Sven's (our CRF kitty) latest Vet visit

We took Sven in yesterday because his appetite has just been "off", and he's been losing weight (obviously), and throwing up froth a couple of times a day, so I wanted him to get checked out to see if anything untoward might be going on. He has been on an "eat anything he'll eat" diet since his last visit since he's about 1/2 his normal size now, and, unfortunately, since we have one little piggy cat, what we're feeding everyone right now is high protein, low carb food...not the best for a CRF cat! OH, and I forgot to mention that we feed mainly DRY, because that's what they like. Talk about a double whammy for a CRF cat.

Well, Sven's BUN actually has decreased! It's down from 63 to 61, and his creatinine is still within normal levels. I was totally shocked, in a good way .

Now I KNOW that he needs to have something in his tummy at all times to keep from throwing up that frothy stuff, but when his appetite is "off", I can't get him to eat even treats, of which I keep a huge supply of different types, but all of them say they are 100% nutritionally complete. And this is another reason why we free feed, so he can snack whenever he wants. I'm just so happy that his BUN wasn't sky high!!

Anyway, the Vet said he actually looks great, except he has a slight ear infection, and had gained weight since his last visit. (we weigh him every couple weeks at home, and he's lost weight since Christmas, but apparently somewhere along the way he gained a few months ago and I forgot about it - I don't log it, our Wii keeps track of it, but only holds the info for 3 months). She gave him a big old vitamin shot with some metoclopramide in it, some ear ointment for the infection, and sent us on our way. Last night he ate like a champ! (maybe the ear infection was affecting his sinuses?)

So...another possible crisis averted, at least for awhile . When I weighed him on Saturday and he was down .4 lb from 2 weeks ago, I was freaking out!!

That's great that he got a good report from the vet! Except the ear infection. I hope that clears up for him soon!

This is the second time today I've heard about CRF cats having ear infections. Since I've been through this with Dusty, does anyone know if CRF and ear infections go hand in hand or are related?

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

This is the second time today I've heard about CRF cats having ear infections. Since I've been through this with Dusty, does anyone know if CRF and ear infections go hand in hand or are related?

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I have never heard of that being an issue, but knew about Dusty having had a severe one awhile back, when you thought you were going to lose her. Who else has one?

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I have never heard of that being an issue, but knew about Dusty having had a severe one awhile back, when you thought you were going to lose her. Who else has one?

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This is part of a post from a friend of mine from another forum after I asked her the same question about ear infections and CRF:

Thanks for your kind words!!! HER EARS WERE HORRIBLE!!!! Just BLACK...UGH!!! The vet never said there was a connection. I had brought her in for her yearly check up at the end of November. Her ears were terrible! Oozing black...it took them a bit to clean out her ears. Actually the left one was the bad one. The right one wasn't so bad. The vet did not tell me about the connection. However, she was diagnosed with kidney disease in November 2009 and her ears were GOOD. They just got bad this past year. However, she had ear meds and I had an ear cleaner (HOMEMADE EAR CLEANER RECOMMENDED BY VET: 1/3 part VINEGAR; 1/3 part ALCHOHOL; 1/3 part PEROXIDE) mix in a little plastic bottle and use a cotton ball. Cheap - ready to use and products we all have at home. Her ears have cleaned and cleared pretty well. Yesterday they weren't too bad however, she got another bottle of ear medicine.

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So between your post and this one, it just seems too coincidental. And now I've been cleaning black gunk out of Dusty's ears again.

Wonderful news! Do you already give Zantac to help settle his tummy? If not, talk to your vet.

That is so great to hear! I am glad that he gained a little weight & his levels got slightly better, improvement is improvement!!!

I remember we were chatting about the diff treats we used to get our picky/sick cats to eat. Bear is all better now, but he will only eat dry... Friskies purple bag dry lol go figure! I am just thankful he eats on his own now. He still loooove his Temptations lol, does Sven still like them too?

Aw that is great news! Well - except the ear infection - but apparently that might explain his inappetance - so in that weird way, also good news!

Originally Posted by LDG

Aw that is great news! Well - except the ear infection - but apparently that might explain his inappetance - so in that weird way, also good news!

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Yes, I wondered if perhaps an ear infection might, somehow, interfer with his sinuses, and thus, his ability to smell his food? I guess it's possible. The Vet didn't say, but I'm thinking it's possible, since he's been eating pretty well since he got his first dose of ear medicine. The bad news is, though, that even though he's eating several time a day again, he's still throwing up "froth". I've mentioned in previous posts that he doesn't tolerate many meds very well, including Pepcid AC. Most meds cause him to vomit, so I'm wondering if even his ear ointment (since it's an antibiotic) is causing him to vomit. Poor guy. But at least he's still eating

Originally Posted by KatKisses

That is so great to hear! I am glad that he gained a little weight & his levels got slightly better, improvement is improvement!!!

I remember we were chatting about the diff treats we used to get our picky/sick cats to eat. Bear is all better now, but he will only eat dry... Friskies purple bag dry lol go figure! I am just thankful he eats on his own now. He still loooove his Temptations lol, does Sven still like them too?

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I can't believe you remember that conversation we had about Temptations! That was a long time ago! So glad Bear is all recovered now . Yes, Sven still likes his Temptations, although I'm having to juggle the flavors around. I've got 3 or 4 different flavor packages sitting on my desk right now, so if he doesn't want one, then I switch to another until I find one he'll be in the mood for at any particular time

What is the name of the oinment... pardon me if I missed it

Glad Sven had a good check up. Is he getting sub q?

Sometimes free feeding can backfire for a kitty with inappetence.

First....if they don't feel good the smell of food may make them feel worse, and even less like eating. Think about if you have a stomach bug, the last thing you want is to smell food.

Secondly,smelling the food all the time desensitizes, so there is no appetite stimulation from the smell.

It's all about smell

Also, a dish full of food, to a kitty who doesn't feel good can seem overwhelming.

With my Ootay I found more success offering her tiny meals many times a day. I just kept a schedule and put her food down (warmed up to make it more appetizing) in front of her, only a teaspoon at a time. If she ate it all, I picked up the dish and made a production of adding more (also warmed up) and offered it to her again. If she left some I removed it right away, and in a half hour offered some again.

PS if the kitty is a kibble eater, kibble can be warmed up too. Just make the dish hot by running hot water over it, wipe out the water, put in the kibble and stir the kibbles around for a minute to allow them to absorb the heat from the dish. (I use corelle dishes, which hold heat)

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I can't believe you remember that conversation we had about Temptations! That was a long time ago! So glad Bear is all recovered now

. Yes, Sven still likes his Temptations, although I'm having to juggle the flavors around. I've got 3 or 4 different flavor packages sitting on my desk right now, so if he doesn't want one, then I switch to another until I find one he'll be in the mood for at any particular time

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I sure do remember! I was almost hopeless through that whole ordeal, I was sure that I was going to loose him. Then when he got a little better it seemed like I was going to have to force feed him forever... and wondered what kind of life that would be for him. That convo we had helped me, seeing that you are giving Sven the best care and that he was still doing good despite a very low appitite.


I think you mentioned him have issues with hair matting? Could he have a hairball? Since the weather is cold I am sure you turned your heat up... I've noticed my cats shed way more when I turn the heat up.

If the ointment has a smell, he may smell that and it could be making him nauseas. At one point Bear would barff just smelling the food I was feeding the other cats.

You are so awesome for taking such good care of him.

Originally Posted by sharky

What is the name of the oinment... pardon me if I missed it

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Derma-Vet Ointment (nystatin-neomycin Sulfate-thiostrepton-triamcinolone acetonide)

Otto: I DO free feed their dry, but only in one bowl in the master bathroom, so I think he can get away from the smell by simply going into another room, can't he. And with the wet that I try to get him to eat, once he's done, then I split the leftovers into two bowls and let "the boys" polish it off.

Katkisses: I don't think he has any hairballs right now. it's actually cooler in our house now than in the summer. We keep it at 80 in the summer, and 70 in the winter. You're right that he does get mats...that's in the summertime. What a memory you've got! (Besides, some of the Temptations they all eat are the hairball ones, just in case, since they DO all groom themselves, but there's much less shedding going on right now than in the summer)

My memory usually sucks lol! I remember because you helped with Bear, and Because I really like Sven's name.

How old is he?

Originally Posted by KatKisses

My memory usually sucks lol! I remember because you helped with Bear, and Because I really like Sven's name.

How old is he?

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Sven is around 15 or 16. We don't know exactly how old he is, because we've only had him for the past 9 years, but the lady we adopted him from said he was 7 when we got him...however, the Vet said she didn't think he was quite that old! (and the lady we got him from didn't have ANY records...not sure he'd ever been to a Vet, because he immediately needed 4 teeth pulled!!) Anyway, we kept his original name, since he was very used to it. I always say he's "Sven from Sveden".

Wow, he is super lucky to have you then! Who knows where he would be if you hadn't got him... 4 rotten teeth!