CRF - Chronic Renal Failure:links and experiences with

[mybabies]

With a Creatnine that low and Bun that low, what makes you think your cat is in kidney failure?

As for kidney foods I get the Purina UR from a vet or you can buy it at VetAmerica.com

My girl loses weight (she is in stage 3) so I start out with an egg WHITE cooked slowly and add baby food (with NO onion or garlic) to it and then some Wysong Duck, Chicken or Beef au jur and then the Purina UR.

I have to syringe my girl so I have to blend all the food and add Cliniccare to it so it will go into a syringe.

The RX kidney foods are Purina NF< Science Diet KD, Royal Canin Modified or LP and IAMs makes one too but the NF is the lowest phospherous ( I think) and the highest calorie.

If you can't find the foods you want near you check online at waggin tales and the only natural pet store.

 

[rusty's mom]

Thanks for all the great information about giving fluids. My Rusty has what the vet said was early CRF. I got him on some supplements that have really perked him up. I am using a couple products I found on http://www.askariel.com
He had been vomitting but I used the Renelix and Protease and it really helped. They have a lot of good products--my neighbor told me about it because her 15 year old kitty was sick with CRF too.

 

[mybabies]

You would be wise to join a group on yahoogroups called feline-CRF-Support on yahoogroups. THEY know so much and have been SUCH a help to me. I "think" they know more than most Vets!

 

[ronit]

Hi All !

I just wanted to share this bit of info to all of us that have a CRF cat at home.
Hija, my18 yr old has it now for 2 yrs and she is still "ok"
Sometimes she has lots of nausea, sometimes she refuses to eat .... but generally she's doing ok.

Last week she would not eat ANYTHING and she was vomiting white foam, peeing everywhere, pooping a horrible smelly diahrrea thing... my main concern was that she would not eat anything for two days, when I took her to the vet he offered me a new thing here in greece

http://www.viyo.com/en/cats/

Is a prebiotic drink, he reccomended, for her weight (2.5 kilo) to give her around 9-10ml per day, and lucky me she loves the taste, her apetite improved and she stopped the vomits, poops look nice and she pees in the box again.

I do not know if they sell it everywhere, but it surely helped me and maybe is worth for you to check it out as well.

Have a good sunday !

 

[mybabies]

What are the ingredients of this liquid?

I give my girl pepcid each night for nausea and I mix her canned kidney food with some wysong as it is low in phosphorus and Clinicare liquid as she won't eat and has to be syringed.

 

[ronit]

Originally Posted by MyBabies

What are the ingredients of this liquid?

I give my girl pepcid each night for nausea and I mix her canned kidney food with some wysong as it is low in phosphorus and Clinicare liquid as she won't eat and has to be syringed.

The ingredients on their website are
Drinking water, meat and animal by-products, vegetable by-products, oils and fats, milk and dairy products, minerals, inulin (0.3% min.), fructo-oligosaccharides (0.1% min.)

Here in Greece we do not have all the things that you can get in US... very limited options for cat food/meds ....

R

 

[mybabies]

Originally Posted by ronit

The ingredients on their website are
Drinking water, meat and animal by-products, vegetable by-products, oils and fats, milk and dairy products, minerals, inulin (0.3% min.), fructo-oligosaccharides (0.1% min.)

Here in Greece we do not have all the things that you can get in US... very limited options for cat food/meds ....

R

Where do you find the ingredients? I looked but can't find them! Do they ship to the US?

 

[ronit]

http://www.superpremium-dog-and-cat-...ases-428-p.asp

I do not know if they ship to US, I think this shop is in UK, but I am sure that if you go into VIYO's website they have info on stores that carry their products etc....

 

[ruboid123]

My heart goes out to all of you with CRF kitties. I've been through 3 and it really breaks your heart. Someone mentioned feline-CRF-Support on yahoogroups and that group is amazing and sooooo helpful.

Another along with it is

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...isted-Feeding/

This is particularly good if/when your cat reaches the non-eating stage and you have to assist with their feeding.

My first two cats were littermates. The female contracted it first and I tried everything including subqs at home - She lived a surprisingly long time with the meds, special food and subQs. Her brother also contracted the same thing (both senior kitties by this time). He also responded well to the treatments and special care but I lost him too a couple of years ago.

I then adopted an older rescue cat whom I adored - he had so much dignity and was so greatful to be adopted and loved. I had him less than a year when he died from CRF. He'd had a long, difficult life on the street and the vet figured he was much older than the cat rescue people first thought he was.

I do not regret any time or monies I spent in trying to give my cats a healthy, loving home to live in. I wish you all well with your CRF battles.

 

[mybabies]

I am on BOTH those groups as well as yahoogroups feline-CRF-info THIS group is owned by Helen who has the website that tells you all about CRF. THEY are VERY helpful!

AS for the VIYO I think that may be similar to clinicare RF which is to give cats extra calories. I have to syringe feed my Little girl and I use it to make the food thin enough to go into a syringe

My little girl has become worse though. Her Creatnine is up and her BUN and her BP and her phosphourus. She is now on phosphorus binders and Azadol!

 

[mews2much]

My Cocos numbers are better now but her bp got way worse so her meds were upped.
The vet gave her 5 months to live last Jan.
She is not my first CRF cat either sadly.
Here are how my Cocos numbers have changed.
Coco heart murmur now.
Also her bp is very high.
Cocos numbers are better this time.
These are here numbers from Jan.
Her bun is 80 H
Crea 5.0 H
phos 8.0 H
Cal 14.6 H
and here are Aprils
bun 60.3 H
Crea 2.6 H
Phos 5.8
Cal 12.0 H
Total Protein 7.3
Albumin 3.4
Globulin 3.9
Her bp is 130
Here are last Octobers.
bun 56 H
Crea 2.4
Phos 4.5
Cal 9.2
Total Protein 6.5
Albumin 3.0
Globulin 3.5
Her bp is 175 even with her meds.
They upped the dose.
Gluclose 196 H
pH 7.5 H
Coco has Azodyl,Baytril,Fluids,Binders and Norvasc.
I hope something helps your cats.
The Azodyl has helped Coco.

 

[swoshum]

I'll post Swoshum's numbers later, but my 15 year old kitty was diagnosed with beginning/early stage renal failure about three months ago. So we put her on SQ fluid therapy and benazepril and was told to come in for a re-check on bloodwork three months later. So today we went in and she is pretty much stabilized. Her numbers have barely crept up, including her weight! She was 9 lbs 2.5 oz back at the end of October and now she is 9 lbs 11 oz! I was so happy I could cry! My vet checked her out and said she looks great aside from some tartar on her upper molars and recommended I consider a dental for her. I'm scared to put her under in her condition (though I've seen plenty of cats go under in much worse shape than she is in and come out of it perfectly). I just don't want to exacerbate anything with her condition, but I also know the tartar is painful and leaching bacteria into her bloodstream. I would love some opinions from people on this!

 

[mews2much]

My Coco has neverhd a dental because it would kill her.
She could not be altered either because of all her problems and went in heat until she was 15.
Thank God she does not go in heat anymore.
She is part siamese and was very loud.
She is now 17.10 months old.
Has your vet checked for high bp?

 

[pookie-poo]

I would recommend getting some CET pet toothpaste and cleaning Swoshum's teeth with it. I use it about every other day on Cleo's teeth, and after a week or two, I am able to chip the tartar off her teeth with my fingernail....sounds kind of disgusting, I know, but my vet showed me how to do it, and Cleo tolerates it very well. Even after 10 years of eating exclusively canned food, Cleo's teeth and gums are great, and she still hasn't needed to have a dental. If it gets to the point that Swoshum needs to have one done, talk with your vet about kidney friendly anesthetic agents, and the possibility of IV hydration during the procedure to help maintain adequate renal perfusion, and to flush the toxins out. Good luck to you and your kitty!

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

I would recommend getting some CET pet toothpaste and cleaning Swoshum's teeth with it. I use it about every other day on Cleo's teeth, and after a week or two, I am able to chip the tartar off her teeth with my fingernail....sounds kind of disgusting, I know, but my vet showed me how to do it, and Cleo tolerates it very well. Even after 10 years of eating exclusively canned food, Cleo's teeth and gums are great, and she still hasn't needed to have a dental. If it gets to the point that Swoshum needs to have one done, talk with your vet about kidney friendly anesthetic agents, and the possibility of IV hydration during the procedure to help maintain adequate renal perfusion, and to flush the toxins out. Good luck to you and your kitty!

along with CET there are tasty and effective dentifrices for adding to food ... the truly effective ones have live enzymes in them ... IMHO I will never do another dental on any animal... but that is after multiple deaths shortly after in my and close friends animals

 

[mews2much]

I agree sharky.
I should post my friend kays story about how her sphynx died having a dental.
Coco never had one because she would die if she did.
I know of so many people and breeders that lost cats that way.

 

[bookworm]

I'm so glad you made this a sticky, the lists of protien and phosphorus content were very helpful. Turns out that the Hills KD my vet gave me is about as low in both as it gets, and he is willing to eat the wet formula. Don't know what I'll do with the bag of kibble that he turns his nose up at, maybe try offering it later when he's eating better.

 

[pat]

Originally Posted by bookworm

I'm so glad you made this a sticky, the lists of protien and phosphorus content were very helpful. Turns out that the Hills KD my vet gave me is about as low in both as it gets, and he is willing to eat the wet formula. Don't know what I'll do with the bag of kibble that he turns his nose up at, maybe try offering it later when he's eating better.

I am so glad to see this thread helping the way I wanted/hoped it would. Too many of us have had kitties we adored, who had this, would have been a shame to waste what we learned...made sense to share it all with others just learning about crf.

 

[mybabies]

Through syringe feeding and meds (one given with a water pill gun) I kept my little Girls CRF pretty much stable BUT she must have fallen or twisted herself as suddenly she was in such pain, acupuncture and pain meds did nothing and I had to let her go.

I am STILL heartsick over it as she fought so hard!

 

[mews2much]

Sorry you lost her.
I am dreading that day with Coco.