8/07 Cleo Update/Vet Visit

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Cleo & Jane (GA)

Cleo & Jane (GA)

Member Since 2013
Hello LL!

Cleo has been doing very well. Her BG have been running in the 60's - 90's range. I guess that is normal for her. Best thing is she seems to feel great! And still acting very good. I actually have caught her doing the hard to find 5th P now and again, with the toys on the catio. She is eating ok, still not liking the low phos foods as much. Pooping good, peeing completely in the box about 75% of the time!! ;-) Her coat is sleek, and she seems to be walking with a little more pep in her step :-D She sits on my nightstand, waiting for me to get up on weekend mornings. Still likes to be fed by 5:30 am, even if the food is not up to her standards. Prior to her FD dx, she used to eat her breakfast on the kitchen table, not the counter. Lately, she has been jumping up on the table and waiting there for her breakfast, like old times, with her pain in the butt brother, Simon. Watching her just warms my heart :-D

We had a vet visit today, and it went pretty good. I picked a day that DH was off of work, so I could hold her and not try to stuff her in the bad box. I held her on my lap, wrapped in a towel, with another towel under her. She was very good, and only gave one meow. I think that meow was saying, Sorry for peeing on you mom! She really let loose, soaked up higher on my shirt, where there was only one layer of towel. :o I was a stinky girl :-D

But, it was worth it, because she was much less stressed at the vets. I asked the vet to check her heart murmur first, and it was only a gradee one!!! Last visit, she felt it had gotten to a 3! That was the visit that started on such a bad note for Cleo.

More good news. Phos was 4.8, down from 6.1 on 7/05. BUN was 36, down from 45 on 7/05. Cleo weighed 8lb 13 oz, she has lost .5 lb since 7/05. Not a bad thing as she is still a little fluffy, and her appy is just less. Vet did not do any other bloodwork.

Now the part that I'm not sure about. Vet wants to start her on Calcitriol. Someone from the office is supposed to call me with the details on ordering it. Pick a flavor, let me know about cost (it will be compounded into the liquid), etc. Well, I have been reading a lot about it, and just not sure if it is a good thing or not? I will welcome any opinions, and will also PM Marje and ask her to look at this condo. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I still lurk everyday and try to visit a few condos. My heart breaks with the losses, and sings for the kitties doing well. Thinking of Ann, healing vines for Jupiter and all in need. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: to you all!

Jane
 
Great news about Cleo dancing_cat Thanks for the update! She sounds like she is doing so good :-D Sorry for the accidental bath on the way to the vet ;-) But at least she was a bit calmer :smile: Good luck on the new med if you choose to use it. Have a great night Jane and give Cleo some scritches.
 
Jane

Thanks for PMing me. I've had four CKD cats. One passed away at 21 from congestive heart failure while her kidney values were at stage 2. The second one had PKD and by the time we caught it, it was too late to do much treatment at all. Then there was Teddi and Gus. I actually did have the tests run for Teddi to determine if calcitriol might be warranted for her but her PTH levels were normal. She crossed from lymphoma.

And so now we have Gus. He's in stage 4 according to the charts. Instead of testing his PTH, I've just worked hard to keep his phosphorus under control. After feeding a low phosphorus diet and using aluminum hydroxide binder, I've kept his P to 4.4.

While there are many numbers to watch closely with CKD, I think the number one value that effects the way the kitty feels is P. that has been my major focus with Gus and he's going on four years and doing really well. His Ca level has also stayed really stable.

I know you've read it and probably have seen the info on Calcitriol on Tanya's. if it were me, I'd read the info I linked and be prepared to discuss with your vet exactly why he feels using Calcitriol is warranted in Cleo. There isn't lot of info documenting that it really helps cats as it does dogs, but I'd research more and decide.

If/when you decide to use it, read all the info first. It has to be monitored it very closely. Decide what your goal is for Cleo. For example, Gus is over 17 and he has alot of other health issues. We will not do any extreme measures. He's happy, he eats, he moves around, he interacts with us and the other cats. When he stops doing the things that make him Gus, we call help him transition.

You can keep a kitty stable a long time as long as you stay on top of the major issues such as P control, BP control, BUN/creat, eating, etc.
 
I'm so happy for you that Cleo is feeling great. That's wonderful that she jumps up on the table like in the old days :-D

Good news about the downgrade on her heart murmur and reduction in Phos and BUN values! Is she just getting healthier now that she's in remission? Or has she been on special meds?
 
Thanks for all the replies and good wishes!!

Marge, I wondered why my vet was prescribing the calcitriol without doing more bloodwork. I think I will hold off on it now, and discuss it more with her at Cleo's next visit, where I will request a full bloodwork. She was saying something about keeping the calcium in her bones, etc. My mind kind of blanks out, and I just ask for the spelling of the words, and how she would want me to give it. Then I know I will investigate further when I get home.

TokyoKitty, Cleo was just diagnosed with early CKD on 7/05. We were able to lower her numbers on diet alone so far!! It is a struggle to find LC/low phos foods that she likes. I think her heart murmur was worse on her last visit due to the stress of getting her into the carrier! She hates it and fights it like the demon! Even coming home, she does not want to get into that box!!

Hi Anne & Liz, Yes, it was a wonderful visit. I was holding my breath waiting for results!

Sienne, next time I will hold her again, but I will lay a weewee pad under the towels :-D

Pam, Yes, it was a good visit, and she is feeling good. And I think I will put the new med on the back burner for awhile.

Jane
 
I'm so glad Cleo's vet visit went well and her numbers and the heart murmur are better. It's good to hear how well she is doing. Thanks for checking on Furball.
 
Happy to hear the vet visit went so well.

It's nice that we can research stuff ourselves and make the best decisions for our furbabies....sometimes we can be smarter than our vet :-D cause we know our babies like no one else.
 
Morning Jane,

It's nice to read an update for Cleo... I don't always post, but I still lurk in condos :smile: sounds like a god vet visit overall.

Hope you have a good day,
Kathie
 
Hi Jane! I'm so happy Cleo is feeling better and acting like her old self. You are such a good mom to hold her even though she pees on you. That is true unconditional love. :-D
 
Hi Jane, Thanks for the update on Cleo It sounds like a good vet visit overall. it is so nice that you found a way to get her there with much less stress. YAY! I'm glad things are going well for Cleo, and that you are able to control the CKD through diet. :-D Nice to hear from you!
 
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