Kidney Failure

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Kathleen and Fred

Kathleen and Fred

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Its been a long time since Fred and I were here. He's been OTJ for six months, but now his creating levels are 2.8 and he may have an eye infection in the dilated eye. The internal medicine vet says his BUN is high. The last week I've been giving him daily IVs of NormosolR for hydration, 1/4 tablet of Mirtazzpine every 3 days for appetite encouragement, and 1/2 tab of Famotidine (pepsin AC) once a day for upset stomach.

He's still not eating much and lethargy has set in. His BGs are still in the controlled range except for one "pop up" when I gave him too many treats after an IV session.

I think I'm losing him and want to know if there's anything else I can do. He's 16 and was diagnosed 12/09.

Thanks for your help.
 
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I nursed a cat with kidney disease for 4 years but she didn't have diabetes. 2.8 is high for creatinine but not sky high. Was Fred's phosphorus checked? If that's high then it can make them feel really lousy. You should probably post this in the general health forum for more visibility.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Kathleen, I am sorry to hear about Fred. You guys have been working a long time to keep him healthy. Have you seen Tany's site for CRF kitties? She is a great resource.

http://www.felinecrf.org/
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I'm not sure who wrote the info, but I was able to read some very helpful articles on the subject. I trust my internist, but just feel so uninformed about this situation. Guess it's. To too unexpected for a diabetic who's aging. But, I really had hopes of keeping him longer.....came on so quickly!
 
Kathleen and Fred said:
I'm not sure who wrote the info, but I was able to read some very helpful articles on the subject. I trust my internist, but just feel so uninformed about this situation. Guess it's. To too unexpected for a diabetic who's aging. But, I really had hopes of keeping him longer.....came on so quickly!
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Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Kathleen, I am sorry to hear about Fred. You guys have been working a long time to keep him healthy. Have you seen Tany's site for CRF kitties? She is a great resource.

http://www.felinecrf.org/
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Please forgive my poor manners, Sue..... It was good to see your reply.....like an old friend! You helped us so much in the past. Very grateful!!
 
Oh Kathleen, I'm so sorry to hear that. Have you posted on Health? There are a lot more folks there and I know several of them have dealt with CRF. They might be able to give you some help.
 
First, get a copy of the latest labs and then join the feline ckd group on yahoo. Don't give up they can rebound seemingly overnight. And as advised in earlier posts, felinecrf.org is the best resource.
 
Anitafrnhamer said:
First, get a copy of the latest labs and then join the feline ckd group on yahoo. Don't give up they can rebound seemingly overnight. And as advised in earlier posts, felinecrf.org is the best resource.
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Thanks for your advice. Just got a call from my regular vet, who thinks there is something else going on and recommends an ultrasound to get the full picture. We'll know more tomorrow.
 
just like diabetes, kidney failure can also be managed. I remember feeling like you do now, but I had a cat who lived for a few years with that diagnosis (chronic kidney failure ). Good luck tomorrow and hang in there!!:bighug::bighug:
 
So the result from the Internist is mixed.
On 6/30 PCV was 25% - 7/7 PCV is 24%
6/30 BUN was 81 mg/dl. - 7/7 BUN is 66 mg/dl
6/30 Creatinine was 2.8 mg/dl. - 7/7 Creatinine is 2.7 mg/dl

This wasn't enough of a change for the Internist, so she wants to do an ultrasound. Unfortunately, Freddie decided to eat all last night and this morning - had only been nibbling all week! So, with his stomach so full, she wanted to wait until she is back on Monday, when he will be fasting before the test.

On the other hand, my regular vet (I called her with the numbers) felt this may be a sign that Fred is stabilizing.

I frankly don't know what to think. I'm just thankful I don't have to do the IVs this weekend. His BGs are still good and he walking around looking much more alert and happy for an old boy. We're both pretty worn out.

Anything else you think I should consider? Thanks!!
 
Carol & Murphy said:
just like diabetes, kidney failure can also be managed. I remember feeling like you do now, but I had a cat who lived for a few years with that diagnosis (chronic kidney failure ). Good luck tomorrow and hang in there!!:bighug::bighug:
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Carole....let me know what you think about my post on the vet visit. Thanks!
 
well, it does look like things have stabilized. Although my cat with renal failure died almost 20 years ago, there is a lot you can do to manage the disease and keep it stabilized- Tanya's site has it all. He is a little anemic - you will have to watch that - there is something the vet can give - in addition to Phosphorus, calcium levels needs to be watched, along with potassium, and also his blood pressure I imagine good advances have been made in the 20 years since I treated my cat. Don't despair - it is manageable just like diabetes
 
Your comments were encouraging and I'll keep doing everything I can to give Fred a good quality of life. But how do you know when its time to stop? When do we humans just have to let go?

Fred is almost 16, and I know that's old for a cat - let alone a diabetic. How will I know when HE'S ready to let go?

Thanks so much!
 
You know Fred, Kathleen, so I think you'll know when it's time. With Oliver, we knew it was when he stopped eating. He LOVED food - it really was what made his life worthwhile. When he quit enjoying his food and just lay around, seeming uninterested in everything, we decided. He still purred, but I understand purring can sometimes reflect pain also.
 
16 isn't THAT old. My chronic renal failure cat lived to 17 - I am not a good one to advise on when it is time i have always let mine go way too long. My vet helped me make the decision - there will be good days and bad days, and when there are not too many good days, it is time to start thinking about it I agree with Sue and the eating part But it really sounds like you are a long way from that. When my cat died on renal failure, I think his creatinine was 13 or 15 and his BUN was way over 200. He went blind one day (detached retina from high blood pressure i think) and I couldn't bear that for him. It still hurts all these decades later :(

You can probably remove the 911 from your thread
 
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With Gypsy, I knew it was time when she stopped eating and stopped being around us. She would crawl off to be alone somewhere. And she was SUCH a social cat. She lived for attention from her humans. I brought her to the vet who told me that she wasn't going to get better...and I realized it was time to say goodbye.
 
Kidney cats can last a long time. Treat with fluids, and something to keep the anemia in check. Get regular labs and blood pressure readings. You can do this.
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
Kidney cats can last a long time. Treat with fluids, and something to keep the anemia in check. Get regular labs and blood pressure readings. You can do this.
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Thanks so much for this message (and the others as well.). Fred's ultrasound showed CKD (IRIS Stage 2) but his Creatinine and BUN had improved slightly with IV treatment. One kidney is OK, however. The big problem is pancreatitis. The duct is dialated, but the pancreas seems OK right now.

Still he's not eating much. So we started him on Cerenia for 6 days, along with the Mirtazapine he gets every 3 days in hopes of improving his appetite. I'm also afraid he may be in pain, so I was wondering if a pain med would be a good idea. Daily he gets a generic form of Pepcid and every other day he get an IV of NormosolR, which he detests!!

If someone has a good recipe for CKD kitties, I'd love to have it. The Internist and my regular vet could only suggest W/D. Right now, he seems to like raw chicken best. Just like diabetes, this will be a long learning curve, but I'm willing to see it through.

Thanks!
 
I don't have any good recipes, but my CKD kitty lived to be 21 (dx'd at about age 18, if I recall.) She detested the fluids too but it was obvious how much they helped. As for "the day".....one day she stopped eating and could not get comfortable in any position; wandered around crying. I cried too but did what was right. She was my "heart kitty" - I still think about her and smile. Here's wishing you many more fine days with Fred.
 
Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe either. Neither of my kidney cats would eat raw. I used FF and Wellness and added a phosphorus binder. With Rover, I was able to augment with cooked chicken, turkey, and beef.
 
Kathleen, have you posted on Health? I only suggest that as well as here since there are more eyes there...maybe post a subject line of something like Recently diagnosed with CKD? I believe we have several members who have cats with CKD and they can give you some good thoughts I'm sure.

I don't have any advice, not having dealt with that myself at this time. But sending you hugs and lots of encouragement!
 
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