I am so sorry to hear of Maverick's passing. Thank you for giving him such a loving home. It is never easy losing something so precious. (((Hugs))) to you.
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CRF - Chronic Renal Failure:links and experiences with
- Thread starter pat
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Our cat was diagnosed with CRD/F about 6 months ago, after vomiting for no reason (we though she had eaten plastic tape). Vet said wet k/d or dry k/d, so we bought both, but she just licks the top of the wet, so we're feeding her the dry and doing subcutaneous fluids, 150 ml every other day (or less if she seems good; her food/water intake and energy levels are our guide as well). Lactated Ringer's, and we use the acupressure pinch on the scruff of the neck to keep her steady while the fluids go in. I pass the IV set tubing across the back of my neck from where its hanging on the way to the needle, to take some of the chill off, and I generally close off the needle site and keep a slight pinch on it for 30 sec or more to minimize leakage after removing the needle. It really seems to help her! You should do it if the vet will let you.
My 14-year-old cat, Wintressia, was diagnosed with CRF a few days ago. She's urinating a lot, and she's lost most of her appetite, which is a very drastic change from her usual black-hole eating habits.
Her BUN and creatinine weren't super-high yet, so the vet only recommended the special diet and more available water. She didn't think I needed to start subcutaneous fluids yet, but Win's appetite has been nearly nil the past few days, so I don't know if I should get her started on sub-q fluids anyway.
Her phosphorus isn't in the danger zone and her potassium isn't too low, so overall, I guess we caught the diagnosis early.
My vet clinic is very nice and modern, but every time I make an appointment, I am assigned to see a different vet. There are quite a few vets working there, and it feels like they don't really care which vet sees you, so I've never really felt that any one vet has gotten familiar with Win. I'm thinking about seeing a new vet in a couple of weeks to get a second opinion and give Win a urinalysis again.
Has anyone tried wetting their cat's paws/legs with a little water to encourage them to lick off the liquid and force them to ingest it?
Her BUN and creatinine weren't super-high yet, so the vet only recommended the special diet and more available water. She didn't think I needed to start subcutaneous fluids yet, but Win's appetite has been nearly nil the past few days, so I don't know if I should get her started on sub-q fluids anyway.
Her phosphorus isn't in the danger zone and her potassium isn't too low, so overall, I guess we caught the diagnosis early.
My vet clinic is very nice and modern, but every time I make an appointment, I am assigned to see a different vet. There are quite a few vets working there, and it feels like they don't really care which vet sees you, so I've never really felt that any one vet has gotten familiar with Win. I'm thinking about seeing a new vet in a couple of weeks to get a second opinion and give Win a urinalysis again.
Has anyone tried wetting their cat's paws/legs with a little water to encourage them to lick off the liquid and force them to ingest it?
Usually excessive drinking and peeing are one of the signs of CRF, so I am surprised Win is NOT drinking! Not eating is not that unusual, and the special kidney diet foods sometimes aren't that appealing to them either. You might want to pay specific attention to this link: http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm
I think I would definitely try to get the same Vet so they can get really familiar with Win and her history, habits, etc. I found with my
BTW, I am so sorry about Win's diagnosis, but that doesn't mean it's an immediate death sentence. Many cats can still live many years with CRF, especially since her numbers aren't too bad. Be sure to read up on all the chapters at www.felinecrf.org to really get to know what you are dealing with, particularly with it comes to food, because the thinking on that has changed somewhat, but not all Vets are on board yet. Here is another link regarding that: http://www.felinecrf.org/which_foods.htm
Keep us posted.
Try elevating her food bowls a little higher so she doesn't have to lean so far to eat. This motion can increase the sick feeling. Get some AD from your vet in case your kitty gets to the point of outright refusing to eat. This is supposed to be very tasty to cats and hard to refuse.
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UPDATE: Since starting the subcutaneous lactated Ringer's (150 ml ever other day), her blood tests have gone back within normal ranges, her appetite's OK, and she plays! AWESOME!!!!
Thanks, everyone, for making the lactated Ringer's administration seem less scary. She did get sore when I was doing it every second day, but now we're down to every three days and she seems to heal just fine in between administrations.
She eats the k/d dry food without trouble.
Thanks, everyone, for making the lactated Ringer's administration seem less scary. She did get sore when I was doing it every second day, but now we're down to every three days and she seems to heal just fine in between administrations.
She eats the k/d dry food without trouble.
Excellent news! Glad she is feeling better!
I'm happy to have found this thread, my Daisy is showing signs of kidney problems, we are going to the vet about it tomorrow as I have someone to drive me then (I have a hand injury and can't use the car) and it's just been so reassuring to read about the cats who have had some years of happy life even with kidney trouble.
She has only just started showing signs (not eating, drinking more) in the last couple of days. I have been trying her with boiled chicken, dry food, wet food, sometimes she will eat and sometimes not - is that a usual thing? There is just an outside chance that her issues are caused by stress as we had builders in last week and she didn't like that at all, but hopefully a blood test will reveal all and we will know where we stand. The only trouble is, that if is IS stress-related then going to the vet will make it worse. But I have a horrible feeling that is is her kidneys, she is 14 so in her senior years.
She has only just started showing signs (not eating, drinking more) in the last couple of days. I have been trying her with boiled chicken, dry food, wet food, sometimes she will eat and sometimes not - is that a usual thing? There is just an outside chance that her issues are caused by stress as we had builders in last week and she didn't like that at all, but hopefully a blood test will reveal all and we will know where we stand. The only trouble is, that if is IS stress-related then going to the vet will make it worse. But I have a horrible feeling that is is her kidneys, she is 14 so in her senior years.
I just wanted to pop in and say, this thread is an amazing resource for members with kitties in CRF. 
TCS!
TCS!
