RachelG
Member Since 2021
Yesterday Fortune was admitted back to the hospital.
The blood transfusion was effective and he is back to being "feisty," and eating heartily. To be honest, hearing that he is still agitated being at the hospital is just heart breaking.
We aren't sure what caused his anemia, but his is also azotemic. He kidney numbers came down since yesterday, but they are still high. They are trying to figure out if it's because his left kidney has more advanced kidney disease, if it's a kidney infection, or if he sustained kidney damage from the anesthesia. Poor bunny.
We were told that advanced kidney disease doesn't have a treatment, that he may need more transfusions. I did bring up the darbepoetin, since he received it last Friday. We aren't sure if that's an option yet, either.
Right now, they are giving him a higher than maintenance level of fluids to flush his kidney, and would like to do an ultrasound to look at his kidney tomorrow. Which means he may not come home til Tuesday.
I have no clear prognosis or sense of his quality of life. We are struggling to wrap our minds around everything, and are still holding our breath for the biopsy results. Very upset that he isn't home again, and our other cat Marty seems pretty depressed, so we are trying to lavish him with pets and cuddles.
The doctor did comment that Fortune doesn't seem like a senior cat based on how he behaves and eats, and seems to have a lot of fight and life in him. We are just grappling if he needs to be hospitalized this frequently, what his quality of life is because he is so unhappy in the hospital.
OH - I brought up that his BG has been higher, and asked how it is. They are keeping him on his regular glargine dose of 2IU, and it's been between 250-350. She brought up the Freestyle Libra which goes on for two weeks to check blood sugar instead of pricking his ear. I wanted to ask if anyone had experience with it, and if it's easier/better for the cat when they have a lot going on. They would use it in the hospital and we would use it at home instead of the regular blood tests...We don't want to add an actual medical device to Fortune if it's going to be uncomfortable or unnecessary.
The blood transfusion was effective and he is back to being "feisty," and eating heartily. To be honest, hearing that he is still agitated being at the hospital is just heart breaking.
We aren't sure what caused his anemia, but his is also azotemic. He kidney numbers came down since yesterday, but they are still high. They are trying to figure out if it's because his left kidney has more advanced kidney disease, if it's a kidney infection, or if he sustained kidney damage from the anesthesia. Poor bunny.
We were told that advanced kidney disease doesn't have a treatment, that he may need more transfusions. I did bring up the darbepoetin, since he received it last Friday. We aren't sure if that's an option yet, either.
Right now, they are giving him a higher than maintenance level of fluids to flush his kidney, and would like to do an ultrasound to look at his kidney tomorrow. Which means he may not come home til Tuesday.
I have no clear prognosis or sense of his quality of life. We are struggling to wrap our minds around everything, and are still holding our breath for the biopsy results. Very upset that he isn't home again, and our other cat Marty seems pretty depressed, so we are trying to lavish him with pets and cuddles.
The doctor did comment that Fortune doesn't seem like a senior cat based on how he behaves and eats, and seems to have a lot of fight and life in him. We are just grappling if he needs to be hospitalized this frequently, what his quality of life is because he is so unhappy in the hospital.
OH - I brought up that his BG has been higher, and asked how it is. They are keeping him on his regular glargine dose of 2IU, and it's been between 250-350. She brought up the Freestyle Libra which goes on for two weeks to check blood sugar instead of pricking his ear. I wanted to ask if anyone had experience with it, and if it's easier/better for the cat when they have a lot going on. They would use it in the hospital and we would use it at home instead of the regular blood tests...We don't want to add an actual medical device to Fortune if it's going to be uncomfortable or unnecessary.
) though if you have Fortune in a t-shirt or that hospital suit, that may help keep it on. 
We are going to talk more about it with the vet - like would they be interpreting the info and advising?
