CRF - Chronic Renal Failure:links and experiences with

I'm keeping you and Tiger in my prayers. I sincerely hope Tiger continues to improve and is able to come home with you this weekend.

Lots of healing thoughts and vibes coming sweet Tigers way.

Well, he's home. We were able to bring him home yesterday afternoon. They told us to keep an eye on him and give them a call back on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he just doesn't seem to be doing any better. He slept most of the day yesterday. He isn't walking around very much and when he does, his back legs shake a bit.

He has eaten a bite here and there. He's drinking water but he hasn't used the bathroom once since he's been home. I'm very worried about him. I'll be spending the afternoon sitting with him and trying to get him to eat/drink a bit more than he has been. I guess it's really up to him, now.

First, you guys ROCK about CRF support. I haven't posted on this thread but a lot of you have read about my cat in other threads. You guys are great with your kinds words of encouragement, especially when it's presented to a furmommy as a death sentence.

Second, my boyfriend went online and found a product called Epaktin. Has anyone tried this product and had success? Or, is it just a sham?

Unless you know for sure that product is OK...
I would hesitate to use it.
Maybe someone will give you some feedback soon.

I really feel for you...
You and Sassy will be in my thoughts as you continue fighting for her life.
Bless you both.

The bible for many, on crf questions is this site: www.felinecrf.org,
here is the link to the section that discusses phosphorous binders and does mention epatikin, aka ipakitine,
http://www.felinecrf.org/just_diagnosed.htm#phosphorus2

Your kitty should only receive phosphorous binders if above 6 per the site..a good question to ask your vet would be when they suggest beginning a phos binder. I'm sorry, because I think you did post her phos level, but I just don't recall at the moment.

Hi,

I'm going to go back and read every word of this thread, but I wanted to introduce myself.

I have two cats, Gracie (17) and Greta (16). Gracie (a white shorthair with green eyes) has just been diagnosed with renal failure and a possible tumor in her mouth.

On dx about ten days ago, her BUN was 120. It's currently 90.

She was on IV fluids for 24 hours and then came home. We are doing sub-Q fluids 2x/day (100ml each) - just started 2x/day, we were doing once a day until yesterday. She is also on:

Baytril
Pepcid AC
Sucralfate for her mouth ulcer
Buprenex for the pain
Remeron to stimulate her appetite (3x/wk)
and as of today, Epogen for anemia. Her hematocrit is 13 and falling.

I am also "assisted feeding" her with a syringe since she won't eat for the past 2 days. The house is a buffet of different cat foods and she has no interest. She does eat a little tuna but not enough to keep her going.

She has good hours and bad hours. Right now she is curled up on the couch, drooling and seems a bit depressed. This morning she was active and alert and played with some toys. The buprenex really sedates her but I am trying to reduce the pain enough to get her to eat. However I fear the side effect is nausea (and I know CRF causes nausea anyway).

She's not stable enough yet to biopsy the tumor, and I haven't decided if I want to put her through that. She'd need intubation for anesthesia in order not to choke on the blood, and it'd take a few days to heal from the biopsy. I will not do chemotherapy if it's cancer; she has been through too much in her life already and I don't want her to suffer any more than she already has.

I'm trying to prepare myself for the worst. She's been a good friend for 17 years and I just want the best for her. It's difficult to know what that is right now.

Welcome to TCS.
I am so sorry to read about your precious senior kitty and the health issues that she is having.
We have some members who have a lot of experience dealing with CRF kitties.
I am sure that they will respond to your post soon.

In the mean time, if I can help you with anything related to the site, just click on my username and send a private message.
I will get back to you asap.

Gracie.

Hi, I am sorry this is why you are here, but hope the links and experiences listed in this thread will be of help.

It's especially hard when you have more than one thing going on at a time

Fwiw, you are doing just what I would do...getting as much information as you can, doing all you can while considering what brings benefit versus what causes risk and/or discomfort with no gain.

If I can help in any way, please pm me...I have a fair bit of experience with crf.

Thank you Gracie! Nice name

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hi, I am sorry this is why you are, but hope the links and experiences listed in this thread will be of help.

It's especially hard when you have more than one thing going on at a time

Fwiw, you are doing just what I would do...getting as much information as you can, doing all you can while considering what brings benefit versus what causes risk and/or discomfort with no gain.

If I can help in any way, please pm me...I have a fair bit of experience with crf.

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Thank you, i will. I am reading reading reading right now .

Originally Posted by buttonwillow

Thank you Gracie! Nice name

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Gracie is not my name...
Those little icons are feel better vibes and a heart for your sweet Gracie.
Gracie
Please keep us updated.

Originally Posted by xocats

Gracie is not my name...

Those little icons are feel better vibes and a heart for your sweet Gracie.
Gracie

Please keep us updated.

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oh! sorry!
even better Thank you.

I have read the thread and a lot of the links attached. It's good to read about others coping with CRF.

I'm having a hard time. Gracie is sleeping and resting most of the day and I'm worrying and fretting... I took the day off work I was so exhausted. I dread the twice daily medication/fluid sessions. It seems like it takes SO LONG and I'm afraid I'm lowering her quality of life and that she will associate me with getting pilled and being uncomfortable. Well, I know she would quickly not HAVE a life if I don't do it... I just hope that as I get used to forcing all these pills down her throat, not to mention the force feeding!, we both calm down and it becomes routine, and not a trial for her anymore. Or for me. I think she's just annoyed, but I'm devastated. I know, it's my own attitude I need to change. If I were ok with it, she'd have an easier time too.

OK here's what I've decided.

She will now get her medicines at a certain time every morning and evening. This is so that I don't spend hours dreading and wondering when I should do it. Also it'll make it all more routine for us. I give myself an hour to do it. Tonight it took 20 minutes and we got 4 of the 6 tasks accomplished: fluids, pepcid, buprenex and 'assisted feeding'. We didn't get to the baytril (she kept spitting it out) or the sucralfate (I wait an hour after food to give that one). I'll give them both in an hour and then we're done for tonight!!

I feel better doing it at a specific time. Also I took an Ativan first! I gave her the buprenex at the same time as the fluids, and then the pepcid and then food. She complained but now she is sitting calmly on the couch much as she was beforehand , so I guess I have not permanently damaged her.

Do you all warm the fluids first? The vet told us not to, as he says the bag can only be warmed up once. I worry though. It's room temperature but that's cold going under her skin!

I always warmed my fluids by placing them sitting up - so the ports and insertion area of tubing into the bag were kept dry and clean - in a stock pot of warm water. I would then flush the cold fluid out of the tubing until it ran warm onto my hand, and then proceed with giving the fluids.

I never had an issue with my iv bags by warming them up this way.

ps a routine time and way of doing things does help so much. It got to where I could medicate Patrick(RB) and give him his fluids in under 15 minutes (though I was not assist feeding him). I would tell him what I was doing, act like it was no big deal, give him a treat of baby food after we were done (he'd lick it off the spoon).

Thank you...
I have now gotten into a routine. Every day at the same time, twice a day, I go get all the pills, fluids, food and injectables together and ready. Then I go pick up the cat, put her on a table and get it done! Then I put her down gently and she goes and curls up under the covers for a little while.
I don't even need Ativan anymore.
She's not thrilled about it but thanks to your encouragement I don't feel like I'm torturing her anymore.
We have another vet appt on Wednesday. I am so hoping that her kidney numbers will go down and we can talk about the possible tumor.
I'm hoping she'll have a few months more of enjoyable life.

Originally Posted by buttonwillow

Thank you...
I have now gotten into a routine. Every day at the same time, twice a day, I go get all the pills, fluids, food and injectables together and ready. Then I go pick up the cat, put her on a table and get it done! Then I put her down gently and she goes and curls up under the covers for a little while.

I don't even need Ativan anymore.

She's not thrilled about it but thanks to your encouragement I don't feel like I'm torturing her anymore.
We have another vet appt on Wednesday. I am so hoping that her kidney numbers will go down and we can talk about the possible tumor.
I'm hoping she'll have a few months more of enjoyable life.

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Well, it sounds like she's put it together that she feels better afterward. Glad it's not so stressful anymore, .

I'm sorry to be coming into this thread so late.

It sounds like you are doing very well with your sweet Gracie. She is so very lucky to have a meowmy who is proactive about treating her problems. I have never heard of Remeron as an appetite stimulant. I will Google it and read up on it. You might want to consider Periactin (cyproheptadine) as an appetite stimulant. I have used it with Cleo and I used it nearly daily on my parent's cat, Samson. Unfortunately, most vet recommend a much higher dose than necessary. Cleo and Sam both got good results with 1/6 of a 4 mg tablet. Usually it is best to start low and increase until you see results. Some of the side effects of cyproheptadine can be lethargy or, conversly, agitation and vocalization. These side effects usually disappear over time.


I always warm Cleo's fluids by putting the bag (with the ports out) into a bowl of hot water. I try to make her fluid time a special time just for us. I take her into the bathroom....well, actually, she goes in there by herself because she really seems to look forward to fluids time! I close the door and give her a treat of boiled chicken breast. Once she's done snacking on that, I place her on my lap and do her fluids. (I always use Terumo needles, which are WAY sharper than the Monoject needles that most vet's offices will give you.) Once fluids are done, we sit together and cuddle for a bit, I offer her more chicken if she wants it. She purrs through the entire ordeal.

Please keep us updated on how your sweet girl is doing. I will definitely keep you and your sweet Gracie in my prayers.

Pookie & the girls...
CRF Cleo, CRF Maggie & Lola
and CRF Angel Spooky

Originally Posted by buttonwillow

Thank you...
I have now gotten into a routine. Every day at the same time, twice a day, I go get all the pills, fluids, food and injectables together and ready. Then I go pick up the cat, put her on a table and get it done! Then I put her down gently and she goes and curls up under the covers for a little while.

I don't even need Ativan anymore.

She's not thrilled about it but thanks to your encouragement I don't feel like I'm torturing her anymore.
We have another vet appt on Wednesday. I am so hoping that her kidney numbers will go down and we can talk about the possible tumor.
I'm hoping she'll have a few months more of enjoyable life.

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Well done...good for you both