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Originally Posted by gaijingirl  That is a good point...may be worth questioning the manufacture on maybe...I did just do a quick glance again on their website and read that Marin can cause stomach upsets, which is why it is recommended that it be given on a full stomach. I know Denosyl has to be taken on an empty stomach to work, but I wonder if Marin must be taken on a full stomach to be effective or if it is just to prevent the stomach upsets.
Also, I know that Denamarin has Denosyl and Silybin, but I don't know that it has the extra vitamin E and Zinc (along with Silybin) that Marin has (at least I haven't been able to find that in writing anywhere from their product information). They say zinc causes the upset stomach. If Denamarin doesn't have this extra ingredient, maybe that's why the Marin part of the Denamarin does not have to be taken with food....am I making sense? 
This page here is where I am gathering my information from. Also, a little off topic, but to Barney's Mom: I've been thinking for a little while now that I would like to talk to you about home cooked diets for my Snickers with MVD. I know you have some experience with this from reading your other posts. He had been a sick puppy, and after our consultation with UT about it, We planned to keep him on l/d until he was stable and then I wanted to get him back on home cooked food. I still need to talk to his vets again, but I'd like to hear your opinions and learn some of my options out there. |
Yes you are making sense regarding zinc sensitivity and why Marin is taken on a full stomach and denamarin need not be. However, I think that there is bigger benefit for optimal absorption when one uses separate products. The manufacturer of Denamarin states:
Denamarin can be used in conjunction with MarinŽto provide additional silybin levels and the benefits of vitamin E and zinc supplementation. If Marin is used in conjunction with Denamarin, the two products should be administered 12 hours apart for best response.
This statement as I read it supports why i would use separate products. Why should I have to give more Marin on top of Denamarin for optimal silybin levels? If I am going to have to give Marin anyway, then why bother with Denamarin. This is my take on these products, and why I use separate products and not the combined Denamarin when I use them if at all in my dog. Daisy's specialist recommends that we use separate products as well.
Regarding the home cooked issue - Yes, I've home cooked for my dogs since they were puppies and two of them, Barney and Daisy, are now 10 years old. I cook three separate diets for them. Daisy is on a vegetarian diet for MVD and her other problems. Her BATs have gone to normal. Her starting point at diagnosis was 93 preprandial and 107 postprandial. She dropped significantly on the Hill's L/D to about 33 postprandial but she was not doing well on the food (skinny, acting OCD about food and eating non food items (Pica), vomiting bile, diarrhea, dull mood etc). I consulted a vet nutritionist for help and pretty much out of desperation, and Dr. Rebecca Remillard saved Daisy's life. This dog was not long for this world with the way things were going, and if you saw her now you would not believe she was the same dog! She is thriving and very happy.
If you are going to home cook, I recommend a consult with Dr. Remillard or any other board certified vet nutritionist. Dr. Remillard has credentials that are hard to match and she has no stake in the supplement market, which is an important factor for me when sorting out information in multi-billion dollar markets like the pet supplement industry.
Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more about Daisy's diet.