Porus One Cat Owner Feedback
Ron Hines DVM PhD
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Owner email in black, follow-up emails in purple, my comments in green
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February 17, 2024
My kitty, Cleo, will be 15 in April. She was diagnosed with CKD in August of 2022. According to IRIS Standards, she is currently stage 3 and has been since her diagnosis. I started Porus One in January of 2023 on the recommendation of a feline-only vet. Other than 2 weeks of antibiotics after dental surgery and two weeks for a UTI, she’s been getting it every day. When mixed with food, it looks black and nasty but my kitty has never noticed it being there. Her other supplements are B12 and B complex, green-lipped mussel omega 3, dl-methionine, and d-mannose. She eats Royal Canin D exclusively and gets subcutaneous fluids every other day. She also gets amlodipine for high blood pressure. Her BUN and creatinine, while high (BUN fluctuates from mid 40s to mid 50s; creatinine high of 4.6 but 3.8 over the last 6 months) have remained relatively stable and her phosphorus has remained stable. She eats like a horse, only vomits the infrequent hairballs, has maintained her weight (14.5 lbs), has tons of energy, loves to play, and demands attention. Her fur is still soft instead of scraggly and scruffy like many CKD kitties, and her breath doesn’t have any of the ammonia smell associated with toxin build up. While I can’t give Porus One sole credit, I firmly believe that it has helped her tremendously. Yes, she drinks a lot of water but all ckd kitties drink lots of water if they aren’t getting enough hydration in food and/or sub-q fluids. I’m very pleased with Porus One and will continue to use it and recommend it to everyone I know with a ckd kitty. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my experience.
C. S., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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July 17, 2023
Hi there, I saw your web page about Porus One and that you were interested in feedback on experiences. I thought it worth a shot to see if my experiences (so far) are similar to anyone else who might respond. My 16 year old cat has early kidney disease. I think she’s had it for about two years. She will eat only one of the feline renal foods and only if mixed with proper cat food, or else she would rather starve. I tried a phosphate binder mixed with real cat food. At first I used Epakitin but she disliked the taste and so her food intake wasn’t good. But it did help with the excessive drinking/urination. But as she was starting to look unwell, I changed to Pronefra after reading that cat’s more readily accept it. And it’s true – it must taste ok. It did help. But a problem has always been that she rarely goes more than about 5–7 days before she feels unwell. I think that in the early days she would feel very unwell but with the phosphate binder(s) and Purine Hydra Care I would say during these spells she feels ‘moderately’ unwell. This lasts a few days, and then she gets back on track and she is full of beans. The Vet didn’t think that the kidney disease would cause her to feel unwell but I am sure that it does. I know this cat very well. She is by nature a quiet, good little cat – but is very vocal when she wants to explain how bad she is feeling. I read a paper on Porus One and wondered if it would help with her nausea. But I worried about using it alongside a phosphate binder. I searched for guidance and did find on one of the Purina sites that it could be given simultaneously with a PB (which I assumed meant a phosphate binder). So I thought I would give it a shot. I tried it first about a month ago but within a day or two I noticed she was drinking/urinating more than usual although otherwise seemed well. So I stopped the Porus One intending to see if she reverted to ‘normal’ and then consider trying again. And she did revert to normal – the excessive drinking/urination stopped. A couple of days ago I thought I would try the Porus One again, just in case the experience the first time was a fluke. But unfortunately, I seem to have the same result and after 2–3 days of Porus One and binder, she is drinking excessively again. So I think I will stop it again. I’m going to try and figure out a way of giving her Porus One and the Phosphate Binder separately. But it’s difficult because she eats little and often and, being 16, her time between naps is rarely more than 3 hours. All the best, P.
Most veterinarians try to encourage cats with failing kidneys to drink and urinate as much as they can. So, it’s actually a good thing that your cat drinks a lot. In that way, her remaining kidney glomeruli can cleanse her blood of the excess phosphorus, creatinine and urea that is accumulating in her system. That is what Hydra Care™ attempts to do by encouraging cats that are dehydrated or have kidney issues to drink more water.
7-18-23 My cat is called India and she is a Bengal – but not a typical Bengal because she is very small – she weighs just over 6lbs. She puts on weight every winter but reverts to skinny cat every Spring when she is very busy. It was good to read that her drinking and urinating (even excessively) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I do encourage her to drink – with multiple water bowls, electric fountain (ignored) and I’ve had her on Hydra Care for about 3 weeks. Her measurable fluid intake (since she started the phosphate binder) is normally about 100ml in 24 hours. Before the binder it was sometimes double that. After a few days on the Porus One her fluid intake went from 100 to about 160ml – on two separate attempts. So I am wondering a bit about that. But nevertheless, she is back on the Porus One now and we shall see. I can send feedback when she gets her next checkup and blood test. That will be later in August so will give time, I hope, for the Porus One to help her levels. Also, I will soon know whether the Porus One helps her periodic
nausea. All the best, P.
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