Re: 7/11 Georgia's Simon AMPS 138 Cleo's test results-kidney
Georgia:
I hope Simon's ears clear up. Did you ask your vet about topical cyclosporine? I know Christie used it for Willie and I use it for Gracie's eyelids; I don't know if Simon has something that would respond to cyclosporine. The only caution is that it does suppress the immune system so if the cat has herpes virus, it could bring it out but we've had no issue. It has to be compounded. If you are interested, let me know...I can give you the name of the company. They are fast. If it is an allergy, the cycolsporine might not be the best thing.
I'm so sorry to hear about Cleo. First, I would not give the prilosec. If you need to give her something for tummy acid, the standard is Pepcid AC 10mg and you give 1/4 before bedtime. Be sure you don't get Pepcid complete. It tastes nasty so I use pill pockets. I make sure I feed my renal kitties late at night so they have something to absorb the acid and then the last thing they get before we go to bed is the pepcid. However, if she is not vomiting clear, foamy liquid first thing in the morning, she might not need it yet. You could start EOD on it if you wanted to start it now.
Second, I would be giving fluids every single day. My kitties renal values are not as high as Cleo's and we do squids every day. The best thing is for the cat to get it's fluids from drinking water but when they can't keep up, the squids are necessary. Alot of vets don't start until they get to a creat of 3 but in the CRF group, they are clear that it's better to give a small amount every day then to give a larger amount EOD or twice a week. If you haven't looked into it, the CRF group on yahoo is outstanding...lots of really smart people. The other incredible resource is Tanya's comprehensive site on CRF at the following link:
Tanya's Comprehensive Website on CRF
This is considered by the CRF group to be the "gold standard" on CRF info...it is absolutely amazing. I have learned so much!
A few things:
1. It's MUCH cheaper to buy the LRS by the case at Walgreens; if you have their pharmacy card, it is $22/12 1000-ml bags; most vets charge you $15-20 for one bag. My Walgreens gets it in one day.
2. It's much better to use a smaller gauge needle than the vets usually give you. They like the harpoon sized 18g because the fluids go faster. My cats are extremely patient and see it as a bonding time so I use 21g needles. I buy the Terumo Ultra Thin Wall 21g from thrivingpets.com. Takes longer but much more comfy and you don't build up as much scar tissue. I keep my needles in the freezer...it really does help minimize the "stab".
3. If you've never given squids, there's a great website....
Sophia gets her Fluids
There's alot to learn but you can do it slowly. I would be sure I take a look at her phosphorus level. Alot of vets neglect this because if the cat is in the "normal" range, they don't worry about binders. However, normal includes kitten values which are much higher than adults. She should be around 4 on her phosphorus. My cats will not eat a low phosphorus diet and so I use a binder (aluminum hydroxide) sprinkled on their food to keep their phosphorus levels below 5. It's tasteless. I've been surprised at the number of vets who do not know about it...they want to give the old stuff which tastes horrible (can't think of the name right now). It's also important to keep an eye on her potassium, calcium, HCT, HGB as a start.
Her urine specific gravity (USG) will get lower if you give fluids but if you keep everything else balanced, it would be lower on my list to worry about.
Hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Linda (Bear Man) is also very knowledgeable about CRF. PM me if you have any questions.
