CRF diagnosis: Sad, scared and overwhelmed

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lenistar

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone,

I just spoke to the vet and Moritz's blood work shows kidney insufficiency and anemia. The vet said he's already lost 80-85% of his kidney function. I'm so sad, scared and overwhelmed. She recommended switching to Hills k/d. Does anyone know if that's ok for an OTJ cat? I would only give him the wet variety. She also suggested sub-q fluids, 1-2 x a week to begin with. He has HCM, and so I don't want to overstress his body with fluids.

He had sub q fluids on August 16 because he was dehydrated (100ml of Ringer Lactate). And he got a sub q on Friday, too, just after blood was drawn. I'm a bit concerned that his dehydration may have thrown off the results, but the vet said she didn't think so.

I'm just sort of reaching out here for advice/support. I love Moritz so much. He's such a brave kitty and made the trip from Germany to the States with me just three months ago.

I'm going to go get a copy of the results from the vet's office in a bit and will scan them and post here so people can see his numbers.

Thank you, everyone.
Elena
 
This is beyond me but others here have dealt with CRF. I know HCM is a delicate balance. Just wanted to say I'm praying for your brave kitty and you too.

jeanne
 
Thanks, Jeanne. That's very kind of you.

I'm really starting to wonder if his dehydration wasn't a factor in the results. I'm hoping his kidneys haven't deteriorated as much as the tests indicate. I need to look into his anemia, too.

Ugh, so difficult. Thank you again for the support.
 
Hang in there. I had a non-diabetic, non-HCM kitty that made it to age 18.

The low phosphorus, diabetic-friendly canned foods are better than the Rx kidney diets. Per Dr Lisa Pierson, the low protein content of renal diets may be insufficient to maintain muscle mass, resulting in muscle wasting. You may want to check those foods, as well as consult with her professionally for recommendations.
 
Hi Elena,

My cat Elvira (who crossed the rainbow bridge a few years ago) was diagnosed with CRF when she was 15. She was in severe renal failure and had lost near 90% function. We fed science diet dry (didnt know any better then) and did the sub q treatments every day. She stopped eating and lost a ton of weight so she was eventually prescribed oral prednizone to help her maintain her weight. We managed to extend her life another year. In the end, it wasn't kidney failure that got her. The steroids enlarged her heart and her lungs filled with fluids. I found her wheezing one morning and rushed her to the vet. They said they could drain the fluid, but it was time to conisder euthanizing as she was at very high risk for a heart attack. They said she'd probably not last another month. So instead of putting her through more stress, we let her go.

That said, she had about 8-9 really great months after diagnosis. She was non-diabetic, so I have no idea how these treatments would affect an OTJ. Prednizone, of course, is a no-no for sugar kitties.

Best of luck and a big hug to you and Moritz!

Courtney and Kismet
 
Thank you, everyone. It's so nice to not feel completely alone at times like these.

What's scaring me right now more than the loss of kidney failure is Moritz's anemia. It's seems to be pretty severe (though he still jumps up to my bed and on our kitchen table). I left a message for the vet today after initially speaking with her about the results to see if she'd recommend medication. I'll be talking with the vet tomorrow, and she might recommend an internist. In the meantime, I did some research on treatment for anemic cats. It looks like if it's severe, and depending upon the kind of anemia, ESA's (I think that's what they're called) are sometimes prescribed. But it looks like those aren't without risks. Does anyone have experience with anemia or ESA's?

Thank you, again.
Elena
 
Please do share his bloodwork numbers when you can. My civvie Holleigh-berri went into severe renal failure last December. My vet told me the prognosis was very grim. He'd never seen renal values that bad. I chose to take her to the ER (Angell in Boston), and after 11 days in the hospital, she came home. Tomorrow I'm taking her for a re-check and bloodwork. She is anemic, though apparently not dangerously so. Thus far we have not had to resort to erythropoeitin and the like; however she needed major dental surgery in May and received a blood transfusion beforehand. She also has a heart murmur, so IV infusions had to be monitored carefully. She's currently receiving ~150 mL LRS fluids a day (75 morning and evening), plus she gets low-phosphorus food and phosphorus binder. To look at her, you wouldn't know she had this disease. She was very very sick, but now she's a happy little white fuzzball.

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I'm sure others will direct you to various sites, but there's so much information here: http://www.felinecrf.org

Like you said in your subject line, it's sad, scary, and overwhelming. Much like that initial diabetes diagnosis. Thankfully you are not alone and there are many people who can help you to help Moritz.

MJ
 
Elena,

I am a newbie to the diabetic cat world, but I dealt with a CRF cat. I was able to help my CRF cat the most through a raw diet and sub-q fluids. I used the recipes from Dr. Pitcairn's book and did sub-q once a day. She was 16 when diagnosed and was 17.5 when I lost her. She had lost quite a bit of weight but put 1.5 lb. back on sfter starting the raw diet & then maintained her weight until I lost her. For me, it was figuring out the timing in my schedule to make the food & when to do sub-q.

My vet started her on wet k/d, but my cat hated it having lived on dry food all her life. Once I started reading about cat food ingredients, looked at the ingredients in the k/d, & how dry food affects the kidneys, I switched her to raw. If your cat has been a beggar at dinner time wanting your food it can be a sign that converting to raw could be possible as that was the case with my CRF cat. (Lizzy, my diabetic cat, is a table food lover, too. She refused her canned supper last night when she smelled chicken for supper.) I started with partially cooking chicken & turkey then went to all raw. If you do this, be sure to find recipes. Some are simpler than others.

Yes, it was overwhelming and I wish I had help for you on the other situations you are dealing with today. Take it one day at a time and one piece at a time. The people here are really great and very helpful! The felinecrf.org website was extremely helpful & there was a couple of groups that I joined on Yahoo that were supportive, too.
 
Hi there.

Please check out my crf links in my signature. I put them together a few years ago after my fd cat was dx with crf.

My newest kitty may also have crf among other things.

I'll check back.

I just lost two of my younger, seemingly healthy kitties and need to get off the computer and spend time with the four I still have.

You can do this. I promise. I will check back.

xo,

Holly
 
Thanks so much, everyone, for your help and support. It really means a lot to me.

I'm posting Moritz's blood work here (the part that's handwritten are results from earlier months). The vet is trying to speak to someone regarding possible treatments for anemia. His numbers seem to indicate severe anemia which is really scaring me, but I don't want to proceed with a treatment without knowing the possible risks. He has HCM, is an OTJ cat (since April 2012) and has Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES).

I'm trying to figure out how to proceed with infusions given his HCM.

The good news is, he still has energy -- is jumping on my bed and on the table. Though I read on Tanya's CRF site that since CNI/Anemia can progress slowly, sometimes the body has time to get used to anemia, and that's sometimes why even cats with severe anemia have energy (even though there's a risk they could hit a dangerous point soon).

He gained 0.7lbs from mid-August to mid-September, so I guess that's encouraging? He had lost weight prior to this.

I'm really trying not to get too ahead of myself. It's just so hard, as I'm sure you all know, when you're overwhelmed. There's a frantic feeling that can be hard to control.

Thank you again,
Elena
 

Attachments

Oops, I realized I wrote CNI in my last post. That's the German abbreviation. Sorry, I meant CRF.

Thanks again,
Elena
 
Hi Elena, I rarely visit the Health board, but today I did and saw your post. My diabetic (dB) also had CRF in the last couple years of his life. I had him OTJ with a high-protein diet, and didn't want to upset that, either. I put him on kitten food and used phosphorus binders. The heart issue will be a dance, but I'm confident you can find a balance. Many on the board have given fluids and have experience with FC, HCM, and CRF. I will check my notes and see if I can find anything else that may be of help to you... it's been a few years since I dealt with CRF, and the details are faded a little!

Purrs and headbutts,
Karen & dB in spirit
 
My fred had CRF for 6 years, Diabetes for 5 and HCM for the last year...but my vet induced cardiac heart failure in fred because he started prescribing 100ml of subQ WITHOUT DOING AN ULTRASOUND TO TEST HIS HEART. He was ok the first few months but then he started getting collapsed legs and incontinence after the fluids--it was too much--we should have starated low and slow--just like the insulin. In retrospect I wish I had started with the fluids on 30-40ml every other day and just progressed slowly.

I have a lot of tips for you if you want to talk.

Also, do not use the 18 gauge needles.They are like spears. I kept experimenting with smaller and smaller size and I used the 25 and 26 gauge needle--just made it so much better for the sub Q--not a harsh influx of fluid. I special ordered this size online from one of those cat kidney supply sites. Imay have an extra one or two I can send you in the mail to try. Much nicer to kitty.

I never put Fred on kidney food for 6 whole years and his kidney disease progrssed slowly, in the last year I started mixing 2 different phosphate binders in the food--forgot what they are both called but they are standard.

Go the the yahoo kidney CRF cats forum--Elmira or something runs it.

I'll PM you my phone number and you can call me.
 
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