Another cost effective source for ProZyme is KV Vet Supply (www.kvvet.com or (800) 423-8211)...a 200 g jar (just under 8 oz.) is $13.99 and a 454 g jar (16 oz.) is $20.95. They do not charge for shipping except on heavier items 4-5 lbs. or more. I have a stack of vet and animal supply catalogues and this is the one that I generally find has the widest selection and best prices.
They offer another product which is supposed to be comparble to Prozyme, called Enzyme Pro (Thomas Laboratories) which costs just over half as much, or $13.99 for a 16 oz. jar. I just ordered one so I can compare the ingredients on the labels. The main ingredients of both products are the digestive enzymes Amylase, Lipase, Protease but PZ also contains Cellulase, which may not be so necessary for cats as they do not have the need to digest a lot of cellulose if they are on a high-protein, meat-based diet as cats should be. As the two products do not use the same "units" for specifying the amounts of various ingredients, I cannot say yet if the two products are truly comparable, I need to call and verify that. I am a firm believer in reading labels thoroughly and if it is not clear just what and how much of each ingredient is included, most products do give an address or 800 number or web address to contact the company. If I have any questions about the ingredients I do call and ask. Sometimes it is possible to find alternative products to the well-known brands that will provide the same ingredients for less cost. With regard to the ProZyme, a 200 g. (8 oz.) jar lasts a long time for use with cats...you only need to use 1/4 tsp. per cup of food. Same dosage for the other product. It doesn't taste bad and is intended to be mixed with food. Another "digestive support" product I've used that is available from KV for less than you can get it from the manufacturer is called ProBi, which is a liquid mix of lactobacillus acidophilus, aloe vera, chlorophyll and some other herbs. You only need to use a few drops of it so, again, for cats, a small bottle goes a long way. A 16 oz. bottle is $31.95 from KV but that lasts a very long time with cats; a smaller, pet-size bottle is available from the manufacturer Advanced Biological Concepts. As I also have horses, I started with a small bottle from ABC and now buy the larger size from KV to refill. I have also ordered some immune supplements from KV: two which contain Transfer Factors (4Life products): Transfer Factors Plus, a human supplement in capsules, and their Animal Stress Pack which is a powder to be be mixed with water and contains electrolytes, transfer factors and some other immunosupportive ingredients...I used that product with amazing success in nursing a 10 wk. old kitten through panleukopenia and whenever I have a kitty with diarrhea or other symptoms of illness/physical stress I give about 2cc. every 4 hours until symptoms pass. The holistic vet who first recommended this product to me (for a friend's horse recovering from colic surgery) said she gives it to all her animals for 2-3 days before vaccinating and has not had any bad vaccine reactions since she started that protocol. The Stress Pack comes in 2 oz. packets @$8.99 and a packet lasts quite a while for use with cats...once the packet is opened it needs to be used within so many days and refrigerated, but to extend its shelf life I pack it into empty gel caps and keep them in a brown glass bottle with a dessicant and/or keep an open packet tightly sealed in an airtight box in the frig; for cats I mix 2 tsp water with the contents of each capsule in a small glass bottle and that's enough for 3-4 doses. The TF+ capsules are a bit pricey at $75 for a bottle of 60 caps., but you only need to give 1 cap/day for 7-10 days for a loading dose and then 1 cap every other day after that. It doesn't taste gnarly and I haven't had much trouble getting my FeLV+ furkids to take it in their food. I have tried taking them myself (can't afford to right now) and found that I did not come down with any colds or the flu when others around me were getting sick. I have my three FeLV+ kittys on this product while waiting to find out if the Virbagen Omega (feline-specific interferon) will be available. Another product I just started using is called Oli-Vet (Vetri-Science) and it contains olive leaf extract (oleuropein) which is supposed to have antimicrobial, antivrial and antifungal actions and contains a natural complement of bioflavanoids as well as two powerful antioxidants, quercetin and rutin. This could be preferable in some cases to using standard ABX which actually suppress the body's immune system and can wipe out beneficial gut flora. A bottle of 90 caps is $15.95 and the therapeutic dosage for cats is 1 cap/day for 7-10 days and 1 cap every other day thereafter for maintenance. If anemia is an issue, you can get a 4 oz. bottle of Pet-Tinic (iron and Bvites) from KV for $6.59, about $4 less than retail. KV Vet offers a wide selection of supplements and other products and their prices are discounted from retail. If any of you on the list have found these products for less, I'm always looking for the best deal available. Sally in San Jose
