05/14 - Tyler - SubQ fluids today

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Brian & Tyler

Brian & Tyler

Member Since 2014
Hello all.

It has been far too long since I have posted here. Tyler is still OTJ. Numbers are still good, but a new problem has arose.

He's been urinating outside of the litter box quite frequently. There are many feral cats that hang around the yard which seem to be the cause. After a recent trip to the vet, some blood work has shown he has two new ailments. He's in the beginning stages of kidney disease and pancreatitis.

I'm pretty shook up, and am looking for some advice or a different thread where I can obtain some advice.

I thank you all in advance.
 
Hi, Brian.

It sounds like you've got a lot on your hands.

Marje wrote a Primer on Pancreatitis. This should help you to understand what's going on and what to do.

The best source of information on CKD is Tanya's site. It's the FDMB of kidney disease. I'm hoping that someone will post a link to the list of foods that are low in carbs and low in phosphorus.

As for the feral kitties causing Tyler to mark his territory, I suspect you have to find a way to keep the ferals out of the yard.
 
Hey Brian!! Glad to see you and Tyler but sorry to hear about the problems!!

You might want to post the bloodwork results....a lot of our kitties are in various stages of kidney disease and depending on how bad the numbers are can really make a difference in how aggressive to treat it....everything from just adding extra water to their diet to doing sub Q's at home.

Unfortunately, pancreatitis and diabetes are a lot more common than once thought...sure hope Tyler feels better soon!

You might look into something like the SSSCat training aid for the ferals....it's just compressed air that goes off when something is near enough and is supposed to scare them off. I think they also make something like automatic sprinklers that come on when animals get into sensor range too (saw it on Jackson Galaxy's show)
 
Hi Brian. Here's the list Sienne was talking about, I think. It's a little hard to navigate, as it is not in alpha order, but it does show you some good options for foods - watch for the carbs, though, as they are not all low carb. A lot of us feed Dave's Cat Food, which is not on this list. @Ann & Tess has a page on her SS that lists the low phos/low carb foods she feeds.

I have two cats with kidney issues (neither is diabetic, knock on wood), so I know the challenges, but if you feed lower phos foods and add plenty of water, it can be manageable. Good luck and please keep us posted!
 
Hi Brian! nice to hear from you! The one thing I'm thinking is that you want to keep an eye on his blood sugar with the pancreatitis flare-up. I'd probably want to test him every other day, maybe while he is sick, or at least once a week right now so that if it does throw him out of remission you are on it right away. I'd do all the suggesitons on Marje's primer to try to get the pancreatitis calmed down before it increases his BGs.

Punkin had chronic pancreatitis and we found that the Vit B12 shots helped a lot. That's mentioned on the primer. We also gave him bupe twice a day and sub-q fluids to help with it.
 
Hi, Brian. Sorry to hear about the Dx, but if it's early stages the prognosis is good. Tess was Dx w/ early CKD over 3 years ago. We've managed to keep her pretty steady w/ a low phosphorus/ low carb diet. There's a tab on her SS w/ the list of foods we've been able to find that are both. Recently we've started the sub-cutaneous fluids too and it has really perked her up. Since it also helps w/ the pancreatitis I'd ask your vet about it. You might not need it continually yet, but I'd start sooner rather than later. It helps take the strain off the kidneys by flushing out a lot of the toxins the kidney need to filter out. Marje also has a great video on giving sub-qs.
 
Hi Brian. It is great to head from you. Sorry about the new DX's. The references cited above are good ones, and should give you great guidance on how to treat the new issues. Wishing you and Tyler much luck.
 
Hello everyone! I had a terribly hard time finding this thread! The updated site is a little different, and I just found out how to find my posted threads!! So for now, I followed my vet's advice and put him on the new Hill's k/d chicken stew diet. He likes it, but I don't know how bad for him it really is. But if Hill's Diabetic food wasn't good for him, I suspect the k/d cannot be much better. It does appear to already have a high water content, as when I add water to it, it gets awfully runny.

Ok, so I have some homework to do with all this new information! Thank you all for the input! Once again, you all are a tremendous help! First thing's first, is to check his BG tonight. I will update his SS. That thing is long since outdated. I have been writing the numbers on paper, and have lost some of the numbers as they were so good, I just lost track of where I wrote them. Been a "bad cat dad" in that respect.

I'm not going to lie. I was a little devastated to learn of these new ailments. He's still my best bud, so I have to be vigilant. I have had to put him in the spare room at night and when no one is home due to the urination outside of the box. He typically only urinates on my belongings, and it seems to be both marking and full on urination. I've also kept him out of my room and bathroom where he typically goes, and it seems to have stopped for now.

The vet said he doesn't need b12 supplements or sub-q fluids just yet. He said all numbers were still very good considering the problem (urine & blood work). Vet sounded confident that he shouldn't need to have blood checked again for the next 4-6 months. If I can get the recent numbers, I'll come back with them. I'm not yet sure what they mean, but I will after some research. The sub-q fluids do not seem like something I'd want to do myself. I know that needle is pretty big and Tyler isn't a fan of needles (aside from the insulin syringes). He's a fighter and a biter! Might have to make a kitty burrito to administer those!

In the meantime, I will:
  • look over the CKD website provided
  • review other food options
  • update Tyler's SS
  • learn how to use the new FMDB so I don't miss out on information provided by you all!
  • STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! got some learnin' to do!!
Thank you all again for the information and support. I think the world of you folks for helping me keep Tyler's quality of life as best as possible.

Best
 
Kills K/D is 27% carbs, not good for an OTJ kitty. Cn you do raw? The Nature's Variety raw chicken is very low phosphorus.
 
I'm glad Ann looked that up. I was thinking the k/d was high carb. That could very well bring him out of remission - i'd look for a different food so he doesn't end up back on insulin.

The vitamin B12 is both a treatment and a preventative for the pancreatitis. It's no big deal to give it - you use insulin syringes. You start out frequently (maybe once/twice a week) and then eventually get to once a month or so. It can make a huge difference in some cats. I'd push for that. Just tell the vet that you've been reading up on it, you understand that any excess amount will be excreted in urine (so in other words, there's no risk to trying it) and you'd really like to give it to him. Humor you please.

The sub-q fluids are a little more difficult to do. It took both my husband and I to give them to punkin. I don't know how people do it alone. My cousin took her cat twice a week to the vet's to have sub-q's done for 4 years.

Cosequin can help toughen the lining of the bladder. If he's having any UTI's or even bladder irritation that might really help. That's a capsule you can order from Amazon and just mix with his food. I thought it did help punkin.

I'd do 3 things asap: switch his food to low carb or raw low phosphorus, get the cosequin and get him started on Vit B12.
 
Hello everyone.

I have updated his SS, ordered the Cosequin, and Tyler is going to vet tomorrow to get sub-q fluids administered and I will ask about vitamin B12. I am still using the Hill's k/d for now. I am exploring options and might be able to try the raw for part of his diet, but probably can't afford it all the time. The cosequin came today and he got his first dose.

I do have a question. What would be the best canned food for him? I've looked at the Dave's. I get paid Wednesday and am off on Thursday and Friday. So I will be ordering a new food then.
 
Thanks, Chris.

I was off a day last post. He got sub-q fluids today. Didn't even flinch with that big scary needle!! He's a good boy. He's lost so much muscle mass that the fluid fell to his sides. He's pretty bony. He was 16lbs last July, 13.5lbs in March, and is currently 12.6lbs. The blood work showed no signs of hyperthyroidism. He still plays a lot and whoops up on his roommate, who is healthy and younger.

The vet was out doing house calls today, so I'll be asking about the b12 tomorrow. My other kitty still eats SD Turkey & Giblets, so I'll go back to that (which is good because it's cheaper). I'm going to look into trying him on the raw. If he likes it, I'll implement it into his diet.

Thanks again for all the advice.
 
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