Please help/look for my friend

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doombuggy

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Sorry to invade your forum. :smile: :smile:
I just got a phone call from a close friend whos cat was dx'd with FD this week. She called me because she knows that Cedric was dx'd last year and is in remission. Her vet put her cat sebastian on 2 units (I am pretty sure that's what she said) of ProZinc twice daily. he has CRF too. Doc sold her DM dry and didn't press her to test before shooting. I told her she MUST come over to the main site to read up (especially on shooting in the side belly area instead of the scruff) and to sign up for the message board. if you guys wouldn't mind, can you please look out for her? She says she has never signed up on a message board before, but I suggested the user name Sebastian (her oldest cat's name). One of her cats got very sick in february and had to be put down, so she really needs some help and support. I need to find some time to get up to her house or get her over here to test, etc
She has 2 other cats in her house, both strays that she rescued. Thanks in advance for giveing out some tips - my cat used Lantus, so I am not familar with the one her vet sold her...

Thanks gang! :-D
 
Of course we'll look out for her! As soon as you know what she picks for a user name (if it isn't Sebatian), let us know and we'll run over to Health. Or she can even post straight here if she prefers, but if the questions aren't Prozinc specific, she'll get lots and lots of eyes and help on Health too!

Carl
 
We'll look forward to hearing from her. Hopefully, between all of us here, and your help, she'll have a good transition into dealing with his FD. I know what a godsend it was to me to have someone helping! Thanks for sending her our way!
 
Are any of the current PZI beans dealing with (or have dealt with) CRF?

Carl
 
I remember seeing that on someone's signature, but I don't remember who it was... or if they're even still around. Might not be a bad idea for her to post on Health - just to get more potential eyes w/ experience.
 
Count me in on this too! Kitty is now in stage 2 CRF. We are using binders and low carb low phosphorus foods. I also had another CRF cat.
 
kse said:
Count me in on this too! Kitty is now in stage 2 CRF. We are using binders and low carb low phosphorus foods. I also had another CRF cat.

Does Kitty eat dry food? My friend's vet sold her a bag of DM (which she has not opened yet) for him. I wondered if this was typical for the FD/CRF or just the vet selling her everything (food, ProZinc, syringes...)
I don't think she has signed up yest, but I have sent her some links. I am trying to get her to come over tonight so I can show her how to test. I'd get her set up here and also with a Google so she can get a spreadsheet started. I don't want to over whelm her but I am concerned for the cat's health - and her. her bengal got sick in February and was PTS after a huge effort to save her life. My friend took it really hard (as we all would) so it's too soon for another.... :sad:

Thanks again for everyone's offers of help - I am tearing. Will keep you posted...
Jesse
 
No, Kitty does not eat dry food. Prior to the CRF/CKD dx she ate FF low carb classics. BUT, they are all VERY high in phosphorus, so now I am feeding her the special diet Friskies Turkey and Giblets-- the carbs are not bad and the phosphorus is about half of what is in the FF varieties. I also am feeding Wellness Turkey and Chicken Pates, I have read where many people feed there CKD and Diabetic cats Merricks canned varieties. My Local vet sold me a product called Epakitin, that is a dry powder to add to the food as a phorphorus binder. I used the product for a couple of weeks before I went to the internalist at the Vet School--- it appeared to have NO effect on lowering her phosphorus levels. The internalist told me to stop the Epakitin and she switched Kitty to Aluminum Hydroxide--a liquid suspension. After one week of adding this to Kitty's regiment, her phosporus level was cut in half. The Epakitin was a little pricey also, especially compared to the Aluminum Hydroxide. I am just mentioning this, in the event the vet tries to sell her the Epakatin! There is a product called Azodyl, that many claim has helped stop the progression of CKD. I probably would try it, but Kitty is on so many meds for all of her conditions, I can't imagine adding anything! But, Azodyl is very intriguing. There are some members that post in health that have used Azodyl with much success. There actually was a thread on Azodyl recently, you might want to search it out.

CKD, while terminal, is very managable if caught early. Many cats live years with CKD. Kitty's CRT was steady at 2.4 for a year before her crash recently-- when it elevated to 3.7. After two weeks of therapy her CRT went back down to 2.3. This is without sub q fluids-- as they are not an option due to her underlying heart problems. But, I did do sub qs on my other CKD cat and they worked wonders! Your friend will most likely see an immediate positive response once she starts the fluids. The fluids have a dialysis effect on the kidneys.

I hope your friend signs up for the board! We look forward to helping her.
 
Thank you for the insight. I feed the Friskies & Wellness varities you mentioned and will take some with me. I am going up to her place, as she needs to give Sebastian his shot at 6pm, so she will rush home from work to do so. I am planning on bringing her some of my canned food and stopping at Pet Supermarket for the grain free treats I use. I am going to laon her my meter for now, but would like to get her one for herself. I don't know how she is treating his CRF, I have a feel ing it is just with special food. I do have another friend who currently has a CRF cat, and to be honest I think Nimbus is only on a special diet at this point (Doug is afraid of needles and is getting better at it with the alergey shots he has to give Rufus. It was in his wife's name that I gave a donation to DCIN for Chewy in february when Rita passed away. Their cats were dx'd with CRF in the fall of 2009; one passed away just prior to Rita).

Thanks and talk soon! I plan on getting her set up here tonight and a google account so she can set up a spreadsheet.
 
Glad she's got a good friend to help!

Since you're going over to do the shot tonight a few things since you're not familiar with Prozinc:

2 units is high for a starting dose. Normally this would be .5-1u. If you are switching this cat from dry food to wet food tonight please shoot conservatively, numbers could drop a lot from the food alone. I would say go with the 0.5u even if PMPS is high since without previous tests and this cat being on 2U BID there could be a lot of rebounding going on pushing the numbers up. My cat immediately required half as much insulin the cycle after the food change (1u on dry food would give nadirs in the 300's while 0.5u on wet would give a nadir of 100) Very important.

Also for new users, if the number is below 200 we recommend not giving insulin until the number is up without any food being given. No food after +10 on any cycle since dose is based on preshot number and you don't want the food inflating it.

I wish everyone had a FD buddy like you!

Cathy
 
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=70126&p=762957#p762957

Here's hear thread in Health. She shoots at 6am/pm and I think she said 2 units. She gives him both canned & dry. I failed to get blood out of him but he took it like a trooper and really loved the EVO treats I bought for him (grain free of course). I did show her my own spreadsheet and she noticed that I started out on Lantus at 1 unit. Cedric's original numbers weren't as high as Sebastian's, and that could be the reason for the vet's recomendation for 2 units. I didn't feel comfortable stating anything about ProZinc since I never used it. Please feel free to give her some advice! She is up for the challenge and wants to get him regulated. Loaned her my testing kit for now and she will be trying to test. I demonstrated but came up empty....

Thanks again for everyone's help! YOU GUYS ROCK! :RAHCAT
 
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