Worried sister

sharky

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My sister is my 16.5 yr old cat. For the last few days she has been spottong up... the fluid isnt much and she is drinking her usual excessive h2o she has crf ... it is clear with no oder .. any ideas?? I do have a call into the vet ..
 

ktlynn

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I'm assuming you're talking about your cat vomiting when you say "spotting up". I have a CRF kitty the same age as yours, and she will occasionally do the same thing. CRF can cause tummy upset, and that's usually why they sometimes vomit a little clear liquid. My vet prescribed Pepcid A/C, a drug meant for humans. I give my cat just 1/4 of a 10mg tablet once per day, in the morning, about 1 hour before breakfast.
The pepcid has made a big difference for my girl, and she very seldom vomits clear liquid anymore. Ask your vet about using this for your sister.

You might also want to elevate her food dish so she no longer has to bend her head down to the floor to eat. Elevating the food helps prevent stomach acid from causing the "heartburn"-like symptoms that people get.

Are you hydrating your cat? You mentioned she drinks excessively, which is common for CRF kitties, but it's very important to hydrate her and that will help control the vomiting too.

Please let us know how she's doing and what the vet advises.
 
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sharky

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she is off to the vet on thursday, her dr does sugery on wednesday
 
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sharky

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She has an infection, got some clavamox and n/f canned to bring down her bun leval it is 78 and was 46 ... good news her creatine came down to 3.6 from 4.0.. she is on both the food and the antibiotic for a month
 

ktlynn

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Hi Sharky - It's good that the creatinine level is decreasing. A month is a long time for antibiotics, though. What kind of infection does your cat have?

Just wondering: did you ask the vet about the Pepcid A/C I'd mentioned to help stop the vomiting? Also, are you hydrating your cat at home? SubQ hydration would help bring her BUN and creatinine levels down and would make her feel much better.
 
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sharky

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vet didnt think pepcid yet and he gave her the fluids sub q said bring her in if she needs them again...Yeah it is I will be giving her acidopholis with them... he doesnt know but her white cell count was 2.3.
 
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sharky

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Now for the good news she is up to 9.75 lbs...
 

ktlynn

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It's good news about the weight- kidney problems can cause inappetance, so it can sometimes be a struggle to get cats to eat, and they start losing weight.

Sharky, with all due respect to your vet, I don't know what he's waiting for regarding the use of Pepcid and subQ fluids at home. Your cat is vomiting now, and the Pepcid would help that. Her creatinine (the more important of the two kidney values) is pretty high already, even though it's come down some. Normal creatinine is 2.4. It makes no sense to "wait" until her symptoms and kidneys are worse. Kidney failure is progressive and they will not repair themselves. You should definitely be giving her fluids at home. My cat's kidney values are usually at or near normal levels, and that's only because I give her 200ml of fluid 3 times per week.
Without the fluid, her kidneys would be suffering and working harder than they already are.

I can't understand why your vet would tell you to "bring her in if she needs the fluids again". If your cat has been diagnosed with CRF, there is NO QUESTION that she needs fluids!!! I would urge you to find another vet ASAP.
 
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sharky

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I have thought that myself. He is the fourth vet she has seen in this area , I go with the wait and see approuch since he has a crf cat to... plus her value s are stable cept for this time bun for about 2 years now... You stick a needle in yours three times a week??? Guess this sister will be learning to get along with needles
 
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sharky

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what dose pepcid I will give it today myself..
 

ktlynn

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I've been giving my girl fluids for a few years now, and I don't doubt for a second that it's prolonging her life. I got terrific advice years ago from a woman who runs a sanctuary for older, ill animals who most people (including some vets) have written off as hopeless. When my cat was first diagnosed with kidney problems , I called her for some nutritional advice. She gave me that, but also told me to start hydrating right away. I told her my cat's values weren't bad, just slightly elevated. Did I really have to do that now? The thought of putting a needle into my girl wasn't pleasant, and believe me, I was doing everything I could to avoid that. Even my vet had said I could do fluids when the levels got higher. The woman at the sanctuary, God bless her, asked me why on earth would I wait til the kidneys deteriorated even more??? By starting hydration before the levels got worse, I was helping to prolong the kidney function and giving my cat a chance to live far longer than she would if I waited til the kidneys were REALLY bad. The "wait and see approach" is disastrous in the case of kidney failure. Your cat's levels, though "stable", are high and indicate her kidneys are struggling. She needs fluids at least as often as my cat gets them. The only reason not to do fluids would be if she has major heart problems. Otherwise, it makes no sense not to give her fluids.

Are you in the US? I think TNR1 has a link on how to find vets and there may be someone who lives in your area who could recommend one. There are lots of members who live in the UK who could do the same thing if you live there. If you're in the US I can give you information on where to buy fluids far more inexpensively than from the vet. Please let me know if you need help with this.
 

ktlynn

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Sharky, I give my cat just 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid A/C tablet (Famotidine) once per day. You'll need a pill splitter or a very sharp knife - the tablets are small to begin with. I give this to my cat each morning in a little "meatball" of canned food so I don't have to stress her by using a pill gun. I wait about 1 hour before feeding her a meal so the Pepcid has time to be absorbed. Be very careful to use the 10mg tablets, since Pepcid also comes in higher doses.
 
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sharky

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I live in North Idaho near the washington border.

Thank you, looks like i will have to go shopping since i only have pepcid complete
 

pat

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I am so sorry I missed this thread (how I don't know
). I agree with every bit of advice you've gotten from KTLynn. I'd not wait re starting sub-q's (Patrick has been on them for almost 3 years now), and Pepcid Ac or Zantac are two meds frequently mentioned on the CRF list, used to combat the nausea that is so common with crf.

Fwiw, it's not unusual to see other list members mention uti's requiring at least a month of meds to clear up - did your vet get a urine sample to test? I know you said what the wbc count, but I missed if you mentioned a ua and c/s was done.

That was good news re the decrease in creatinine and the weight gain
 
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