Q.I am currently fostering a three-legged male cat from the shelter. Two vets have now confirmed he has a heart murmur (3 out of 6 severity) along with renal problems (bloodwork confirmed). The bloodwork also confirmed slight dehydration and anemia which supports the kidney problem. Thyroid problems were also ruled out by the bloodwork. The middle pads of his front feet are extremely swollen and my vet thought maybe he has podadermatitis. He eats tons of food, drinks lots of water and urinates large amounts. He constantly shakes and scratches his head although his ears are totally clean. He is now being tested for heartworm and will be seen by a cardiologist very soon. Are they any supplements you would suggest that might ease his kidney or itchy ears problem? The vet has him eating Hill’s k/d canned but he is eating much less since I started giving him this. They also have me giving him clavamox liquid to see if that helps. It seems like a trial and error approach to treating him. I have tried to get him to eat some raw food (ground chicken/bones/veggies) but have not had much success. Before I took him to the vet he was mostly eating canned food (Merrick, Solid Gold and Fancy Feast) and occasionally grain free dry food (Evo). Lastly, he is very inactive but looks pretty good (bright eyes, alert, affectionate).

 

A.A case like this should really be treated hands on by a veterinarian. I would recommend finding one well versed in integrative medicine. With that being said, I will list here several of the supplements used in my facility for what you describe. Doctor’s Mutual Service has a relatively new supplement called Kidney/Heart. Taurine, vitamin E and CoQ10 would also be indicated. And, if this is a heart condition involving a dilated heart muscle, then you could add l-carnitine. In Chinese philosophy, there is a correlation between the kidneys and the ears. I’m more in favor of higher quality foods than the more processed, lower quality ones.