? High cal. foods? OTJ but health not good..

[Lys7]

Hotch won't touch his DM wet, nor most FF flavours (salmon was the exception). He has been off the last couple of days and barely eating. I took him into the vet today and didn't receive the greatest news.. more will come tomorrow once we get his blood work back . He is down to 11.8 pounds so he has lost a pound in a month. His teeth weren't the greatest but the vet says he has seen worse. I brought in a urine sample and he was able to test that. I forget what it is called, but something to do with the concentration in the urine is down (down being not good) from the last urine test (a month ago) and now there are traces of protein in it. He told me about the scale, kidney failure etc. The vet said he doesn't care about the carb. contents at this point and just wants to see Hotch gain some weight. We went to the pet store and got some low carb wet foods.. Should I just be giving him anything like the vet says, whether it is high or low carb? I could easily pick him up some FF with gravy to see if he will eat that.. or I could give him some high cal. wet OR dry food? He is still getting a little of the Merrick kibble at dinner and only ate about half of that last night.. Any thoughts welcome..

Forgot to ask, do you know any high cal. foods that we could try??

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I brought in a urine sample and he was able to test that. I forget what it is called, but something to do with the concentration in the urine is down (down being not good) from the last urine test (a month ago) and now there are traces of protein in it.

That means the urine specific gravity (USG) is low. That is a good indicator of kidney insufficiency. USG will start to go down before the blood results for kidney indicators (creatitine, phosphorus) point to kidney problems.
I would just try different foods. One symptom of severe kidney insufficiency is the cat does not want to eat.

 

[Lys7]

That means the urine specific gravity (USG) is low. That is a good indicator of kidney insufficiency. USG will start to go down before the blood results for kidney indicators (creatitine, phosphorus) point to kidney problems.
I would just try different foods. One symptom of severe kidney insufficiency is the cat does not want to eat.

Ah, yes! That was it. Really?! Before the blood?? Thank you. I had no idea.
So if I'm understanding correctly, *maybe* if we find something he enjoys eating then that will reverse itself??

 

[Sharon14]

I would try some low carb, low phosphorus foods. One of Colin's favorites is Wellness GrainFree Turkey. He also likes Wellness Core Beef, Venison and Lamb. Both can be found at Petsmart or Petco.

 

[Lys7]

Thanks!! I actually picked up two of the Wellness Core Turkey and Duck. I will go to a Petsmart and check out the other flavours. I hope he likes them

 

[Sharon14]

Not all Wellness flavors are low Phos. The Turkey & Duck is lower than many foods, but not nearly as low as the two I mentioned. The Grain Free Chicken and Grain Free Kitten are good too. @Julia & Bandit may have more suggestions.

 

[jayla-n-Drevon]

Giving sub q fluids will help greatly if he is in renal failure.
It will slow the disease And improve appetite as the toxins will be flushed out.
I would talk to your vet about how to administer but there are much less expensive places to get the supplies you need than from your vet but you will need a script for the fluids and needles.

 

[BJM]

Pop over to Tanya's Feline CRF web site to do some reading at: www.felinecrf.org
There's tons of info there.

 

[Lys7]

Thank you - pulling it up now that I've crawled into bed.

The vet said his calcium levels were very high so he is contacting the specialist again.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

For Wellness, the regular Turkey, Chicken, and Beef & chicken flavors are low phosphorus, and Wellness Core beef & venison, and the chicken, turkey, and chicken liver are ok. The turkey and duck is a little higher than recommended, but not by much, so as long as it's something rotated in the diet with other lower phosphorus foods, it could still be ok in smaller amounts or mixed with other foods to get him eating a good amount of calories. The most important thing with a cat with CKD is feeding a food he will eat, so if he loves the turkey and duck and hates the others, feed the turkey and duck.