Kidney failure came out of nowhere

A couple months ago all the blood work was normal. His kidneys were always a concern because he had a kidney stone and calcium oxalate stones. Now my baby has kidney failure. I'm totally shocked and devastated. This was something both the vet and I weren't expecting for years.

I'm thinking something caused this because otherwise it doesn't make sense. I once had a cat that had kidney disease and he lived for four years after he was diagnosed. When he died it was due to another unrelated health problem, but his kidneys still looked good to the point that he could've lived several more years. So yeah, this makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I'm thinking it was the food he was prescribed. He was prescribed a food that says it shouldn't be used in cats with renal failure. He started eating it shortly after his blood results showed everything was normal. Even though his blood work was normal, should he have been eating this food considering that his kidneys were at risk from the kidney stone? Could the food have caused this? I'd really like opinions because if the vet f---ed, then I want to know.

Please pray for him to make it to the vet's on Monday. I normally don't believe in prayer but that doesn't mean it doesn't work.

I am also having an issue with KD issues developing suddenly. I am suspecting Purina Party Mix treats and/or Little Friskies cans. See my post "Dying For Treats". What specific brands were you feeding?

Originally Posted by Dan32

I am also having an issue with KD issues developing suddenly. I am suspecting Purina Party Mix treats and/or Little Friskies cans. See my post "Dying For Treats". What specific brands were you feeding?

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I was feeding him Purina UR dry (for calcium oxalate and struvite prevention). I bought the bag sometime in mid September to early October. I can't remember when he started eating it, but I think it was early October. That's all he was getting because other things happened, blah, blah, blah, not important. But I think it was Thursday morning when he stopped eating the dry food. I gave him a little bit of canned food that evening and he enjoyed that. That was the last time he ate. I've been force feeding him and it's terrifying me because he acts like he's gonna collapse or faint when I feed him. I'd like to give him some Nutri-cal but I don't know if it's safe since he's in kidney failure.

My gut is telling me something caused this kidney failure other than natural causes. Either it was because the food shouldn't have been given to him in the first place since he already had kidney issues or the food is possibly tainted.

I am going through a similar situation. I was formerly feeding Science Diet dry with small amounts of Little Friskies canned. After the "Party Mix Incident", all three of my cats stopped eating their SD dry food altogether. There was a point where none of the three was eating at all. btw: Party Mix and Little Friskies are both made by Purina (Nestle). I have reported in to their hotline, but they just diligently took down my info to report to their authorities. I would say they were VERY interested.

My 3 1/2 yo Coby died last week from a very severe UTI and/or KD - he was also the biggest "Party Mix" addict. Due to him being semi-feral, we were only able to do urinalysis on him, but not bloodwork. During his last days, he would wait all day, then only eat the treats until I stopped serving them. He also got some Little Friskies canned mixed with baby food forced into him by me - a urinary tract formula by the way thinking I was doing him a favor.

My 1 yo Kinney simultaneously stopped eating for a few days. I was able to feed him baby food off my finger until I could find an alternate kibble that he would accept. In the end, he is now eating only IAMS Original flavor kibble. He used to devour Little Friskies cans, but over the summer he started to throw it up every time and eventually swore off canned food at all.

My 17 yo Kevin who for his whole life ate the same Science Diet kibble with small amounts of Little Friskies canned (1/4 can daily) had bloodwork done in June, 2009 and had his numbers were all in range. After the "Party Mix Incident", he stopped eating his SD kibble altogether and just whoofed down ONLY Little Friskies canned - some of which was UTI formula shared with Coby. He became totally wobbly and weak. I took him in for bloodwork last week and his kidney function numbers were through the roof. Like you, a very sudden change. He is now eating some Science Diet KD formula cans along with baby food and Nutrical. Yes, I think you can give Nutrical to CRF patients. My vet had recommended it since his Potassium/Phosphorus numbers were out of wack. Kevin isn't doing so hot, right now - he is getting daily Ringer's IV, but it isn't having the uplift effect I would expect.

Since two of the primary foods served here in recent weeks were made by Purina: Party Mix Treats and Little Friskies canned (both UTI and non-UTI formulas), I just have to assume that it was implicated. So sorry for your pain - I am going through the same thing.

Kidney issues often come out of nowhere and by many a vet plus a non practicing old country vet ... If your cat lives long enough the kidneys WILL fail to a degree... Just like humans the cells get weaker with age . I suggest reading the CRF sticky on this forum loads of different opnions and experiences ... Also talk with the vet...

WITH any HEALTH issue your VET is the one to ask ... Research is great and do take what you learn into your vet and see if it may help

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

Originally Posted by sharky

Kidney issues often come out of nowhere and by many a vet plus a non practicing old country vet ... If your cat lives long enough the kidneys WILL fail to a degree... Just like humans the cells get weaker with age . I suggest reading the CRF sticky on this forum loads of different opnions and experiences ... Also talk with the vet...

WITH any HEALTH issue your VET is the one to ask ... Research is great and do take what you learn into your vet and see if it may help

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

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My main issue when making this thread was whether the vet is at least partly responsible. I certainly can't go in and be like "hey, was this your fault because the food you prescribed shouldn't have been given to a cat with kidney issues?".

From the time that food was prescribed something in the back of my mind was screaming at me that something bad was going to happen. I just thought it would be another kidney stone.

If the vet is at least partly responsible, then I don't think I want him treating my cat anymore. The problem with that is that he's the only vet I've met that really explains things in detail and doesn't get annoyed by all my questions. I can't help that I like to know what's going on with my cat. Also, we communicate very well and I trust that he would never intentionally harm my cat. You all should have seen the way my cat was handled by the other vet. I totally dislike that guy.

I wouldn't blame the food, or the vet - as honestly, IMO, you'll never know. Yes, it *could* have been any of many things that caused this - a stress in his life, the food, the vet, the medications, or genetic.

I had a relatively young foster cat, around 7-8 years old, was fine then 2 months later diagnosed with renal failure.

IMO, urinary issues are a pre-cursor in many cases to kidney issues.

Will I say IMHO and knowlege of what food is prescibed for what conditions and when .. Ur was the right food for the stones , so the vet did right on that count . Chronic renal failure and kidney stones are two different illnesses ...

I would suggest either a second opnion based on an exam and taking the record s in with you or a sit down with your current vet and straight out asking why did you prescribe this food to a cat with kidney stones. Based on your trust of the current vet I suggest the latter

Originally Posted by sharky

Will I say IMHO and knowlege of what food is prescibed for what conditions and when .. Ur was the right food for the stones , so the vet did right on that count . Chronic renal failure and kidney stones are two different illnesses ...

I would suggest either a second opnion based on an exam and taking the record s in with you or a sit down with your current vet and straight out asking why did you prescribe this food to a cat with kidney stones. Based on your trust of the current vet I suggest the latter

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Thanks. I still have trust issues from years ago when another vet, at another practice gave me bad advice that resulted in two of my cats dying. But I do trust that the regular vet would be honest if I asked him about this situation. I just don't know if I trust his knowledge or competency as a veterinarian.

Now I'm concerned about the vet who will be treating my baby until the regular vet comes in Tuesday. I know this guy should have done x-rays to see if there are any more stones in the ureter and perhaps for the constipation. He said he wanted to wait until after the cat had a bowel movement. The regular vet and one of the other ones there would have already done the x-rays. I know them both well enough to know what they would have done.

I swear I ought to become a vet tech. just so I can get a better knowledge of illnesses and what can be done for them and what to expect from them. It would probably reduce my stress levels. Of course, I don't want to work as a tech., I just want the training.

Originally Posted by lilblu

My main issue when making this thread was whether the vet is at least partly responsible. I certainly can't go in and be like "hey, was this your fault because the food you prescribed shouldn't have been given to a cat with kidney issues?".

From the time that food was prescribed something in the back of my mind was screaming at me that something bad was going to happen. I just thought it would be another kidney stone.

If the vet is at least partly responsible, then I don't think I want him treating my cat anymore. The problem with that is that he's the only vet I've met that really explains things in detail and doesn't get annoyed by all my questions. I can't help that I like to know what's going on with my cat. Also, we communicate very well and I trust that he would never intentionally harm my cat. You all should have seen the way my cat was handled by the other vet. I totally dislike that guy.

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I'm sorry your kitty is ill, but how do you know your cat is in kidney failure? Only a vet can diagnose that and the only way to diagnose it is with blood work.

If your cat's last blood work was fine, there wouldn't have been any reason for your vet not to prescribe the special food. Cats prone to stones need to be on a special diet to prevent blockages.

If I am understanding the sequence of events properly, I don't think your vet is at fault. I think you should get your cat to the vet, get blood work and a urinalysis and get a proper diagnosis, and proceed from there.

Vets can't predict every outcome.

We saw a specialist of internal medicine today. The prognosis was poor. An ultrasound was able to diagnose heart failure and end stage renal failure. Fuzzy was euthanized this evening.

I still don't understand what happened. The impression I got from the specialist is that the regular vets (two of them) may have screwed up somewhere. His blood work from four months ago was normal and he had a heart murmur. The vet said the heart murmur wasn't serious and didn't require any further testing at that time. Although an x-ray was done and everything related to the heart looked good at that time. But that's the second time a vet said that to me and the second time a cat has died from heart related problems. If his heart had been ok, they could have pursued IV fluid therapy. The specialist also indicated that the stone in the ureters should have been dealt with more aggressively early on. It appears that the prescription food caused more stones.

I'm going to question the regular vet at a later time. I may also call the specialist again too. I've been given so much info today that I'm very confused. I would like to understand what happened to prevent this from happening again.

Oh, Lilblu, I am so very, very sorry. This is awful. And not one, but two kitties... I can only imagine how you feel.

I am so sorry. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.