UPDATE: Hidey is home. CKD scared

[dirtybirdsoaps]

ok. Hidey is home finally. I was able to pick him up at 4. The vet said he was doing a little better and probably only 5% dehydrated. I have sub q to do every 24-48 hrs, appetite stimulant, meds for stomach acid, and one other one I can't remember at the time. He did have a bladder infection and he got an antibiotic shot for that.

Im extremely nervous though. I did tons of research, joined Tanya's support group just waiting on acceptance, found some good he'll hopefully eat, got a phos binder.

Before I took him in he was acting....ok. Slower than usual wouldn't eat though. Since I got him home he won't move and when he does he falls over. I got him to eat some tuna, wouldn't touch anything else. His paw is shaky where they had the IV. He's slept a LOT since he's gotten home but I'm ok with that (for now at least) I'm sure a huge part is the stress from the visit. I'm just REALLY concerned with how frail he seems right now. I'm also wondering if part of the unbalance is from the fluids. It looks like it's pooled some around his stomach.

Is this a normal reaction when they first come home? I know every situation is different but it breaks my heart for him to just lay there and stumble if he tries to move.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

I can't comment on the CKD as my CKD was diagnosed before I got her from my sister. I know she said it was the worst two weeks of her life. Rain crashed and spent 6 - 7 days in the hospital on fluids, supportive care, pepcid and appetite stimulation. She then spend another week at home that seemed very touch and go until she hit a corner. That was 7 years ago and she is still doing good. Extra water in the food, freeze dried treats to keep the tummy acid down, some high protein low phosphorus food and lots of water! She has access to water everywhere.

With all living creatures - when they have gone through a trauma things take a bit to sort out. I hope your kitty feels better soon.

There is a lot of information on Tanya's site. There are plenty of people here with CKD kitties as well.

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

I can't comment on the CKD as my CKD was diagnosed before I got her from my sister. I know she said it was the worst two weeks of her life. Rain crashed and spent 6 - 7 days in the hospital on fluids, supportive care, pepcid and appetite stimulation. She then spend another week at home that seemed very touch and go until she hit a corner. That was 7 years ago and she is still doing good. Extra water in the food, freeze dried treats to keep the tummy acid down, some high protein low phosphorus food and lots of water! She has access to water everywhere.

With all living creatures - when they have gone through a trauma things take a bit to sort out. I hope your kitty feels better soon.

There is a lot of information on Tanya's site. There are plenty of people here with CKD kitties as well.

Thank you. I truly appreciate any tips. Right now he's just laying in his bed. Tomorrow I give him more fluids plus I have a water bowl, and tuna right next to his bed and a homemade litter box a foot or so away. Trying to make it as easy as possible. I hate that people and fur babies have to deal with this stuff. It breaks my heart.

It's even worse because I have him secluded from my other two cats because anything starts a serious war between them. A couple years ago they snapped and started having stray cat fights. I seriously thought they'd kill each other and any little thing sets them off. I had to keep them separated for a week and do "reintroductions". I planned on him smelling different when I was taking him in and prepped. I got feliway, had one of his blankets in the car, and planned on him staying in the bedroom for a few hours to get his scent back. Bad thing is, I didn't plan on an overnight stay and a bunch of meds. He won't clean himself right now so I know it will take longer.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

I wonder if doing syringe feeding will help?

Have you tried putting parmesan cheese or forti-flora in the food? Something of high value that will encourage him to eat? Is there a contraband food you can try?

I think getting him to eat is more important than worrying if it low carb.

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

I wonder if doing syringe feeding will help?

Have you tried putting parmesan cheese or forti-flora in the food? Something of high value that will encourage him to eat? Is there a contraband food you can try?

I think getting him to eat is more important than worrying if it low carb.

Tuna......he lovvvvvvvves tuna. Ive gotten him to eat about 1/4 of the starkist tuna pouches. I don't have any forti-flora but do have Parmesan. Maybe that will convince him to eat the other food too. If Icantget him to eat a little more tonight, I think I'm going to have to try the syringe. Last time I know he ate a decent amount was Sunday

 

[Lillie]

Sending get well wishes for Hidey. When I brought my previous cat home from the hospital after being there for 4 days on IV's etc she was so very weak. Her little legs were giving out on her all the time. I had bowls of Royal Canin Recovery food everywhere in the house to encourage her to eat. At night I put her in the bathroom with her bed and food and water and litter tray. She was so very frail after losing so much weight from her intestinal lymphoma. It may take a while for his eating to get back to normal. Have you tried the Royal Canin Recovery? It's a good one to mix with water if you need to syringe feed.

 

[JanetNJ]

How many ml of fluids are you giving? It's normal for there to be a bump that may slide down, but usually it good to the shoulder or leg.

Ask the vet to email you a copy of all the labs to post here so we can see.

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

How many ml of fluids are you giving? It's normal for there to be a bump that may slide down, but usually it good to the shoulder or leg.

Ask the vet to email you a copy of all the labs to post here so we can see.

They did labs yesterday morning and I had them print me a copy. With all the chaos I couldn't look at them till just now, to realize the desk girl printed the first labs. According to my vet when I picked him up his nunbers SLIGHTLY improved but not a lot. I also assume some of the elevation is due to a UTI and also stress of being there. We NEVER have people at our house so strangers and noise freaks out my fur babies.

BASO 0.00

EOS 0.01

HCT 41.13%

HGB 13.8 g/dl

LYMPHS 1.25 10^9/l

MCH 14.5 pg

MCHC 33.5 g/dl

MCV 43 fl

MONOS 0.37 10^9/l

MPV 10.0 fl

RBC 9.25 10^12/l

WBC 8.82 10^9/l

%LYMPHS 14.2%

%MONOS 4.2%

NEUT 7.18 10^9/l

%NEUT 81.4%

%EOS 0.2%

%BASO 0.0%

PLT 373 10^9/l

PCT 0.37%

PDWs 13.7 fl

PDWcv 37.6%

RDWs 39.1 fl

RDWcv 22.8%

ALB 3.9 g/dL

ALKP 28 U/L

ALT 81 U/L

AMYL 1756 U/L

BUN/UREA 164 mg/dL

Ca 10.5 mg/dL

CREA 5.6 mg/dL

GLU 110 mg/dL

PHOS 11.0 mg/dL

Potassium 3.5 mmol/L

TBIL 0.3 mg/dL

TP 8.8 g/dL

Sodium 136 mmol/L

GLOB 4.9 g/dL

CHOL 234 mg/dL

T4 3.7 ug/dL


He has a UTI and got a convenia shot for it.


He is on 100-150 mL of fluid 24-48 hrs

I have no clue how much he received when he was there but was there for a day and a half.


Other meds:

0.5g Carafate twice a day

2mg Ondansetron once a day

Mirtazapine 0.25mL a day


He weighed 10lbs 9oz on July 11th

Weight when I took him in Thursday was 9lbs 6 oz


I have started him on RX Vitamins Phos-Bind powder


Blood pressure is good


No mouth ulcers


Been in remission for diabetes since march 18th 2014

 

[JanetNJ]

They did labs yesterday morning and I had them print me a copy. With all the chaos I couldn't look at them till just now, to realize the desk girl printed the first labs. According to my vet when I picked him up his nunbers SLIGHTLY improved but not a lot. I also assume some of the elevation is due to a UTI and also stress of being there. We NEVER have people at our house so strangers and noise freaks out my fur babies.

BASO 0.00

EOS 0.01

HCT 41.13%

HGB 13.8 g/dl

LYMPHS 1.25 10^9/l

MCH 14.5 pg

MCHC 33.5 g/dl

MCV 43 fl

MONOS 0.37 10^9/l

MPV 10.0 fl

RBC 9.25 10^12/l

WBC 8.82 10^9/l

%LYMPHS 14.2%

%MONOS 4.2%

NEUT 7.18 10^9/l

%NEUT 81.4%

%EOS 0.2%

%BASO 0.0%

PLT 373 10^9/l

PCT 0.37%

PDWs 13.7 fl

PDWcv 37.6%

RDWs 39.1 fl

RDWcv 22.8%

ALB 3.9 g/dL

ALKP 28 U/L

ALT 81 U/L

AMYL 1756 U/L

BUN/UREA 164 mg/dL

Ca 10.5 mg/dL

CREA 5.6 mg/dL

GLU 110 mg/dL

PHOS 11.0 mg/dL

Potassium 3.5 mmol/L

TBIL 0.3 mg/dL

TP 8.8 g/dL

Sodium 136 mmol/L

GLOB 4.9 g/dL

CHOL 234 mg/dL

T4 3.7 ug/dL


He has a UTI and got a convenia shot for it.


He is on 100-150 mL of fluid 24-48 hrs

I have no clue how much he received when he was there but was there for a day and a half.


Other meds:

0.5g Carafate twice a day

2mg Ondansetron once a day

Mirtazapine 0.25mL a day


He weighed 10lbs 9oz on July 11th

Weight when I took him in Thursday was 9lbs 6 oz


I have started him on RX Vitamins Phos-Bind powder


Blood pressure is good


No mouth ulcers


Been in remission for diabetes since march 18th 2014

If you are on Facebook there's a great group called Cats with Chronic Renal Failure. Please join.

Glad they checked his blood pressure.

Covenia doesn't always work for a UTI... Oral antibiotics are usually more effective, so be aware and keep vigilant.

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

If you are on Facebook there's a great group called Cats with Chronic Renal Failure. Please join.

Glad they checked his blood pressure.

Covenia doesn't always work for a UTI... Oral antibiotics are usually more effective, so be aware and keep vigilant.

Thank you. I requested to join. There were two and didn't know which one so I joined both lol. I asked her about the antibiotic because I read it can take a while to get rid of infections in CKD cats and she assured me that they are re-running blood work and urine in 2 weeks at his follow up and we'll go from there. I just did his first Sub-Q at home. It was nerve wrecking but quick. I guess it's a little easier since I've already had to inject him when he was on insulin

 

[tiffmaxee]

If you are on Facebook there's a great group called Cats with Chronic Renal Failure. Please join.

Glad they checked his blood pressure.

Covenia doesn't always work for a UTI... Oral antibiotics are usually more effective, so be aware and keep vigilant.

I agree about Convenia not being the right drug for a UTI. They should have run a culture and sensitivity to find the right oral antibiotic. When the infection is gone the kidney values might come down a lot so not doing a culture was a big mistake. It's better to give less fluid daily than more and skip days as it will keep him evenly hydrated. Even 5% dehydrated when coming home is hard on the kidneys. As for a group to join I'm more than partial to the yahoo CRF list. There are a couple of really smart people on the list that taught me so much. So if you don't mind joining three groups I highly recommend that board.

Were you told to give some potassium? You would like to have that number up to at least 4-4.5 so if not I'd ask your regular vet.

 

[JanetNJ]

Thank you. I requested to join. There were two and didn't know which one so I joined both lol. I asked her about the antibiotic because I read it can take a while to get rid of infections in CKD cats and she assured me that they are re-running blood work and urine in 2 weeks at his follow up and we'll go from there. I just did his first Sub-Q at home. It was nerve wrecking but quick. I guess it's a little easier since I've already had to inject him when he was on insulin

The first couple times we had to wrap my Zimmy in a towel to do sub q's, but he quickly learned to love them. After the first handful of times he started coming over on his own and purred the whole time.

 

[JanetNJ]

I agree about Convenia not being the right drug for a UTI. They should have run a culture and sensitivity to find the right oral antibiotic. When the infection is gone the kidney values might come down a lot so not doing a culture was a big mistake. It's better to give less fluid daily than more and skip days as it will keep him evenly hydrated. Even 5% dehydrated when coming home is hard on the kidneys. As for a group to join I'm more than partial to the yahoo CRF list. There are a couple of really smart people on the list that taught me so much. So if you don't mind joining three groups I highly recommend that board.

Were you told to give some potassium? You would like to have that number up to at least 4-4.5 so if not I'd ask your regular vet.

Agreed. 75 every day is better then 150 every other day.

 

[Squalliesmom]

I agree about Convenia not being the right drug for a UTI

Samantha, I don't know why vets continue to give this to cats for UTIs! Convenia is not indicated for UTIs in cats, it is the wrong type of antibiotic to treat a UTI. Convenia is an AB developed for DOGS for treating SKIN CONDITIONS. It is considered by many to be dangerous for use in cats. I will not allow any of mine to receive it, I have known at least three people whose cats have had very bad reactions to Convenia. Two of them lost their cats. You can read more HERE in an article by Dr. Lisa Pierson.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

You did not include the normal range for the blood work results.
The phosphorous seems above the normal range the the creatitine may be too.
Also, do you know the urine specific gravity?

 

[Marlena]

I agree about Convenia not being the right drug for a UTI. They should have run a culture and sensitivity to find the right oral antibiotic. When the infection is gone the kidney values might come down a lot so not doing a culture was a big mistake. It's better to give less fluid daily than more and skip days as it will keep him evenly hydrated. Even 5% dehydrated when coming home is hard on the kidneys. As for a group to join I'm more than partial to the yahoo CRF list. There are a couple of really smart people on the list that taught me so much. So if you don't mind joining three groups I highly recommend that board.

Were you told to give some potassium? You would like to have that number up to at least 4-4.5 so if not I'd ask your regular vet.

I agree with all of it.
Convenia - no good. You need cystocentesis, culture and sensitivity test performed. It is very important to make sure what bacteria is present there, only older cats are prone to bacterial infection, UTIs are often sterile.
Kidney values are likely to change drastically after successful treatment for UTI - that happened with Rocky.
You need a potassium supplement.
Hugs,
Marlena

You did not include the normal range for the blood work results.
The phosphorous seems above the normal range the the creatitine may be too.
Also, do you know the urine specific gravity?

Larry, potassium seems to be at the very bottom (range normally 3.5 - 5.8 mmol/L) , unless I'm mistaken. Could you double check please?

 

[Marlena]

I agree with all of it.
Convenia - no good. You need cystocentesis, culture and sensitivity test performed. It is very important to make sure what bacteria is present there, only older cats are prone to bacterial infection, UTIs are often sterile.
Kidney values are likely to change drastically after successful treatment for UTI - that happened with Rocky.
You need a potassium supplement.
Hugs,
Marlena


Larry, potassium seems to be at the very bottom (range normally 3.5 - 5.8 mmol/L) , unless I'm mistaken. Could you double check please?

Larry, I do apologise, I read your phosphorous as potassium, silly me!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

You said "PHOS 11.0 mg/dL"
I looked at my results for my civi Snowball that were taken the 14th of this month. It lists the phosphorous range as 2.9-6.3 mg/dL
You also said "BUN/UREA 164 mg/dL and CREA 5.6 mg/dL
Snowballs reports listed the ranges for Bun as 16-37 mg/dL and creatinine as 0.9-2.5 mg/dL

F0r the apparently high high phosphorous you need a low phosphorous food and maybe a phosphorous binder.