B Complex that's less nauseating, tolerated by sick cats

Need a B complex recommendations that's very well tolerated by cats w/ sensitive stomachs, problems w/ nausea, have medical issues - CKD & prostate .
I've seen B complex names / type mentioned here & elsewhere (not necessarily for sick cats), but some of those have reviews - "very strong smell / taste / after taste - for hours." Similar things.

I'm syringe feeding Mal now - for the moment he's got nausea issues - which we're working on w/ meds. But some vitamins can be nauseating to me even in perfect health.
For sick cat, strong tasting / after taste vitamins is throwing gas on the fire.

Mal is (was ) stage 4 CKD & enlarged prostate (said to also possibly cause nausea) . Not sure if Hill's K/D or most Rx kidney foods w/ very high carbs & some additives agree w/ him - can't hold Hill's down.
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He was eating much better quality canned food & home made before CKD diagnosis than any kidney Rx has.
He didn't like Hill's non-Rx before he got sick & was a NON picky eater.

To see if Hill's or some ingred or meat quality (or lack there of) is part of problem, I'll go back to a quality canned w/ pretty low in Phos (give binder), lowER in protein than most, and / or home made - just to see.

I can't comment on which B-complexes are better for sensitive stomachs or for cats with medical issues, as that is probably very individual to the cat. But I will share with you what I know...

I'm pretty sure all B-complex formulas have a strong smell and taste. I've tried half a dozen or so, and they are the same in that regard. Even ones marketed as "low odor" are pretty odorous.     I put the proper dose in a gel cap along with other meds/supplements so that the cat can't smell or taste it. When I was using human grade B-complex formulas, the dosage is too high for kitties, so I had to break it down into a much safer, smaller amount. It became too time consuming to get the dose right. I now use Thorne B ComplexVET. It is designed for cats and dogs, so the proper dose is much easier to manage. According to the manufacturer's instructions, cats only need 1/4 capsule daily. It's still a bit stinky, so I continue to put the correct dose it into a gel cap and administer it that way.

Here's the company page:

https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/b-complexvet

I recently purchased it on onlynaturalpet.com:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Thorne-Research-Basic-B-ComplexVET/110035.aspx

You could also ask your vet about administering B12 injections if that is not already being done. Perhaps you have already seen Tanya's Feline CRF website. It's a wealth of information. Here's the page about b vitamins, including B12: http://www.felinecrf.org/vitamin_b.htm

I was thinking B12 injections might be worth investigating. Remember, too, that eggs are a great natural source of B12, and are gentle even on sensitive tummies. You could try lightly cooking an egg (raw egg whites actually inhibit some nutrients being absorbed), blending it up and syringing it if need be.

I think your plan of looking for a suitable non prescription food is a good one in the circumstances. There are some good recipes in the [thread="263751"]​[/thread] and the [thread="272287"]​[/thread], some of which are suitable for CKD cats. I recently had a discussion about syringe feeding with my vet, as it happens, and he said any food is fine to syringe so long as it's blended well enough and is thinned to the right consistency.

I hope you're able to get on top of these nausea and digestive issues soon with your boy, and that he's soon able to eat on his own again

Thank you both.
I quickly saw Thorne B complexVet before you mentioned it. Except for a couple specific vitamins, doesn't appear any lower potency than "human" types. The couple that are lower may be significant, for cat needs? Probably need long research.

While I'm syringe feeding, the taste isn't as important - unless makes him more nauseated & vomits, or hates it & becomes agitated.
Some folks report nausea from many brands B complex - some none, for same vitamin. What I've seen, in capsule / tabs, most mfgs have "B 50" & "B 100" - where many (not all) included vitamins contain 100 or 50 mg. If you have to divide them anyway, depends on how small the cat dose of a B-50 type would be - if not practical.

If / when he starts eating, taste smell may be an issue mixed in food. Can you get empty, small capsules to fill w/ meds (I need a hobby)?

Not sure, if what labels list is the weight of specific source, or is the weight of bio available vitamin (e.g., B6 or B12).
One might say: Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate (Vitamin B6) 15.8 mg
Another: Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxidne HCI) 100 mg 5000
I'd have to research that - to compare brands potency - for pet use.

Until he can hold down fairly regular solid food meals - maybe 3/D - he probably needs vitamins. Every med / supplement I already give, has to be split (or quartered / 1/8). Dividing vitamins into 10ths & keeping the 10ths separate, where you can actually use them? Maybe liquid B might be easier, if find one w/ right ratios - for cats.

I'll look into egg whites (supposedly a "clean" source of protein for CDK). Maybe just poached - easier to digest. Like humans, hard to predict what'll make a sick person nauseated.
Except chicken broth, clear liquids are a standard. That can only go on so long, before resorting to serious methods, or malnutrition / starvation begins.

FWIW: saw this on source of B12 from cyanocobalamin (contains sm. amt of cyanide) vs. Methylcobalamin:
http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/toxicity - Mentions, "People with kidney problems should not take large doses of cyanocobalamin, as they often cannot metabolize the cyanide efficiently. For more information, please see the Chronic Kidney Failure section..." ?? Does anyone metabolize cyanide "efficiently?"

Definition of "large?" They give references.
As always, given toxins may affect humans & animals differently. I have no data on cyanocobalamin & cats.

Thank you. I'm on the fence & confused about how much to give (in spite of Thorne's suggestion).
GoHolistic wrote:

"I now use Thorne B ComplexVET. It is designed for cats and dogs, so the proper dose is much easier to manage. According to the manufacturer's instructions, cats only need 1/4 capsule daily."

Click to expand...

I could be misinterpreting label values, but seems several of thorne B complexVet has higher concentrations than others (many are "100%" values).
Did you investigate that? Now, some of the sources / forms of vitamin (say, B1) may be different in one brand than another.

* When they list the chemical or natural source of a particular B,
on Thorne: Thiamin (Thiamin HCl) (B1)...110 mg., are they saying it's 110 mg of the total compound, or of vit B1?
or Thorne: Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate Sodium (Vitamin B2)....18.2 mg
My guess is, they're listing the mg of the B vitamin.
Thorne CompleVet doesn't give any DV% - because it's for multiple genera.

Blue Bonnet:

Vitamin B1 (as thiamin mononitrate)...100 mg 6667
Vitamin B2 (as riboflavin),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,100 mg 5882

Thorne complexVet has higher concentrations of some B's than others made for humans, but the source compound may be different.
So either the compound they use for B-N has less of the vitamin per mg of compound, or Thorne contains more of certain B vitamins - for pets - than human versions.
Thorne has 18.2 mg B2 (far

Admittedly, I just don't have much time nowadays to do extensive research. But I see what you're saying, and I understand why you are questioning the amounts. I was giving 1/12 of a human grade B-100 complex in the past, which is much less than what Thorne recommends. I ended up having to stop the Thorne B-complex anyway because my cat is on something else right now for a totally unrelated reason, and I don't have any more room in the existing large gel cap with his other meds. I'm trying not to have to give another gel cap if I can avoid it. I will look into it further when I decide to restart a B-complex. I may end up reducing the Thorne dose to use it up and then go back to a 1/12 of a human B-100 complex. For now, I'll continue the B12 injections prescribed by my vet.

With that said, perhaps Thorne is using the AAFCO nutrient guidelines.     Did you try contacting them? They should be able to tell you how they came up with the numbers and dosage for cats. If they are, then according to this link (see Table 4), AAFCO gives a minimum requirement of B1 (thiamine) at 5.0 mg/kg, which is 2.27 mg/lb. This means that the minimum requirement for a 10 lb. cat is 22.7 mg.    I can't answer your questions about the different compounds of vitamins and how they are calculated and absorbed.

It seems to me that if you are uncomfortable with something, then don't use it. Or talk to your vet about it. I hope you find what you're looking for. Best of luck!