Vitamin B complex and cats

My 9 yo cat has CRF.  I've posted about her before, but it's been quite awhile.  She is very skinny, and I'm trying to get her appetite up.  The last time I saw the vet he suggested giving her viamin B complex.  He said I can just buy it at the drug store.  So I got some, but I am now concerned about how much to give her.  I got liquid and put it in her canned food.  She doesn't seem to mind it at all.  Each dropper full is 1 ml.  She is about 6 lbs or less.  How much is too much?  I seemed to get an incomplete answer from the vet.  Is there a danger of overdosing?  I heard that since viamin B is water soluable, it passes through the system  so the danger of OD is very slim.  Is this correct?  

I thought I would add that I don't want to cause her any more stress than absolutely necessary, so I am delighted that I don't have to force feed her the vitamin.  I also want to avoid any more vet trips - not the expense - but the stress of the car trip.  I know her condition is irreversible and I just want her to be as happy and confortable as possible for as long as she has left.  No needles, no car trips, no prodding - just pets and loves and as much good food as she will eat!

There is a website, recognized by The American Association of Feline Practitioners, which has become the unofficial 'bible' for Chronic Kidney Disease. You will find excellent coverage of B vitamins there, including their importance, CAUTIONS, and which formulations are to be avoided, etc.

In particular, you've posted about B Complex....there is a section in there with CAUTIONS in the use of these products - and which combinations should be AVOIDED - that is something you should read through.

The entire coverage can be found here http://www.felinecrf.org/vitamin_b.htm

The woman who owns that site also runs an online support group where you'll find excellent advice and people who are currently supplementing with B vitamins - particularly B-12 - that group is here http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/tanyas-crf-support/

Dusty's Mom said:

How much is too much?  I seemed to get an incomplete answer from the vet...

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Most Vets simply cannot be specialists in every feline health condition....the nitty-gritties - the "fine points" for each condition are overwhelming for most of them. Where you will get those details is from the combined years and years of experience of members of that online group.

Thank you for that information.

detmut said:

 

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I am sorry, detmut, but what does the site that you keep referencing in different posts, and now your signature, have to do with helping the OP with her kitty with CRF and giving B-Complex? You also changed what White Shadow originally posted.

Maybe next time post the actual link on the site that will give links to information about CRF? Such as, http://www.catvets.com/healthtopics/medical_conditions/?Id=211. There the OP could have found that the site referenced by White Shadow is listed there--but White Shadow also gave a specific link to help with understanding more about B-Complex for CRF kitties. And, Helen's site (felinecrf.org), that White Shadow so kindly posted, IS recognized/recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

Maybe I'm just being too critical because I've seen you post this link quite a few times, but never any helpful direct information beyond that link--or your reason for posting this got lost on me. If so, I truly apologize.

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Dusty's Mom, just visit the link that White Shadow gave you regarding B-Complex and you can then compare the info to the liquid that you purchased to make sure it is okay for your CRF kitty. A rule of thumb with any human supplement given to kitties is 1/10th the human dosage. It can also depend on the supplement, so can get confusing, but the 1/10th rule is a good one to start with. You also want to check for any fillers in a supplement or preservatives in liquid ones for alcohol, and get the human versions that have the least fillers (capsules are best, opposed to tablets) and no alcohol. And, yes, with the right B-Complex (I used Jarrow's B-Right--even add it to my raw diet for my kitties for extra insurance), and since it is water soluble, would be safe and can't be overdosed.

For what it's worth, Helen's site was one of the first I found when my Tuffy was diagnosed with CRF at the tender age of two, and her site has grown so much over the ensuing years. Another one for the more holistically minded, although a site not solely devoted to CRF (but still some great info on CRF) like Helen's, is http://www.holisticat.com/crf.html--you could combine the recommendations from Helen's site and Sandy's site (holisticat.com) with regards to B-Complex and other CRF issues. That's what I did for my beloved, and sorely missed, Tuffy.

If considering supplements, look at the human recommended dose, for example Jarrow's formula B-right is HIGHLY concentrated. The B12 is 1667% of the daily recommended value. So 1/10th is still 166% of the HUMAN daily recommended dose. It may be water soluble, but this is an extremely high dose for an animal that weighs approximately 5% (1/20th) of the weight of a human.