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My cat has CKD and anemia. Is his darbepoetin dose too high for him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Farm Animal | Horse | Male | neutered | 12 years and 9 months old | 8 lbs

I have a cat with CKD. He also has anemia and was prescribed darbepoetin. He weights 4kg and I was told to give him 4mcg twice a week. That is a total of 8mcg a week which seems a little too much compared with the guidelines I was able to find on the Internet. Any advice would be appreciated, I haven't started the treatment yet.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on October 2nd, 2017

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach this afternoon. Unfortunately, I cannot provide dosage or dosing information for drugs over the internet for legal reasons. If your veterinarian has prescribed Rysiek to take a certain amount, then I would adhere to your vet's directions. However, if you have specific questions or concerns about the dosing, you may wish to call and discuss this directly with your veterinarian. Best wishes to you and Rysiek!

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on

    There is a huge variation in the recommended doses for darbepoetin for cats without research to prove that one dose is better than another. The general range is 0.25 mcg/kg up to 1.25 mcg/kg. Most people start somewhere in middle at 0.45 mcg/kg. So, if Rysiek is 4 kg, then 4 mcg is a reasonable dose, but I have not had to give it more than once a week because it generally works quite quickly. I think it would be reasonable to give one injection, then check his red blood cell count a week later to see what his response has been and adjust it from there. If you're not comfortable with that, please contact your veterinarian and discuss it with them. They would certainly want to make sure what you are comfortable with the treatment plan for Rysiek. Good luck! I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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