Mackerel has Acute Renal Failure

Hey Guys,

So after this horrific weekend, it turns out that Mackerel has Acute Renal Failure. No idea what caused it or anything, the blasted vet is too busy to speak to me (I had to get these test results from the receptionist!) and I have no idea what to do or what's going to happen and I really need to have some information.

I literally don't have any information except what the receptionist told me, and I quote: "Ok, the vet looked at the test results earlier and said that it looks like Little Mackerel is in acute renal failure."

The information I'm getting on the internet is basically saying... it doesn't look good. :-(

Oh I am so sorry to hear this.

I don't know much about it but I think you should call the vet back and find out the options. I can't understand these vets sometimes. He is working for you and you have every right to get all the information. IMO that is mal practice, not providing info.

Mackerel is in my prayers.

My vet clinic would fire a receptionist for giving information like that to a client. Receptionists are not there to read lab work results.

There is actually a lot can be done for Mackerel if treatment is fast. She should be on sub q fluids already.

I'd be looking for another vet, frankly. Today.

I still haven't had the promised call from my vet and when I called (again) to try and speak to them they're now closed.

I called the 24 hour vet hospital on the other side of town but they said they can't do anything until they confirm the ARF diagnosis (which they wont be able to do until they get blood back from the lab, and would take longer than getting them from my vet tomorrow morning.), but that she should be on IV fluids if the diagnosis is correct. The vet hospital says that what I can do at home is to assist her in drinking with the syringe that I've been using for feeding- 20ml every 4 hours.

I'm so angry that my vet has failed me so badly. Apparently the reason I didn't get a call is because the guy I saw on Saturday (not my normal vet) isn't in at work today. Really not good enough, I think, especially if there's something that might help, like IV fluids, and that's time sensitive, like this seems to be.

When will vets (and all other service people) realize that they can signficantly INCREASE their income by giving better service?!? It doesn't COST to make your customers happy! It PAYS!!!

I'm so sorry to hear about Mackerel. I've had several kitties in the past with chronic renal failure, but haven't had any experience with ARF. I do agree with otto---sub q fluids are a must. You can do these at home, after you've been shown how. I also agree with the statement about looking for a different vet. IMO, you and Mackerel have been treated poorly and unprofessionally.

Sending loads of for your fur-baby.

I've spoken to a friend's girlfriend who's told me some options I have and what her practice could do about it and I'm feeling muuuuuuuuuch better about it all. :-) I'll grab the test results from my current vet and then take them to her practice for treatment. They're going to put Mack on a drip for 24 hour, flush her system with the IV and some meds, and she's said that hopefully Mack will be a much happier, healthier cat by Thursday and on the mend.

Oh wow, I am so glad to hear that! I'd leave the other vet in the dust.

Prayers for your girl and you.

I am so sorry to hear this and the way your vet's office has treated you. Sheesh! I'd have been sitting on their doorstep this morning demanding an answer!

There is a lot that can be done to help Mackeral. First of all, read the CRF sticky at the top of the health forum and join the CRF Yahoo group. If the link isn't posted in the sticky, I'll post it when I get home from work this evening.

Depending on how severe her numbers are, there's much that can be done and there is hope that your girl will live for several more years, but you'll have to be diligent with her care and watch her for signs of crashing (deteriorating health). The biggest change is dietary and she probably will need to be on some kind of special food. Callie was on SD k/d. You can learn to administer fluids at home, if you decide to go that route, and there's lots of places where you can buy supplies for less that what the vet's office will charge you. All of that info is on the Yahoo group.

I think the best thing you can do is get a second opinion and have a urinalysis and a urine culture done to get a full picture of what you're dealing with and what stage of CRF she's in. Acute doesn't necessarily mean the end, just dire situation that may be turned around if she gets proper treatment.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info/help/support.

I thought there was a difference between ARF and CRF? Thanks for the advice, Steph.

Originally Posted by Jalindal

I've spoken to a friend's girlfriend who's told me some options I have and what her practice could do about it and I'm feeling muuuuuuuuuch better about it all. :-) I'll grab the test results from my current vet and then take them to her practice for treatment. They're going to put Mack on a drip for 24 hour, flush her system with the IV and some meds, and she's said that hopefully Mack will be a much happier, healthier cat by Thursday and on the mend.

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Hi Jalindal, I'm glad you've been able to get some immediate intervention for Mackerel.

I'm sure you will want to get a handle on ARF and how it differs from CRF, and you'll now have some time to do just that. Here's some reading for you - it comes from a very well-respected site: http://www.felinecrf.org/acute_renal_failure.htm
One heads-up for you: most of the time, recovery from ARF will require SEVERAL DAYS of IV treatment, NOT JUST 24 hours.

There's one more section of that website I always recommend in these situations, and here is the key piece from that section:

Often these vets do not even offer any IV (intravenous fluids) treatment for high number cats, or if they do, they only offer one day, tell the person their cat's numbers have not improved after that short stint, and recommend euthanasia. In some cases people are told even before their cat is placed on IV that if s/he does not respond within 24 hours, they have to opt for euthanasia...if your cat has high bloodwork levels, then one day on IV fluids is simply not long enough to decide whether a cat is going to turn the corner or not!.

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Here's that whole section http://www.felinecrf.org/just_diagno...ia_recommended

I'll be thinking of you both.

I may be wrong in this, as my cats have had CRF as opposed to ARF. I seem to remember a vet telling me that acute basically means a flare-up of a disease, while chronic is a long lasting condition. I'm glad you're getting a new vet to take care of Mackerel. Go online and educate yourself about ARF, and don't be afraid to ask the vet any question that pops into your head, no matter how silly you may think it sounds.

With my CRF kitties, twice daily IV fluids were standard, usually 100cc each time. A change in diet was recommended, but of course they each refused to eat the rx food.

You and Mackerel are in my prayers.

Here is some information specifically on ARF... I wonder now if the "mass" the vet felt was not her kidneys.... http://www.petplace.com/cats/acute-r...ats/page1.aspx

And just so you know, if you have to administer subcutaneous fluids at home, it's really pretty easy, once you get the hang of it, and much less expensive and stressful than taking the cat in every day. Make sure they know you are willing to learn and have a lot of teachers here.

Please don't anyone confuse ARF with CRF. ARF is NOT a flare up of CRF, although CRF can lead to ARF if untreated for a long time. There may be different types of treatments for ARF and sub-q's may not be enough.

Unfortunately, there can be a number of causes for ARF, and the prognosis can be different depending on what caused it in the first place. It can be genetically based, triggered by ingestion of poisons, or sometimes the final stages of non-treated CRF.

I lost a cat to ARF. After ruling out all of the other triggers, we realized that what she had was genetically based. Home administration of fluids was not enough for her - she was in ICU for a week before she crossed.

I do not want to scare you, but ARF is one of those diseases where you need immediate attention. Get to a qualified vet that has the time to spend with you trying to identify the cause, so that you can start the appropriate treatment for her. Prepare yourself for round the clock care until her numbers stabilize.

I'm just sending vibes because I know nothing about either. But how shocking of the original vet - that's just wrong!

Because of the apparent importance in distinguishing between acute renal failure and chronic renal failure, I looked up ARF.

Info you might find useful (and thankful you're being aggressive in treating this!):

http://www.petplace.com/cats/acute-r...ats/page1.aspx

The recent recognition of kidney failure is not necessarily the same as acute renal failure, since some animals with chronic kidney failure tolerate it for some time before symptoms are apparent.

<snip>

The symptoms of ARF, although often severe, are not specific. Even with intensive management, ARF is a very serious disorder and often is fatal.

<snip>

# ARF is a life-threatening serious condition that requires hospitalization and intensive treatment. Treatment consists of identification and correction of life-threatening problems while searching for the underlying cause of ARF. Treatment for ARF may include one or more of the following:

# Induce vomiting
# Intravenous fluids
# Drugs that encourage urine production
# Management of blood electrolyte abnormalities
# Monitor urinary output
# Control of vomiting
# Management of anemia
# Peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis
# Treatment with 4-methylpyrazole (AntizolÂ[emoji]174[/emoji]) or ethanol

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I hope the new vet is able to determine the cause, and the course of IV fluids and treatment decisions will pull Mackerel through this.

You have already received all the information you need to proceed in the care for Mackeral. I can only add that acute renal failure can sometimes be turned around if immediate care is sought. It is caused by some shock to the cat's system as already stated. It is more crucial at the moment than chronic renal failure because it must be treated very quickly in order to bring the cat out of it. If your cat has acute renal failure and comes out of it, he will be fine, with no further treatment needed. In chronic renal failure it is the beginning of treatements that usually can go on for a while before the cat's kidneys fail. I lost my soulmate cat, Max, to acute renal failure. My cat was diagnosed on Friday and pts on Monday. He was on an IV all weekend. Your cat and you will be in my prayers. I truly hope he can see a vet quickly and overcome. I would never darken the door at that vet's office again, only long enough to get my cat's medical records and leave.

Thanks for all the links guys, I want to read as much as I can to help Mackerel and these are mostly ones I didn't see last night in my research.

I'm wondering whether this might not be a case of CRF after all- in particular I saw an article last night saying that (simply) some of the symptoms of ARF are:

vomiting
difficulty urinating

while some of the symptoms of CRF are:

loss of appetite
weight loss
loss of interest in grooming

And those are the reasons that I took her to the vet in the first place. As far as I've been reading there's no way to distinguish between CRF and ARF in blood tests? I'm not sure why the vet told me that it was ARF given that he barely took the time to take a history of Mackerel when he was drawing the blood and that seems to be the only way to differentiate between the two. Hmm.

I can't wait to get to the new vet. The earliest I've been able to make an appointment to go and pick up the records (they refuse to release them to me without seeing the old vet.) is 10:30am.

Blueeyedgirl - your story really worries me. :-( Mackerel had the blood drawn from the bloodtest on Saturday, so it's now been three days.

Mackerel's at the new vet on an IV and settled in, and eating and drinking as well apparently. :-) I'm really thrilled at the way the vet is talking to me and letting me know everything that's going on.

If anyone's in Perth I would really recommend Henly Vet and Hospital in Bassendean. Stay away from My Best Friend Vet Center in Leederville, though. I'm going to be filing an official complaint against them, I think.