kidney failure questions

hefner42 · 01-07-2005, 12:29 AM

i have recently found out that my 8 year old kitty is in kidney failure. he was at the vet for nearly a week before i could bring him home. well he was sent home on sub q fluids that i am to give him here at home. he does not tolerate them at all! he is supposed to get 150cc, but we are very lucky to get 50cc in him. he fights and bites and gets so upset. i just dont know what to do. then tonight he was throwing up everywhere. is this related at all? he is on a new food for his kidneys per the vet recommendations. has anyone ever been through this? does anyone have any pointers for me to make this easier? at what point do you say enough and let the kitty live out his life. he is not happy with this situation. it is upsetting him more i think. i just dont know what to do. i am beside myself. any advice would be welcome!

Puma · 01-07-2005, 10:33 AM

I am sorry to hear about your kitty. There is not a lot I can say. 8 years old is not that old, but I know it is very difficult to put the cat through all of the treatment.

I have not been through a cat, having kidney failure, but I did work in a vet for quite some time. The new food and the sickness can certainly cause your cat to throw up. I am not sure how much is everywhere, was it repeatedly or everytime your cat ate? I am not sure what the vet told you, meaning how long the kitty has and what the procedure will be for him. It is really something you should talk with your vet about as well.

I am so sorry, illness is always so hard to deal with, I am thinking of you and your kitty and I hope for the best.

CTCat · 01-07-2005, 10:48 AM

Hang in there. There is so much you can do!

Hurry over to http://www.felinecrf.com/ for some help! Call your vet. Sometimes 1/4 tab of Pepcid AC will calm a crf's stomach. Get his approval first. CRF kitties are prone to upset tummies.

I do 50 mls daily on my crf kitty. On good days, I can get up to 75 to 100mls into him. I have the same problems as you..He will simply not sit still for long. I've found out through the CRF yahoo group : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/

that it is o.k. to boil some chicken breast, drain and rinse well. I offer shredded chicken breast as I'm giving the fluids each day. I spread the chicken around a plate so that it takes him a while to eat it. Sounds like you need to settle his stomach first. Also there are so many different foods and diets you can try.

Good luck and take care.

ospunkyo · 01-07-2005, 12:27 PM

Definitely call your vet and tell them what's going on. A cat in kidney failure that is throwing up and not getting enough subQ fluids can quickly become dangerously dehydrated. They may suggest that you bring him back in so they can hydrate him.

My cat did not tolerate the subQ fluids very well, either. You should mention how resistant he is to the fluid treatment your vet—from what I understand, it is not a totally comfortable situation for the cat, and there may be little things you can do to make it better for him. Are you warming the fluids? Is there a smaller needle gauge available than what you are using? Have you tried creating two fluid sacks in him, rather than doing all 150cc's in one location?

It is so difficult to have a sick kitty friend. My thoughts are with you.

hefner42 · 01-09-2005, 01:47 AM

hello all! a quick update on my sick kitty... we cannot get any fluids into him. he just will not tolerate them at all! he will not eat. i have tried canned food, baby food, and dry food... nothing! he barely drinks water even! like two licks and he is done. his meow is very very weak. he looks like nothing but skin and bones. it is just getting worse and worse. i called the vet and they said that if he wont tolerate the fluids, there is not much else we can do for him. so what now? i dont want to give up on him. he is the world to me. but it seems like there is no hope left for him. i dont know what to do. any advice?

Puma · 01-09-2005, 05:25 AM

Well I don't like the answer from the vet that there is nothing they could do.

ospunkyo · 01-09-2005, 08:49 AM

I'd go to another vet immediately.

My Norville was in 90% kidney failure when I brought him in to the emergency vet (who was about 40 minutes away), and they were amazing. They did so much for him, and the vet took all my calls and and answered all my questions and gave me suggestions for things to try at home when stuff was not going well, and had me bring him back several times to hydrate him overnight and such. They did not give up until I said it was time.

It sounds like you have not given up and are looking for help from your vet, who is not willing to go any further with you and your cat. Go to someone else. It is clear from your post that your cat is not doing well, and is not feeling well, and if he is in high percent kidney failure, he doesn't have much time left - but a vet can do things to make him more comfortable. Find someone who is willing to do that for him.

roger Davis · 01-09-2005, 01:13 PM

our "kitty" had CRF and sadly passed away a few months ago we knew she had kidney problems when we adopted her.she had many other problems as well as CRF. we adopted kitty to late to give her a lot of preventative care.
the website that ctcat suggested is a great site to get advice and were a help

Puma · 01-10-2005, 12:54 AM

Quote:

They did not give up until I said it was time.

Exactly, that is what you want. Your vet is supposed to be the one there to bring you hope not do nothing.

hefner42 · 01-10-2005, 05:37 PM

i took my baby back to the vet this morning to get his kidney levels tested again. to everyone's surprise his enzyme levels were not real high. they had elevated some, but not as much as we all had expected them to. so now they are thinking that he also has stomach ulcers, which they say is fairly common in cats with kidney disease. so they gave me some kind of medicine to give him twice daily that is supposed to coat the ulcers and help him regain his appetite. he is eating some now, but only tuna. i cannot get him to eat anything except tuna. but as long as he is eating, i am happy. so i am going to take him back to the vet in a couple of weeks if all is well and get his levels tested again. please keep UG in your prayers everyone!

01-07-2005, 12:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
hefner42 Kitten Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 7	kidney failure questions i have recently found out that my 8 year old kitty is in kidney failure. he was at the vet for nearly a week before i could bring him home. well he was sent home on sub q fluids that i am to give him here at home. he does not tolerate them at all! he is supposed to get 150cc, but we are very lucky to get 50cc in him. he fights and bites and gets so upset. i just dont know what to do. then tonight he was throwing up everywhere. is this related at all? he is on a new food for his kidneys per the vet recommendations. has anyone ever been through this? does anyone have any pointers for me to make this easier? at what point do you say enough and let the kitty live out his life. he is not happy with this situation. it is upsetting him more i think. i just dont know what to do. i am beside myself. any advice would be welcome!

01-07-2005, 10:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
CTCat Cat Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 224	Hang in there. There is so much you can do! Hurry over to http://www.felinecrf.com/ for some help! Call your vet. Sometimes 1/4 tab of Pepcid AC will calm a crf's stomach. Get his approval first. CRF kitties are prone to upset tummies. I do 50 mls daily on my crf kitty. On good days, I can get up to 75 to 100mls into him. I have the same problems as you..He will simply not sit still for long. I've found out through the CRF yahoo group : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ that it is o.k. to boil some chicken breast, drain and rinse well. I offer shredded chicken breast as I'm giving the fluids each day. I spread the chicken around a plate so that it takes him a while to eat it. Sounds like you need to settle his stomach first. Also there are so many different foods and diets you can try. Good luck and take care. __________________ Brenda

01-07-2005, 12:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
ospunkyo Tom Cat Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 475	Definitely call your vet and tell them what's going on. A cat in kidney failure that is throwing up and not getting enough subQ fluids can quickly become dangerously dehydrated. They may suggest that you bring him back in so they can hydrate him. My cat did not tolerate the subQ fluids very well, either. You should mention how resistant he is to the fluid treatment your vet—from what I understand, it is not a totally comfortable situation for the cat, and there may be little things you can do to make it better for him. Are you warming the fluids? Is there a smaller needle gauge available than what you are using? Have you tried creating two fluid sacks in him, rather than doing all 150cc's in one location? It is so difficult to have a sick kitty friend. My thoughts are with you. __________________

01-09-2005, 08:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
ospunkyo Tom Cat Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 475	I'd go to another vet immediately. My Norville was in 90% kidney failure when I brought him in to the emergency vet (who was about 40 minutes away), and they were amazing. They did so much for him, and the vet took all my calls and and answered all my questions and gave me suggestions for things to try at home when stuff was not going well, and had me bring him back several times to hydrate him overnight and such. They did not give up until I said it was time. It sounds like you have not given up and are looking for help from your vet, who is not willing to go any further with you and your cat. Go to someone else. It is clear from your post that your cat is not doing well, and is not feeling well, and if he is in high percent kidney failure, he doesn't have much time left - but a vet can do things to make him more comfortable. Find someone who is willing to do that for him. __________________

01-09-2005, 01:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
roger Davis Cat Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: united kingdom Posts: 195	CRF our "kitty" had CRF and sadly passed away a few months ago we knew she had kidney problems when we adopted her.she had many other problems as well as CRF. we adopted kitty to late to give her a lot of preventative care. the website that ctcat suggested is a great site to get advice and were a help

01-07-2005, 10:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
Puma Tom Cat Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California Posts: 461	I am sorry to hear about your kitty. There is not a lot I can say. 8 years old is not that old, but I know it is very difficult to put the cat through all of the treatment. I have not been through a cat, having kidney failure, but I did work in a vet for quite some time. The new food and the sickness can certainly cause your cat to throw up. I am not sure how much is everywhere, was it repeatedly or everytime your cat ate? I am not sure what the vet told you, meaning how long the kitty has and what the procedure will be for him. It is really something you should talk with your vet about as well. I am so sorry, illness is always so hard to deal with, I am thinking of you and your kitty and I hope for the best.

01-09-2005, 01:47 AM	#5 (permalink)
hefner42 Kitten Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 7	hello all! a quick update on my sick kitty... we cannot get any fluids into him. he just will not tolerate them at all! he will not eat. i have tried canned food, baby food, and dry food... nothing! he barely drinks water even! like two licks and he is done. his meow is very very weak. he looks like nothing but skin and bones. it is just getting worse and worse. i called the vet and they said that if he wont tolerate the fluids, there is not much else we can do for him. so what now? i dont want to give up on him. he is the world to me. but it seems like there is no hope left for him. i dont know what to do. any advice?

01-09-2005, 05:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
Puma Tom Cat Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California Posts: 461	Well I don't like the answer from the vet that there is nothing they could do.

01-10-2005, 05:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
hefner42 Kitten Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 7	i took my baby back to the vet this morning to get his kidney levels tested again. to everyone's surprise his enzyme levels were not real high. they had elevated some, but not as much as we all had expected them to. so now they are thinking that he also has stomach ulcers, which they say is fairly common in cats with kidney disease. so they gave me some kind of medicine to give him twice daily that is supposed to coat the ulcers and help him regain his appetite. he is eating some now, but only tuna. i cannot get him to eat anything except tuna. but as long as he is eating, i am happy. so i am going to take him back to the vet in a couple of weeks if all is well and get his levels tested again. please keep UG in your prayers everyone!

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