Surgery to Relieve Fluid Build-up in Kidney Capsule

madn3ss

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My little girl has CRF and each of the last two months we've brought her in for an ultrasound, the vet has had to remove 60 cc's of fluid build-up that's putting pressure on the affected kidney. We can either keep doing this once a month or put her through surgery to basically put a hole in the capsule so the fluid can drain on it's own and be absorbed into the body. Does anyone have any experience with this surgery?

Thanks.
 

otto

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I'm sorry your kitty is going through this. though I have a lot of experience dealing with feline CRF, I have not heard of this before.

Do you trust your vet? Perhaps you might get a second opinion, before putting your dear one through an invasive surgery. If you have a vet school near you you could ask for a referral to see an internal medicine specialist there.

Here is a good site where you might find some answers:

http://www.felinecrf.com/index.htm
 

otto

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This site actually has a more direct info on what you describe:

I think what your cat has is called ascites:

Fluid Retention/Build-Up

Sometimes a CRF cat may develop fluid retention or fluid build-up. This may be a sign of worsening kidney values or of heart problems, or a sign of over-hydration either via IV or sub-Qs. In the worst cases, fluid may collect in the lungs (pulmonary oedema), or around the lungs (pleural effusion) or in the abdomen (ascites).



Your cat may appear swollen in the legs, face or stomach. When Harpsie developed ascites, it felt like he had a hard little football in his stomach. However, it is normal for cats to have a soft, squishy "pouch" of fluid after sub-Qs, which may move down into the front legs; this should gradually disappear as the fluids are absorbed.

If your cat feels "squishy" when you stroke him or her, this may also indicate fluid retention caused by overhydration from excessive sub-Qs (although sometimes it merely means that air got into the line, in which case you need to work on your sub-Qs technique).
more info here:

http://www.felinecrf.org/symptoms.htm#fluid_buildup
 
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madn3ss

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Originally Posted by otto

I'm sorry your kitty is going through this. though I have a lot of experience dealing with feline CRF, I have not heard of this before.

Do you trust your vet? Perhaps you might get a second opinion, before putting your dear one through an invasive surgery. If you have a vet school near you you could ask for a referral to see an internal medicine specialist there.

Here is a good site where you might find some answers:

http://www.felinecrf.com/index.htm
They are constantly ranked #1 in my county year after year for best veterinarian. Though he won't be doing the surgery, we will be consulting with the surgeon.

She's only 5 years old. We're now wondering if this may have been caused in part by the pet food recall a couple of years ago. She didn't have the affected food everyday, but once a week perhaps.
 
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