? Help with my old sugar CKD cat... worried...

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Nat & Fluffy

Nat & Fluffy

Member Since 2016
Hello guys. I’ll try to make this short. I’m having to save my 18 year old sugar kitty Fluffy from my parents. He has CKD. I don’t know how advanced, but apparently my parents said he has had trouble eating. My parents are manipulative, threatening to not pay bills if I take him. I’m going to do it anyway, because when I was able to visit him, he looked like he was wasting away. I keep breaking down and considering putting him to sleep because he is so old and so skinny and my parents don’t want to put in the effort.

Anyways... please help direct me on what to do with him. I will be picking him up sometime in two days. I’m near exhaustion, and my bf is trying to help me cover the bills for him as best as we can. I guess a trip to the vet for a blood test is needed to check BUN and creatine? And then sub cuts? I don’t even know how to do those or where to buy them (I live in America).

Feeling lost... and I don’t want to stress Fluffy out... especially since it looks like he’s nearing his last days. I want them to be comfortable for him, but I least want to try to do something.

Thank you for your help. I’m a student so I’ll try my best to reply ASAP.

Edit: it’s been awhile since I’ve been on here. Fluffy takes 2 units of Lantus twice a day, and eats Purina Pro Plan True Nature Grain free. When his BG drops we feed him fancy feast gravy lovers.
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Hello guys. I’ll try to make this short. I’m having to save my 18 year old sugar kitty Fluffy from my parents. He has CKD. I don’t know how advanced, but apparently my parents said he has had trouble eating. My parents are manipulative, threatening to not pay bills if I take him. I’m going to do it anyway, because when I was able to visit him, he looked like he was wasting away. I keep breaking down and considering putting him to sleep because he is so old and so skinny and my parents don’t want to put in the effort.

Anyways... please help direct me on what to do with him. I will be picking him up sometime in two days. I’m near exhaustion, and my bf is trying to help me cover the bills for him as best as we can. I guess a trip to the vet for a blood test is needed to check BUN and creatine? And then sub cuts? I don’t even know how to do those or where to buy them (I live in America).

Feeling lost... and I don’t want to stress Fluffy out... especially since it looks like he’s nearing his last days. I want them to be comfortable for him, but I least want to try to do something.

Thank you for your help. I’m a student so I’ll try my best to reply ASAP.

Edit: it’s been awhile since I’ve been on here. Fluffy takes 2 units of Lantus twice a day, and eats Purina Pro Plan True Nature Grain free. When his BG drops we feed him fancy feast gravy lovers.
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Sorry you're going through this. First thing you'll want to do is get him on a diabetic appropriate diet that's also ok for ckd. This means a low carb WET food under 10 percent carb and under 250 phosphorus. Weruva bff cans are a good choice as is the tikicat after dark line. There's a food chart in my signature.
The true nature pro plan (I'm assuming wet?) is low enough in carbs but high in phosphorus which strains the kidneys.
Sub q's are easy to do at home if the cat is cooperative.

Definitly you'll want a check up so you know what you're dealing with.
 
JanetNJ said:
Sorry you're going through this. First thing you'll want to do is get him on a diabetic appropriate diet that's also ok for ckd. This means a low carb WET food under 10 percent carb and under 250 phosphorus. Weruva bff cans are a good choice as is the tikicat after dark line. There's a food chart in my signature.
The true nature pro plan (I'm assuming wet?) is low enough in carbs but high in phosphorus which strains the kidneys.
Sub q's are easy to do at home if the cat is cooperative.

Definitly you'll want a check up so you know what you're dealing with.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much. I’ll be switching his food to Weruva or Tiki Cat. I really hope those will also help him gain a little weight. We will be getting a check up as soon as we can. Much appreciated :)

Edit: I heard there were things such as phosphorus binders. Is this a good idea or will help? And with arthritis is there anything I can do?
 
Here is a link to 'Tanya's CRF Support' site - there's a HUGE amount of information there with lots of tips for dealing with kidney failure. Dakota's had failing kidneys for 3 years, we follow Tanya's approach and have been able to keep him comfortable for all this time. It's helped literally thousands of kitties stay comfortable and live happily for many more years. It usually can't be stopped but it can be slowed a lot.

Tanya's CRF site: www.felinecrf.org

Phos binders are discussed in detail - it's truly according to the lab work as to whether phos binders are needed or not. Yes they're good and yes they help. Subq fluids are also really good for helping flush toxins out of the body. You can get fluids from the vet and can also be ordered by most human pharmacies without a prescription.
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
Here is a link to 'Tanya's CRF Support' site - there's a HUGE amount of information there with lots of tips for dealing with kidney failure. Dakota's had failing kidneys for 3 years, we follow Tanya's approach and have been able to keep him comfortable for all this time. It's helped literally thousands of kitties stay comfortable and live happily for many more years. It usually can't be stopped but it can be slowed a lot.

Tanya's CRF site: www.felinecrf.org

Phos binders are discussed in detail - it's truly according to the lab work as to whether phos binders are needed or not. Yes they're good and yes they help. Subq fluids are also really good for helping flush toxins out of the body. You can get fluids from the vet and can also be ordered by most human pharmacies without a prescription.
Click to expand...

Wow thank you so much! I’ll be looking through it extensively today. Thank you guys again!

Now we the sub cuts, I heard that it can affect absorption of insulin. Should I inject his sub cut in a different place and at a different time from his insulin shot?
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Now we the sub cuts, I heard that it can affect absorption of insulin. Should I inject his sub cut in a different place and at a different time from his insulin shot?
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I wondered that when I first started fluids, I just give it a couple of hours after his shot - doesn't seem to affect it. That's just MY experience...others may have had different experiences...
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
I wondered that when I first started fluids, I just give it a couple of hours after his shot - doesn't seem to affect it. That's just MY experience...others may have had different experiences...
Click to expand...


Thank you again for all the info ❤️ I will get a head start on ordering the food and fluids.
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Thank you so much. I’ll be switching his food to Weruva or Tiki Cat. I really hope those will also help him gain a little weight. We will be getting a check up as soon as we can. Much appreciated :)

Edit: I heard there were things such as phosphorus binders. Is this a good idea or will help? And with arthritis is there anything I can do?
Click to expand...
Don't worry about phosphorus binders until y you get blood tests and see what the current numbers are.
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Thank you so much. I’ll be switching his food to Weruva or Tiki Cat. I really hope those will also help him gain a little weight. We will be getting a check up as soon as we can. Much appreciated :)

Edit: I heard there were things such as phosphorus binders. Is this a good idea or will help? And with arthritis is there anything I can do?
Click to expand...
Tikicat after dark line is good and is not fish based.

For arthritis... If it's mild you can try dasuquin or cosequin. My cat had severe arthritis so I give her adequan shots.
 
Some cats will drop in BG after getting fluids. If Fluffy does, you may want to give them towards the end of the cycle (like at +10) rather than at +2 when the insulin is just starting to take effect.
 
Thank you all for your replies I got Fluffy safe with me now.

He seems to eat the Tiki After Dark Chicken really well! However crunching the numbers... I really cannot afford to keep buying this food. Are there any cheaper alternatives best for CKD and diabetes? :( it’s like $2.50 a can and I nearly might use 2 a day... :(
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Thank you all for your replies I got Fluffy safe with me now.

He seems to eat the Tiki After Dark Chicken really well! However crunching the numbers... I really cannot afford to keep buying this food. Are there any cheaper alternatives best for CKD and diabetes? :( it’s like $2.50 a can and I nearly might use 2 a day... :(
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It's about $1.59 a can from chewy.


I'm sure you can find something less expensive. Look at the food chart in my signature and choose foods under 10 percent carb and under 250 phosphorus.
 
Nat & Fluffy said:
Thank you so much. I’ll be switching his food to Weruva or Tiki Cat. I really hope those will also help him gain a little weight. We will be getting a check up as soon as we can. Much appreciated :)

Edit: I heard there were things such as phosphorus binders. Is this a good idea or will help? And with arthritis is there anything I can do?
Click to expand...
Just a quick comment, my recollection with Tiki is it is lower on calorie count, so if you are trying to put weight on, it likely wouldn't be the best choice for that. Phosphorus binders do help, but as Janet mentioned, you'd want to see what the blood test results show first, to see if you need them.
 
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