. He is already on a low dose of high blood medicine (his blood pressure came down from 150 to 120 after two weeks, which is great) and blood thinners (Clopidogrel).
I was also informed that cardiomyopathy can lead to kidney issues/failure. There is quite a lot of information that supports this on the internet too.
So, as a preventive measure, I am now considering giving Cow Mau Kidney Support Gold. As you know, the reviews are amazing. Alas, I had hoped that this product would do magic on Cleo but it didn’t.
About the product and its fantastic reviews: https://petwellbeing.com/products/cat-kidney-support-gold
I can only hope that the reviews are true so that customers can use them to make decisions for their pets. According to the reviews, there are pet parents who give the supplement to their cats even when the cats do not have CKD, just for maintenance of the kidneys.
If these reviews can be trusted, then it makes sense to start Cow Mau on it.
Updates: According to the website, pets on blood thinners should not be given Kidney Support Gold, so it’s a NO for Cow Mau. I did mistakenly start him on it but I’ve stopped it now (11th Nov 2023).
Another supplement which I would like to start Cow Mau on is probiotics. Since Indy is already on Fera Organics’ Probiotics & Prebiotics, I think it would be convenient to put Cow Mau on it too.
About the product: https://www.ferapetorganics.com/collections/digestion/products/probiotic-supplement
I chose this because it was highly recommended by the Malaysia seller, Honu Paws. They carry a few probiotics but this was recommended by them. So far, Indy’s poop has been well-formed but still a bit soft, that’s all. At least it isn’t oatmeal poop.
I will always remember what I learnt from a holistic vet a long time ago. She said that if you can only give your pet one supplement and nothing else, that supplement would be a probiotic.
According to the website, it says:
- Gut health: Promotes healthy intestinal tract, digestion, and normal stools.
- Immunity: 12 powerful strains of good bacteria promote a healthy microbiome and immune system.
- Skin + Coat: Supports skin health and soothes skin-related issues associated with seasonal allergies.
- Energy: Increases gut flora for an energy boost.
Cow will benefit if it can boost his immunity since he is FIV+ and yes, he has an oily coat, probably due to some allergy or hormonal problem. Hopefully it helps in this too. The vet did suggest that I bathe him to address this issue, but after it was discovered that Cow Mau has a heart problem, she said we better don’t do anything “new” to him that might stress him out unnecessarily.
I do brush his coat very often, though. He doesn’t mind this.
Cow Mau, Bunny and Pole is/were my first rescues. That happened on 7th May 2006. We always assumed that Cow Mau is the eldest simply because he had leadership and a very caring quality. Even as a kitten, he looked after his two siblings. Pole was the carefree and athletic one while Bunny had all the signs of being the youngest. He was often clueless and confused, which made him totally adorable. Pole was so tough we thought she would outlive her brothers, but as it turned out, she was the first to leave us. She had chronic kidney failure. And Pole wasn’t even FIV+ but Cow is and Bunny was.
Sometimes, it’s so hard to predict what will happen even when you have all the facts, right? That is why I say that what happens is 50% effort and 50% chance. I put in 100% effort, but there is still that chance/luck component which may or may not help my efforts to achieve what I aim for.
Comments
2 responses to “Caring for Cow Mau”
Dr. Chan, there is another very very good Kidney supplement called Azodyl. During my cat’s Fish journey with CKD, I have fed both these supplements. They worked wonders to keep my CKD stage 3 cat alive for another gracious 6 months when the vet already said stage 3 to stage 4 is just a matter of weeks.
Do check out Azodyl online. It needs to be bought cold and not kept in room temperature. It helps to ease the kidney load of protein elimination.
Thank you. Cow Mau does not have azotemia and he is not a CKD patient. I am not looking for anything to bring down his creatinine level because as explained in the post, it is still at a normal level now.
Azodyl was very popular many years ago before other drugs came onto the market.
I am only looking for a kidney supplement, not an azotemia supplement.