Kidney Disease

So my vet thinks that Jasmine (almost 18 y.o.) is starting Kidney disease, which I believe from reading other threads here is called renal failure.  She has elevated ATL (SGPT), BUN, Cholesterol, Amylase, Neutrophils & Protein levels.  Also the specific Gravity of her urine was at the very low end... it was pretty clear.

Her Creatine & Potassium levels are still well within nowmal range.

In the last year she has lost just under 25% of her bodyweight, mostly muscle mass... her spine has really become quite bony.

She's also fighting a bacteria currently... so she's on antibiotics for that.  Her Blood, WBC & RBC levels are elevated, and there are 10-25 HPF Rods.

I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice on where to start with the kidney disease... websites/suggestions?

Secondly, do antibiotics constipate a cat?  I ask because I have not seen a poop in her box since her appointment on Monday.

Lastly, do you guys crush up the pills and hide them in food, or put them down your cat's throat... my vet showed me how to do it this way... I guess so you know she has injested them.

Thanks,

Sandra

I can only answer a few questions since I've not had a CRF kitty.

Tanya's CRF site is pretty comprehensive. She even has her work in a book available on Amazon.

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Antibiotics can constipate, although they usually work the other way around (diarrhea). I would give the vet a call if it's been over 3 days since she last had a bowel movement.

Thanks!  That's a great starting point!!  I had read on some other threads people mentioning Tanya's website, but I wasn't sure which one that was.  I got to speak with the vet last night and get some clarification.  He suspects early Kidney Failure, however, it's still possible that the blood and urine results were due to the infection/bacteria.  We will be retesting her urine in one month to see that that is gone and to check the specific gravity, etc. which will tell us more.  Also, she would need to not have another recurrence of bleeding.  If there is another episode of bleeding then we have to look further into the possibility of cancer (and he'd want to do an ultrasound).

So for now, it's give her the antibiotics, and keep our fingers crossed that it's just a simple infection. 

In the meantime I will spend some time on Tanya's site and learn all that I can!!

Thanks again,

Sandra

Be sure to get both blood and urine tests. The blood test needs to be done at the same time as the urine test. In the meantime, don't worry too much! USG can vary widely throughout the day, depending on how hydrated the cat is. I had a cat that tested on the low end of normal once. The vet said that normally kitties shouldn't be testing below 1.3. I totally panicked, but subsequent testing showed it was either because I was adding water to her wet food or for other hydration reasons. Another vet later confirmed that low values don't necessarily mean kidney disease and that I needed a blood test to determine if there was a cause.

I will send over whatever good kitty vibes I can to Jasmine that it is only an infection.

Good luck!

We have a cat who's almost 18 and has Stage I kidney disease.  Right now he's getting subq fluid injections here at home three times a week for a couple of months.  It will probably be ongoing.  Re the pills, it depends--I always try to crush them up and put them in food just because it's easier for me but I'd suggest putting it in a small amount of food so they eat it all and you can be sure they got all of the med.  If the medicine is bitter, Jasmine might not eat the food and you'll have to pill her.  

I tried my cat on one of those prescription kidney diet foods at the suggestion of one vet and he kept throwing it up!  Another vet said that kind of food is not necessary, she said hydration is the main thing with kidney kitties.  He loves Soulistic and Weruva pouch food and that has a nice gravy that he loves to lick up.  I also feed him pates with extra water added in, which he also eats.  He's still thinner than he has been, I can't get him to gain any weight but I think he's holding his own.  We get him checked again in another month and I'm hoping he hasn't lost any more weight by then.

Slippery elm bark has helped both my IBD and kidney kitties.  It helps control diarrhea, constipation and vomiting in sick kitties.  Mine get it mixed in their food every morning.  I think there's a recipe to make the syrup on Tanya's site.

I too just found out my cat Pilsen has Stage 3 kidney disease. I've been devouring everything on the web including Tanya's site, but am still a little confused about some of the differing things on what I read (so many different opinions) and what my vet says. 

Also, I know this is looked down upon on these boards, but my vet also says no to raw (which I had been occasionally feeding). While I lean more holistic, I also am not one to just assume that I know better than the vet, just based off of what I read on the "internets," especially when my kitty has a compromised immune system.

PIlsen is acting fine and happy but has lost weight over the last few years from 13 to 9 lbs. I'm worried that switching over to the prescription kidney diet will cause him to lose even more weight since he is such a picky eater. I'm also overwhelmed by all the supplements that seem to be available to kidney cats, and whether they actually work or not. I have not seen any scientific evidence showing that azodyl (a probiotic) works, for example, but there seems to be plenty of anecdotal experiences that say it does. Then there's phosphorous binders, omega 6s, B vitamins, pepcid, etc...it's overwhelming.

If anyone has any guiding principles for a someone new to CKD, please let me know. I just want to know if this is or isn't a hopeless situation, or am I prolonging a life of discomfort for my kitty. I'd rather him remain happy and have a shorter, sweeter life than live longer suffering force fed pills and starving himself to death. I am hoping these aren't my only 2 options, and I'd appreciate any stories or advice that know otherwise.

chihuac said:

 
I too just found out my cat Pilsen has Stage 3 kidney disease. I've been devouring everything on the web including Tanya's site, but am still a little confused about some of the differing things on what I read (so many different opinions) and what my vet says. 

Also, I know this is looked down upon on these boards, but my vet also says no to raw (which I had been occasionally feeding). While I lean more holistic, I also am not one to just assume that I know better than the vet, just based off of what I read on the "internets," especially when my kitty has a compromised immune system.

PIlsen is acting fine and happy but has lost weight over the last few years from 13 to 9 lbs. I'm worried that switching over to the prescription kidney diet will cause him to lose even more weight since he is such a picky eater. I'm also overwhelmed by all the supplements that seem to be available to kidney cats, and whether they actually work or not. I have not seen any scientific evidence showing that azodyl (a probiotic) works, for example, but there seems to be plenty of anecdotal experiences that say it does. Then there's phosphorous binders, omega 6s, B vitamins, pepcid, etc...it's overwhelming.

If anyone has any guiding principles for a someone new to CKD, please let me know. I just want to know if this is or isn't a hopeless situation, or am I prolonging a life of discomfort for my kitty. I'd rather him remain happy and have a shorter, sweeter life than live longer suffering force fed pills and starving himself to death. I am hoping these aren't my only 2 options, and I'd appreciate any stories or advice that know otherwise.

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Well, nothing's set in stone.  Every cat is different.  My first cat lived 1-1/2 years (happily I think, to almost 18 years old) after the vet told me her renal disease was 'critical'.  And I didn't give her any supplements or anything special.  We basically let her eat anything she wanted (people food included) because we figured she might as well enjoy the time she had left.  These days, I know a lot more about cat nutrition and care so I've tried more supplements and herbs  to help Travis, my 'new' 18 year old.  But still, my main goal is to keep him eating and keep him having a good quality of life.  I try to get him to eat grain free, high quality food like I mentioned above--Weruva, etc., but he doesn't always eat it. So I keep other things on hand as well--Fancy Feast gravy lover's food, and Gerber 2 baby food (see Tanya's site about that).  If he's not eating the good food, I'd rather have him eat "junk" food than nothing at all.  As far as the supplements, it can be trial and error, again depending on the kitty.  Some things don't seem to have any effect at all, some actually seem to work.  I'm a big fan of slippery elm bark--Travis was having problems with vomiting and diarrhea.  The vet suggested Pepcid but I liked the idea of herbal supplements so I tried that first and it works.  He hasn't vomited since I started him on it.  

It can be overwhelming, trying to decide what is right for you and your kitty.  You have to think about how you live, how you and your cat relate, what works for both of you.  

chihuac said:

 
I too just found out my cat Pilsen has Stage 3 kidney disease. I've been devouring everything on the web including Tanya's site, but am still a little confused about some of the differing things on what I read (so many different opinions) and what my vet says. 

Also, I know this is looked down upon on these boards, but my vet also says no to raw (which I had been occasionally feeding). While I lean more holistic, I also am not one to just assume that I know better than the vet, just based off of what I read on the "internets," especially when my kitty has a compromised immune system.

PIlsen is acting fine and happy but has lost weight over the last few years from 13 to 9 lbs. I'm worried that switching over to the prescription kidney diet will cause him to lose even more weight since he is such a picky eater. I'm also overwhelmed by all the supplements that seem to be available to kidney cats, and whether they actually work or not. I have not seen any scientific evidence showing that azodyl (a probiotic) works, for example, but there seems to be plenty of anecdotal experiences that say it does. Then there's phosphorous binders, omega 6s, B vitamins, pepcid, etc...it's overwhelming.

If anyone has any guiding principles for a someone new to CKD, please let me know. I just want to know if this is or isn't a hopeless situation, or am I prolonging a life of discomfort for my kitty. I'd rather him remain happy and have a shorter, sweeter life than live longer suffering force fed pills and starving himself to death. I am hoping these aren't my only 2 options, and I'd appreciate any stories or advice that know otherwise.

Click to expand...

I've got a kidney cat right now, and I feed raw, and my Vet is actually all for it.  The only thing we do now is use egg shell powder instead of actual bone for her calcium because of the phosphorus level in bone. And no more egg yolk, as it's full of phosphorus.  When my little picky eater doesn't eat raw, which is often now due to lack of appetite, I let her eat whatever she wants, which in most cases is Fancy Feast  Gravy Lovers (which KILLs me because of the carbs, but hey, at this point, I've got to just get food into her , and at least it's not kibble).  I've heard good things about Azodyl, but my Callie is impossible to pill, and she's so tiny and those pills are so HUGE that I just don't want to stress her out by trying them.  I did buy some more holistic kidney support things, and tried hiding them in her food, but she wouldn't eat when they were in there.  Naturally, the other cats loved them...ate the stuff plain .  If you can get some extra B vitamins and Omega THREE's in Pilsen, plus use the slippery Elm Bark for the upset stomach, that would be helpful. I'm going to slowly start adding a little coconut oil into Callie's diet to try to beef up to fat and see if I can get her to gain a little weight.  It's supposed to be very good for them.  I'm thinking maybe just 1/2 teas per meal at first to see if she'll even tolerate it.   Are you giving sub-q fluids yet?  My Callie doesn't need them yet because she is quite the drinker and stays well hydrated, but our last kidney cat required them every other day towards the end.  They're pretty easy to give.   

The information on Tanya's website really IS helpful.  I refer to it often, whenever I have a question about where to buy something, or if I'm thinking about trying something new (Azodyl), or if something is contraindicated, or even which foods are lower in phosphorus. 

BTW, you should probably start your own thread about Pilsen, just so Jasmine's Mum doesn't feel like hers has been hi-jacked