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Astros’ Oil – A wonderful, Inspiring Story

Saturday, December 12, 2020
posted by Jim Murphy

My cat, Molly had renal disease and an overactive thyroid. Thanks to Astro’s CRF oil she was able to live five extra years. I’m gonna let you read the story of Astro and the development of Astro’s oil. I can attest,  that this has really helped Molly and is now greatly helping my 16 year old cat Atlantis.

Here’s Astro’s story: Thanks to Astroscrfoil.com and Dr. Marco for this positive, inspiring story!

Astro is a pampered Siamese, though he didn’t start out life that way. He was the bullied runt of a large litter and had to be hand reared. A fact which might explain his special affinity with people (the ones he knows in any case).

When we got him, Astro was small enough to easily fit in a shirt pocket, yet he was willful and brave. His restless spirit was only defeated by well placed massages that would send him into reluctant but deep sleeps.

As he grew, Astro developed a unique character. He moves like a sleek panther, is not much interested in stalking, fights with some form of feline martial arts that totally unnerves Quaily, our other cat, speaks more than meows and growls like an angry dog at suspicious sounds. He is at his happiest cuddling on the couch with whoever is radiating the most heat.

One early spring when Astro was not quite six years old, I noticed some white spots on the fur on his flanks. At about the same time he began losing weight and throwing up his food once or twice a day. He became lethargic, lost his appetite and started acting strangely, plucking chunks of fur from his coat and behaving as if he didn’t recognize us.

I had seen similar symptoms exhibited by my human patients who suffered from system toxicity. In humans this toxic syndrome can be caused by a wide range of metabolic and organ system diseases. I had my suspicions as to what might be causing these symptoms in Astro. A positive diagnosis, however, would depend on some lab tests.

I brought Astro to the vet . He took blood and urine samples and sent them to the lab for analysis. He also took an x-ray and administered fluid therapy.

Astro 16 months after diagnosis

The x-ray was the first result we got back and as I suspected, it wasn’t good news. One kidney was greatly enlarged and there was significant calcium deposits in both kidneys. The blood and urine test results were even more devastating. Simply put Astro’s kidneys were shot. His diagnosis was chronic renal failure.
I knew that in humans there is no cure for this condition. It is progressive and ultimately results in the patients death unless dialysis is routinely performed or they get a kidney transplant . The vet told me the same holds true for cats and dogs, though dialysis and transplants are not routinely performed due mainly to the prohibitive costs.

We discussed Astro’s prognosis and treatment. It seemed that treatment options were limited and his prognosis poor. The vet prescribed some potassium pills and we agreed that I would continue hydrating Astro at home by a process called subcutaneous hydration, also known as sub-Q’s. He was put on a renal diet designed to limit his intake of protein and phosphorus in the hope of decreasing the waste products his kidneys would have to filter out.

Astro condition stabilized. Hydrating him seemed to help but nausea continued to plague him. He gained a little weight, had some good days, some bad. Over all, however, it was clear that his condition would not improve significantly. Though we tried not to dwell on it, we were aware that it was just a matter of time before this fine balancing act would fail him.

Three month after first being diagnosed with crf, Astro’s condition took a dramatic turn for the worse. Subcutaneous hydration was no longer effective in helping flush the toxins out of his system. His nausea grew worse and he had trouble keeping anything down. His already thin frame began to show signs of emaciation, and he became so weak that at times it was difficult for him to keep his head up.

We struggled with the question of how much we were willing to put Astro through to keep him alive. Taking him to the vet and leaving him overnight or longer for treatment stressed him out so much that we decided it would no longer be an option.

When Astro, who hated to be alone, found himself a secluded niche away from everyone and refused to leave, we knew he was preparing himself for the end. We began to consider euthanasia.

I watched him sit in his sheltered spot one night after everyone had gone to sleep. There was little left of him, just fur and bones. He had stopped eating a couple of days before and hardly even drank. His eyes were focused on a spot fare away and he looked agitated, as if he were earnestly waiting for something. I went over to try and comfort him but he pulled away. He didn’t recognize me.

I had watched many patients near their end, and though it was never easy, one had to know when it was time to let them go. It was time to let Astro go.

I was surprised, however, at how difficult it was for me to accept this fact and found myself sitting in front of my computer looking up research papers on kidney pathology and cellular metabolism well past dawn.

On my way to catch a couple of hours sleep I stopped to look in on Astro. He was awake but transfixed. How long could he endure I wondered. I had resolved that we would not take him to the vet to be euthanized. If there was still some fight left in Astro to re-ignite, I had found a weapon that might help him win a few battles.

I had discovered some very promising research on feline and canine CRF, cellular metabolism and free radical neutralization. The challenge was to combine the results of this diverse research into a formula designed to arrest, and hopefully reverse the progression of his CRF. The formula would be prepared as soon as all the ingredients could procured, however, we first needed to buy some time. For Astro that meant hydration and nutrition.

Unfortunately, Astro steadfastly refused to eat his renal diet cat food and forcing him to do so would not be a solution. We offered him a Whiskas cat treat instead and gently pleaded with him to eat. He seemed oblivious to our pleas, it was as if he were determined to meet his end.

Eventually, in one of those hard to forget moments, he came out of his trance and focused on us. He considered the treat held before him for a long while. Suddenly, with a decisive movement he gingerly plucked the treat with his teeth and ate it. He was going to try again even though it would have been so much easier for him to give up and end the suffering.

Morsel by morsel we hand feed him and praised him for every courageous bite he accepted. He ate six or seven pieces and a while later, another ten or so. Astro was coxed back to life with love more than food.

Once all the ingredients were procured and the proportions calculated, I mix the formula. I administered the first dose with a pipette the day after Astro resumed eating and drinking.

After a month of daily 1.5 ml doses of the formula, Astro’s condition was stable and he was out of danger. He had regained his appetite and put on some much needed weight. Based on his blood and urine tests and lack of nausea I began weaning him of the subq’s.
(Subcutaneous hydration is a great way to help a cat or dog that suffers from CRF flush the toxins out of its systems, however, it can be harmful if continued too long. It can over burden the remaining undamaged nephrons and actually accelerate the progression of the CRF. At the very least, it’s a very good idea to discontinue hydrating every so often to “rest” the already over burdened kidneys.)

We put Astro back on his regular cat food because it’s his favorite (he hated the renal diet stuff) and because I have come to believe that limiting the protein in a cats diet will cause more harm than good. However, cat food with low phosphorus levels is definitely recommended, as long as your pet will eat it.

As for medication, the only thing Astro receives is 1.5 ml/day of the formula. We named it Astro’s CRF Oil in his honor. His comeback has truly been miraculous, his progress continuous from month to month. He is thriving, happy and enjoys a great quality of life. He is also very relieved not to have to endure being hydrated. Friends who saw Astro at his sickest can not believe that he is the same cat.

Astro’s coat had suffered greatly from his illness. It was mottled, depigmented and bare in places. The colors have returned with a vengeance. Astro’s coat is now a shinny, dark chocolate brown and various shades of beige. His ears which had lost most of their fur are now pure velvet.

His blood and urine values are normal and though his kidneys are damaged the formula has managed to recoup enough kidney function to help him lead a normal and energetic life with, I hope, normal longevity.

Remember, your pets count!

 



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