Renal failure, signs of?

Hi,
I just joined this fabulous forum and am so glad I found it on my Google search. It seems there is a wealth of information here and such devoted cat owners!

I'm writing because I have an upsetting problem with one of my indoor cats. He's a 13-1/2 year old male that seemed to suddenly stop eating. He has been doing licking motions that seemed out of the ordinary, he almost looks like he's trying to get something out of the back of his throat. Plus he will retch and bring up a small patch of foam. I took him to the vet thinking and hoping it would be a bad tooth or something caught in the back of his mouth but they didn't see anything. They thought he might have a few mouth ulcers and some redness near the gums. I was told that he probably has kidney problems. Unfortunately I cannot pursue medical diagnostic measures to any great degree as I'm unemployed. I don't think there is much one can do with kidney problems right? I was sent home with Amoxicyllin (sp?) and some Felincare RF liquid diet supplement which he does not like . Since being home, he, Bob, pretty much sits all day and will barely eat. He basically takes a few 'licks' of his food (I am buying some wet food that he used to love) and drink a little water. Looking back I do see now that he had been growing progressively thinner and the dry food that I'd put out was not going down as quickly. It's one of those things though that only in hindsight do you really realize there was something awry, it was that subtle. Now I feel so badly for my Bob but after a few tormented days and nights, I have kind of come to grips. I keep hoping for an improvement in his health, a turnaround even if it's temporary but I sincerely feel he's winding down. I was wondering if anyone else here has dealt with a cat that had 'renal failure'? Is there anything I can do to make him feel better? It's dreadfully hard trying to get the Amoxyicillin drops into him. I did read that kidney failure is the leading cause of death in elderly cats. I just didn't think of Bob as THAT old just yet. He seemed so happy and lively but then again, he had started sleeping more during the day. He is one of the most lovable, intelligent cats I've had the pleasure of owning.
Well thanks for putting up with the long ramble and again I feel so relieved to be among fellow cat lovers!
-Lauris

I don't have any experience with this, but am sending you both good thoughts. This is a great forum, you are right, and welcome! Please keep us posted on his progress.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

Welcome to TCS Lauris....
You will receive a lot of support here.

Here is a link to a site that many people who have kitties with CRF like...
http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm

Also...use the search tool in this Health Forum..
You and you sweet kitty will be in my thoughts.
Keep checking back...
other members will be posting.
Please keep us updated.

Hi, I am sorry your fellow isn't feeling well. A simple blood test would tell them if it were kidney failure or not versus just a bad urinary tract infection, but I understand what you are saying about limited funds.

I, and several others here, have cats with chronic renal failure (CRF). The site that was listed above is the one I was going to give you - www.felinecrf.org is *the* best site on the web, and is a very deep site, you can drill down through many layers of information.

Signs of crf are loss of weight, loss of appetite, nausea (lip smacking, licking lips, retching of clear foam), muscle weakness, muscle wasting in the back legs/back end.

There are thing that can be done - adjusting the diet to a lower phosphorus and lower protein (and the best quality protein you can afford) content, increasing fluid intake (some use a drinkwell fountain to encourage fluids, and at some point, many owners of crf kitties begin giving their kitty sub-q fluids at home), meds can be given to deal with the increased stomach acid - cause of the nausea and vomitting.

On the felinecrf.org site will be a link to a list that tells you the phosphorous and protein (and more) content of many dry and canned foods. A canned food diet is higher in moisture, so would be a good idea for your boy, or changing to an approved homemade diet. I know that Stephanie (dawnofsierra) is now doing a homecooked diet for her sweetie Sierra, and it is not an expensive looking recipe (I hope she'll see this and post here).

Please go to the site, do not give up hope, even on a budget you can adjust the diet, and see about dealing with the stomach acid (I use pepcid - plain pepcid, not the chewable, not the extra strength)...the felinecrf.org site goes into all of this.

Sharky, the nutrition advisor here will also post soon I know, and she also has a crf kitty (I have two at the moment).

Don't give up hope, and yes, you will find a lot of support here.

What they said. CRF isn't an immediate death sentence. My 18 year old Sheba has CRF (diagnosed over a year ago) and congestive heart failure (diagnosed three weeks ago), and with the right adjustments to her diet and medications, she's improving every day.

Sub-q fluids (like an iv, but given under the skin) is something you can learn to do at home, and is much, much less expensive than having it done at the vets. A prescription or homemade diet is best, but eating anything at this point is better than eating the right food. Without food, his liver will shut down. You may need to force feed him (with a syringe) for a while to make sure he gets enough food. I've found that my girl will eat more if I heat her food a little in the microwave. I also add a little unflavored pedialyte to make it a little soupy to make sure she gets extra moisture and keep her from becoming dehydrated. An appetite stimulant can help a lot, too.

Sub-q fluids (like an iv, but given under the skin) is something you can learn to do at home, and is much, much less expensive than having it done at the vets

Click to expand...

I've had several cats with CRF, and IMO, sub-q fluids are a must. With the first kitty, I was hauling him to the vet's 3 or 4x a week, a huge strain on him, on me, and on our budget. The vet I use now sells me a bag of fluid (usually enough for a week or more) for $3. It's kind of hard to know just what needs to be done at this point, since it sounds as if your Bob ( I lost my Bob earlier this year) hasn't actually been diagnosed yet. I really feel diagnosis is the first step in deciding how to treat whatever is wrong with your boy. You might want to set-up a payment schedule with your vet.

I'll be keeping you & your Bob in my prayers.

Originally Posted by libby74

I've had several cats with CRF, and IMO, sub-q fluids are a must. With the first kitty, I was hauling him to the vet's 3 or 4x a week, a huge strain on him, on me, and on our budget. The vet I use now sells me a bag of fluid (usually enough for a week or more) for $3. It's kind of hard to know just what needs to be done at this point, since it sounds as if your Bob ( I lost my Bob earlier this year) hasn't actually been diagnosed yet. I really feel diagnosis is the first step in deciding how to treat whatever is wrong with your boy. You might want to set-up a payment schedule with your vet.

I'll be keeping you & your Bob in my prayers.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much, I find such comfort with these incredibly kind and thoughtful posts! I am going to take Bob back to the vet tomorrow and have some bloodwork done. Also I am so tempted to beg them to look again into his mouth, he just keeps looking like there is something irritating him in the back of the throat. Sub-q fluids make alot of sense to me too as you can tell the cat is getting dehydrated. I do see Bob take a drink from his water bowl now and then but I doubt that is nearly enough to keep him hydrated to the level he should be. Well thank you again for your wonderful post and kind wishes. Hugs, Lauris

Lauris,

The member whose vet is selling them a bag of subq fluids for $3 has an atypical vet. If you find yours would be charging you $20 plus or more, please consider joining a crf support group I belong to, that lists sources for purchasing supplies locally (i.e. costco) or online - though your vet would have to give you a prescription for this - most will.

If you want the addy of the support group, pm me.

Originally Posted by Lauris

Hi,
I was told that he probably has kidney problems. Unfortunately I cannot pursue medical diagnostic measures to any great degree as I'm unemployed.

Click to expand...

Please try to get a blood test done to check his kidney function - it shouldn't be too expensive. It's very difficult to treat a cat for a problem you're not sure he has. Moreover, it may be dangerous to treat him for kidney disease if he doesn't actually have that. I've been looking into CRF in cats recently as my cat had a high test result but a subsequent test showed he doesn't have CRF, although his values are towards the high end of normal. If he does have CRF, diet can be crucial in slowing down the progression of the disease but it would really help to know how bad it is - ie whether he only has early stage CRF or it's more serious. The site that Pat & Alix posted a link to is very useful.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hi, I am sorry your fellow isn't feeling well. A simple blood test would tell them if it were kidney failure or not versus just a bad urinary tract infection, but I understand what you are saying about limited funds.

I, and several others here, have cats with chronic renal failure (CRF). The site that was listed above is the one I was going to give you - www.felinecrf.org is *the* best site on the web, and is a very deep site, you can drill down through many layers of information.

Signs of crf are loss of weight, loss of appetite, nausea (lip smacking, licking lips, retching of clear foam), muscle weakness, muscle wasting in the back legs/back end.

There are thing that can be done - adjusting the diet to a lower phosphorus and lower protein (and the best quality protein you can afford) content, increasing fluid intake (some use a drinkwell fountain to encourage fluids, and at some point, many owners of crf kitties begin giving their kitty sub-q fluids at home), meds can be given to deal with the increased stomach acid - cause of the nausea and vomitting.

On the felinecrf.org site will be a link to a list that tells you the phosphorous and protein (and more) content of many dry and canned foods. A canned food diet is higher in moisture, so would be a good idea for your boy, or changing to an approved homemade diet. I know that Stephanie (dawnofsierra) is now doing a homecooked diet for her sweetie Sierra, and it is not an expensive looking recipe (I hope she'll see this and post here).

Please go to the site, do not give up hope, even on a budget you can adjust the diet, and see about dealing with the stomach acid (I use pepcid - plain pepcid, not the chewable, not the extra strength)...the felinecrf.org site goes into all of this.

Sharky, the nutrition advisor here will also post soon I know, and she also has a crf kitty (I have two at the moment).

Don't give up hope, and yes, you will find a lot of support here.

Click to expand...

Hi Pat & ALix,
Your note gave me much comfort and I was so happy to learn of that CRF website. They have it so well done, you can find all the information without much trouble.
I am going to call my pet clinic tomorrow morning and have them do some bloodwork. All the signs you listed described what Bob has been doing. I have a feeling the results will probably confirm CRF. It's been depressing beyond words to watch my normally super-happy cat change into this sad, reclusive creature. Now things are getting really serious as he seems to have stopped even licking at his wet food. I've tried buying him his very favorite foods that usually would have him begging up a storm vocally, but he sniffs and then tries to 'bury' the food. Tonight out of desperation and fear after reading some of the posts about how not eating for even 2 days can cause liver problems, with the help of my brother, I forced Bob to take in a small amount of baby ground chicken food diluted with a little hot water so it would be warm. He resisted mightily and I didn't want to stress him out but with a syringe we got some food at least into him! He almost seemed to like it at the end.

Well I can't thank you enough for being so helpful and concerned. I am VERY impressed by the kindness here and how everyone cares so much! I have this bookmarked and feel 'safe' now having such a place to go to help my cats.
I'll keep you posted on Bob's condition and the bloodwork on his kidneys. Goodnight, Lauris