Albeta - Urine acidifier ?? Any info?

beandip

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Beandip's urine pH runs a bit too high, so he is prone to some occasional peeing problems.

In an effort to get him on a food that he likes (and what I like), I've talked to the vet and opted to feed him non Rx food, but to give him an acidifier to keep his urine pH in the right range.

The vet gave me some choices: Methigel (sticky goo in a tube), which he hates. Most cats "love it". Hmm...the Bean doesn't
...or l-methionine in capsule form, or dl-methionine in a tablet.

The capsule works, but it's a ton of powder in a huge human sized capsule. So I emptied the powder into 3 smaller capsules, and just gave him those. That works, but it's a lot of pilling. He won't take it hidden in food. I tasted it and it seems tasteless at first but the afterbite catches up with you. I'd prefer one "cat sized" pill.

Anyway, I've heard of Carpon and will consider that.

And finally to the point of my post, I've done some searching and found a few references to an acidifier called "Albeta". Can anyone tell me what is in it? Or how big it is? Once a day medicine? Google turned up no info for me on this. Maybe it's the same thing that my vet mentioned she could order (which was essentially DL-methioinine in a tablet form). Either way, I will ask her but I wondered if anyone had any more info. Thanks.
 
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beandip

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Originally Posted by beandip

The capsule works, but it's a ton of powder in a huge human sized capsule. So I emptied the powder into 3 smaller capsules, and just gave him those. That works, but it's a lot of pilling. He won't take it hidden in food. I tasted it and it seems tasteless at first but the afterbite catches up with you. I'd prefer one "cat sized" pill.
My problem is partially solved, as I suspect the large dosage of l-methionine gave Beandip a bit of a tummyache today, despite giving it on a full stomach
. I'll back off on it a bit tomorrow, but I'm still curious about the "Albeta".
 

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No information about the Albeta. After I read your post I started looking for information about it and found nothing. I love doing on line research about kitty health issues.


I did find a post in another forum (found through Google search, I'm not a member there) concerning di-methionine that mentioned that excess doses could cause anemia. This was not from a vet. It was a forum post by a woman who has done a lot of research about feline urinary health. She did list links to reference sites but I'm not sure how accurate her information is. She indicated that up to 1500mg. per day should be alright. Just something to think about.

Good luck medicating Beandip.
 
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beandip

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Originally Posted by Jean44

No information about the Albeta. After I read your post I started looking for information about it and found nothing. I love doing on line research about kitty health issues.


I did find a post in another forum (found through Google search, I'm not a member there) concerning di-methionine that mentioned that excess doses could cause anemia. This was not from a vet. It was a forum post by a woman who has done a lot of research about feline urinary health. She did list links to reference sites but I'm not sure how accurate her information is. She indicated that up to 1500mg. per day should be alright. Just something to think about.

Good luck medicating Beandip.
Thanks for looking into it for me. I think I know the lady you're referring to...the cat nutrition tribe lady? She has some good info, and entertaining too. Maybe it was someone else....it's been a long day.

Beandip's dosage is/was supposed to be 500mg/day. But he didn't eat very well for the rest of the day after I gave it to him. He had a good appetite tonight though, so maybe he was just being moody. We recently gave up dry food so everyone's a little "off".
Thanks again for looking for the info!

Originally Posted by Bella713

I have never heard of the Albeta, but I use the Carpon for my Joey and it's been wonderful, but he's such a good pill taker.
I've heard good things about the Carpon. Pill taking isn't a problem for Beandip, either...that's a blessing
. It's just that splitting up that big human capsule, plus his other pill...added up to 4 pills today. Just looking to simplify things. Perhaps Carpon will be the answer.
 

white cat lover

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Two local vets reccomend the Dr. Foster & Smith Urine Acidifier. I don't currently have a link, but it is given every 12 hrs & comes in tablet or paste.
 

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Yes, it was the Nutrition Tribe lady.
The other thing I noticed was her comments about cranberries. She said that although cranberries are acidic they actually cause alkaline urine because of the way the body processes the berries. So that calls into question the whole theory of Carpon, which is made from cranberries.
Now I really have to get a urine sample from Eric and check his pH. He's been on Carpon for about a month.
 
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beandip

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Well, a small update. I noticed a difference in Beandip's "output" (less pee) with the lower dose of methionine...so I decided I had better get the whole 500mg in him every day. He's doing great. Between the moist (raw) food and the acidifier, he's peeing real well now...definitely better than w/dry food! I do still think the methionine bothers his stomach, and the vet confirmed that it was likely. She suggested Pepcid ...ugh another pill? LOL. Like I said, he's a good boy for pills, but gooooolllly that's a lot of pills.

I did get a bit better at loading those little gel-caps, so now I can get all 3 meds in 3 capsules, instead of 4.


I'm hoping we can get past this hurdle and ditch the acidifier, as raw is supposed to be helpful in that area. Interestingly enough, when I had Beandip's urine checked last week, it was 7.0 before I started the acidifier...so a little high but not ridiculously so. No crystals or anything else either.


I'm starting to think that "Albeta" was a typo or something that sent me searching for something that doesn't exist.

I'm planning to get Bean's urine rechecked in a couple weeks. We'll see.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Two local vets reccomend the Dr. Foster & Smith Urine Acidifier. I don't currently have a link, but it is given every 12 hrs & comes in tablet or paste.
I might have to check that out, thanks. I see that their site says that it is "delicious". Hmmm. Has anyone used the Foster & Smith acidifier? I'm curious if the "paste" is gooey brown stuff, like Methigel. If it's different, it might be worth a try. The tablet looks chewable, but I haven't had much luck with getting any cat to "chew" a "chewable".


Originally Posted by Jean44

Yes, it was the Nutrition Tribe lady.
The other thing I noticed was her comments about cranberries. She said that although cranberries are acidic they actually cause alkaline urine because of the way the body processes the berries. So that calls into question the whole theory of Carpon, which is made from cranberries.
Now I really have to get a urine sample from Eric and check his pH. He's been on Carpon for about a month.
That is interesting info. I think I noticed in another post that Eric's pH turned out to be up a little bit...is that right? How's it going with that now?
 

jean44

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Originally Posted by beandip

That is interesting info. I think I noticed in another post that Eric's pH turned out to be up a little bit...is that right? How's it going with that now?
I haven't tried to get another sample yet. The vet wants to wait about two months and check his blood glucose at the same time. I'm watching him to be sure there are no "output" problems. That's all I need. In thinking about Eric's last urine sample, though, I collected it about the time the infamous postprandial alkaline tide would have been peaking. That is supposedly 3-6 hours after eating. So I hope that is part of the problem.

Thanks for asking about him.
 
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