Kidney Health Chews, Renal Essentials Supplement for Cats, Kidney Care and Support with Mushroom, Astragalus Root, Nettle Seed and Herbs, Chicken, 120 Count

****************************************************************************************************************** UPDATE: BELOW ***************************************************************************************************************** NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW! There are a lot of kidney support products out there (quite a few just on Amazon) and they answer the question differently; some uniquely and others with some commonalities. I detect two major groups of products: 1) SUPPORT for healthy kidneys up to early stage disease and 2) TREATMENT for early to late stage disease. And no big distinction is drawn between products for humans and those for pets; vets seem to be prescribing or recommending products without much regard for the species of the patient. This product falls under the first category (SUPPORT) and relies mainly on a slew of herbs, Omega-3 fatty acids, and the B-vitamins. Other brands may rely principally on amino acids, probiotics, bovine kidney extracts, different specific herbs, vitamins, or an array of various (sometimes only partially disclosed) ingredients. Which ones are ESSENTIAL? Your guess is as good (no, better) than mine. I have no clue. My rating of this product is not based on its nutritional or clinical value. I am just taking a long shot. Only time, if any thing, will tell whether our currently healthy pets will avoid kidney disease. Our pets accept the product with meals, even lick their food bowl clean, and this particular product is reasonably priced. I combine the reviewed product with a human-grade (& more expensive) formula by Standard Process called RENAFOOD, which relies on amino acids, bovine kidney extracts, one herb (tillandsia), and vitamin A (separate, mirror-image review). As for the second (TREATMENT) category of renal products, there does not seem to be any less variety of (disagreement over) ingredients. For one of our cats (the mom-cat & genetic contributor to our other three) that has failing kidneys our vet prescribed Rx Vitamins' Amino B-Plex, which relies mainly on about a dozen amino acids, potassium, the B-vitamins, and one herb (spirulina) and, of course she prescribed a low protein/low phosphorus renal diet (Royal Canin and Purina). Doesn't sound much different from the "support" formulas, does it? A couple of the more prominent treatment products on Amazon (Azodyl and Epakitin) have their own (mostly undisclosed & expensive) formulations. The prices tend to go up as the condition worsens--huh! Some others I plan to check out with our vet are: Standard Process' Renatrophin PMG, Candioli's RENAL and RENAL ADVANCED powders, and CLINICARE RF liquid. In summary: the reviewed product looked like a good bet and seemed to matchup with Renafood without much duplication. Our non-renal patient cats like the taste of both products and the averaged nominal cost is mid-range (circa $15; less with the human-grade Renafood dosage reduced to 1/20th and the RENAL ESSENTIALS cat tabs dosage by 1/2 for our 10-pound felines). SPECIAL NOTE ON DOSAGES: (Nothing new here, just thought it could benefit repeating). Recommended dosages by supplement marketers are not, with any general assurance, science-based or even regulated. Each marketer is free to specify dosages; an obvious potential conflict of interest situation. One suspects that the marketer sets the dosage as high as the market will bear in order to sell more product. At best, one suspects that the dosages are inflated to cover the extreme end of the useful (and safe?) spectrum (user's condition, sensitivity, body mass, environment, etc.). Sometimes the dosage instructions are incomplete or vague; one suspects for the same profit motive. Occasionally the marketer will provide dosage ranges (body weight ranges, for example) and one is left to infer (or, preferably, not) that the dosage recommended is for the highest weight in the range and also left to do the match for the lower weights in the ranges. Even here one suspects that the dosage still will be inflated after making the inference and doing the math. Marketers could make it easier by giving dosages per smaller units of body weight (say @ 5 or 10 pounds, especially with pet products). This also would make it easier for the buyer to adjust the dosage down further to match the need in less extreme circumstances and make comparisons with other products, but that consumer-friendly ease would conflict, again, with the marketer's profit motive. So, the more specific the dosage the better but even here there probably is a "fudge-factor" and room for experimentation. If the supplement has an equivalent prescription version I use the Rx dosage for the supplement; otherwise, I reduce the supplement dosage down to 1/4 or 1/2 until I get better dosage information. And this reminder about dosages does not even touch the larger question of supplement RELIABILITY (sources, ingredients, additives, contaminants, toxicity, consistency, labeling, procedures, oversight, etc.) which some medical professionals estimate to be less than 30%. Some medical professionals avoid off-the-shelf and online supplements entirely on the basis that reliability cannot be purchased at retail pricepoints. Even with fuller (FDA) regulated drugs, reliability is problematic. This note was not prompted by or directed at the particular product reviewed here. I have reviewed several products where the issue of dosages was encountered and this seemed to be as good a place as any to insert this general cautionary note. I have no reason to suspect that this product is not within the 30% group of superior supplement products. If I get any better data on SUPPORT or TREATMENT options I will edit this review to further refine what is, for kidney health, ESSENTIAL. ****************************************************************************************************************** UPDATE: !!! I HAVE BECOME A DOUBTER !!! Unless a kidney health product (and website/ad) meets the following requirements I have no confidence in its effectiveness: 1) Acknowledge the main nutritional elements for kidneys, namely WATER, EXERCISE, VET-DIET (and, of course, keeping the pets off smoking); 2) Relies on scientific studies (independent, double blind, control group, peer reviewed, replicated--those kinds of things) of exotic foods/ingredients that only small, scattered populations would (if ever) in evolutionary history have access to; 3) omits reference to practices of ancient civilizations; 4) refuses to base conclusions about the effectiveness of the product/ingredients on deductive reasoning (non-inductive reasoning only works with disciplines that have "rules", such as law and theology). I WILL NOT BE PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT AGAIN and will obtain omegas and B-vites in a product without the other unproven ingredients. This review was updated on March 15, 2012, to add more dosage details and on July 1, 2012, to reflect my personal conclusions and evaluative criteria. A side note: I am up to 6 oz of water for our non-CRF cats and up to 4 oz. for our CRF mom-cat (and the vets say give them all they can handle). Hope all this is helpful to others concerned about pet kidney health. ******************************************************************************************************************

These chews are more like meaty Gummis than "treats". I break them into little pieces and add to the meal. This is why I give them five stars - kidney cats pee like crazy, dehydrating themselves and depleting their potassium and B vitamins, which leads to weakness and other problems. Giving subcutaneous fluids as we do (it's not that hard, don't be scared), there's even more peeing. These chews replace the lost vitamins and minerals and I have seen a real difference in our girl, who is in her second year of lab-verified kidney failure. Use a high-quality canned food (if they won't eat a "prescription" food, what's the point?), a spoonful of Gerber pureed jarred meat stirred in, the crumbled chews, two a.m. and two p.m., and once a day 2.5 mg of a Pepcid tablet - quarter a 10mg tab. Kidney kitties also get sour stomachs because of their imbalances, and if they feel yucky, they won't eat. This combined plan is keeping her eating, perky, and not just wasting away. The Gerber meat probably doesn't have kitty-required taurine, so it's being used to tempt and is soft on her elderly mouth, not a complete food. Works great. The Pepcid can be crushed and stirred into the food, but better put in a clear gelcap and given with a piller followed by an eyedropper squirt of water to be sure it goes down. Sub-Q fluids are key to flushing out the stuff the kidneys can't handle anymore - there's lots of online info about the needs of cats in kidney failure. These chews won't replace adequate fluids, but I can see a real difference in her strength since we started these. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Will update review with results, TLDR at bottom: Began with vetriscience renal support treats 8/10. My cat refused to eat them, so I crushed the treats and mixed them into her wet food- and she effectively avoided the treats and became less interested in the food that contained them. So I opted for this product instead. Began use 8/16 by crushing one tablet and mixing into wet food with each meal. My cat absolutely refused to eat any food that this was mixed into and decided to eat my other cats food instead. Tonight 8/18 I decided to crush up the pill and mix it with water, load it into a syringe and administer orally. This she tolerated just fine, with treats of course. Too soon to notice results but I will update this within a month to share. TLDR: In my opinion this supplement smells bitter and unappetizing. My cat avoided any food it was crushed and mixed into at all costs. I found that crushing the supplement and mixing it with water then administering via syringe was well tolerated. If you are not willing to do that I would not recommend this product. Have not been using it long enough to be sure of results but I will update this review within a month. 8/24: i have stopped using this for my cat. astragalus can show some dangerous side effects in other supplements. the syringe administration was far too tedious. i have opted for other supplements- specifically BioRen kidney health, COQ10, and healthy kidney kidney restore probiotics. these seem to make a significant difference!

These are great supplements. we successfully use cat renal tablets and cat multivitamins from this brand. One 10yo cat lived well for over three years after ckd diagnosis. These were one of the supportive treatments we used. currently we have next in line senior cat with ckd, so back to using this tablets again. unless they change the formula, which is a concern because they recently changed the design of their bottles. and I'm taking one star off for this new design, which looks so much worse. Why in the world a pet vitamins company tries to appeal with their labels design to a creatine-stake smoothie chuggings brosphere?!

These are better accepted than the Renal Essentials fish flavored tablets so if your cat refused those, you might give these a try. I find some of the cats like them one day then not the next. The trick may be to feed just before meal time when they are hungriest. I wish the manufacturer could figure out which ingredients cause the fussiness and find alternatives. I don't like that these contain rosemary extract, but most people are feeding processed, junk food pet diets and rosemary would be amongst the least of their concerns. If you're concerned, you could feed the Renal Essentials tablets( Vetri-Science Laboratories Renal Essentials for Cats - 60 Count ) to avoid the rosemary. Most of our cats don't like the tablets but they are easy enough to crush with a mortar and pestel and, when added to food, don't create an extreme repulsion. With renal disease, the most important thing is that the cat eat and that it eat easy to digest quality protein. If adding a supplement affects appetite, it isn't worth trying to add it to food. If your pet refuses all Renal Essentials, try the Rx Vitamins Rx Renal Feline (your vet might carry this). This comes in a small enough capsule to be shoved down the cats throat or possibly hidden in a pill pocket. I also like the organic pet superfood immunity ( Organic Pet Superfood IMMUNITY Premium Supplement For Dogs and Cats ) formula for quelling the autoimmunity that contributes to most feline renal failure. I like the idea of giving these products for pets with various autoimmune conditions, not just renal disease. Always ask your vet before trying any new supplement for your pet.

We have four cats in our household, one of which was recently diagnosed with Kidney Disease. She had been fighting a severe infection that her poor little body just could not flush out and had been on multiple rounds of antibiotics. Our new vet who has turned out to be absolutely amazing and vital to improving the health and life quality of our fur babies, recommended these treats. She said this will help support the renal function making it easier for our baby to fight any future infection and prolong her life. We started using this supplement along with another that was recommended and have seen a vast improvement in her health. She is infection free and thriving. I haven't seen her so happy or playful in months. There is no cure for Kidney Disease but there are things you can do to slow the progress, extend their lives and give them a better quality of life. After hours of research and many questions with our vet I have learned that Kidney Disease is common with domestic cats and most often starts between seven and ten years old. The earlier the detection, the longer and healthier life. Hydration is key, we feed exclusively wet food as cats, unlike dogs and other animals, don’t obtain the majority of their hydration by drinking but rather from their food. Kibble actually dehydrates them and causes the kidney disease to progress faster with increased symptoms and discomfort. In addition to hydration, supplements like these can help their kidneys to “deteriorate” slower. They also offer support, like in our case, working to acidify her urine and helping to clear the infection. With KD they are unable to process the hydration intake as well and their urine becomes dilute which can contribute to infection. Cats with KD are at risk for having more frequent infections that are harder to resolve due to this. So this supplement is vital to her long term care. I’m so thankful that this product is available. All of our cats are street rescues. One is of an unknown age but is at least seven years so we started giving him these supplements as well in the spirit of prevention. He LOVES these treats and often tries to steal them from the other cat.

Absolutely essential for my senior cat with onset renal failure and multiple system deterioration. This product has stabilized Isabelle more than anything else I've tried. I no longer have to administer sub-q fluids! UPDATED, 10 Jul 2017: This is listed as a chewable supplement. None of the animals for which I use this supplement will just eat this. The tablets are too big to pill and are not coated. The only time I would ever consider pilling an animal with this would be a large breed dog, and then coat the tablet with petroleum jelly so it will not get stuck in the animal's throat. Then follow with a generous amount of water to ensure the tablet is not lodged somewhere between the esophagus and stomach. I am puzzled why supplements such as these are not made in very small capsules or tablets for easy mixing/hiding in food or with Pet Tinic or other flavorful liquid (chicken broth, tuna water, etc.) to syringe feed. I only reach for this kind of supplement when an animal is suffering from onset system failure, which tends to happen with senior pets and/or onset end of life. At that point, the animal is typically not feeling 100% and most likely suffering from appetite issues. The last thing they will eat is this chewable tablet, even hidden in food - it's often challenging to find a food they will eat – period - when they are not feeling well, esp. a cat! I currently give this to two cats and one dog. All are senior with a myriad of issues to include onset end of life system issues/failures. I crush the tablets and mix them with their other supplements, Pet Tinic, Nutrical, and watered down Manuka honey for syringe feeding. I am well versed in advanced animal care and rehabilitation. The only way I know to ensure each animal stays on a regular schedule of dosing is to syringe feed. For those pet owners who do not have the knowledge of syringe feeding, or do not want to, I would say that this supplement would be challenging to use. I do stand by my original review, that this supplement has done wonders to stabilize all three animals in regards to renal and bladder issues, and overall GI stabilities.

My can did NOT like these at all. Way too big to give as is, even cut in half. Tried crushing it with cheese, pasta sauce, food and she just wouldn't touch it. Very pungent, Im not surprised.