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Just diagnosed with Kidney Failure, etc... - Page 2

post #31 of 53
11/13/11 at 12:06am
Thread Starter 

Thanks everyone heartpump.gif

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post #32 of 53
11/13/11 at 12:19am
Thread Starter 

Can anyone suggest what I should be doing for him from here on out? In regards to the kidney failure, heart murmur, rotten teeth/periodontal disease and constant diarrhea...

As I stated before I was giving him Epakitin for kidney fuction for the first month, but now that his phosphorus levels have improved the vet suggested I stop, whereas another vet said he needs it for the rest of his life.

 

Other than the 150 mls of fluids every other day- Any meds I should have him on, precautions, etc...

 

Can I still give him treats? Temptations, etc... And yogourt is ok to give daily right? He loves his yogourt :)

 

I plan to feed him canned Friskies from here on out..even though it is not the most nutritious, but it is what I can afford at this point... and I will always leave some dry food out as well if he's hungry in between feedings, even though most of you have advised me not to.

 

I also had a second opinion of another vet when I first got the numbers from his initial blood panel, and she suggested that I put him down.  I refuse to put him down until he tells me it's time. But I find it crazy that's what she suggested right away though, judging from his numbers alone.  He's still a very hyper, crazy 13 yr old cat who runs around the house like a kitten.happy2.gif

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post #33 of 53
11/13/11 at 3:30am
Thread Starter 

Here's a pic of my lil muffin with the two new toys he got today... lol :)

 

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post #34 of 53
11/13/11 at 3:31am
Thread Starter 

"Hi Mum" lol

 

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post #35 of 53
11/13/11 at 5:27am

You should keep him on the Epakitin until the vet puts him on something else.  With kidney kitties it's very important that they eat, so if he'll eat Friskies, feed him that.  Also, check out Tanya's page on CRF for more info.  http://www.felinecrf.org/  Also, join the Yahoo group for CRF kitties and their owners.  Those people know everything!  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/?yguid=353539644

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post #36 of 53
11/13/11 at 5:27am
Awww.....what a sweet boy!

I've never used the epakitin so can't comment on it. Ootay rbheart.gifangel.gif got 150 ml fluids four times a week for three years, and was fed what she wanted to eat, as often as I could get her to eat it. I did not free feed dry food, she wouldn't have gotten it anyway, since the other cats would eat it. Instead I arranged my day, actually my LIFE, around being able to come home every 3-4 hours, six at the very most, to feed her.

She would only eat very small amounts at a time. A teaspoonful of canned food. 8 pieces of kibble. Then if I waited 15 minutes and offered her another teaspoonful she would usually eat that, too. And so on.

Ootay loved yogurt and would lick out my yogurt cup every day. Don't give him yogurt with artificial sweeteners in it, is all.

Ootay also had high blood pressure and hyperthyroid disease, but they were un-treated as she couldn't tolerate the medicines. All forms of methimazole were tried, over a period of 18 months. The Norvasc (for HBP) gave her fainting spells even at the lowest possible dose. Ootay had megacolon and took cisapride three times a day, psyllium once a day, and mineral oil twice a day. And Cosequin for arthritis. She had a heart murmur too. Her little body just couldn't tolerate anything else. I've forgotten why I was writing this. laughing02.gif

Oh yeah....I was going to post some links

Many people recommend Tanya's website and it's a good one, but during Ootay's time I was relying heavily on this one:

www.felincecrf.com

And if friskies is what he wants, let him have it. smile.gif
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post #37 of 53
11/13/11 at 5:41am
I would have the dental done. Dental disease causes kidney disease, or in his case will make it worse. It also affects the heart.

It also greatly lessens quality of life.

Ootay had a dental at 17 1/2 years old, with all of the above listed ailments, including one stroke. She did fine, and felt so much better after. She ate better, too. Insist your vet use sevoflourane gas anesthesia only. It is the safest, and fast acting. If you harbor doubts about your vets dental abilities, take him to a specialist to have it done. He should, of course be hooked up to an IV catheter for the entire procedure, and put on clindamycin (antirobe) antibiotic.

Anesthesia can be rough on the kidneys, but dental disease is rougher. And..it is a quality of life issue. When I made the decision to go ahead with Ootay, it was with the thought that, even if the procedure shortened her life by a couple months (by advancing the kidney disease).....at least those remaining months would be mouth-pain free. I had nine more months with her after the dental (she also had one extraction). And it's a great comfort knowing those nine months were free of mouth pain.

The diarrhea: it could be the epakitin. But if your vet wants him on it, put him on a probiotic. I recommend ProViable DC made by NutraMax. This is an excellent product, and it's not full of junk or sugar like some others. The capsule contains nothing but the probiotic cultures. And cats like it.

Forti Flora, made by Purina, is an effective probiotic, and cats love it, but it does have some icky things in it, such as animal digest. However it has made many a reluctant eater gobble his food.

So I would recommend you get him on either of those. Or both. A little forti flora sprinkled over every meal (just a tiny bit) to encourage appetite and a capsule of ProViable mixed in once a day.

Discuss it with your vet first of course. But he really should be on a probiotic.
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post #38 of 53
11/13/11 at 6:21am

My CRF kitty has really rallied from near death last year to gaining over a pound, anemia improved (based on visual appearance of gums that used to be pale and are now healthy pink), coat nice and thick (compared to fur loss last year).  I'm not medicating her.  I just changed her food to Paws canned, which she absolutely loves.  It is reasonably priced ($0.50 per can) and seems to be grain free - no corn anyway.  It's hard to find as it has limited distribution to member stores only, but here's where you can find it:

http://www.pawsforpets.com/StoreLocations.aspx

 

I'm not saying this is a cure-all.  I can just say that my cat's health has greatly improved.

 

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post #39 of 53
11/13/11 at 9:30am
AWWW he really is a handsome boy love.gif..... Just sending along more vibes and hope you boy is feeling good today vibes.gifvibes.gifvibes.gifvibes.gifvibes.gifvibes.gifvibes.gif
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post #40 of 53
11/15/11 at 1:04pm

For what it's worth, my 16 year old CRF kitty no longer even gets tested for BUN or createnine or anything else because it wouldn't matter.  We base everything we do by how he acts, and that is mainly adjusting how much fluid and how often we do it (sub-q's)  We also feed him HIGH protein food, and that is mostly dry food, because that's what he really likes, and he needs to eat!  I try to get him to eat wet food, even follow him around with his bowl encouraging him to eat a little several times a day...sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.  We still give him Temptations, Greenies, Whiska Lickins, basically anything he will eat.  (I WISH he would eat yogurt, because he has an upset stomach often, for which I give him Pepcid AC - when he'll let me  laughing02.gif)

 

You mentioned money is tight.  Are YOU giving him his sub-qs?  If not, you should probably learn how.  It's really easy, and really inexpensive to do it yourself, especially if you order all your supplies over the internet.  (Sorry if you already mentioned that...I read in kind of a hurry)

 

As far as the dental, I'm with Otto in that quality of life is far better than quantity, and the poor guy must be suffering at the moment.  As for the diarrhea, I will have to defer to the other experts in that area, as my Sven has the opposite problemfrown.gif, but someone mentioned that thought it might be the Epakitin, and if your Vet suggested he no longer needs it, that might just solve that problem.

 

BTW, he certainly looks like a sweet little boy!

 

 

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post #41 of 53
11/18/11 at 2:16am
Thread Starter 

Thank you :) He is such a sweetheart!! I loooove him :p

 

The diarrhea definitely isn't caused by the Epakitin - he's been off of it it for a while now.  I am 100% sure the diarrhea was caused by the Clavamox - as he did get it instantly, on day one of the Clavamox.  I went out of town for a couple days earlier this week and left only dry food out for him and he did have a few hard poo's in his litterbox when I got back so I am stoked! I think he was a bit starved for the first day too so maybe he needed that period to clear up whatever he had goin on in his tummy.  He does still has diarrhea though. I plan to run the Proviable DC by my vet, and if he approves I will definitely be buying it.

 

Yes, I do administer the fluids myself.  My vet advised that I give 150ml every second day, but I read online that it is suggested to give 75ml every day, as anything more would just be excess and they would just pee it out.  I plan to give him 100ml every other day, as he does have a heart murmur and I'm a bit paranoid about that.  I buy the supplies for the fluids from the vet - I find the prices to be pretty reasonable.  I buy each bag (1000ml) for $10.  I went to a different vet clinic while I was out of town and purchased some more @ $5/bag - cheap!.  The line I believe was around $9-10.  My vet gave me a bunch of needles for free last time I was in so that was nice. But that's what I pay - I'm not sure what everyone else pays?? I live in Canada, not the U.S, like the majority of everyone here :p 

 

Again, I thank everyone for the tips and advice - it is much appreciated!

 

I will be getting Smokey his surgery as soon as I can....need to get a job first - this economy is brutal!!! :/

 

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post #42 of 53
11/18/11 at 8:25am
I don't see a reason why your vet shouldn't approve Proviable-DC.... It is, IMHO the best probiotic out there, and that's all it is a probiotic.... I would suggest, however, that you get it online - vets sell it for $80+, while online you buy for $36 with free shipping...... BIG savings. I had 3 vets, in 3 different clinics (yep, I work with 3 vets laughing02.gif) recommend this to Bugsy for his diarrhea.... Here is a link for you: Proviable-DC.
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post #43 of 53
11/18/11 at 11:21am

Wow, if your vet sells a 1000 ml bag for $10, including the IV set-up, that's pretty reasonable, I think.  Free needles is great!  My Vet charges $65 for one bag with IV set-up, so, needless to say, we don't buy them there!!!!!    I found IV set-ups for $1.10, and 100 needles for $7 on the internet.  We currently get our fluids at the corner drugstore 2/$11, but might start ordering them via the internet also, since we've dramatically increased the amount we're now giving (150 ml/ 3 times per week, up from once a week)

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post #44 of 53
11/18/11 at 4:32pm
The Proviable has 7 strains of bacteria whereas Fortiflora only has one. So the odds of your cat getting one he needs is increased with Proviable. Also give omega 3 fatty acids as they help with immunity and kidneys etc. Nutramax makes one called welactin. As with all supplements, you should do research. Since supplements aren't regulated, many times a product will not have the actually active ingredient it.claims it does. Ask for.proof that the product works and is safe. Don't just trust the company's research, ask for independent studies of the product's safety and efficacy.
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post #45 of 53
11/18/11 at 4:59pm
Thread Starter 

No, the IV set up is extra. I've been paying $10 per bag and the line is another $10 or so. But now that I found a place out of town for $5/bag I'll be grabbing some from there again!!

 

As far as the yogourt goes, I give him only organic, 0% or 2% fat yogourt - no junk ingrediants, and he eats it 2-3 times a day (around 2 tbl spoons each time :)) That's weird your cat doesn't like yogourt - every cat I've had LOVES it!!

 

Do you think it's necessary to still order Proviable DC even if he is starting to have some formed poos now? I think he is making slow progress..but hopefully on his way to having his lil stomach recovered...

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post #46 of 53
11/18/11 at 11:43pm
Thread Starter 

I also wanted to mention that my cat has always been overly enthusiastic about drinking water, his entire life.... now just recently, for maybe 2-3 weeks now he rarely drinks it.  What could this mean? I already add a ton of water to his wet food to help him with eating because of his rotten teeth, so he is definitely not dehydrated.

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post #47 of 53
11/19/11 at 5:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemykittehs View Post

I also wanted to mention that my cat has always been overly enthusiastic about drinking water, his entire life.... now just recently, for maybe 2-3 weeks now he rarely drinks it.  What could this mean? I already add a ton of water to his wet food to help him with eating because of his rotten teeth, so he is definitely not dehydrated.

The fluids and the watery meals are filling his water requirements. It's quite common for a cat on fluid therapy to not drink at all.

My vet writes me a prescription for a case of fluids and I have it filled at my human pharmacy. One case, 12 bags of lactated ringers, is $20 at the pharmacy. One BAG at the vet is $22. I still have to get the tube sets at the vet though, but the needles also can be gotten with a prescription at the human pharmacy.

PS...it may be different in Canada, seems I read that elsewhere recently, that you can't get fluids through the pharmacy I mean. I'm in the USA. You will have to check your local pharmacy to find out if they can get the fluids in for you. If you can't get a prescription, see if your vet will sell you a case, at a savings, rather than by the bag

I would keep some proviable dc on hand. You never know when you might need it. It's great stuff.

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post #48 of 53
11/20/11 at 12:53am
Thread Starter 

That makes sense.  I was also suspecting that since half of one of his teeth has broken off, that maybe the coldness of the water was bothering him.

 

Thanks Otto! :)

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post #49 of 53
11/25/11 at 12:32am
Thread Starter 

Ok, so good news...I priced out the dental cleaning and surgery with my vet and it doesn't seem to be all that expensive afterall... Today I received a donation toward Smokey's procedure and my mom said she will pay the remainder so I plan to have him in around the second week of Dec to get it done - I want to have it done before Christmas.

 

I was told that the dental cleaning is $180 with IV fluids, each extraction is $25 (I'm pretty sure he just has two tiny pieces of teeth to be pulled out), then antibiotics and pain injections on top of it.

 

 

 

- So according to everyone's words of advise: I ask that my vet use sevoflourane gas anesthesia only, be hooked up to an IV catheter for the entire procedure (as well as afterward) and put on clindamycin antibiotic - I hope this in an injection??

 

- Do I need to have a blood test done prior to the surgery? I last tested his levels earlier this month and they showed much improvement.

 

Sooo is this everything then? Anything else I should know or expect? I am pretty nervous about the whole thing - I really don't want to lose my lil guy over this surgery.

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post #50 of 53
11/25/11 at 5:39pm
Your vet may or may not want to redo the blood work. Usually anything past a month, they'd rather redo it. I know it gets costly, but things can change so quickly for our special ones.....I hope you will update right before the procedure so we can have Smokey in our thoughts on the actual day.

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post #51 of 53
11/25/11 at 8:34pm

You might also want to ask the vet about a Fentanyl pain patch. It will last longer than the injected analgesics and you don't have to keep messing with a painful mouth trying to get pills into Smokey. Keep an eye on his appetite after the dental to make sure he's eating enough. Giving him watered down canned food or baby food that he can lap up instead of chew could help.

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post #52 of 53
11/26/11 at 3:27am
Thread Starter 

Oh I also forgot to say that his diarrhea has now completely gone away :) I've been feeding him probiotic yogourt every day and I guess that did the trick... so relieved!!

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post #53 of 53
11/26/11 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemykittehs View Post

Oh I also forgot to say that his diarrhea has now completely gone away :) I've been feeding him probiotic yogourt every day and I guess that did the trick... so relieved!!


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