Our cat, Rain, is a 3 year old Russian Blue Mix who we found outside back in 2014. When we rescued him he had snot and pus frozen to his face, so we took him to the local ER vet. After cleaning him up it was determined he was FeLV+ (feline leukemia). We immediately adopted him and setup a private space in our house for him, taking care of him and ensuring he was loved since we did not know how long he had left. He was otherwise completely healthy, just dirty.
Up until February 8 of this year Rain has been incredibly healthy. He was full of life, loved to play and cuddled with us constantly.. every night, without fail, he'd lay with my girlfriend and me and pur, love, and be our friend with all the energy in the world.
The only thing we noticed that was off with him was slightly bad breath, but we were told it was common for FeLV+ cats as they can develop some signs of periodontal disease quite easily.
However on February 8, we noticed he suddenly did not eat his dry food. He threw up once but that's it, and he was acting otherwise normally.. playing, sitting on our lap, etc.. We monitored him but he did not show any more signs of illness.
Over the next ten days he continued eating his wet food with no problem, but was picky with his dry.. ate very little of it and we started to notice he had less energy. We took him to the vet on February 18th after he suddenly stopped sitting with us and was sitting still looking depressed. His eyes developed a smelly brown discharge and we took him in immediately thinking it was an infection.
After a blood test it was determined his creatinine levels were 12.9 (his BUN number was high as well but I do not recall the exact number-- will update later). I understand 12.9 is highly into Stage 4 kidney failure, as any level above a 5 or 6 is considered Stage 4. Because he had virtually NONE of the symptoms of CKD until mid-February and had only vomited once a week prior, the vet assumed he was suffering from acute renal failure from ingesting a toxin.
He was admitted immediately and placed on an IV and given fluids. He had an ultrasound that showed his kidneys were "smaller than usual", and "bright". During his three-day hospitalizatoin, the vet rechecked his kidney levels and creatinine went from 12.9 at the time of admission to 11.9 the next morning. The following day, creatinine went to 11.2. On the last day, they went back up again to 12.4. Discouraged, the vet stated this was evident he was suffering from CHRONIC, not acute, kidney failure.
We are absolutely shocked and in disbelief. How could he be so healthy and show absolutely zero signs until February 8th, then just a week later have such high creatinine levels and continue to decline?
The day we brought him home, Tuesday 2/21, he had regained a pretty significant appetite and was acting normally just like his old self. He was vocal, walking around, and came on my lap / sat on my shoulder purring and headbutting me. However immediately the next day he stopped eating all food. No wet, no dry. He began just sitting on the window, idle, squinty-eyed and taking in the breeze. He did not come up to us when we came into his room, but just looked at us.
We have been administering Sub-Q fluids every day as prescribed by the vet. He has been given Omeprazole for acid reflux, Mirtazapine as an appetite stimulant, Zeniquin as an antibiotic (vet has since said to stop this as he has no signs of an infection) and Cerenia for anti-nausea. It has barely helped. After receiving his appetite stimulant, he shows some interest in food and takes about a 1Tbsp bite, but stops. He has been drinking a lot and drinks heavily after being given Omeprazole.
Today we got his values rechecked and his creatinine showed a 12.7. Virtually no improvement. We are devastated as the vet has suggested our options are (a) a feeding tube, or (b) euthanasia.
We are desperate for any help.. has anyone been through this? Any similar symptoms? I would imagine for his levels to be so incredibly high that he would have shown signs earlier than a week prior to the hospital admission. He went from being FULL of life, playing and eating a complete diet to being weak and refusing to eat anything ten days later.
Is there any hope for Vitamin B Complex in his case? We will not put him through a feeding tube as we want to make sure he does not suffer. Due to his FeLV and severe kidney state, surgery is too much of a risk.
I am hopeful someone has had a similar experience and can provide insight. Thanks so much.
Up until February 8 of this year Rain has been incredibly healthy. He was full of life, loved to play and cuddled with us constantly.. every night, without fail, he'd lay with my girlfriend and me and pur, love, and be our friend with all the energy in the world.
The only thing we noticed that was off with him was slightly bad breath, but we were told it was common for FeLV+ cats as they can develop some signs of periodontal disease quite easily.
However on February 8, we noticed he suddenly did not eat his dry food. He threw up once but that's it, and he was acting otherwise normally.. playing, sitting on our lap, etc.. We monitored him but he did not show any more signs of illness.
Over the next ten days he continued eating his wet food with no problem, but was picky with his dry.. ate very little of it and we started to notice he had less energy. We took him to the vet on February 18th after he suddenly stopped sitting with us and was sitting still looking depressed. His eyes developed a smelly brown discharge and we took him in immediately thinking it was an infection.
After a blood test it was determined his creatinine levels were 12.9 (his BUN number was high as well but I do not recall the exact number-- will update later). I understand 12.9 is highly into Stage 4 kidney failure, as any level above a 5 or 6 is considered Stage 4. Because he had virtually NONE of the symptoms of CKD until mid-February and had only vomited once a week prior, the vet assumed he was suffering from acute renal failure from ingesting a toxin.
He was admitted immediately and placed on an IV and given fluids. He had an ultrasound that showed his kidneys were "smaller than usual", and "bright". During his three-day hospitalizatoin, the vet rechecked his kidney levels and creatinine went from 12.9 at the time of admission to 11.9 the next morning. The following day, creatinine went to 11.2. On the last day, they went back up again to 12.4. Discouraged, the vet stated this was evident he was suffering from CHRONIC, not acute, kidney failure.
We are absolutely shocked and in disbelief. How could he be so healthy and show absolutely zero signs until February 8th, then just a week later have such high creatinine levels and continue to decline?
The day we brought him home, Tuesday 2/21, he had regained a pretty significant appetite and was acting normally just like his old self. He was vocal, walking around, and came on my lap / sat on my shoulder purring and headbutting me. However immediately the next day he stopped eating all food. No wet, no dry. He began just sitting on the window, idle, squinty-eyed and taking in the breeze. He did not come up to us when we came into his room, but just looked at us.
We have been administering Sub-Q fluids every day as prescribed by the vet. He has been given Omeprazole for acid reflux, Mirtazapine as an appetite stimulant, Zeniquin as an antibiotic (vet has since said to stop this as he has no signs of an infection) and Cerenia for anti-nausea. It has barely helped. After receiving his appetite stimulant, he shows some interest in food and takes about a 1Tbsp bite, but stops. He has been drinking a lot and drinks heavily after being given Omeprazole.
Today we got his values rechecked and his creatinine showed a 12.7. Virtually no improvement. We are devastated as the vet has suggested our options are (a) a feeding tube, or (b) euthanasia.
We are desperate for any help.. has anyone been through this? Any similar symptoms? I would imagine for his levels to be so incredibly high that he would have shown signs earlier than a week prior to the hospital admission. He went from being FULL of life, playing and eating a complete diet to being weak and refusing to eat anything ten days later.
Is there any hope for Vitamin B Complex in his case? We will not put him through a feeding tube as we want to make sure he does not suffer. Due to his FeLV and severe kidney state, surgery is too much of a risk.
I am hopeful someone has had a similar experience and can provide insight. Thanks so much.
