Tedi may have renal failure

duchess15

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Since my mom was sick and passed away, Tedi has lost more than 2 pounds. He will be going back to the vet tomorrow and I'm afraid to see what his weight is.

I don't know if I can handle another death right now, especially since he was doing so well up until now. They will run blood work tomorrow and we shall see what it shows.

He just feels so light at this point.
 

sharky

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when you can get him tested .... PLEASE read the CRF sticky it has loads of info....

Kandie lived over four yrs past diagnoisis and was stage two .... there is hope
 

blaise

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Originally Posted by Duchess15

...I don't know if I can handle another death right now
I don't know where that idea came from, because renal failure is not usually a death sentence. In some cases (known as Acute Renal Failure), the kidneys return to full function and life goes merrily on.

In other cases, irreversable damage has occurred to the kidneys - this is known as Chronic Renal Failure, or CRF. In most of these cases, with timely and appropriate treatment, the kidneys can and do regain sufficient function for cats to live good-quality lives. It's called chronic because there is no "cure". This does not mean, however, that it is "terminal". (Life is terminal, too!)

Most Vets, unfortunately, don't seem to think so. Many will very quickly suggest that there is no hope and will recommend euthanasia.

If you really care for this cat and, if you are willing to put some time and effort into educating yourself about CRF and into finding a treatment regimen that works for your cat.....and, if your Vet recommends euthanasia, buy yourself some time and tell the Vet you want to consider it. In the meantime, your cat should be receiving IV fluids for a very minimum of two days. (Usually it will take several days on IV for the Vet to even be able to make an accurate diagnosis of CRF. Again, unfortunately, many Vets will try IV short-term and, if the measure of toxins in the cat hasn't dropped significantly, pronounce a death sentence.)

There is a wealth of information and online groups of people who are in your position available to help you deal with this.

By far (IMO) the best source of web information is here http://felinecrf.org/
This site was created by a woman whose cats developed CRF...she says
"Hello. My name is Helen. I have had two cats with CRF, Tanya and Thomas... I created this website because I know first-hand how scary the CRF diagnosis is, and how helpless it can make you feel, and I wanted to give people the detailed, practical information which would have helped me when my cats were first diagnosed, all together in one place."

If your Vet says there's no hope, again, buy yourself some time (put your cat on IV) and have a read here http://felinecrf.org/just_diagnosed....ia_recommended

If your Vet is hopeful, then start here http://felinecrf.org/just_diagnosed.htm

Now, about the other people who can help you...Helen (who created that site) also runs an online practical support group where people like you can get real-time help in dealing with their CRF cats. Many people in the group have lots of experience taking care of their own CRF cats...it soon becomes very obvious to newcomers that those people are the "real experts" and that the group often knows more - and better - than many Vets.

I am not "bashing" Veterinarians - most are not specialists and cannot be expected to be experts in each and every disease/condition. Nor is that website or the group supposed to be an alternative to competent Veterinary care. But, if you, your Vet, those other caregivers and that website can come together as a team, chances are good that your cat will thrive.

Oh, and...that group of people are here http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-crf-info/
 
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duchess15

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BLAISE;2233900 said:
I don't know where that idea came from, because renal failure is not usually a death sentence. In some cases (known as Acute Renal Failure), the kidneys return to full function and life goes merrily on.

I've already had one cat die of renal failure a few months after being diagnosed. So I know that it will happen eventually.
 

EnzoLeya

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Duchess15;2234073 said:
Originally Posted by BLAISE

I don't know where that idea came from, because renal failure is not usually a death sentence. In some cases (known as Acute Renal Failure), the kidneys return to full function and life goes merrily on.

I've already had one cat die of renal failure a few months after being diagnosed. So I know that it will happen eventually.
And I had the same thing happen. My dear Metallica died 3-4 months after loosing 1 kidney due to CRF. When she lost that kidney is when we found out she had CRF.

I hope Tedi pulls through
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Duchess15

Since my mom was sick and passed away, Tedi has lost more than 2 pounds. He will be going back to the vet tomorrow and I'm afraid to see what his weight is.

I don't know if I can handle another death right now, especially since he was doing so well up until now. They will run blood work tomorrow and we shall see what it shows.

He just feels so light at this point.
I am sorry he's not doing well, you have had so much to deal with, it must be very hard to see him now not feeling well.

I want to strongly second what Sharky said - my Patrick lived for almost 4 years with crf (and did not pass due to it) and my Tyler lived for several years with it (again, he did not pass from having crf).

The sticky thread that Sharky mentions lists a lot of great links and advice - including my favorite website: www.felinecrf.org It is meticulously researched and kept up to date and is a very deep site that you can drill down through for a lot of detailed information.

Once you have the numbers, please post them here. I can also highly recommend a yahoogroups support list (a second one to consider besides the one run by the wonderful owner of the www.felinecrf.org site).

Many of us on TCS have experience with this, and will support you.
 
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duchess15

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

I am sorry he's not doing well, you have had so much to deal with, it must be very hard to see him now not feeling well.

I want to strongly second what Sharky said - my Patrick lived for almost 4 years with crf (and did not pass due to it) and my Tyler lived for several years with it (again, he did not pass from having crf).

The sticky thread that Sharky mentions lists a lot of great links and advice - including my favorite website: www.felinecrf.org It is meticulously researched and kept up to date and is a very deep site that you can drill down through for a lot of detailed information.

Once you have the numbers, please post them here. I can also highly recommend a yahoogroups support list (a second one to consider besides the one run by the wonderful owner of the www.felinecrf.org site).

Many of us on TCS have experience with this, and will support you.
I plan on doing everything I can for him. He is at the vet for a few days because I haven't had much time to look after him and he has a few small hair mats and I basically broke down because of all that's happened and I know my mom would never have wanted him to be in this condition.

The vet offered to keep him a few days and get him all cleaned up and the blood tests run. The mats were not that bad and I could have brushed them out, but I'm just trying to get things out as needed.

I'll let you know what the numbers are. If he does have it, it has only been recently. The only thing I am worried about, he hates ALL wet food. Won't even give it a second look.
 
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