Looking for others with similar situation...early renal disease

christine760

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My 6 year old cat was just diagnosed with this today...so upset. She has been behaving normally and we only found out there was a problem by taking her in for a dental cleaning. Her bloodwork numbers seemed a little high, her urine seemed to show infection, so she was put on antibiotics for UTI and the dental part was postponed. They did a urine culture as well and it came back negative and the antibiotics were done after 7 days. Took her back in for recheck of blood and urine and the BUN and Creatinine came back even higher. They did a Protein/Creatinine ratio of the urine on Sat. and that came back at 1.5 (they said normal was 0.4 - 0.5). Now they want to monitor her blood pressure and possibly put her on some medications. She was put on Science Diet K/D last week and she is eating that fine. I'm so worried and afraid to lose her, she is only 6! I've heard of kidney issues with cats and I always thought it was something that would affect them at an older age. I was hoping someone else had similar Protein/Creatinine ratio numbers and could offer me some positive news etc. I don't want to lose her and I'm really hoping we caught it early enough that we can treat her with the diet and meds and keep her going for many years. Thanks for any advice and sharing of experiences.
 

mews2much

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My Stripe lasted two years after we found out she had Crf.
Her numbers were very bad when we found out though.
We found out my Stormys Kidneys were gone the day before she was pts at age 5.
I am glad your vet caught it though.
I use to have a Crf group and also know people who had cats with Kidney failure that lasted 10 years.
I also lost Patches when she was 6 from Kidney failure the day we found out.
Theres alot of info here about Kidney Failure here and I can help you also.
 
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christine760

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I've read over some of the pages there...so much info! Thanks for the link.
 
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christine760

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Originally Posted by mews2much

My Stripe lasted two years after we found out she had Crf.
Her numbers were very bad when we found out though.
We found out my Stormys Kidneys were gone the day before she was pts at age 5.
I am glad your vet caught it though.
I use to have a Crf group and also know people who had cats with Kidney failure that lasted 10 years.
I also lost Patches when she was 6 from Kidney failure the day we found out.
Theres alot of info here about Kidney Failure here and I can help you also.
Thanks. I'm glad the vet seems to be on top of it too.
 

pookie-poo

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Cleo was diagnosed when she was 6 months old, when she had pre-op blood work for her spay surgery. She just turned 8 years old in May. She gets Purina NF canned renal food, Calcitriol, B-complex vitamins, and subQ fluids. Her renal numbers (BUN & Creatinine) have remained stable the entire time. Maggie was diagnosed with early renal insufficiency about two years ago, at the age of 5 years (she's 7 now.) Her only treatment, so far, is eating the kidney friendly food. Her numbers are high normal, and have also stayed stable.

There is definitely hope! Feel free to PM me if you'd like to 'talk'. Good luck to you and your baby!
 
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christine760

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Thanks everyone for sharing your own experiences. It definitely helps and gives me hope. We took her in for a blood pressure check today and it was normal they said (121 systolic), which is good at least.
 

white cat lover

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The Beast....aka Bea, my foster kitty, is in the VERY early stages of renal failure. I wouldn't even call it renal failure - but rather renal insufficiency.

She doesn't eat K/D as she hates it. She eats high quality canned food only. She has a fountain available for her at all times. And we will monitor her urine/bloodwork.

She is 6ish years old. As she is a foster kitty (and fairly unadoptable, I'm afraid), I am not going to extreme great lengths for her. That sounds bad, but I don't think I could get all sorts of meds into her. I tried Sub Qs once, and if I would like to die young I could do that.


So, for now, canned food, fountain, & love is all she's getting.
 

stephanietx

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We've been monitoring Callie's BUN and Creatinine for the past 2 years. It started on the high side of normal, then barely high, now they're off the chart. One key is to make sure they stay hydrated. Eat as much canned as possible as it's higher in water. There's lots of info in the CRF discussion thread at the top of this forum (& Sharky gave you the link). Educate yourself on options and treatments. Make sure your kitty has blood work done every 6 months to monitor her levels.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by christine760

I was hoping someone else had similar Protein/Creatinine ratio numbers and could offer me some positive news etc. I don't want to lose her and I'm really hoping we caught it early enough that we can treat her with the diet and meds and keep her going for many years. Thanks for any advice and sharing of experiences.
Our Tippy
had a high protein/creatinine ratio when his urine was first checked, we treated it with Benazapril (had it compounded as a liquid). It was related to the PKD he was found to have which then pushed him into kidney failure. His numbers on the protein/creatinine ratio did come down to normal and he remained stable far longer than anyone expected - as I said though, his diagnosis was PKD and that is an entirely different situation than simple renal failure.

I've now had several kitties with crf - the first, Patrick
lived for almost 4 years after his diagnosis, and when he passed, it was not due to crf issues, but other health issues.

The sticky thread is truly the most packed place I can recommend for info/experiences and links.
 

lorie d.

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My Snowball was diagnosed with early kidney disease when he was 10 years old and lived with it for 7 years.

Follow all the vet's directions, feed the correct foods, give all prescribed medications (if any), and get regular blood tests, There's lots of hope that your cat will live a long life.
 
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christine760

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I got a copy of her latest results (hers on left----reference range on right)
Bloodwork from 9/3
ALB 4.4 g/dL -----2.2-4.4
ALP <5 U/L----10-90
ALT 81.0 U/L----20-100
AMY 1326 U/L----300-1100
TBIL 0.4 mg/dL----0.1-0.6
BUN 44 mg/dL----10-30
CA++ 10.9 mg/dL----8.0-11.8
PHOS 6.2 mg/dL----3.4-8.5
CRE 3.1 mg/dL----0.2-2.1
GLU 42 mg/dL----70-150
NA+ 152.0 mmo/L----142-164
K+ 5.6 mmo/L----3.7-5.8
TP 8.0 g/dL----5.4-8.2
GLOB 3.6 g/dL----1.5-5.7

Urinalysis 8/31:
Color - yellow
Appearance - clear
Spec. Grav. 1.028----1.015-1.060
pH 6.0----5.5-7.0
Protein 3+-----negative
Glucose-strip negative----negative
Ketones negative----negative
Bilirubin negative----negative
Occult Blood 1+.0----negative

9/3:
Protein 295.0 mg/dL
Creatinine 200.0 mg/dL
Urine/Protein Creatinine ratio 1.5----0-0.5

If anyone has any comments on these numbers, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,
Christine and Bacardi
 

stephanietx

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The only comment that I have is that the numbers aren't THAT high, which is a good thing. Is she on some kind of prescription food like K/d? If she's just started with a kidney-type food (made for kitties with kidney problems), leave her on it for about 12 weeks and then have her re-tested. Her urine #s look good, which is a great sign. The new food might help regulate her numbers for now. Be sure to have her blood and urine checked every 6 months for monitoring.

Also, ask your vet about a phosphate binder. Mine sent us home with a bottle of Epakitin on Friday.

These were Callie's numbers from last week. We did bloodwork on Monday and UA late on Friday. I'm still waiting on the results of the UA.

BUN 45.0 mg/dL ....|....>> (14-36)
Creatinine 4.1 mg/dL ....|....>> (0.6-2.4)
BUN/Creat Ratio 11.0 .v..|.... (4-33)

The vet said that since she has a history of "spiking" from time to time and since they weren't that out of whack, to continue monitoring them for now. We've been monitoring them for 5 years. She's also due for a dental, which may bring down her numbers. So, we're to continue the k/d, add the Epakitin and re-check in 6 weeks.

Does that help you any? Bloodwork is soooooooooo confusing!
 

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christine760

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Originally Posted by stephanietx

The only comment that I have is that the numbers aren't THAT high, which is a good thing. Is she on some kind of prescription food like K/d? If she's just started with a kidney-type food (made for kitties with kidney problems), leave her on it for about 12 weeks and then have her re-tested. Her urine #s look good, which is a great sign. The new food might help regulate her numbers for now. Be sure to have her blood and urine checked every 6 months for monitoring.

Also, ask your vet about a phosphate binder. Mine sent us home with a bottle of Epakitin on Friday.

These were Callie's numbers from last week. We did bloodwork on Monday and UA late on Friday. I'm still waiting on the results of the UA.

BUN 45.0 mg/dL ....|....>> (14-36)
Creatinine 4.1 mg/dL ....|....>> (0.6-2.4)
BUN/Creat Ratio 11.0 .v..|.... (4-33)

The vet said that since she has a history of "spiking" from time to time and since they weren't that out of whack, to continue monitoring them for now. We've been monitoring them for 5 years. She's also due for a dental, which may bring down her numbers. So, we're to continue the k/d, add the Epakitin and re-check in 6 weeks.

Does that help you any? Bloodwork is soooooooooo confusing!
Yes, she was started on the K/D diet at the beginning of this month, so it's been almost 2 weeks. She likes it which I was relieved, because she usually doesn't take to new foods.

Thanks for the info!
 

stephanietx

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Well, the vet called this evening and some kind of bacterial infection is showing up in her urine. He's surprised because she was so feisty and perky in the office during her exam. So, she's going to do a 2-week course of antibiotics and then be re-tested. If it continues to show up, he'll do a culture so we can treat it specifically. I'm wondering if the infection is causing her numbers to be elevated.
 
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