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Hi,
My 18 year old cat, Sandra, has kidney disease (was diagnosed in 2013). When she was first diagnosed, they prescribed her a k/d diet. For some reason back then, she would not eat the prescription food. I began feeding her Royal Canin Indoor Adult and Fancy Feast Classics canned food. She was doing very well.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed she had weakness in her back legs. I took her to the vet, and they said since she is eating and going to the litter box normally, it was probably arthritis. They put her on Adequan. She has been receiving the Adequan twice weekly at .18ml. She had had 4 injections, subQ, so far. In the last couple of weeks her back legs have gotten weaker. She is wobbly and walking on her hocks. I took her back to the vet, Monday 1/4. This time they ran tests and found her kidney numbers elevated. Her potassium is very low, at 2.8 mEq/L. The normal range is 3.5-5.1. They prescribed her a k/d diet (Hills) and sent her home with a potassium supplement. I'm supposed to give her 1/2 teaspoon of the potassium supplement twice a day. She is sometimes stubborn with taking the supplement, and I have to mix it with the canned food. It is now Wednesday, 1/6. I know it has only been a couple of days, but she still has weakness in her back legs. Her face though looks better-more bright. Her coat also looks very well, not at all dull. She can still make it to the litterbox to pee, but she quickly wobbles out and lays down. She can wobble 5-7 steps then she needs to lay down. She has a good appetite and is eating the Hills prescription k/d canned and will also eat the Hills k/d dry. She is drinking more water. Her urine output has increased, but not a lot. She does not have vomiting or diarrhea.
They also did xray. Her hips and legs look ok. She does have arthritis in her spine. The vet wants her to stay on the Adequan.
I have been reading online and found that potassium levels under 3.0 mEq/L are life threatening. At this level it is better for the potassium to be given intravenously and once the cat is stabilized to give her the supplement. The vet did not do this.
My question is how long will it take for the potassium supplement to start working and strengthen her legs. It's so horrible to see her going through this. I lost my other cat, Thomas, in June to heart failure. Now I'm so scared that I will lose Sandra also.
If anyone has experience with this illness and can please provide advice, I would greatly appreciated.
Thanks/
My 18 year old cat, Sandra, has kidney disease (was diagnosed in 2013). When she was first diagnosed, they prescribed her a k/d diet. For some reason back then, she would not eat the prescription food. I began feeding her Royal Canin Indoor Adult and Fancy Feast Classics canned food. She was doing very well.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed she had weakness in her back legs. I took her to the vet, and they said since she is eating and going to the litter box normally, it was probably arthritis. They put her on Adequan. She has been receiving the Adequan twice weekly at .18ml. She had had 4 injections, subQ, so far. In the last couple of weeks her back legs have gotten weaker. She is wobbly and walking on her hocks. I took her back to the vet, Monday 1/4. This time they ran tests and found her kidney numbers elevated. Her potassium is very low, at 2.8 mEq/L. The normal range is 3.5-5.1. They prescribed her a k/d diet (Hills) and sent her home with a potassium supplement. I'm supposed to give her 1/2 teaspoon of the potassium supplement twice a day. She is sometimes stubborn with taking the supplement, and I have to mix it with the canned food. It is now Wednesday, 1/6. I know it has only been a couple of days, but she still has weakness in her back legs. Her face though looks better-more bright. Her coat also looks very well, not at all dull. She can still make it to the litterbox to pee, but she quickly wobbles out and lays down. She can wobble 5-7 steps then she needs to lay down. She has a good appetite and is eating the Hills prescription k/d canned and will also eat the Hills k/d dry. She is drinking more water. Her urine output has increased, but not a lot. She does not have vomiting or diarrhea.
They also did xray. Her hips and legs look ok. She does have arthritis in her spine. The vet wants her to stay on the Adequan.
I have been reading online and found that potassium levels under 3.0 mEq/L are life threatening. At this level it is better for the potassium to be given intravenously and once the cat is stabilized to give her the supplement. The vet did not do this.
My question is how long will it take for the potassium supplement to start working and strengthen her legs. It's so horrible to see her going through this. I lost my other cat, Thomas, in June to heart failure. Now I'm so scared that I will lose Sandra also.
If anyone has experience with this illness and can please provide advice, I would greatly appreciated.
Thanks/