Journaling, A New Supplement, Suppliers and $

August 2009 - Searching for Meds & Supplements

Before continuing with information about medicines and supplements, let's talk about journaling.  Soon after Simone was diagnosed with CRF, I decided to set up an Excel workbook to keep track of her treatment program.  I started a journal as part of that workbook.  The journal provided me with a record that I could look back at over time.  In the journal I recorded changes in (1) the treatment program, (2) diet, (3) behavior, and (4) miscellaneous signs and symptoms.  With the journal I didn't have to rely on my memory as to what was tried, what worked, or what failed.  Also, I was better able to spot trends in Simone's behavior, so I could make more timely decisions about her treatment.  The journal entries were made periodically, but only when a significant change needed to be recorded.  They were short and to the point. Additionally, the Excel workbook contained worksheets for lab work, expenses, suppliers, and the daily regimen.  Here is the journal entry for August 24, 2009:

Returned to daily sub-Q treatments using 75 mL starting on 8/27/09.  Added in 1/2 t. of epakatin twice per day to reduce toxins.

The epakitin, manufactured by Vetoquinol, was an additional supplement.  It's classified as a renal detoxifier and nutritional supplement.  The ingredients are lactose, calcium carbonate, chitosan, and hydrolyzed soy protein.  For some bizarre reason, this product is rather pricey although it contains cheap ingredients.

Of course, initially I got the meds like Cypro, Tumil-K, sub-cutaneous fluid, and injection paraphernalia from my vet.  But getting supplies from a vet can be costly, so I quickly turned to the internet to locate low-cost providers.  The overall cost to care and feed a cat with CRF can be daunting.  It's really a good idea to have some idea about the expenses as you go into it so you can be financially prepared.  In my case, I'm on a fixed income, so I needed to watch costs closely.  In the first year of treatment, the total cost of supplements, medicines, blood tests, and exams was $1408.  This sum excludes other costs like food and litter.  Before the CRF affair, Simone had been a very healthy and rarely visited a vet.  So, I justified the expense by averaging her health care over her lifetime.  Looking at it that way, the annual expense over a lifetime was less than $100.  That sounded fair to me.  We don't have pet insurance.  Could we have saved money if we had it?  I really don't know, because I never looked into it.  Readers, if you have experience with pet insurance, particularly as regards CRF, please comment.

Looking around for low-cost providers did ratchet the costs down, so the total expenses for year #2 should be much lower.  Please comment if you know of other low cost providers.  Currently, here are the suppliers and costs (includes S&H) for Simone's treatment program:

RenaKare (=Tumil-K)	2	100/btl	Thriving Pets	$36.55
Renafood	3	90/btl	Amazon	$46.01
Rena Essentials	3	60/btl	Amazon	$26.62
Cyproheptadine	1	60/btl	Drs. Foster & Smith	$22.20
Aluminum Hydroxide (Alumi-Gel)	3	12 oz/btl	Amazon	$20.89
Epakitin	2	150g/btl	Amazon	$55.88
Lactated Ringers + Delivery Kit	7	each	Drs. Foster & Smith	$57.13
Terumo Needles	2	100/bx	Thriving Pets	$18.30
3 cc Plastic Syringes (feeding)	30	each	Amazon	$8.60

Notes:

1. Some of these items require a vet's prescription such as RenaKare, cypro, and Lactated Ringers.  Both Thriving Pets and Drs. Foster & Smith will request prescriptions from the vet after placing the order.
2. The cypro tablets were broken into quarters for Simone's treatment, so the total units per bottle was actually 240.
3. The Alumi-Gel is mixed 1:1 with water which doubles the amount of the medicine; 3 bottles should last several years.
4. The two bottles of Epakitin should last at least 6 months.
5. Lactated Ringers, the sub-Q fluid bag, requires a delivery kit for each bag; after the bas is used up, both the bag and the delivery kit should be disposed of.
6. The Terumo needles for sub-Q delivery come highly recommended as they are easily inserted and removed from under the cat's skin; these are used once and disposed of.
7. The 3cc syringes are used to deliver the medicines and supplements via mouth feeding; typically a syringe will last 4 to 6 days if kept clean.

Coming up:  (1) Another supplement is considered but gets thumbs down and (2) supplement preparation.  Purr on!!!

Simone & Me

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods.  Cats have never forgotten this."

>< Anonymous