Vet said there is nothing I can do for my 14 year old with CRF??!!

Newly diagnosed on Saturday. Vet said outside of a kidney transplant there is nothing that they can do for her. He did one fluid treatment and sent us on our way with KD. I have been reading about potassium and B and C to help. I work for a vitamin company and have access to any vitamins. He didn't recommend anything for her but to just keep her comfy. She is still drinking much but looks like she is losing weight by the day. Will not eat the KD at all.
Please let me know of any suggestions anyone might have.
I called the vet again today to ask about potassium and other supplements I am seeing but he said that I would have to make an appointment with a "specialist" to get any of that.
I do not have the finances for a transplant or a specialist at the moment. Can anyone suggest anything?

It happened so fast it seems. Just over two weeks ago she was running around (she was always the most active out of my 5 for being the eldest) and then I noticed her drinking alot and then the rapid weight loss and lethargy.

Please let me know if I can help her in any way.
Most sincerely appreciated

The unfortunate truth is that once Kidney damage is done it can not be undone. However, there are several things that can be done to prevent a CRF cat from losing too much weight too rapidly, and make them comfortable for as long as possible. Depending on your kitties blood values, and symptoms Sub-q fluids can be done at home regularly. This helps prevent dehydration, and the other symptoms that go along with it. As it progresses, there are things like appitite stimulants, and other medications that can help keep a cat going. Also, did you try wet KD? Some cats like wet food better. Otherwise when my Smokey was diagnosed, I would water down her KD & warm it up for just a few seconds to make it smell more. Also, according to my vets suggestion, I got her a water fountain to encourage her drinking. Smokey lived 2 years after her diagnosis. It can be a lot of work, but is worth it to make your kitty comfortable. I would say if your vet does not know or is not willing to help you with any of this, it is time for a new vet.
I'm preety sure there is a sticky post about CRF & what it all means. It is very common in elderly cats, and most of us here have been through this. Please don't be afraid to ask us any questions, we love to help each other.

Hello and Wlecome to TCS ....

try reading this link
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=119727

It has loads of info ....

Do you know the bun and creatine numbers of your kitty??

I dont know them but I will say my Kandie lived over four yrs after a CRF diagnoisis and she was at stage 2 when diagnoisised

If you click my name a menu will come out ... click on PM / private message if you want to talk



See if you can get a copy of this too read

Four paws Five directions by cheryl schwartx dvm

i use it daily with my liver dog ...

I think that if your vet says *nothing* can be done, you need to determine if the vet only meant as in being able to cure or reverse it. I am sure there are ways to maintain a cat diagnosed with CRF, so that it has a good quality of life for it's remaining days.

If your current vet seems unwilling to work up a maintenance plan, then perhaps you should consider getting a second opinion!!

Good luck!!

I'm so sorry that you and your kitty are going through this. Please read the thread about CRF at the top of this forum. There is some very helpful information in that thread.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=119727

My first recommendation would be to find a different vet, ASAP! My Cleo was diagnosed with CRF at 6 months old, when my vet did pre-op bloodwork for her spay surgery. Cleo is 7 1/2 years old now, and doing great. My vet works with me, lets me do research online, and discusses treatment options that I've found, and helps me implement them. She jokes that Cleo is getting "University" care, in little Po-dunk Midland. Cleo gets sub-Q fluids 2 to 3 times a week, she eats Purina NF canned renal food (my vet stocks it especially for me), she gets Calcitriol, B complex vitamins, phosphorus binders in her Fancy Feast 'treat', and cyproheptadine for any inappetentce issues, as needed.

My parent's cat, Samson, (who was PTS a year ago) was treated for 4+ years for CRF. He had many co-morbidities, such as severe anemia (treated with Epogen), low potassium (treated with K+ supplements), metabolic acidosis (treated with sodium bicarbonate), nausea and vomiting (treated with Pepcid and Reglan), cyproheptadine as an appetite stimulant, he also got regular canned foods mixed with phosphorus binders and sub-Q fluids.

As you can see from all of the above treatments that these two kitties received...there's LOTS that can be done for CRF...providing you have a vet who is willing to work with you.

Did your vet do bloodwork on your kitty? If so, can you post her numbers? (in the following format....her number, followed by the lab normal)

Creatinine 3.6 (normal 0.8 - 2.4)
BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) 48 (normal 16 - 36)
Phosphorus (Phos)
Calcium (Ca)
Total Protein (TP)
Hemoglobin (HGB)
Hematocrit (HCT)
USG (Urine Specific Gravity) some vets don't do this routinely

By posting her numbers, perhaps some of us who are dealing with CRF (there's several of us!) can give you some feedback about what you can do, or what you should ask your vet.

Also, I wouldn't recommend supplementing potassium without knowing if she has a potassium deficiency. Too little potassium can cause symptoms such as muscle weakness, but too much potassium can cause serious cardiac arrythmias. It is not something that you would want to supplement without close veterinary supervision. Also, I wouldn't recommend supplementing with vitamin C, as vitamin C is ascorbic acid. Many CRF cats tend to develop metabolic acidosis, and Vitamin C can exacerbate that problem. B complex vitamin supplementation is very much recommended in CRF, because most CRF cats urinate copious amounts, and tend to deplete their B vitamins. B vitamins are also helpful in building red bloodcells, and some CRF cats can suffer from anemia in the later stages of the disease, as Samson did.

Please don't give up hope! Please read the link that I posted above. If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to PM me!

Also, can you tell us your kitty's name? I will keep you both in my prayers. Good luck!

And I really thank you for your prayers...I will see if the vet will give me those numbers to post. I will also post a picture later from home. I just wish I can get her to eat her KD...

Originally Posted by haremchik

And I really thank you for your prayers...I will see if the vet will give me those numbers to post. I will also post a picture later from home. I just wish I can get her to eat her KD...

Click to expand...

If she flat out wont eat KD ( mine wouldnt and ended up the last 18 months eating raw ) ... Royal canin , purina and Eukanuba also make kidney formulas ... purina worked here when RX was needed to get her back stable

maybe some chicken with tuna juice?
Does anyone know how I can post a picture of her?
I can't seem to find an optioin to put in a picture.

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by haremchik

And I really thank you for your prayers...I will see if the vet will give me those numbers to post. I will also post a picture later from home. I just wish I can get her to eat her KD...

Click to expand...

Here's a link with commercial canned food, all listed according to protein content and phosphorus content.

http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm

If Snowy won't eat the k/d (none of mine will either!) look through the list and select some of the commercial foods with the lowest phosphorus content that she will eat. Many vets now believe that low phosphorus is more important in controlling CRF, than low protein.

If you look on the list, you will see that Hills k/d has a DMA (dry matter analysis) phosphorus content of .46%. My girls all eat the Purina NF, which has a phosphorus content of .52%. Most people agree that it is best to keep the DMA phosphorus content under 1%, to control the serum phosphorus. If you can, try some of the premium, no by-product light foods. They have a lower protein content and a lower phosphorus, such as Innova Lite and Pet Guard Venison & Rice.

If you'd like, PM me your address and I will be happy to send you a can of the Purina NF for Snowy to try. If she likes it, your vet should be able to special order it for you by the case (keep the label for your vet to use for ordering purposes.) My vet stocks it for me, because both Cleo and Maggie are CRF, and all three of my cats eat it.

Tuna juice is good in small amounts...

I totally agree low protein is NOT the biggest issue... I too kept the phos under .1 most try for .07 ... also remember to keep the calcium in line with phos to aid against UTI ( Kandie got those only after the CRF) ...

lol Purina must be tastier

Originally Posted by haremchik

maybe some chicken with tuna juice?
Does anyone know how I can post a picture of her?
I can't seem to find an optioin to put in a picture.

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Actually, I give Cleo boiled, shredded chicken breast when she gets her fluids! Chicken breast meat is a high quality protein, with a relatively low phosphorus content. It doesn't contain all of the necessary nutrients (most notably, Taurine) for cats, to feed exclusively, but it certainly won't hurt her. It will also prevent any problems with hepatic lipidosis, which is caused from not eating.


The best way to add a picture is to first upload her picture into a photo hosting account, such as Photobucket http://photobucket.com/register.php

Once you've created your free account, and uploaded your pictures, you can add them into your posts by clicking on the

So sorry to hear about your kitty.

Here are two great and helpful sites you should read over:

http://www.felinecrf.org
http://www.felinecrf.com

Prayers for your Cat. I lost Stripe to Crf in 2002. We did treatments every week and gave her Meds. She lastedabout 3 Years. I just lost my Stormy to Akf on Dec 5th. I didnt even know she had Crf until it was to late. My Yoshi needs a Transplant too because he has Kidney Stones and the vet said there is no hope for. Stripe had Winstrol,Procrit and Sub q,s every week before she went in a coma and had to be pts. The treatments did help her. She hated the Kd and refuced it. Yoshi is on CD. I hope your Cat can be helped.