Reaching out for advice :)

Hello,

I have had a wonderful cat the past 15.5 years, he has recently gone downhill health wise sadly, which breaks my heart. He was my first car and tried to give him the best care. He is very difficult and gets aggressive at the vets office which creates a lot of problems with him getting treatment. Adding to that he was diagnosed with a heart murmur, the vet stated it was mild to mid level murmur. He had lost a quite a bit of weight at that time when he was diagnosed with the murmur but his other values were pretty good. Sadly he has lost weight and started being lethargic drinking a lot of water, constipated, etc. He was then diagnosed with lvl 3 kidney disease, with roughly 75% function lost ..I am devastated. He is eating pretty well but he seemingly was very dehydrated so we started him on Sub-Q injections, and he seems to feel better but he is resting with his eyes open, I read on the site that is somewhat common but its sort of bothering me. He is also now eating a prescription KD diet which he is eating. I was just reaching out for advice, support anything really. Do cats given Sub-Q fluids generally get very relaxed after treatment? Just a bit worried about his overall health as my vet thinks he might also have a mass so hes not a very healthy cat, I am just trying to do everything in my power to keep him hydrated, etc.

I am so sorry your sweetie is ill. No advice but wanted to send good thoughts your way.

Hi sorry to hear but sounds like you have everything under control being in touch with your Vet. YES it's common for the cat

to feel happy back to normal after Sub Q treatments you can split the dose to make it easier, they get used to it. Warming the bag in warm water

-never microwave it- There are some good vet videos offering tips on youtube.  It helps to flush out toxins, once you start the likely hood of you stopping is probably no I've met people that have done it for 5 -6 years for their beloved cat. Feeding boiled turkey chicken can help to gain some weight. Others will chime in soon with more disease knowledge. Sending good thoughts   

nls8520 said:

 
Hello,

 Do cats given Sub-Q fluids generally get very relaxed after treatment?

Click to expand...

I am so sorry for all your baby boy is going through. In my experience sub q fluids didn't make our babies relaxed. When we gave them to Jasmine, she really got an energy boost (I'm assuming because she felt better). Buster was on fluids long term and I never noticed a change in his energy level. I know when I've had an IV I get really cold. Maybe the same thing for your boy? When I'm cold I have no energy and just want to snuggle and sleep. Wishing all the best for you and your boy. Sending good vibes.

Thanks for the warm wishes, I really appreciate that truly. He seems better today in that he is not visiting the water bowl as frequently as before he just takes a nice drink a few times daily and he is eating, nothing like he was before he got sick but he is eating his new KD diet and will also eat treats. He looks better after his first sub-q as well his eyes look more clear and he seems more at ease. He is still lethargic and just sleeps mainly, unless he is eating or drinking, using his litter etc. Is that fairly typical for a CKD cat? I have never went through this so I just don't know what to expect in terms of his energy levels etc? He snuggled with me a bit which was nice and is purring when I pet him or speak to me but hes just lacking any energy. Thoughts?

I forgot to mention the vet did manage to get a biopsy on the "mass" he felt. I can not recall word for word but it was lymph node drainage? I need to look over the paperwork again as I am still a little shocked with all this bad news. I am hurting pretty bad inside. I know he will not live forever but it does not make it any easier sadly. Can anyone shed any light on the lymph drainage he felt a mass, although even he had said it could be stool as my cat is CKD just diagnosed and is constipated, which we are working to treat as well. He felt that is was possibly cancer but the only way would be ultrasounds etc and with my cat being Ill, frail from CKD and a handful he figured they may need to sedate him and with a hear murmur did not feel the 15.5 year old cat would be fit for surgery. I am lost here in all this, sad.

Not sure is possible in your case/culture.

But works for human dentists very well and with my cat also very well: just visit the vet's office without any consultation. Step in the office, with cat in carrier and say hallo to the people there. Pet the cat, give him some treats and then leave.

That approach shall decrease the stress and associate a positive value to the vet's office.

====

Well, I am not advising people to enter into dentist's office and ask the secretary to pet them and eat something good... :-)))

Just a joke, to make things a bit more relaxed.

weebeasties said:

 
I am so sorry for all your baby boy is going through. In my experience sub q fluids didn't make our babies relaxed. When we gave them to Jasmine, she really got an energy boost (I'm assuming because she felt better). Buster was on fluids long term and I never noticed a change in his energy level. I know when I've had an IV I get really cold. Maybe the same thing for your boy? When I'm cold I have no energy and just want to snuggle and sleep. Wishing all the best for you and your boy. Sending good vibes.

Click to expand...

Subcutaneous fluid administration really shouldn't be done with the fluid at room temperature.  Warming the bag by immersing it in warm water is the safest way to warm the fluid, and it sounds like tha' wee sleekit tim'rous beastie might very well have solved the problem.  Warm wished to your kitty.

.