Riley is in the beginning stages of renal failure

Here we go....Riley, my 14/15 yo was diagnosed with beginning stages of renal failure today. His creative level was 2.5 which isn't too far out of normal, however, it was a significant increase over his levels 6 months ago. He also has 2 infected teeth that have to be removed. Sigh.

His arthritis is getting worse and he's injured one of his back legs.

So, we left the vet with antibiotics for his teeth, pain medication for his leg, an estimate for the extraction and orders for sub-q fluids once a month.

So all that brings me to this: The vet is recommending prescription food for the renal issues but I'm thinking I've read here about not doing the dry but feeding certain other wet foods. Of course, I can't remember now. I'm going to dig around online but would love to hear others experience with diet for my little man.

Thanks!

Oh hun...

This is a great article on it, though the doc was paid by Ziwipeak Ziwipeak is certainly a good food, and I doubt very much that it impacts the rest of the information provided: http://consciouscat.net/2011/10/17/kidney-failure-and-diet-in-cats/

And funny enough, I was JUST looking for freeze dried kidney treats, and found this: http://ultraent.com/html/products.php

The raw kidney supplement is available on a lot of sites, among them amazon.

Also http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/kidney-disease-in-older-cats/



There's also a sticky at the top of the forum for CRF. :nod:

Thank you Laurie. I'll check the links and read the sticky. As always, you are incredibly knowledgable, I appreciate your help.

I also want to recommend B12 injections. Those are very valuable with renal disease as B12 is often not absorbed properly anymore. 

Big hugs to you and your Riley!  It's never easy hearing that your kitty has CRF (chronic renal failure).  The good thing is that his numbers are fairly good, which means you caught it early.  With diet changes and educating yourself, your guy can have a good quality of life.  I would encourage you to join the Yahoo CRF group.  The folks there are very knowledgeable and helpful in a crisis.  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/?yguid=353539644

Just a caution, I hope the pain med the vet sent you home with was not Metacam (meloxicam)!  That is a big no-no for CRF kitties. 

What are you giving your kitty for the arthritis?

stephanietx said:

What are you giving your kitty for the arthritis?

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Oh yes! PLEASE ask your vet about hyaluronic acid! I have NO idea if it's OK for kitties with CRF or not, but it seems to really help (people and) kitties with arthritis. :nod: It's basically the "lubrication" in the joints. http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Sardi.html

I believe Omega 3s are recommended as a supplement for kitties with CRF, and a salmon oil supplement could also help with the arthritis. :nod: I supplement with 5-6 drops of salmon oil (I just puncture a 1000mg pill) at each meal (all the kitties).

stephanietx said:

Big hugs to you and your Riley!  It's never easy hearing that your kitty has CRF (chronic renal failure).  The good thing is that his numbers are fairly good, which means you caught it early.  With diet changes and educating yourself, your guy can have a good quality of life.  I would encourage you to join the Yahoo CRF group.  The folks there are very knowledgeable and helpful in a crisis.  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/?yguid=353539644

Just a caution, I hope the pain med the vet sent you home with was not Metacam (meloxicam)!  That is a big no-no for CRF kitties. 

What are you giving your kitty for the arthritis?

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We would never give Meloxicam, our vet explicitly stated she would never give it as well. We are using Buprenephrine for his pain. I hate the way it spaces him out but until we can get whatever it is going on with his back leg better, it will keep him still, which is what he needs.

As for arthritis...he gets glucosimine daily, we added Adequin and 1/4 baby aspirin every 3 days yesterday. It's the same regiment we had Bogey on for several years and it really controlled his pain levels.

Laurie, I'll look into the supplements you mentioned. Now, I just need to keep the old dog healthy too!

Oh gosh, so sorry to be reading this.    But as you said, the numbers aren't too bad yet, so maybe you can keep them that way!  You know the new way of thinking, though, is that low protein is NOT the way to go?  And Riley is eating Evo, isn't he?  It's high in phosphorus, but maybe that can be countered with phos binders, because it's such a good food.  I, personally, would not switch to a kidney diet, because they are so low in quality (and protein), and having recently lost my dear Sven to kidney disease, and watching him turn into a skeleton because IMHO he wasn't getting enough protein, I just wouldn't do it again.  That's just my two cents.

Is he eating any wet food yet?  I would think any quality grain free wet would be ok, seriously.  And how about raw?  Did he ever start in on that?  Our Vet had no problems with us trying to put Sven on raw, but he was just too far gone by the time we tried it (he died the same month we started converting everyone to raw)

for your boy(s).  I know you lost Bogey not all that long ago, and don't want to lose another any time soon!

Mrsgreenjeans: yes, Riley is on EVO dry, he won't touch the wet. When he went off the dry about a week ago we were finally able to get him to eat some wet Blue Buffalo, which, of course, he is now refusing. So he won't eat EVO dry, won't eat EVO wet, won't eat Blue Buffalo wet so I tried some of the kidney dry and he ate one of them.

I'm still researching all the info available on the site. I can't wait to figure all this out.

Making a cat with CRF eat is very hard. Wilbur was obese for years (17 pounds) because he ate too much. It was not the type of food, but the number of meals he ate, that made him fat. He was the opposite of a picky eater. But the first two signs of CRF for him were rapid weight loss (four pounds in a year) and decreased appetite. He did not want wet food anymore and he used to meow for wet food. Eventually, he only ate treats. His last vet didn't care - she just wanted him to eat anything that is not toxic while waiting for his last appointment.

I don't know if this will help, but when Lazlo wouldn't eat because of chemo, it seemed he wanted food, but it didn't smell right. I don't know what happens with CRF, but as he'll eat some things and not others, maybe have a number of different stuff to put on TOP of the food (doesn't matter wet or dry). Rather than using a whole portion of food, just try a small amount, so you can try different toppings (smells) without wasting lots of food. :dk:

In my arsenal:

Fortiflora
Freeze dried meat "treats:" Salmon, Cod, chicken, turkey, lamb, chicken liver, beef liver, lamb liver
Freeze dried raw food: Stella & Chewy's chicken
Some use freeze dried green tripe as an enticement (horrible smell for people, but cats and dogs love it)

How does he react to being assisted with eating? (Syringe feeding).

EmilyMayWilcha said:

Making a cat with CRF eat is very hard. Wilbur was obese for years (17 pounds) because he ate too much. It was not the type of food, but the number of meals he ate, that made him fat. He was the opposite of a picky eater. But the first two signs of CRF for him were rapid weight loss (four pounds in a year) and decreased appetite. He did not want wet food anymore and he used to meow for wet food. Eventually, he only ate treats. His last vet didn't care - she just wanted him to eat anything that is not toxic while waiting for his last appointment.

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Riley has always been a picky eater. It cam be maddening at times. I won't even buy more than 2 cans of a food at a time because as soon as buy more, he stops eating it. He went to 'treats only' a few months ago and it took us quite a while to break him of them when he was better. But we have the same policy, feed them what they will eat, at least it's nourishment. I hate that phase though.

LDG said:

I don't know if this will help, but when Lazlo wouldn't eat because of chemo, it seemed he wanted food, but it didn't smell right. I don't know what happens with CRF, but as he'll eat some things and not others, maybe have a number of different stuff to put on TOP of the food (doesn't matter wet or dry). Rather than using a whole portion of food, just try a small amount, so you can try different toppings (smells) without wasting lots of food. :dk:
In my arsenal:
Fortiflora
Freeze dried meat "treats:" Salmon, Cod, chicken, turkey, lamb, chicken liver, beef liver, lamb liver
Freeze dried raw food: Stella & Chewy's chicken
Some use freeze dried green tripe as an enticement (horrible smell for people, but cats and dogs love it)
How does he react to being assisted with eating? (Syringe feeding).

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He gets PI$$ED. :lol3: I've been battling getting his antibiotics down him the past 2 days...he has this move where he flicks his head at the EXACT moment that I push the syringe stopped thingy in and makes me totally miss his mouth. I've given oral (both liquid and pill) to numerous cats, have fought with former ferals to get meds in them and have almost always been successful. But Riley, he's proving to be the biggest challenge I've ever had. And then when I do get the meds in, about 15-30 minutes afterwards, something invariably hits the floor....when he's irritated, he knocks things off counters so we've had to clear the countertops this week. He's a bugger.

I know the cat store by me has a bunch of the freeze dried treats and fortiflora, I'll swing by there on my way home tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

He has surgery next Thursday to extract two teeth. He's going to hate me this time next week. We'll have to clear EVERYTHING in the house. :lol3:

The dog treats section usually has a LOT more options for the freeze-dried meat treats. :nod: Look for Whole Life - those are 100% freeze dried meat, nothing else, and easy to powder, so you don't have to use much on top of stuff to alter the smell. :nod: If a piece of something doesn't powder when you crush it between your fingers, rub two pieces together, works like a charm. :nod:

Aw, I'm sorry Riley's such a challenge. :rub:

Oh I have to add my 2 cents in. I don't care for Fortiflora as it has animal digest which is FAT and not the healthy kind. There are other better probiotics and there's one that's called Transitions Solutions by Eaglepack that is a chicken flavored shaker. It's much better and I've never heard of kitties who didn't go bananas for the taste. Just another option. 

For a CRF kitty, eating is so crucial.  Find a food he will eat, no matter how "good" or "bad" it is.  I know many who've fed their CRF kitties Fancy Feast because that's what the kitty would eat.  Sometimes just knowing they're eating is good.
 

Yes, please don't worry, our cabinets are filled with TONS of different kitty foods. We are pros at the 'eat anything' game. Unfortunately, we've done it more times than we'd like to as we take in older and/or sick kitties and provide their end of life care.

I'm going to pick up Riley's fluids this afternoon and get those started, hopefully that will kick-start his appetite too. Poor little man, all he wants is to sit in my lap....I have to get up to get ready for work but when I move him he just cries and cries and won't stop until he's in my lap again. I hate making him get up.

Cats with CRF do like warmth.  Maybe some of his getting in your lab is because it makes him feel so much better?  Do you have a heated cat bed for him? 

tjcarst said:

Cats with CRF do like warmth.  Maybe some of his getting in your lab is because it makes him feel so much better?  Do you have a heated cat bed for him? 

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I did not have to buy one because there was a heating pad for humans in the house, but if the OP does not have one, I strongly recommend a heated cat bed. K&H makes a lot and other companies make some too. Look for them on Amazon under "beds and furniture." All cats like the heat except sick cats with a fever and heated beds are their body temperature, 102 degrees but they are important for cats with CRF because it causes anemia,  which causes them to feel cold. Wilbur's last vet explained that was why he sat on laps more - 98.6-degree heat from legs.

The post about seeming to want food but not eating it reminds me of Emily. She was like that with water. It turned out ulcers in her mouth that were caused by the kidney failure made drinking painful.

There is a heating pad under one of the kitty beds on my husband's desk, another under the bed on the chair at the window in the living room and another under the bed on top of the dog kennel....so yes, he has heated beds. I really appreciate everyone's ideas, I'll make sure the beds are on, the other kitties get hot on them this time of year so they aren't always on.

We are doing a mix of foods that includes the kidney dry, whatever wet he will eat and Temptations treats. I'll weigh him tomorrow morning and see if we've gotten any weight on him.

His surgery is scheduled for Thursday and I'm getting more nervous as the day gets closer. I just want him to come out of the surgery OK.

Remember prescription k/d food does not work if you add anything to it. If Riley won't eat it, don't feed it.

More important than the type of food he eats is the amount of water he consumes. The rapid weight loss is caused by dehydration and I know you don't want to give him subcutanous liquid injections every day. Buy a waterer - the electric kind, not gravity operation - that has 4 stars on Amazon. (None of them got 5 stars. I looked.) If Riley drinks more with that, you should be able to delay or prevent the water shots.

Of course, if Riley is willing to eat k/d food, by all means give it to him and nothing else. But I read many cats turn up their noses to it because of the reduced protein content (the reason it is better for cats with CRF).