A New Issue: Kidney Disease

[chachahowski]

Hi all,

My 13 year old cat Lily was just diagnosed with pretty advanced chronic kidney disease. I feel like such a bad cat parent. Lily also suffers from IBD and take prednisolone to manage those symptoms. Unfortunately, I did not realize she was ill because increased water intake and urination are a side affect of pred as well as a symptom of kidney disease. Additionally, she hadn't been behaving in a way that suggests she is sick until she stopped eating a week ago and that is what caused me to call the vet. They ran blood work, which showed her levels are all out of whack and she was hospitalized for two days so that she could be rehydrated. Even the vet remarked that she is behaving like a perfectly happy healthy cat despite the wonky blood work.

Anyways, Lily is home with me now but I have to administer subcutaneous fluids everyday for a week and then 2x per week going forward. The vet did a demonstration for me, but I am really nervous about doing it at home on our own. I also feel terrible because I feel like if I had noticed the symptoms sooner we maybe could have prevented it from progressing so far. I haven't gotten the results of the new blood work yet (taken after they rehydrated her) maybe it isn't as bad as it seemed and her levels were so bad because she was dehydrated. I'm just so upset that this might be our reality for the rest of her life.

Does anyone have experience with CKD and sub Q fluids? Any words of advice or encouragement are welcome I feel so out of my depths.

 

[betsygee]

You're not a bad cat parent. Unfortunately kidney disease in cats is not that uncommon. I've had to give sub-q's to four of my kitties now. I was scared to death at first since I'd never handled needles before, but I got the hang of it. You'll learn. Here's a detailed video on giving subq's that may help.
I hope the new blood work shows an improvement.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I've had THREE kidney cats myself,and my sister has had TWO . Unfortunately, as Betsygee said, it's not that uncommon these days. Anyway, you need to think of giving those sub-q fluids as HELPING your little furry friend, not hurting her. And, in all reality, it doesn't hurt them. One little poke and that's all the discomfort there is. Especially if you warm the fluids before you give them. I used to even put a bath towel in the dryer before I started that I could wrap my old girl in so she'd be nice and warm before we started. She really loved that...being nice and snuggled up in her warm "burrito".

Yes, this could be your "new norm", but once you get used to giving them, it'll be a piece of cake. And it sounds like you're already used to pilling her for her IBD, which is good, because you may soon need to start her on a couple more meds like Pepcid A/C or some other things. Are you already giving B-12 shots for her IBD? That's usually very helpful for kidney cats.

Here, this website is my "go to" for any kidney related. It's not interactive like we are, but it is full of great info: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

 

[Blakeney Green]

Maisie has CKD too, so I will reassure you of a few things.

It's really common for kidney disease to be overlooked in cats, especially if your cat is in otherwise good general health. The symptoms are very subtle and occur so gradually that many owners don't notice. I never saw any symptoms in Maisie; he was only diagnosed by random chance because he happened to get a totally unrelated URI and the bloodwork came back with some funky numbers. I asked the vet about that and she said that it is the norm rather than the exception for owners not to realize. You didn't do anything wrong and this is not your fault.

Sub q fluids are really easy once you get the hang of doing it. Your first few times will probably be awkward, but it'll fairly quickly become so routine you can practically do it in your sleep! I know it seems daunting at first, but it's not hard and you'll be doing it like a pro in no time.

Lastly, there is hope for cats with CKD. Maisie was diagnosed almost a year ago and has maintained good numbers with the sub q fluids, a couple of meds, and trips to the vet for blood monitoring. I'm sorry to hear your cat has this disease, but you seem like a really caring owner, and you and Lily will get through it together.

 

[chachahowski]

Here, this website is my "go to" for any kidney related. It's not interactive like we are, but it is full of great info: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

I actually spent a considerable about of time today on your site so thank you. Lily is starting Prilosec tomorrow and we are mixing a phosphorus binder with her food. Her creatinine levels are much better(3.5)after fluid but phospherous is high. They are going to run another test to determine if we need to start a medication that will help reduce protein loss.

I managed to administer the fluid after working up the courage for hours today. It was really stressful but we did it and Lily doesn't hate me. Thanks for the advice and words of wisdom.