 |
About Vitamin B Complex |
Back to Main Menu |
|
About Vitamin B Complex |
Back to Main Menu |
 |
About Vitamin B ComplexGiving CRF cats vitamin B complex is easy and inexpensive and the supplemental vitamin B complex often increases both energy and appetite. Some vets fail to recommend early supplementation of vitamin b complex for CRF, believing most cats are getting enough B vitamins from their food. That's true normally, but the B-vitamins are water-soluble and CRF cats are "polyuric" and make a lot of urine that dissolves and washes away the water soluble B-vitamins. Talk to your vet about vitamin B complex as soon as your cat is diagnosed with CRF. Vitamin B complex supplementation can make a significant, visible difference and has no real downside. Please note that Vitamin B Complex, liquid or injectable, is non-prescriptive. Some vets may write their clients prescriptions for injectable vitamin b-12 which is also inexpensive and of great benefit to CRF cats. |
 |
Vitamin B Complex Menu |
|
|
 |
Introduction Types.Vitamin
b complex is available in pills, powders, liquids and injectables.
Only liquids and injectables are discussed on this page because I've yet
to receive any reports of the successful use of pills and powders with
cats. Both liquids and injectables work and are easy to administer.
The real question is what works for you and your cat. For example,
our Scooter Cat is easy to pill. Since he's already getting some
pill meds in a daily gel cap, adding some high-potency liquid vitamin b
complex to said gel cap was a natural. Folks who are already comfortable
using an insulin syringe may find it easy to use the injectable form of
vitamin b complex and inject directly into their cat's water sack immediately
after infusion. Those who don't want to poke additional holes in
their cats can add the injectable via the injection site on the IV admin
set during each infusion or they can inject multiple doses directly into
new IV bags of fluids so the vitamin b complex is administered with each
subsequent infusion. Some cats may allow owners to syringe the more
palatable brands of liquid vitamin b complex onto their tongues or down
their throats. And some cats may consume those palatable brands of
liquid vitamin b complex mixed with their food. Again, talk to your
vet about appropriate form and dosage. And talk to yourself and your
cat about what type of vitamin b complex and mode of administration you
two can handle. |
|
|
| B complex liquids can be given in gel caps or syringed down a cat's throats and the more palatable kinds can be mixed with food or even eyedroppered onto a willing cat's tongue. Most of the Vitamin B complex products below are manufactured for human use and are packaged in human sized bottles. These products are quite inexpensive for feline consumption. For example, an 8 oz bottle of Twinlab Super-B Complex Regular costs $8-$15. But since a cat-sized dosed is 0.5 mL per day (29.57 mL = 1 fl oz.), that bottle will last about 474 days and the cost of vitamin b complex supplementation will be only 2-3 cents a day! Pet-tinic and Liqui-Tinic are two animal-only brands of liquid b vitamins. Both are much more expensive (on a per dose basis) than the human brands and deliver lower doses of the key b vitamin components. |  |
Menu |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Comparison Table.
The
table below compare three of the liquid vitamin b complex products that
members of the Feline CRF Support Group are using -- Sublingual B
Total, Twinlab Super-B Complex and GNC Liquid Vitamin B-Complex.
The Sublingual B Total and the GNC deliver 20 times more Vitamin B-12 than
the Twinlab Super-B (at the daily dosage recommended by users) and the
Sublingual B delivers twice the Folic Acid, but Twinlab Super-B delivers
a more complete range of B vitamins than the other two. Table 5 below
presents a comparison of the three products.
|
|
|
(2) |
|
| Product | Sublingual B Total | Twinlab Super B-Complex - Regular | GNC Liquid B-Complex, Product #886697 |
| Manufacturer | Nutraceutical Solutions Inc. | Twin Laboratories Inc. | General Nutrition Centers, Inc. |
| Manufacturer's Description | B-complex vitamins are factors in providing energy by converting carbohydrates to glucose. The B-Complex vitamins are water-soluble and used by the body daily but not stored. | A pleasant tasting, high B-complex formula in liquid form for more efficient digestion, absorption, assimilation and utilization. | A balanced B complex that provides 5 essential B vitamins [and riboflavin]. Delicious natural orange, lemon and lime flavors. |
| Suggested Cat Dose (3) |
|
|
|
| Folic Acid |
|
|
|
| Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) |
|
|
|
| Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) |
|
|
|
| Vitamin B-3 (niacinamide/niacin) |
|
|
|
| Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) |
|
|
|
| Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) |
|
|
|
| Biotin |
|
|
|
| Pantothenic Acid |
|
|
|
| Choline (bitartrate) |
|
|
|
| PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) |
|
|
|
| Inositol |
|
|
|
| Base | Distilled Water, Sorbitol, Glycerine, Citric Acid, Fruit alor, Sodium Benzoate | Purified Water, Glycerin, Fructose, Sorbitol, Natural Orange Flavor, Natural Lemon Flavor, Natural Lime Flavor, Stevia Herb, Sodium Benzoate | |
| Sizes | 1 fl. oz eyedropper bottle, often comes in twin packs with 2 bottles | 4 oz. and 8 oz. glass bottles, available in Regular or Herbal. Regular is preferred for cats since some of the Herbal ingredients have not been tested on felines! | 60 mL eyedropper bottle (approx. 2 fl oz) |
Sources - Liquid Vitamin B Complex
Twinlab
Super-B Complex in 4 and 8 oz. bottles should be widely available in
health food stores and even some drug stores. Get the "Regular"
formula since some of the ingredients in the "Herbal" version have not
been tested with cats! If you can't find it locally:
Sublingual
B Total comes in a 1 fl. oz. eyedropper bottle but is often marketed
in "special value twin packs" with two 1 fl. oz. bottles. It should
be widely available in health food stores. Be careful to buy the
right product - Sublingual is the brand name of this product as well as
the administration type (under the tongue for humans), and health food
stores will have a variety of b complex sublingual products. If you
can't find it locally:
GNC
Liquid B Complex is recommended by Feline CRF Support Group member
"Deb" who's using the product with her cat Laney. "We are
giving 0.1 cc per day and have noticed that she's MUCH brighter and is
eating better." GNC products are available through their own GNC
franchised stores and Rite-Aid pharmacies nationwide. If you can't
find it locally:
Pet-Tinic®
/Pet-Tabs Iron Plus Liquid is
a very palatable liquid vitamin-mineral supplement for dogs and cats from
Pfizer
Animal Health. (Pet-Tabs Iron Plus liquid is identical to
Pet-Tinic and also manufactured by Pfizer). These products are often
"private-labelled" through Vibrac distributors, e.g., Petco Pet-Tinic.
It's sold in 1 fl oz (30 mL) amber glass bottles with dropper in dispensing
boxes and 4 fl oz (120 mL) amber glass bottles. Recommended dose
for cats is 1 mL (1 dropperful) per 10 lb of body weight twice a day. Ingredients
include Corn Syrup, Water, Sucrose, Glycerin, Beef Liver Paste, Iron Proteinate,
Sodium Citrate, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Niacinamide, Potassium Sorbate,
Cyanocobalamin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin,
Cupric Sulfate, Natural Anise Flavor, Sodium Hydroxide. Pet-Tinic®
/ Pet-Tabs Iron Plus is widely available at pet stores and veterinary clinics.
Lixotinic® is Pet-tinic packaged in large sizes for large animals -
it's exactly the same as Pet-Tinic®. Pet-Tinic® delivers
smaller quantities of the b vitamins than the other products on this page
but it does supplement both iron and copper. (Please note that the
pill form of Pet-Tabs Iron Plus is a different product with different ingredients).
If you can't find Pet-Tinic® / Pet Tabs Iron Plus locally:Liqui-Tinic
4X is a palatable liquid vitamin-mineral supplement for dogs and cats
that is very similar to Pet-tinic. Contents Vitamin B12, Niacinamide,
Riboflavin, Thiamine HC1, Pyridoxine HC1, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Liver,
Amino Acids (from protein hydrolysate), Iron (from Ferrous Sulfate), Niacinamide,
Riboflavin, Thiamine HC1, Pyridoxine HC1, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Liver,
Amino Acids (from protein hydrolysate), Iron (from Ferrous Sulfate).
Manufacturer recommeneded dosage for cats is 1 mL two or three times daily.
NutriVed B Complex Plus Iron Liquid; Each teaspoonful (5 mL)
contains:Liver fraction 250 mg Minerals: Copper (from copper sulfate) 250
mcg Iron (from iron peptonized) 25 mg Vitamins: Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 7.5
mcg Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1.5 mg Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 1.5 mg Vitamin
B12 (cyanocobalamin) 2.5 mcg Choline 7.5 mg Folic acid 10.0 mcg Inositol
20.0 mg Niacin 20.0 mg Pantothenic acid 7.5 mg Indications: For supplementation
of the diet to aid in the prophylaxis and treatment of iron, copper, amino
acid, and vitamin B-complex deficiencies in young or orphaned dogs and
cats and convalescent or debilitated dogs and cats. [Editor's note
-- best for anemic animals.]
For cats already getting regular
infusions, Vitamin B Complex injectable may be delivered subcutaneously
via three techniques:
|
|
Menu |
 |
 |
 |
Best Injectable Technique?
Whatever
works for you and your cat is best, but there are some valid considerations.
Vitamin B complex injectable is an
over the counter medication for animal use and is available in two versions,
regular and a more potent "fortified" version. See the chart
below for a comparison of the active ingredients of the two.
|
Ingredient |
(AgriLabs) .5 mL |
(VEDCO) .5 mL |
1.0 mL (4) |
|
| Thiamine HCl (Vitamin B1) | 50 mg | 6.25 mg |
|
|
| Riboflavin (as 5' phosphate sodium) (Vitamin B2) | 2.5 mg | 1.0 mg |
|
|
| Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) | 50 mg | 6.25 mg |
|
|
| d-panthenol (Vitamin B5) | 5 mg | 2.5 mg |
|
|
| Pyridoxine HCl (Vitamin B6) | 5 mg | 2.5 mg |
|
|
| Cyanocobalamin (cryst.) (Vitamin B12) | 50 mcg | 2.5 mcg |
|
|
| Benzyl alcohol (preservative) | 1.5% | 1.5% |
|
|
| Water (2) | q.s. | q.s |
|
|
|
||||
| Fortified | Regular |
| AgriLabs Fortified Vitamin B Complex | 
Vitamin B Complex |
| Phoenix Pharmaceutical Vitamin B Complex | Phoenix Pharmaceutical Vitamin B Complex Fortified |
| Sparhawk-Vet Labs Vitamin B Complex High Potency | Sparhawk-Vet Labs Vitamin B Complex |
| VITA-JEC® Vitamin B Complex Fortified | VEDCO Vitamin B Complex |
| VITA-JEC® Vitamin B-Complex | |
| AgriLabs Vitamin B Complex |
Vitamin B Complex injectables come
in 100 cc, 250 cc and 500 cc bottles (1 cc = 1 mL). Vitamin
B Complex injectable is an over-the-counter medication, although some vendors
do erroneously insist on a prescription.
|
REMINDERS / WARNINGS.
|
Vendors - Mail Order/Internet
|
|
Insulin syringes are fine for injecting into the IV admin set injection site and/or the water sack on the cat. Insulin syringes are available in .25, .3, .5 and 1 mL sizes and are generally sold in boxes of 100. They're over-the-counter in almost all states. Residents of CT, IL, MA, NJ, NY and RI need a prescription from their vets. A box costs anywhere from $8 - $23. Many of the mail order vendors listed on the CRF Supplies web page sell insulin syringes. It's best to buy the smallest volume syringe that will accommodate your current and future needs. For example, if your dosage is .25 mL, a .25 mL insulin syringe would be best. But if that dosage might increase to .5 mL in the future, then a .5 mL insulin syringe would serve you now and in the future.
Disposable syringes with needles
in 3 mL, 5 mL and 10 mL are widely available in boxes of 100, again OTC
in most states. You'll need these to inject large volumes of supplements
directly into the fluids bags. Residents of CT, IL, MA, NJ, NY and
RI need a prescription from their vets. Again, many of the "fluids
vendors" listed on the
CRF Supplies web page
sell disposable syringes with needles. Prices range from $15-$25
for a box of 100. Buy the smallest volume syringes that will serve
your needs now and in the future..
Vet CommentsKathy James, Veterinary Nephrologist, DVM, PHD, Educational Director the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and Consulting Nephrologist to the Feline CRF Support Group:It seems to me like all these
methods could work fine, each having its pros and cons. Oral would
seem to be ideal for most patients under the general theory that "if the
gut works, use it." But there might be selected patients with gastrointestinal
disease that might respond better to injectables. Injecting SQ b-vits
hurts, but if folks are finding that the cats don't object to injecting
it into their fluid pockets, I don't see any problems with it. The
caveat would be that I've not done it, so I guess there's always the chance
of long-term irritation issues.
Many of these kitties become anemic
but cannot absorb oral B12 . In those cases I use injectable B12 (0.15
cc sub-cut) if blood tests indicate cobalamin deficiency.
I personally prefer the high-potency
vitamin b complex products that supplement a lot of vitamin b-12.
|
Best
Products? Appropriate Dosage? Liquid or Injectable?
Regular or High Potency? Best brands? Correct dosage?
These questions are not answered definitively on this page. Folks
have reported successfully using a variety of regular and high potency
versions of B-complex at a variety of dosages. The Liquids and Injectables
sections of this page are based on those reports. Please read those
sections carefully, then talk to your vet about the right product and dosage.
It might be useful to bring along a print copy of this page for that discussion.