Anyone know anything about Azodyl for Crf?

I am so sorry that you are going through this with Coco. I'm losing my 14 year old cat to CRF. He has stopped eating and I'm trying to get food down him. My husband Sub-q's while I hold the cat. We got real good at that after my last Crf cat.

I have not heard of that drug. In my case I think it's to late for Ollie. He is crashing pretty hard on me.

Please update on how Azodyl works for Coco. Ollie's littermate Stanley is also starting to show signs of Crf.

Were giving him sub-q daily and trying to get a/d diet down him because he has stopped eating. I don't think he has much time left with us. I want to try to give him more time with us but I don't want him to suffer. This is the hard part of when to make the final decision.

Sorry, I have no experience with Azodyl, and no real knowledge of it at all. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences with it, for future reference!


Ollie's mom, please talk to your vet about appetite stimulants for Ollie.
Ask your vet if cyproheptadine (Periactin) might work for Ollie. Periactin is a human antihistamine, but works as an appetite stimulant for cats. It comes as a 4 mg pill, but most people on the CRF-Support-Site recommend starting low, 1/4 pill every 12 to 24 hours, and increasing until effect. My parents cat, Samson, only needed about 1/6 of a pill, twice a day. Too high a dose can cause either sleepiness/lethargy, or conversely, can cause agitation and vocalization. Both side effects will go away when the drug is metabolized out of the system. I have used it with Cleo and it also worked for her. Some people have said that it doesn't work for their cat, so I guess it might not work for all. Other people have had good luck with using Winstrol (a steroid) for appetite stimulation, but I'm not real fond of using steroids, unless the benefits outweigh the risks. Winstrol is also used for red blood cell production when cats become anemic from CRF. I have used Epogen for RBC production with great results. I would consider Winstrol for this indication, if Epogen didn't work.

Other methods for encouraging eating include: Warming the food to make it smell better, sprinkling Brewers Yeast on the food (some cats go crazy for it, Cleo was never affected by it.) Another trick is using Bonito flakes sprinkled on the food. Bonito is dried fish flakes (you can get this in oriental food stores.) Some pet food stores sell it as Kitty Kaviar.

(I copy/pasted this from a reply I made a couple of weeks ago. Sorry, I've got a cold and just can't seem to get my brain kick-started enough to think it through and type it again!)
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Thank you! I will ask the vet about the drugs you have mentioned. I know that my bengal cat had problems when she was a kitten with suspected IBD and they gave her an appetite stimulant to kick start her again and it worked like a champ.

I dont have any answers, but Im wishing all the sick cats on here get well soon.

Hi, Moose was diagnosed with the early stages of crf about a year ago, the prescrip. food wasn't enough and the vet put him on azodyl about 7 mos ago. He's been doing well on it, blood tests were much improved. It is a natural supplement, similar to acidopholus (sp?). As the vet explained it to me, it neutralizes the food in the gut so that it isn't as harmful as it passes through his kidneys. They said they had good luck with it with other patients, one of the receptionists had her cat on it as well with good results. Also, buy it on line! its almost half the price of what the vet charged. Good luck, I hope this helps.

They packed it with cold packs, it was cool when it arrived even in warmer weather.

I forgot to mention, I ordered from entirelypets.com. Another word of warning, the pills are very big, human size capsules really. I use a pill shooter, I've actually had much better luck with the bigger size than smaller pills. He has no choice but to swallow. It was just sort of a shock when I saw the size for the first time. good luck! I hope Coco does as well as Moose has with it!

My cat Skeeter was diagnosed with CRF 2 months ago. The Vet recommended Azodyl and Epikitin along with SubQ. I started immediately on all 3 as Skeeter was losing lots of weight. He had gone from 18 lbs. to 13 lbs in a period of 3 weeks. His appetite was nearly gone. After 3 weeks on this regimen his blood work has improved a great deal, and he began to eat again. He wont eat the kidney diet cat food however. In spite of that he is finally beginning to gain weight, and seems to be enjoying life again. I have to admit I was very skeptical. He is nearly 20 years old...and I had never heard of Azodyl. Skeeter is out sunning on the deck and I am off to the Vet to resupply my stash. Good luck to all you loving, hard working cat moms.

We use Azodyl at the clinic where I work for our CRF babies. Along with a combination of several other medications and various diets, it works really well in keeping them generally healthy with fairly low and stable numbers. If one of them is ever off it for a significant amount of time, you can always tell.

My cat takes Azodyl twice a day. (She is almost 17.) She just started taking it a few months ago and up for another blood check, so I don't know for 100% sure that Azodyl is working but she seems less "Oh God, I feel SO sick..." What I understand about Azodyl is that it's Probiotics in a capsule that was developed for humans. Yes, the capsule is huge but I use Pill Pockets Duck and Pea Allergy Formula and she swallows it whole. I guess cats have big mouth! I find when it comes to Pill Pockets, less is more. When you put it too much, my cat can separate the capsule from it easier. Sometimes I don't even cover the whole capsule.

 

I also give her Pepcid AC (cut in 1/4 with a pill cutter from Target) as needed, when she start making those funny swallowing noises, also with Pill Pockets. It MUST be the ORIGINAL PEPCID AC and NOT extra strength etc. Please consult your vet if it's OK for yout  to give Pepcid AC to your cat. I usually "wean her off'" if I give it to her.

 

Note: Azodyl needs to be shipped chilled. I order from petxtreme.com -(855)738-9876 in the US-their price match that of entirelypets and

my order arrived below the recommended temperature. (I tested it with food thermometer.) If you live in the Midwest or East Coast, it's a good option to order from petxtreme.com since they are in Huntsville. AL. I think I'm going to go ahead and order a year worth of it this winter to get the help from the Nature in refrigeration. Petxtreme also carry Pill Pockets.

 

As far as her diet goes, because she has constipation issues (due to years of being fed dry food...I'm sorry Chloé!) now she is on Nature's Variety Raw (Lamb or Venison.) My vet wants me to feed her Renal specific diet but: 1) She doesn't eat it and 2) It's made of grain like corn and she gets constipated on it. As treats, I save skin of chicken or turkey (sometimes Salmon skin too) for her which she loves. It sounds gross but she needs the fat because she is so old. I weigh her several times a month to make sure she is not loosing or gaining too much.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Best,

 

Chloé's Mom