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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
My cat was diagnosed with CRF.
He is between 7-8. He has mildly elevated creatinine levels and kidneys that are about 10% too small. He has eaten dry Wellness Lite for most of his life, which as many people know, is one of the few cat foods that doesn't have by products in it and is made with human grade ingredients. The vet mentioned "K/D Diet" which I discovered is made by Hills, makers of "Science Diet," about which I've heard some not-so-nice things. Looking up the info on "K/D Diet" shows it's made with by products: http://www.hillspet.com/products/product_details.jsp?FOLDERfolder_id=253437430203 7389&bmUID=1159453150344&PRODUCTprd_id=845524441 760666 Looking a bit more I found one by Eukanuba (Iams) that looks better called "EVDF Multi-Stage Renal Nutritional Kidney Formula." It doesn't appear to have any by products: http://www.petrx.com/index.asp?PageA...ROD&ProdID=253 The only other food I could find is by Purina and called "Purina NF." The dry type doesn't seem to have any by products in it: http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com...l.aspx?prod=16 It was suggested to feed Wysong as something that is comparable to Wellness. I found that the Wysong Rx food for kidney health is Nephreon: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/nephreon.pdf It has a high protein content at 50%. The other Rx foods by Hills, Eukanuba, and Purina all have reduced protein levels below 30%. I had e-mailed Wysong asking about the high protein content of the Rx food, as well as the fact that it seems to be for BOTH dogs and cats. I got a real lengthy reply, a lot of which looks like some copy and pasted info as well as promotional info. It's left me more confused than ever as to what I should be doing to help my cat. Some of the points from the text: - Wysong doesn't believe reduced protein food is necessary or even good for cats with CRF. (This contradicts my vet who mentioned Hills K/D Diet.) - The Wysong Nephreon Rx food is not meant to be a primary diet, but "meant to be more of an adjunct diet." (???) They recommend I feed their product for senior cats (Geriatrx) if my cat has CRF. (???) Here's the text of the reply. (The first part is about why some of their foods are the same formula for both dogs and cats.) Does it confuse you as much as it does me? ------------------------- "Wysong does have several foods that are Canine/Feline in nature, including Archetype™ (“complete” for cats and dogs of all ages), Anergen™ (“complete” for cats over 6 months and dogs of all life-stages – recommend additional meat for cats), Vegan™ (designed to be supplemented with fresh meat or the All Meat Diets), the canned Gourmet Diets™ and Stew Diets™ (complete for cats and dogs of all ages), and the All Meat Canned Diets™ (designed to be a supplement to the dry diets, or when fed alone, supplemented with Call of the Wild™). Wysong Diets are designed to mimic the animal’s natural feeding patterns. As with all Wysong-designed programs, our goal is to feed companion animals what they are genetically adapted to. In the wild, cats and dogs have a fundamentally similar carnivorous (meat-based) diet. For instance, in the wild a wolf and lynx hunt for essentially the same type of prey animals. The difference is that cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they require meat in their diet because they cannot manufacture certain nutrients that are only found in meat, whereas dogs can live on more vegetable matter because they can manufacture those nutrients within their own body. However, as mentioned, they normally would both eat a similar type meat-based diet and not the processed diets prepared by humans. For cats with kidney disease we generally recommend Geriatrx™, which is available in a dry and canned form. You might also consider PDG™. It contains probiotics and enzymes, which enhance digestion and absorption. Nephreon™ is actually based on Wysong’s Archetype™ diet, which is a dehydrated raw food. You can feed it dry or add water to it in order to rehydrate it. This diet is designed to provide a concentrated source of natural nutrition combined with nutraceuticals for the specific health problem. It is meant to be more of an adjunct diet, than a sole diet. Contrary to popular myth, diets rich in protein ('high protein diets') do not cause kidney damage. Research done decades ago indicated that rodents were adversely affected by diets high in protein and misguided researchers extrapolated that data to apply to the canine and feline. Recent evidence indicates that protein may not be a factor in slowing the kidney disease progression. '...Restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function.' (See KIRKS VETERINARY THERAPY XIII, Small Animal Practice, W. B. Saunders, page 861). The effect of protein restriction on the progression of renal damage in dogs and cats remains controversial and no definitive study exists on this matter. Not enough protein in the diet can be equally detrimental and protein malnutrition in patients with renal failure can facilitate the occurrence of other complications or lead to an early death. Studies have revealed that protein restriction made no difference at all in longevity. The effect of dietary protein restriction alone on the progression of chronic renal failure is either minimal or non-existent. Depletion of protein reserves can occur if too little protein is fed or consumed. Studies have showed that there is an inverse relation between the blood urea content and the biological value of the diet: Wysong RX diets have highest quality meat protein of any pet diet. Inadequate and improper protein sources should be considered. The kidneys also take a hard hit from many toxins to which the body is exposed. All of the conventional nutrition research is done with processed foods. Therefore, a diet that has high levels of cooked protein is more stressful to the kidneys and results in higher toxicity (BUN) in the blood if the kidneys are not functioning well: Wysong RX diets are non-thermally processed, and the protein is not degraded. Chemicals in food (like preservatives, coloring agents and artificial flavoring agents) and in the environment (contaminated water, air and soil) are directly stressful to the kidneys: Wysong RX diets do not contain artificial color or additives. WRX incorporates state-of-the art packaging technology including oxygen and light barrier film & vacuum evacuation thus preventing the formation of toxins by auto oxidation & photo oxidation. High blood pressure in the kidney deteriorates the organ rapidly, and a decrease in blood pressure can slow the progression of kidney disease. Studies have shown that, supplementation with dietary omega 3 oils provides renoprotective effects in dogs with subtotal nephrectomy models of CRF. Proteinurea & histologic injury (glomerulus) were less in dogs receiving fish oil. Supplementation with omega 6 oils increases GFR: Along with Wysong RX diets Nephreon TM , supplementation with nephurol, and Wysong EFA is suggested. The probiotic bacteria in the gut hydrolyze urea to ammonia and incorporate it into their own protein. When the bacteria are excreted in the feces, along with them go the nitrogenous wastes. The growth-promoting effects of probiotics have been ascribed to suppression of urea hydrolysis and subsequently reduced ammonia production in the GI tract: The fermentation products in Wysong RX diets aid in the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut, which in turn reduce the GI load of urea. References: 1. Canine & Feline Nutrition, second edition, by Case Carey & Hirakawa Daristotle. 2. Managing a renal crisis by Martha S. Gearheart, DVM, Diplomate, American board of Veterinary Practitioners 3. Nutritional management of chronic renal failure (CRF) in Dogs & Cats by Dennis J. Chew, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal medicine), Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio & Patricia A. Schnck, DVM, PhD, Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, MI. 4. geriatric Nutrition: Protein; Purina Research Update 5. Kidney failure & diseases in the dog & the cat at ThePetCenter.com Do not be misled by foods that claim 100% complete and balanced (http://www.wysong.net/dontbefooled/100complete.shtml). Even though we may not make such a claim on a label, our foods have as much and more nutrition than any on the market. Regardless of how good a food is, it should not be fed at every meal. That is why we do not make the claim, not because our foods are deficient in some way." ------------------------- The other thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way regarding "what should I feed?" with Wysong is their answer to that question: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/imconfused.pdf It strikes me as kind of condescending, and also doesn't answer the question. In my case, it is a bigger deal because my cat will basically be on a therapeutic diet. So if I do go with Wysong, I'm currently looking at: - Geriatrx (every other day) - Nephreon (every other day) - PDG (surface sprinkle every day) - EFA - Nephurol Additionally, this link: http://www.wysong.net/therapy_prevention.shtml Suggests that additional products should also be fed to a cat or dog with kidney problems: - F Biotic - Pet Inoculant - One or more of their "antioxidant" products: Spectrox, Food Ace, Food C, and Mega C - Well Spring (added to drinking water) And this link: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/introduction.pdf Suggests to also feed Archetype and All Meat foods (page 27). Eukanuba EVDF is looking a lot more straightforward and simpler. Its ingredients are comparable to Wellness, and it even costs about the same. I'm really torn about what to do. Money isn't a problem, I can spend the extra bucks on all the different Wysong items. But with Wysong, there's so much mixing and matching and adding different supplements I'm worried I won't be feeding my cat correctly for his condition. I would be most interested and appreciative of any input. |
#2
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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
"Artificial Silence" wrote in message
... My cat was diagnosed with CRF. He is between 7-8. He has mildly elevated creatinine levels and kidneys that are about 10% too small. He has eaten dry Wellness Lite for most of his life, which as many people know, is one of the few cat foods that doesn't have by products in it and is made with human grade ingredients. The vet mentioned "K/D Diet" which I discovered is made by Hills, makers of "Science Diet," about which I've heard some not-so-nice things. Looking up the info on "K/D Diet" shows it's made with by products: http://www.hillspet.com/products/product_details.jsp?FOLDERfolder_id=253437430203 7389&bmUID=1159453150344&PRODUCTprd_id=845524441 760666 [snip] When one of my cats developed CRF (around age 15), my vet prescribed Hill's K/D. Her kidney values improved under this diet. She eventually died (almost 19 years of age) of congestive heart failure following years battling seizures and being on phenobarbitol. Check out this link for dry cat food analysis: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/dry.htm There's also a canned food page: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canned.htm There are a bunch of other CRF pages you can find. There is contradictory information out there, so it's tough to decide when you want to do the best for your cat. My non-expert preference is to continue feeding elderly cats a quality complete and balanced food, but with lower phosphorus and protein levels, and not screw around with "supplements" or "herbal remedies" that can potentially do more harm than good. Not only did my elderly cat's kidney values improve, but my young cats ate the same "CRF" food for a few years (supplemented with adult canned) to no ill effects, as far as I and my vet can tell. Gail F. Owned by Lao Ma, Ephiny, Minya, Melosa |
#3
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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
"Gail Futoran" wrote:
When one of my cats developed CRF (around age 15), my vet prescribed Hill's K/D. Her kidney values improved under this diet. She eventually died (almost 19 years of age) of congestive heart failure following years battling seizures and being on phenobarbitol. Check out this link for dry cat food analysis: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/dry.htm There's also a canned food page: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canned.htm I know that renal Rx foods are supposed to be low protein, low sodium, and low phosphorous. The Wysong article talks about low protein probably not being necessary, which my vet agreed with, but he did say low phosphate and low sodium was definitely important. I find those links very enlightening... Wysong doesn't publish that info at all, I wonder why... Geriatrx has .90% phosphorous, which is what they recommend for CRF cats?!?! I hate to sound negative, but based on all the correspondence I've gotten from Wysong so far, it almost makes it sound like they are saying that the CRF was *caused* by not feeding their food, and switching to *any* of their foods will help improve my cat's condition. I would be willing to bet this is probably what they tell anyone coming to them with questions about feeding their foods to a cat with *any* health problem. "Gail Futoran" wrote: My non-expert preference is to continue feeding elderly cats a quality complete and balanced food, but with lower phosphorus and protein levels, and not screw around with "supplements" or "herbal remedies" that can potentially do more harm than good. I have been posting around the net and this is what I keep hearing... a cat is on a high quality food (like Wellness, Sensible Choice, etc.) and is diagnosed with CRF at some age over 10 years, is switched to Hills K/D, and pretty much lives to a natural age with little to no visible renal symptoms. I will probably just go with Hills K/D, which is what my vet recommended in the first place... |
#4
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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
"Artificial Silence" wrote in message
... [big snip] I have been posting around the net and this is what I keep hearing... a cat is on a high quality food (like Wellness, Sensible Choice, etc.) and is diagnosed with CRF at some age over 10 years, is switched to Hills K/D, and pretty much lives to a natural age with little to no visible renal symptoms. I will probably just go with Hills K/D, which is what my vet recommended in the first place... I hope it all works out for your cat. Gail F. Housemaid to Lao Ma, Ephiny, Minya, Melosa |
#5
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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
Artificial Silence wrote:
I will probably just go with Hills K/D, which is what my vet recommended in the first place... That's what I'm giving my cat, also recently diagnosed with CRF. She won't touch the canned K/D, but seems quite happy with the dry K/D. Her vet suggested R/D if she wouldn't eat the K/D, but she won't eat the canned R/D either. It's important for CRF cats to stay hydrated, and canned food helps with that, but even the very best food is worthless if the cat won't eat it. You mentioned in your first post that one of your concerns with the Science Diet foods is that they use byproducts in the food. "Byproduct" just means parts of the animals that we humans usually choose not to eat, and there really is nothing wrong with byproduct meats. (Some people would regard the liver, heart, and tongue to be byproducts--I call them delicacies.) Cats, given a choice, will eat almost all parts of their prey, including bones, guts, and hair, and they actually need some nutrients that they get from the parts we would reject. When mine eat a mouse they've caught themselves (which they prefer to the food I offer them) the only thing left is the stomach. I don't think you should have any concerns about the byproducts as long as the nutrient values and digestibility are good. -- Kathy - help for new users at http://www.aptalaska.net/~kmorgan/ Good Net Keeping Seal of Approval at http://www.gnksa.org/ OE-quotefix can fix OE: http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/ |
#6
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Wysong vs. other Rx foods for a cat with CRF
Please look at the CRF groups out there. I went through that with my cat
Jimmy and found a great group of helpful people with advice and experience. Information about dry and canned cat foods are here, too. Many cats will not eat the vet recommended Hills K/D and here you can find other choices. Cat food info http://www.mindspring.com/~kerspin/ Check out the yahoo group for support and help. You will need to join but it is free. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/felinecrfsupport/ You don't have to go it alone with CRF Best wishes Mary (with Bruno & Checkers) "Artificial Silence" wrote in message ... My cat was diagnosed with CRF. He is between 7-8. He has mildly elevated creatinine levels and kidneys that are about 10% too small. He has eaten dry Wellness Lite for most of his life, which as many people know, is one of the few cat foods that doesn't have by products in it and is made with human grade ingredients. The vet mentioned "K/D Diet" which I discovered is made by Hills, makers of "Science Diet," about which I've heard some not-so-nice things. Looking up the info on "K/D Diet" shows it's made with by products: http://www.hillspet.com/products/product_details.jsp?FOLDERfolder_id=253437430203 7389&bmUID=1159453150344&PRODUCTprd_id=845524441 760666 Looking a bit more I found one by Eukanuba (Iams) that looks better called "EVDF Multi-Stage Renal Nutritional Kidney Formula." It doesn't appear to have any by products: http://www.petrx.com/index.asp?PageA...ROD&ProdID=253 The only other food I could find is by Purina and called "Purina NF." The dry type doesn't seem to have any by products in it: http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com...l.aspx?prod=16 It was suggested to feed Wysong as something that is comparable to Wellness. I found that the Wysong Rx food for kidney health is Nephreon: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/nephreon.pdf It has a high protein content at 50%. The other Rx foods by Hills, Eukanuba, and Purina all have reduced protein levels below 30%. I had e-mailed Wysong asking about the high protein content of the Rx food, as well as the fact that it seems to be for BOTH dogs and cats. I got a real lengthy reply, a lot of which looks like some copy and pasted info as well as promotional info. It's left me more confused than ever as to what I should be doing to help my cat. Some of the points from the text: - Wysong doesn't believe reduced protein food is necessary or even good for cats with CRF. (This contradicts my vet who mentioned Hills K/D Diet.) - The Wysong Nephreon Rx food is not meant to be a primary diet, but "meant to be more of an adjunct diet." (???) They recommend I feed their product for senior cats (Geriatrx) if my cat has CRF. (???) Here's the text of the reply. (The first part is about why some of their foods are the same formula for both dogs and cats.) Does it confuse you as much as it does me? ------------------------- "Wysong does have several foods that are Canine/Feline in nature, including ArchetypeT ("complete" for cats and dogs of all ages), AnergenT ("complete" for cats over 6 months and dogs of all life-stages - recommend additional meat for cats), VeganT (designed to be supplemented with fresh meat or the All Meat Diets), the canned Gourmet DietsT and Stew DietsT (complete for cats and dogs of all ages), and the All Meat Canned DietsT (designed to be a supplement to the dry diets, or when fed alone, supplemented with Call of the WildT). Wysong Diets are designed to mimic the animal's natural feeding patterns. As with all Wysong-designed programs, our goal is to feed companion animals what they are genetically adapted to. In the wild, cats and dogs have a fundamentally similar carnivorous (meat-based) diet. For instance, in the wild a wolf and lynx hunt for essentially the same type of prey animals. The difference is that cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they require meat in their diet because they cannot manufacture certain nutrients that are only found in meat, whereas dogs can live on more vegetable matter because they can manufacture those nutrients within their own body. However, as mentioned, they normally would both eat a similar type meat-based diet and not the processed diets prepared by humans. For cats with kidney disease we generally recommend GeriatrxT, which is available in a dry and canned form. You might also consider PDGT. It contains probiotics and enzymes, which enhance digestion and absorption. NephreonT is actually based on Wysong's ArchetypeT diet, which is a dehydrated raw food. You can feed it dry or add water to it in order to rehydrate it. This diet is designed to provide a concentrated source of natural nutrition combined with nutraceuticals for the specific health problem. It is meant to be more of an adjunct diet, than a sole diet. Contrary to popular myth, diets rich in protein ('high protein diets') do not cause kidney damage. Research done decades ago indicated that rodents were adversely affected by diets high in protein and misguided researchers extrapolated that data to apply to the canine and feline. Recent evidence indicates that protein may not be a factor in slowing the kidney disease progression. '...Restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function.' (See KIRKS VETERINARY THERAPY XIII, Small Animal Practice, W. B. Saunders, page 861). The effect of protein restriction on the progression of renal damage in dogs and cats remains controversial and no definitive study exists on this matter. Not enough protein in the diet can be equally detrimental and protein malnutrition in patients with renal failure can facilitate the occurrence of other complications or lead to an early death. Studies have revealed that protein restriction made no difference at all in longevity. The effect of dietary protein restriction alone on the progression of chronic renal failure is either minimal or non-existent. Depletion of protein reserves can occur if too little protein is fed or consumed. Studies have showed that there is an inverse relation between the blood urea content and the biological value of the diet: Wysong RX diets have highest quality meat protein of any pet diet. Inadequate and improper protein sources should be considered. The kidneys also take a hard hit from many toxins to which the body is exposed. All of the conventional nutrition research is done with processed foods. Therefore, a diet that has high levels of cooked protein is more stressful to the kidneys and results in higher toxicity (BUN) in the blood if the kidneys are not functioning well: Wysong RX diets are non-thermally processed, and the protein is not degraded. Chemicals in food (like preservatives, coloring agents and artificial flavoring agents) and in the environment (contaminated water, air and soil) are directly stressful to the kidneys: Wysong RX diets do not contain artificial color or additives. WRX incorporates state-of-the art packaging technology including oxygen and light barrier film & vacuum evacuation thus preventing the formation of toxins by auto oxidation & photo oxidation. High blood pressure in the kidney deteriorates the organ rapidly, and a decrease in blood pressure can slow the progression of kidney disease. Studies have shown that, supplementation with dietary omega 3 oils provides renoprotective effects in dogs with subtotal nephrectomy models of CRF. Proteinurea & histologic injury (glomerulus) were less in dogs receiving fish oil. Supplementation with omega 6 oils increases GFR: Along with Wysong RX diets Nephreon TM , supplementation with nephurol, and Wysong EFA is suggested. The probiotic bacteria in the gut hydrolyze urea to ammonia and incorporate it into their own protein. When the bacteria are excreted in the feces, along with them go the nitrogenous wastes. The growth-promoting effects of probiotics have been ascribed to suppression of urea hydrolysis and subsequently reduced ammonia production in the GI tract: The fermentation products in Wysong RX diets aid in the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut, which in turn reduce the GI load of urea. References: 1. Canine & Feline Nutrition, second edition, by Case Carey & Hirakawa Daristotle. 2. Managing a renal crisis by Martha S. Gearheart, DVM, Diplomate, American board of Veterinary Practitioners 3. Nutritional management of chronic renal failure (CRF) in Dogs & Cats by Dennis J. Chew, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal medicine), Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio & Patricia A. Schnck, DVM, PhD, Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, MI. 4. geriatric Nutrition: Protein; Purina Research Update 5. Kidney failure & diseases in the dog & the cat at ThePetCenter.com Do not be misled by foods that claim 100% complete and balanced (http://www.wysong.net/dontbefooled/100complete.shtml). Even though we may not make such a claim on a label, our foods have as much and more nutrition than any on the market. Regardless of how good a food is, it should not be fed at every meal. That is why we do not make the claim, not because our foods are deficient in some way." ------------------------- The other thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way regarding "what should I feed?" with Wysong is their answer to that question: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/imconfused.pdf It strikes me as kind of condescending, and also doesn't answer the question. In my case, it is a bigger deal because my cat will basically be on a therapeutic diet. So if I do go with Wysong, I'm currently looking at: - Geriatrx (every other day) - Nephreon (every other day) - PDG (surface sprinkle every day) - EFA - Nephurol Additionally, this link: http://www.wysong.net/therapy_prevention.shtml Suggests that additional products should also be fed to a cat or dog with kidney problems: - F Biotic - Pet Inoculant - One or more of their "antioxidant" products: Spectrox, Food Ace, Food C, and Mega C - Well Spring (added to drinking water) And this link: http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/introduction.pdf Suggests to also feed Archetype and All Meat foods (page 27). Eukanuba EVDF is looking a lot more straightforward and simpler. Its ingredients are comparable to Wellness, and it even costs about the same. I'm really torn about what to do. Money isn't a problem, I can spend the extra bucks on all the different Wysong items. But with Wysong, there's so much mixing and matching and adding different supplements I'm worried I won't be feeding my cat correctly for his condition. I would be most interested and appreciative of any input. |
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