Coenzyme q10?

Can I give my cat coenzyme q10? Is there anything I should know before I give? I heard it can slow down aging process. I don't want to ask my vet because he always says dry food is enough.

I am going to post two websites for you to look at: http://www.peteducation.com/article....+1448&aid=1345 and http://www.accentonpethealthcare.com/cq10.html.

I would not use any additives to your cats diet without asking a veterinarian first.

Co-Q10 is an "exotic" supplement, even for humans. It is expensive, and there's really no concensus on optimal dosing. Why would you want to give somethinig like that to your cat? If you are interested in supplementing your cat's diet, why not start with something like 1/4 tsp of cod liver oil, or perhaps a multi-vitamin supplement from a good pet store? The cod liver oil is an excellent source of Omega-3 fish oil, and has great benefit for the heart and nervous system.

Finally, if your cat is healthy, then why not just concentrate on providing the best diet you can afford, and forget about supplements. "Life extension" supplements for an animal sounds like a silly idea.

Well, i wouldn't put it past the creative sales and marketing departments at the pharmaceutical firms to say that kitties need statins in order to control their cholesterol levels.

I've always thought of CoQ10 as being used for helping with the muscle pains that can come from taking a statin for lowering cholesterol levels. Don't know if it would help otherwise.

Thanks for the link! Articles like that make me very tempted to give him coq10. I also read from various comments saying that if coq10 definitely worths the money if one doesn't want to buy lots of supplements for human. I don't know if it is true.
My old vet doesn't think cats need anything other than dry food though, and he thinks science hills is perfectly ok.

Snake oil, IMO. You'll find lots of people telling you how great the Tornado fuel saver is too.

Just feed a healthy food, weigh the cat occasionally and feel them to see that they are slightly above ideal youthful weight, play with your cat plenty for lots of good healthy exercise, and have a dental care regiment in place. These are the proven ways to increase the lifespan of elderly cats.

Originally Posted by Cat Person

I am going to post two websites for you to look at: http://www.peteducation.com/article....+1448&aid=1345 and http://www.accentonpethealthcare.com/cq10.html.

I would not use any additives to your cats diet without asking a veterinarian first.

Click to expand...

Yeah, and just click "Here" to purchase your brewers yeast, thank you very much. Nonsense marketing, disguised as science...

Thanks guys. I guess I don't need to give him coenzyme q10.

I don't know about Co Q10 not being proven for humans.  Not proven according to who?  By what standards?  A lot of things have been proven, but for political reasons the proof is not accepted by one group or another, and they just pretend that there's no proof because it fits into their political agenda.  There's a lot of clinical proof that Co Q10 works for different health problems.  I think people who claim there is no proof are just repeating what the drug companies state.  Drug companies are famous for claiming that there is no proof that anything works that's not a drug, because they don't make money off of it.  They only want to make money off of what they can patent, because that way they can charge more money.  You can't patent a natural substance that the body makes.  This is why the drug companies want to do to the supplement companies what the auto industry in California did to the railroads.  They bought up and drove out the competition.  I use Co Q10 at times and I get a lot of benefit from it.  It's the best thing, in my opinion, you can take for gingivitis or periodontal disease.  I take 30-60 mg a day and in a couple of weeks its gone.  Of course, there is the issue that your body makes it, so it becomes a question of why do you have to take it if your body makes it.  Ultimately, for your own good and your own health you need to figure out what is wrong with your health, your body or your diet  that you're not making enough.  However, our food supply is so pathetic nowdays it's really hard to get enough nutrition totally from food.  Sorry, I'll stick with my Co Q10 when I need it.  This is precisely why I'm here right now.  My cat has gum disease and I want to keep her body as intact and healthy as possible, especially since her previous owners very selfishly had her de-clawed and then wanted to put her down because she became hysterical when she woke up and realized how she was betrayed by the people she depended on.  She really needs her teeth since she has no claws.  So I was checking on the internet to see if anyone knew if it is OK to give a tiny amount of Co Q10 to a cat.  I don't want to make her a guinea pig either.

I use liquid CoQ10 and found that it decreased my blood pressure. CoQ10 needs to be very high grade in order for humans to notice beneficial effects. I don't know how much it would benefit a cat, but practically speaking most of its benefits would either be unnoticed or in forms that would be expensive or impractical to test on a cat. For instance, common benefits include lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. But there is such as a thing as cholesterol or blood pressure that is too low. So you'd have to administer the CoQ10 and then test. Since insurance wouldn't cover it, that means expensive vet visits and blood tests.

excellent personal experience with coQ10   http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-r...=B001XQV1EY#R2QHS6565MWZG&tag=&tag=thecatsite  

I started giving my 5 yr old cat ubiquinol (drops from softgels, not the product above) and his asthma improved dramatically!  Went from 2-3 coughing spells per day to 2-3 per month!  He's 6 now and still has the energy of a kitten!

I think I will keep giving him this "snake oil"!!

Monica Horn...What brand of CoQ10 are you using?

cristy-
I purchase the more easily absorbed form of CoQ10 which is called Ubiquinol, from swanson health products (online)  Google the difference between CoQ10 and Ubiquinol.  It costs more but more is absorbed, so more bang for your buck!
Since it is only for prevention- not an acute health concern- I give each cat 1/2 of a softgel 3x per week.  I would give more if I had a cat with cardiomyopathy or kidney disease.

Thank you, Monica. I am looking at the ubiquinol form, I just wanted to buy from a reputable company. I am familiar with some of them, but not all. Swanson was no one that I knew, so it will help to be able to compare prices. My Jasper has the beginning stage of kidney disease and a slight heart murmur, with his BNP being up just three points above normal. He has been on oral steroids for asthma for a long time and I am switching him to inhaled, but in the meantime, I want to try to prevent further damage to his kidneys, heart or lungs. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. There is so much information out there that it is daunting and being able to rely on some first-hand experience is priceless!

Hi again!

I've been using Swanson since 2005 and have nothing but good to say about them
Also wanted to give you this link.  It's a human study but it shows the good that CoQ10 can do!
http://www.rejuvenation-science.com/research-news/coenzyme-q10/n-coq10-kidney-failure