Please send some vibes Snowball's way

pat

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Originally Posted by Lorie D.

Thanks so much for all the vibes and the kind words, and please continue sending them.

The vet wanted me to make an appointment for either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Because of my work schedule, I made the appointment for Tuesday. I did talk to the vet on the phone a while ago, and he told me that at this time, he won't need to see Snowball again, since he's still hydrated.
Which is a good thing for Snowball's sake because we might be getting a winter storm the first part of next week, so he can just stay home where it's nice and warm. The vet said Snowball's creatin(sp?) level has gone above normal, (but I don't remember the exact number), and his BUN is 3.6, if I understand correctly, 3.6 is the highest it can be and still be within normal
.

Also, at this time it sounds like we might be able to just put Snowball on some meds which may help delay the start of having to administer fluids.

Thanks again, and I'll post future update(s).
Lorie,
I am sorry, I have no time to read back over the thread, so I may be suggesting something not possible, but fwiw, Tyler's bun was just over 40, his creatine a low 3..with use of Calcitriol, it brought his creatinine to normal, and left his bun still slightly high. It is a liquid medication I get from a local compounding pharmacy..so long as his calcium is a normal level, it should be an option IF your vet is one that agrees with it's use (not all do and some are just not super aware of it.).

The website I love - www.felinecrf.org will explain calcitriol, plus normal ranges for bun and creatine...a 3.6 must be a 36 re the bun


wishing snowball all the best, and hoping this helps a bit,
 
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lorie d.

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Lorie,
Tyler's bun was just over 40, his creatine a low 3..with use of Calcitriol, it brought his creatinine to normal, and left his bun still slightly high. It is a liquid medication I get from a local compounding pharmacy..so long as his calcium is a normal level, it should be an option IF your vet is one that agrees with it's use (not all do and some are just not super aware of it.).
The vet wants to put Snowball on something called soduim bicarbonate. I probably spelled that wrong, but does even that sound right to you??????????

Also, the vet that saw Snowball the last time isn't his usual vet (it's someone who's about to retire), and this is resulting in a lot of confusion. I'm not at all happy with that veterinary clinic right now.
 

jennyr

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You are going through a lot of worry and you don't need to be concerned about your vet too! Sodium bicarbonate is what we use sometimes in baking - it is an alkaline which will reduce acid levels in the urine. People take it for acidic stomach upsets too.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Lorie D.

The vet wants to put Snowball on something called soduim bicarbonate. I probably spelled that wrong, but does even that sound right to you??????????

Also, the vet that saw Snowball the last time isn't his usual vet (it's someone who's about to retire), and this is resulting in a lot of confusion. I'm not at all happy with that veterinary clinic right now.
Hi Lori,

Go here and read the section on metabolic acidosis - sodium bicarbonate is used to treat this, even in mild form. Please don't be upset with your vet's office, you have so much else to focus on, don't waste that energy
 

python

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So sorry to hear Snowball has got kidney disease. I've lived with kidney disease in my family for years. My 19 year old son (I know he's not a cat) had kidney failure at the age of 15. He was born with a hereditary kidney disease and is now on renal dialysis (we have the machine at home) awaiting a transplant but kidney disease is the same in cats as it is in humans.

My son has to be fairly careful with what he eats. We have to watch Potassium levels and Phosphate levels. As was mentioned in one of the threads above, you might at some point need to give phosphate binders (usually tablet form). You may also have to learn to inject your cat. Don't panic about this because the vet will teach you how. The kidneys control many things including blood pressure and the amount of haemoglobulin (red blood cells) in blood. Sometimes you have to inject (in humans anyway) a substance called EPO (epoetithyn - probably not spelled correctly) which boosts the red blood cells. My son has to do this every week. He does it himself and has done since he was 15 years old. Again, the vet will teach you if this becomes necessary. Without EPO, the patient would become anaemic, his immune system would weaken and he would be more susceptible to catching other illnesses. I presume the same would be for cats too.

I know it sounds very daunting, but it's surprising how quickly you adjust to having to do these things and they just become part of normal life. Hopefully, you won't have to do this, but if you do please don't get too worried about it because you'll manage just fine and I'm sure your cat will know you're trying to help him.
 
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lorie d.

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hi Lori,

Go here and read the section on metabolic acidosis - sodium bicarbonate is used to treat this, even in mild form. Please don't be upset with your vet's office, you have so much else to focus on, don't waste that energy
No, I'm not upset with the vet anymore. I have been told that the sodium bicarbonate might keep Snowball's crf from progressing further. He's on his third day of this treatment, and so far, it's been easy to pill him so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll continue to be easy.

Thanks for the link!

P.S. The vet's office gave me a tip that helps make pilling a cat easier, and here it is: Coat the pill with butter and place it in your freezer. When it's time to give the medication, simply place the frozen butter-coated pill in the cat's mouth, and while the cat is working to get the butter off, the pill will slide down it's throat.
 

rapunzel47

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Just seeing this now, Lorie. I'm glad that this turn of events wasn't as serious as you feared. I hope Snowball continues to take his meds well. That is a neat trick for pilling! Not something I've had to do very often, but a great dodge to have up one's sleeve!


Lotsa vibes for Snowball, that his condition remains manageable, and for his Mum's peace of mind!
 

jcat

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That pill trick is great, Lorie - I'll have to pass that along. Hopefully Snowball's problems will remain manageable.
 

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Lorie...here's more hugs for you & sweet Snowball.
 

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***********************good vibes*******************



and thanks for that pill trick! I have to try that with Riley
 
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lorie d.

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Thanks so much for all the good vibes, links, advice and PMs. It's all been so helpful and it really means a lot to me!!!

Thanks again and Happy Holidays everyone!!!!!!
 
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