Tigger walking on hocks

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Tiggers_Dad

Tiggers_Dad

Member Since 2015
What do I do? Tigger can't really walk right now, yesterday he was ehhh and now today he can barely walk. his hind legs arnt working

He went through a pancreatitis flare up and I started feeding him dry food to make sure he keeps eating, then this happens
 
I agree with SuePea. If it turns out to be caused by diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage from the diabetes), a form of B-12 called methylcobalamin can be really helpful. Mitz gets one called Zobaline, made specifically for diabetic cats. It's water soluble so I just add it to her wet food. It can take 2-4 weeks to really take effect.
http://www.ilifelink.com/zobaline-for_diabetic_cats-3_mg_x_60_tablets.html

Hopefully, there's nothing worse going on!

Joan
 
Tiggers_Dad said:
What do I do? Tigger can't really walk right now, yesterday he was ehhh and now today he can barely walk. his hind legs arnt working

He went through a pancreatitis flare up and I started feeding him dry food to make sure he keeps eating, then this happens
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I would most definitely take him to an ER vet as well. I know it's expensive but, the sooner you find out what is going on...the better and more chance there is of getting him back around again.

Best wishes for both of you. Keep us updated!
 
It could be low potassium or a stroke. Please go to a veterinary ER now, as either can be fatal.
 
I can't my last gofundme failed and I still owe my vet 4 grand. They will laugh at me and they are the only 24/7 vet around. I'm going to give Tigger potassium that the vet gave me a while ago. I'll keep up with his potassium daily, is there anything else I can do right now? I give him 100ml subq everyday. Oh boyy :[[ giving him Reglan now too.

Three day layout

day 1: He started losing muscle in his hind legs and had trouble getting on my bed
day 2: Sitting a lot! And started walking with his butt lowered
day 3 - Today: Hes army crawling
 
Tiggers_Dad said:
I'm going to give Tigger potassium that the vet gave me a while ago.
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How long ago was he prescribed the potassium and why was he taken off it? Too much potassium can be fatal at least as quickly as too little. Unless you've had fairly recent bloodwork that shows his level is low, potassium isn't really something you want to dose blind.
 
It was low but they said it wasn't the 'main concern' when he had pancreatitis
so I know he can use it
 
If the latest blood work is the results you posted on one of your earlier threads, then it looks as though the potassium wasn't the "main concern" because it wasn't actually all that low - 3.5 when the normal range starts at 3.7. And that was almost 4 months ago - if you haven't had follow up blood work to make sure it still is low when it wasn't all that far down to begin with, I really really wouldn't give potassium as a result of guessing what might be wrong without vet confirmation as giving it when it isn't needed is just as dangerous as not giving it when it is. We have a cat who has been on potassium for the last 2 or 3 years due to CKD and the levels and dosing have to be extremely carefully checked and calculated as an overdose, or even giving the correct dose not enough hours apart is fatal - this really isn't something you can guess at or assume to still be a problem.

I'm honestly not trying to tell you off - I'm concerned for Tigger that if this isn't the problem, giving him potassium could make things much worse.
 
April--at least in humans, 3.5 when normal starts at 3.7 would cause significant symptoms. A little drop can make a big difference. I've had hypokalemia 3 different times and two of them, it was barely below normal.
 
I appreciate it doesn't take much of a deficiency to cause a problem. My concern is that the 3.5 was almost 4 months ago on the blood work - I don't see anything more recent posted than that. We have to have our CKD kitty tested every 3 months even though it's a year and a half since we last had to change her dose (and that was a reduction) to make sure nothing's changing. If his level has normalized in that time then supplementing might be too much for him.
 
I understand where you're coming from. I had been thinking blood clot but the progression doesn't add up; in my experience the blood clot hits hard and the cat is instantly paralyzed, not slowly over time like this has been progressing. But it could be showing a slow progression into hypokalemia; much lower than what she already had and it gets to be bad news. My first episode came on slowly, over weeks, but at the end hit hard. I could hardly remember my own name, was semi-conscious and completely limp. I missed having cardiac arrhythmias by a hair. At the end, it went downhill fast--in a matter of a half-hour I went from mild mental confusion and weakness to the above. If they hadn't rushed me to the hospital when they had, I may not have made it.
 
Yeah, one of my husband's cats had a saddle blood clot and went from fine to the vet saying there was nothing they could do in the space of about 6 hours, which I understand is pretty much the speed for anything like that, so I really don't think that's a possibility for Tigger - fortunately! I do actually agree with you that hypokalemia is highly possible in this case - I just don't like the idea of supplementing without being sure as the symptoms of too much potassium are very similar to the ones for too little and if there's an underlying kidney issue, either is possible. Our Shadow measured somewhere under 2 for potassium the last time she was at the ER vet - they kept her in for 3 days and we were told that if we'd waited any longer she wouldn't have made it. Her muscle weakness wasn't quite as bad as Tigger's is reported to be, but she started with other symptoms too (at 3 am of course like any self-respecting cat does :rolleyes:). Unfortunately she's one who doesn't show symptoms until she gets really low - and being 18 she has a little stiffness in her back legs even on her best days too. Of course now our regular vet thinks we're hypochondriacs on behalf of our cats as we take any of them in at the slightest sign that we might, just maybe, have seen them do something slightly different from normal. And 99.9% of the time they're absolutely fine, but with the problems we've already had with them we tend to check everything now!! It's more difficult in this case as there's no possibility of involving an ER vet to make sure which is what I would have tried to do with any of our cats if they had a problem like this on a Sunday. And of course there's always the possibility that it's severe neuropathy instead which makes me wary of recommending any supplement without vet involvement too.
 
I don't see a spreadsheet in your signature but I assume that you're testing since a meter is mentioned. Pancreatitis and of course the dry food are likely to cause the BG to rise. Has this happened and if so have you adjusted your dose accordingly? If the BG has been up for a while then I would suspect (and I hope) that it is neuropathy for which Zobaline can do wonderful things.

I don't know much about potassium level issues but I would also be wary of treating blind when it can cause serious problems. I hope you can get to the vet soon to get a diagnosis and let us know how Tigger is going. I will be keeping you in my thoughts :bighug:
 
oh guys :[ bad newsss :[
I gathered up 175$ for blood work and here are the results :[

The vet told me, Tigger is in kidney failure and needs IV Fluids asap

they want 1,600$ for 5 days of IV Fluid, can I do IV Fluid myself at home? The vet told me SubQ is not enough alone
I've been feeding Tigger Chicken breast for 2 months now because any food with fat is pure grease coming out. The doctor told me too much protein overworks the kidneys
What am I suppose to feed a Diabetic Pancreatitic with Kidney failure. Did me feeding Tigger only chicken cause this?

What do I do guys I'm such a hysterical mess, I don't have the money to hospitalize Tigger
I'm so scared, Tigger looks and feels horrible :'[


worst moment of my life
 

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If he needs the fluids to be given as IV, I'm not sure you can do that at home - I've not heard of anyone doing that and if it's anything like giving IV fluids to a human, the drip rate and amount have to be carefully controlled and it would mean keeping Tigger still for possibly hours (or days if it needs to be continual IV therapy) at a time.

The requirement of a low protein diet for cats with CKD has been under question for some time now. It now appears that it's more important to feed a low phosphorus food (you can see on his blood work that his phosphorus level is very high). While chicken breast is fairly low in phosphorus for a pure meat, it really isn't suitable as a complete diet for a cat as it's lacking in taurine and without the other components of the animal such as bone, he's going to be getting too much phosphorus and not enough calcium etc. You might find some useful reading on this site http://www.felinecrf.org/

We have an 18 year old cat with kidney disease and we are able to manage that and get good blood work results using the lower phosphorus foods that are also suitable for a diabetic (as we have to be able to put the same food out for both Shadow with kidney disease and Rosa with diabetes). I appreciate that the pancreatitis adds yet another issue but if you want to feed a home cooked diet then it will need to have supplements added to make it suitable for a cat if chicken breast only is to be the main ingredient. There is an explanation of how to make suitable cat food at home here http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood
 
Each vet wants 1,400 to 1,600 and I'm dead broke now. I'm going to have to put Tigger down
:'[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
worst
day
of
my
life
losing my best friend

he has laid in the bathtub all day where his food, water, and cat box is. He can't get out of the tub and pee's where he lies
 
Can anyone please tell or explain to me why he has NO STRENGTH at all in his hind legs? This is breaking my heart he can't move
 
The weakness is likely a combination of high phosphorus (and his phosphorus/calcium ratio will be out of balance because of that), low potassium and quite possibly some diabetic neuropathy and/or metabolic acidosis as well. I'd imagine that a combination of more than one of those is likely to cause extreme weakness.

If your vet will support it, you could attempt giving him sub-q fluids for a few days to see if it helps anything - it can hardly make things worse than they are now. I don't know if that can work, or how likely it is to have an effect, if what he really needs is IV fluids but that might be something you could discuss with your vet at least if the only other option is to have him put to sleep. Is there no way you can persuade any of the vets to work with you on a payment plan to get him the treatment he needs?
 
My heart is breaking for you! April's right... see if they can work out payments, or I could SWEAR I saw some place on here or one of the other websites that listed organizations that try to help people in your situation. I've been in your shoes before, I know how bad it hurts and I wish there was something more we could do.
 
I am saddened by Tigger's condition. The very high creatitine indicates severe kidney degradation. As others have said the leg (muscle) weakness is likely do to the low potassium. The high phosphorous makes them feel bad and not want to eat. The high phosphorus and low potassium can be successfully treated with supplements/diet but there is not much that can be done long-tern fo the high creatitine. IV fluids will just temporarily lower it.
It is always a hard decision to know when to say goodbye
 
Where are you seeing the creatinine level? There's no number shown on that line as a test result and nothing in the low/normal/high boxes for it either. Even if it's off the scale high, I'd expect to see something showing it as being high rather than a blank line without the boxes even being shown.

If Tigger's dehydrated enough to need IV therapy, then it's likely all his levels will be further elevated than they otherwise would be anyway. Our CKD cat's levels were all crazy looking when she was first diagnosed, and then again when she crashed almost 2 years ago. But since then she's had good blood work with everything within normal ranges and is well controlled on sub-q fluids, potassium supplements and a low phosphorus diet. I wouldn't give up hope yet!
 
The upper level of CREA is 2.4 The lack of a value means that it is so hight that the value is of out of range of the capability of the machine.
 
In house machine presumably as he got the results same day - I can see how that could happen. Hopefully they also sent blood work out for more testing as that should be able to read the higher numbers.

@Tiggers_Dad I've been doing some research for you this afternoon. It does sound as though there might be, depending on your vet and whether they'll agree to it, the possibility of trying aggressive sub-q therapy as you can't hospitalize Tigger for IV fluids. That does sound like possibly a twice a day thing though and sounds like it might not be as effective as IV fluids, but in your situation it's got to be worth trying.

There are some success stories here of kitties that had really bad looking numbers to begin with - of course there's no guarantee with any sort of treatment, but it does give some hope that even crazy high readings can be got, and kept, under control with intensive care and treatment http://www.felinecrf.org/success_stories.htm
 
Hopefully things are OK? I live in your area and you can PM me if you want other suggestions for 24 hour vets in the future. B12 shots are not that expensive and helped Rudy with his weak back legs and is also an appetitie stimulant. I am feeding him canned friskies special diet turkey pate to help with diabetes and kidney issues. Thinking of poor Tigger....
 
Tigger is still here with us, happy happy happy and purring! Licking his chops enjoying some wet food right now as we speak! BUT hes been bed ridden for the past three days now. Every time he moves it is only to go to the bathroom or to sit up to eat/drink, after that b12 shot he made a 12ft army crawl when we were outside enjoying the sun. I'm giving him potassium supplements and sub q twice a day and aluminium hydroxide(phosphorus binder) three times a day. Hes a happy boy, hes not in pain, his hind legs are just almost useless and his front left arm trembles when he pushes himself up :[
I love this cat to deatth and beyond!

I just ran out of potassium supplement and the one I was using is not made anymore? it was like tumeri-K or something like that, does anyone have any potassium supplement recommendations? When I gave him a heafty amount I noticed he was stronger and more active.

I am getting the special diet turkey pate for Tigger tomorrow, he is currently eating the crap out of a can of Innova Senior Diet :]

I am happy he is eating fine, but it makes me sad his muscles are JUST SO WEAK!

Would that zobaline help him? I know its not neuropathy, but it might help his weakness. I need to focus on the potassium supplement tho, any recommendations?
 
I'm so, so glad to hear Tigger is still with you - and even better news that he's happy and eating well! :D I'm sure he will improve and get some strength back as all the medications get fully into his system and start re-balancing all his electrolyte levels. :D

We've also had supply problems with Tumil-K. I didn't know it wasn't being made any more - that's more information than I've managed to find about it...we were just told there's a supply issue at the moment and it's on back order! Anyway, I did some research on the internet and found a product called RenaKare - I asked our vet to check to make sure it's OK to use and they said it's identical to Tumil K as far as active ingredients are concerned. They couldn't order it for us, but a number of places sell it - your vet will need to either call or fax a prescription in, but we've been using it for the last week with no problems (anti-jinx).
 
Tumil-K can be pills, powder or gel (I think) - we've always used the pills as we have to make sure the right cat gets the dose! ;) It's basically the same thing - RenaKare is a clone of Tumil-K, at least for potassium content. The RenaKare seems just fine though (and is a lot cheaper than Tumil-K per dose too, so if cost is an issue I'd have thought it's a better choice).
 
Bandit's vet was very adamant about using the gel (and I think it also comes as pills). I was absorbing a lot of information from him that day about a lot of things (2 other meds, B12 shots, etc.), but I recall him saying something about the gel having better absorptive properties? I could have totally imagined that, though. It was a long day.
 
That's interesting to know - and something I'll make a note for us to ask our vet at Shadow's next visit. I don't know if anything like that was explained when she was first diagnosed as I didn't get here from the UK until a little while after that but it's definitely something I'd like to find out about - better absorption has to be a good thing.
 
Friskies Special Diet cans are low in carbs and in phosphorus... probably a good thing for poor Tigger's issues. That's what Charlie is on, permanently since he's 14 and not getting any younger. His kidneys seem to be doing ok for now but he had been on a senior plus diet by Iams---easy on the kidneys but murder on the pancreas.
 
Well,,,,,,,,, hes not jumping on our bed! yet! but he is walking around again now! I'd say hes 60-70% back, that was scary scary scary let me tell you! If it wasn't for you guys and this forum, Tigger would've been put down by the Veterinarian's advice. Its a shame how corrupt people have become, thats why I love my Tigger so much! His innocence and the fact he can never do me wrong! :) :) hes such a good boy, hes finally walking and going to the bathroom appropriately in the kitty box.

All of you, have saved Tigger's life once again
and have saved mine as well :)
 
I'm so, so happy to hear how well Tigger's progressing! :) You've done an amazing job getting him back on his feet and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he's jumping on your bed again too! :D

The credit goes to your dedication in getting him through this. We can all provide whatever information we can find, but actually getting the medication and food into him on time every time is down to you - you should be very proud of bringing him back from the edge like you have. :) :bighug:
 
Just have to chime in here as we are also dealing with chronic renal failure.
First, join the CKD group on yahoo-https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-CRF-Support/info
Second, this is an incredible source of information for Renal Disease in cats: http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm

Feline crf.org also has a food list that will list available foods by phosphorus level. Always give phosphorus binder with each meal. Higher phosphorus levels further damage failing kidneys.
You can give over the counter B12 and B Complex. I use Solgar brand from a health food store as it has no sugar (methylcobalamin is the best). B12 is 500 mg and B Complex is 1/10th of a human dose. Just mix the powder in with the food once a day. With renal failure there is always the risk of developing anemia. By adding B12 and B complex you can help prevent this.

You don't have to use TumilK, we were using a supplement that was 468 mg per dose.

See if your vet will give you an Rx for the fluids, they are much cheaper online. My vet was charging $28 per bag but I found an online source for $5 per bag. So now he price matches and I save $23 per bag. You can also save a quite a bit of money by purchasing your admin sets and needles online as well.

As for the phosphorus binder, if you are getting this from your vet you can also obtain the powder less expensively online. I got a one pound jar and have been using that for a year.

Diabetes can be expensive enough but with the added issue of renal failure it can be even worse. But there are many ways to cut the vet expenses associated with renal failure and keep your kitty relatively healthy.

You did nothing to cause the renal issue; it is an unfortunate eventuality that many cats experience. I urge you to visit the website of felinecrf.org. It is really an invaluable resource.
 
I always got my SQ fluids from Drs. Foster and Smith... that was a long time ago but wayyyyyyyyyyy cheaper than the vet's office.
 
I'm just checking forums and came across this. I am all a choked up reading all this too. I'm so happy he's feeling better!!

Fourteen years ago my cat, Angie, had renal failure. She was euthanized and was only 8. I was devastated. I wish I knew then what I know now. I can't go back and change things but I am glad you could. I'm so glad there was a happy ending with tigger!

BTW, I know we aren't close but I'm in Michigan too! Grand Rapids :)
 
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