Vetoquinol Renal K+ (Potassium Gluconate) Potassium Supplement Powder for Dogs and Cats, 3.5oz

My vet recommended a potassium supplement for my kitty. We tried the gel but it was difficult to get him to eat it. This powder works much better & has made a huge difference for my kitty!! I mix it in his purree treat and he eats it all up! He Is feeling & acting much better now!

Worked quickly on my dog. Our 16.5 y.o. yorkie was diagnosed in March 2016 with end stage kidney failure. Initially told, a few days, then after IV a few months. After much research we blended a protocol of mainstream treatment with herbal and botanical supplements. This included a special kidney safe diet (homemade), subcutaneous electrolyte fluids, Azodyl and Epakitin. Herbal and botanical included the Canine Kidney Care protocol from Five Leaf Pharmacy, Kidney Support Gold and crushed stinging nettle seeds. after 14 months, she is still here.Last weekend, she crashed, vomited and began to have watery loose bowel movements and became severely dehydrated, then had a 90 second long seizure. I administered 200 ML of electrolyte fluids to bring her back up a bit and then a 4 am dash to emergency vet. Her blood panel was really pretty good, all kidney levels were OK, especially considering her diagnosis. I noticed that her potassium was right at the bottom number for the normal range, in spite of receiving a large infusion of fluids that contained potassium, so I realized she was probably low.Caution is required because potassium levels in late stage chronic kidney failure are tricky, it's easy to get them out of whack because the body doesn't clear them well. I wanted to give her a bump to remedy the listlessness and weakness but also with the knowledge that too much, which can cause the heart to stop 8 (.I decided to get Renal K+ powder because I trust the brand and it is balanced with vitamins and nutrients to maximize effect. It's available as a flavored gel and a powder. I initially ordered the gel, then changed my mind for a variety of reasons. With the powder, it's much easier to control dosage, there is more product for the dollar and the powder was available next day, not several days later like the gel. After receiving the product, I read that it noted not for dogs with end stage kidney disease, so I was extremely conservative with it. For my dogs size, the recommended dosage is 2 scoops a day. Instead, I dosed 2/3 of a scoop and further split that so that I gave her 1/3 of the scoop in the AM and 1/3 in the PM. I mix it with unsweetened organic applesauce and she accepts it pretty well. My goal is only to raise her levels to the lower mid range of normal levels, no more.The first night, no improvement, same on day and night #2. As we went to sleep, we thought that the time may have come for us to say goodbye. She was not in pain, but was zombie like and so weak. This morning, I woke with a broken heart, thinking we only had a few more hours with our beloved little companion, but when I looked into the special box I had made to keep her safe at night during this illness, I saw her looking back at me with what looked like a little life in her eyes. Her energy and weakness were both better though also still there. She climbed the ramp to our bed, which was amazing since a few days earlier she couldn't even start the climb. She became much more aware and even engaged with us a tiny bit, nothing spectacular, but enough to confirm she was aware. I attribute this to the increased potassium level due to very moderate Renal K+ supplementation.This is not the only thing that I have been doing this past week for her, I addressed each of her issues individually and aggressively. Because she seemed to still be fighting, we also fought for her too. She is clearly making a comeback. Would recommend this product to anyone, but BE AWARE and BE CAREFUL with a kidney patient dog, because you could easily get the potassium levels to high, unhealthy kidneys can't regulate it well, so give a small dose, ease back when you see improvement and then get the levels measured to make sure.

This is a great product. Don’t bother with the gel for cats; the powder has a slightly fishy taste that my cats loved. I had to buy another brand when the supply chain had problems and it was out of stock everywhere, but luckily it became available then. I had my cats on it for the last 5 years of their lives and their potassium levels were great.

Seems to be working well. It is helpful to have the little scoop. My dog is good with itand it mixes easily with her dog food.Recommended by her Vet. Just as advertised. Arrived quickly and a good purchase.Thanks

UPDATE NOV 2022 - We have gotten an update on our cat's potassium level. When we had her on this product she was able to attain just 3.4 mmol/L which is low. With the prescription version, she is now at 4.0 which is at the low end of the normal range. There's little we can do to slow the chronic kidney disease progression, but at least for now she won't be weak and exhausted.UPDATE AUG 2022- This worked fine to tide us over briefly, BUT does not have adequate potassium for a cat with serious kidney failure. We are now switching to one of the prescription potassium supplements that has significantly more potassium - 468 mg per tiny scoop versus this one's 85.8 mg. The prescription kind is just pure potassium gluconate without the flavoring and yeast etc that this product has.Original review:As I write this, I can't yet report on its effectiveness (and will update) BUT - this is far more palatable to our cat than prescription-only RenaKare gel.Our cat was being treated for an illness when low potassium began to show up on her blood work, and her urine became dilute, and she was drinking more water, and peeing more. Yup, she was starting with chronic kidney failure, so common in older cats. Our vet prescribed RenaKare gel, and since we were already syringe feeding other meds twice a day, it was easy to incorporate the gel into the syringe routine. I'd mix the gel with an equal quantity of some runny cat treat like baby food or the food in a tube, along with her other liquid meds, nuke it 8 seconds to melt the gel into the food better, stir like mad, and then syringe it.Still, her distaste was obvious, and even syringing it in, there was a sad, squinched up face, head shaking and strings of spittle, and you knew she wasn't getting it all. Now that she is recovered from her other illness, the only meds she's on are a potassium supplement and a low dose of prednisolone (liquid compounded steroids).This stuff has made syringe-time much easier. She doesn't hate it like the gel, and you can see in her face that she's not suffering to get it down. I mix one scoop of this powder into about a teaspoon of runny cat food (our girl likes Churus) and maybe 8 drops of water, plus her liquid steroids. She still doesn't like being restrained and having syringes poked into the side of her mouth, but she tolerates it MUCH better. Consider the fact that any gel has more volume than a powder, so now we are shoving less stuff down her throat - it is fewer syringes, and less nasty, and goes faster. She then gets 2 syringes of water to chase it all down.We just started using this and have not had a subsequent blood test, so I cannot tell you if this stuff is as effective as prescription RenaKare gel. I'll update when we have her next blood panel done. I don't expect miracles because even before this, getting the gel twice daily, she was barely in the "normal" range. We need to keep her there or better.A few closing thoughts:- In using any potassium supplement, be sure your cat has *an actual potassium deficiency*, and get your vet's guidance on quantity to administer. A potassium supplement is NOT a general purpose pick-me-up, and can be dangerous to pets that aren't deficient. Consider: the active ingredient in this is potassium which is used in euthanasia to stop the heart.-Potassium can be harsh. I see people giving it mixed in water, and wonder if that's ok - I feel much better knowing our cat is getting it along with actual food as a buffer.