CRF kitty beans-- HELP high potassium

[allie and newkitty]

Newkitty's numbers have improved, her BUN came down to 59 (from 83.9) and her CRE is down to 2.0 (from 2.3). However, her potassium went from 4.7 to 6.0!

Last night she had a BM and then strained to urinate (like with cystitis) 3 times. She did urinate this morning but it was not much. However, the day before yesterday and consistently to last night, she has been flooding the box. My vet believes this was due to the straining she had just done with a BM on bad knees (her cartilage is shot from pred and has luxating patellas) and was pain thing. She strained for the (normal looking) BM, then strained to urinate 3 times, then strained to produce a tiny drop of loose stool, then I gave her a pain shot and she settled down.

We have been using saline sub-q's thus far so we know she is not getting extra from LRS. We are to keep doing this, every day.

I read elevated potassium is common in end stage cats, or cats with CRE of 5. Her CRF numbers seem too good to have high potassium.

I am very worried and hope someone here has experience with this.

 

[Dale]

Maybe talk to your vet about using bicarbonate and treating for acidosis if you aren't already? Interesting though about the use of insulin.
Dale

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5463273_high- ... -cats.html
Treat high potassium by stopping any potassium supplements, and perhaps starting fluid therapy. Insulin used in conjunction with sodium bicarbonate or dextrose can also effectively lower high potassium levels. Diuretics may also be used to increase urine output.

OR

High potassium levels indicate acidosis, diabetes, acute kidney failure.
References: [1] The Feline Patient - Gary D. Norsworthy, Mitchell A. Crystal, Sharon K. Fooshee, Larry P. Tilley

OR

Acidosis
Metabolic acidosis occurs in CRF cats because the kidneys cannot rid themselves of excess acids from the diet. Ionized Hydrogen (H+) builds up in the blood. The body buffers this by combining the H+ with bicarbonate (HC03-), causing the bicarbonate levels to fall. Bicarbonate can be measured as part of a blood gas analysis, which requires specialized equipment. However, a good approximation can be done as part of a blood test by measuring total Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Since about 95% of total CO2 in the blood is bicarbonate, when bicarbonate levels fall, so does total CO2. When using this method, care must be taken to be certain that there is no air in the tube above the sample as the CO2 in the air will alter the reading. Metabolic acidosis is treated by raising bicarbonate levels either by using bicarbonate or citrate which is a metabolic precursor to bicarbonate.

 

[tuckers mom]

Dale, when I first had to research Tucker(GA)'s low potassium (hypokalemia) I read that some FDs who just start insulin are at risk for accute hypokalemia because insuiln increases the sodium-potassium pump. I knew that CRF kitties could experience low K+ but didn't know about FDs.

Allie, I'm sorry I can't help you with Newkitty, as mentioned our experience is with low potassium levels.