Inflammation of the kidneys?

[cat nap]

That is how much Mukkia weighs now.

I don't think I have any PII showing in the picture, please let me know if I do.

Mukkia looks like more weight in his photos. Only the one photo made him look smaller.

How is Mukkia feeling in general, now?  Is he eating normally, urinating, and having regular bowel movements?

Was the Vet able to explain more of what is going on with Mukkia's kidneys?

How the amount of scarring is affecting his renal function.

And maybe give you an idea, or percentage, of where Mukkia's kidneys are functioning at.

Changes in weight, from visit to visit, is what my vet would look for, as a diagnostic...but how he was doing in general was more important.

 

[mukkia]

cat nap

IMG_20160914_155512552.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160914_155746.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160914_164012.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160914_163759.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160914_163550.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160914_162335.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

It is difficult for me to actually get a good picture that shows his frame. I will try later this evening, he has been sleeping A LOT today. [emoji]128571[/emoji]Zzzz

He has not been eating much, but enough I believe, because he is having bowel movements every day. Though tiny, I will take it.
I don't think right now he actually requires much food; especially, given his activity level. None so far.
He is still drinking/urinating more than he should be.

The doctor did give me fluid to give Mukkia, and said that this just may be something we will have to do for Mukkia every other week or so to help him feel better. He did say that he has seen" fluids help a kitty that feels a little puny to perk them up."

Mukkia's scaring is just from being old he said. Nothing of too much concern at this point. I forgot to ask about a stage, and he did not mention one.

I have Hills KD for him, but the doctor is concerned about Mukkia's CD, because it has been keeping Mukkia from getting struvite crystals since he was 7 years old. So, I can either mix the two, or alternate between them every other week.

Mukkia has a follow-up appointment for the 23, next Friday morning, we are going to do another urinalysis then too. Bold was a typo correction from (she )

 

[mukkia]

cat nap These are not the best views, but all I have at the moment. These were taken on August 21 when the doctor weighed him in at 8.0 even. Honestly, it's very difficult to capture the protuberances of his frame in a picture. I am sure with the correct lighting, angle, etc; I could get it. I can show you however, his size by the picture. He is not a large, or small frame cat; he is average. Looking at my tile floor that should give you an idea as to what I am talking about.

When Mukkia was weighing in at 8.4 the doctor said that was a good weight for Mukkia, and explained that it puts him at a lower risk of becoming diabetic. As well as, less at risk of going into Hepatic Lipidosis ( should he become ill again ) as he did none the less.
At the 8.4 the doctor noted that the hind hips displayed muscle loss, and narrowing between the hips and rib cage, but upon palpation of his ribs there was enough fat or something similar, to say that Mukkia was OK to be at that weight.
I just had to accept that Mukkia was no longer going to be the 9.6-8 pound, ounces he has been his whole adult life.

Steadily decreasing in weight since April's 8.4 was not good, and so here we are trying to get him back to 8.4.

IMG_20160821_095622.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

IMG_20160821_095521.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 14, 2016

 

[cat nap]

@Mukkia    So the issue now is trying to get Mukkia to gain 0.3 lbs to 0.7 lbs (136 grams to 317 grams) back to his weight. Ideally the latter, to get to his target of 8.4 pounds.

(I cannot really say my cat gained weight on Hill's K/D, but each cat is different,...so hopefully Mukkia will like eating the renal diets, and get some mass back.)

There was another thread, on here, in the Health section, or perhaps Nutrition, which mentioned various other renal diets made by Royal Canin, as well, so hopefully, there are a lot more varieties to try.

I think it was this one: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/325311/rosie-has-early-stage-kidney-disease

I think giving Mukkia the Sub-q fluids at home, will definitely help him with his kidneys, bladder and health.

And hopefully it will make him feel better, so that his appetite increases.

You probably already know the Tanya CKD site: http://www.felinecrf.org/nausea_vomiting_stomach_acid.htm

It has a lot of useful info, too.

It is good to keep both the C/D and K/D in rotation, and any other foods that are suitable. Because it does seem that their tastes change quite quickly. Don't know if it because of the various illnesses, or because after refrigeration, the food tastes different.

 

[mukkia]

cat nap
Thank you for the links, as well as the site. No, I have not looked at the site you mentioned. I will though. I have to be honest, I actually was in a bit of denial about his kidneys being an issue, because this is not the first time a veterinarian thought Mukkia had kidney disease.

(Something) happened with Mukkia right at around a year ago now, and he has never been quite himself since. The first diagnosis EVERYONE suspected based on his symptoms was CKD. Except for one, she told me in February, that Mukkia had gastrointestinal lymphoma, and "not long to live." I didn't believe this diagnosis. So, I found this site. I received a lot of valuable information that literally kept Mukkia from being PTS.
I am forever thankful for this. This site, and the other people helping me is how I found this accredited veterinarian's office.

Anyway, for myself, I am more concerned about the fact that he has continued on a steady decrease in his weight. I just need him to gain to 8.4 , and STAY[emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji] THERE.

He doesn't act sick per se, to me, I think he just seems to not (feel well.) If that makes sense?

I am a little bit nervous about the E.A.T (Enhanced Appetite Technology) ingredients in the K/D; something about this sounds a little bit off to me. What would the manufacturer use to " guarantee" the feline to "eat up to 34% more calories within 1 week*"?? It differently makes me think. . .

As for his CD; I am more than OK with feeding Mukkia this. He has not an issue at all with his urinary tract since he was 7 years old. Also, his age, and his blood work results show that the food is good for him. Even with what is going on over all, Mukkia is a healthy almost 15 year old cat. [emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji]

 

[cat nap]

Oh, wow, I didn't know you had to go through such a tough time in February. I'm so glad that you listened to your instincts, and something caused you to look for more information.

I can also understand about being in denial about his kidneys, since his kidney numbers on his bloodwork are within range.

There is a test now, called SDMA, which is supposed to help in early detection, but I'm not sure if it's a standard part of testing, or how it helps the vet's diagnosis.

It's very difficult when nothing clearly points to any one issue, and a cat's bloodwork, urine, x-rays, ultrasound show up all within range.

You do have to go with what you see, since only you, know your cat the best.

I did see that E.A.T (Enhanced Appetite Trigger) on that bag of K/D that you posted. That is something new.

My guess would be that it would be some sort of animal digest or fat, to entice a cat to smell and eat more of the food. But I'm not sure.

I tried Fortiflora with my cat, but couldn't say if it really worked, as an appetite enhancer.

I wonder if you phoned Hill's and asked them...would they tell you.

If it worked it would be wonderful. I never really liked any of the ingredients in their foods,...however, if it helped my cat out, then I was scared to change to other brands.

Now, I'm not sure what I would do...would I ask for phosphorus binders and try different foods, or go with the vet's brand.

Another member, the other day, also posted that there are facebook groups for ckd, and like tanya's website, they have lists of food with low phosphorus.

I'm not on facebook, but it would be worth taking a look. There must be yahoo groups, too.

I'm glad that Mukkia likes the CD, and yes, I do think it must have kept him healthy all this time.

If the Hill's does work, can you continue to post updates. I'm not sure if one week would be enough, but in 2-3 weeks, you should notice a difference.

 

[mukkia]

cat nap
Thank you, it was a scary time to get through, but we did. There is no way you could have known about that. I appreciate all of the help you have given me.

That makes me feel a little better knowing that they don't use something like MSG in their food to make cats want to eat it. I knew it was not MSG; I am just using that as a comparison to what they put in human food that makes horrible food taste good. It has some kind of a chemical effect on our brain to make people want more, and sort of tricks us in to thinking it tastes good.

Well, from the trail box of the KD Mukkia has not even finished one of the 5.25 ounce bags. He still has 2 1/2 ounces left. So, the guarantee E.A.T doesn't work for him. I even tried to give him some Fancy Feast; he wanted nothing to do with it.
Which brings me to an odd question being that I have had him for almost 15 years. I never had to know this answer because I have always free fed him. He has only eaten a little over three ounces of food since Wednesday morning; that is not enough, is it?


Also, next Friday is his appointment with the veterinarian. He is going to check Mukkia, and do the urinalysis. I re-read the ultrasound report and saw that she wrote in her ( impression ) that glomerulonephritis remains a possibility.
What exactly is that?

 

[cat nap]

With the food issue, I always looked at how many calories were in the food, and tried to use that as a target to get my cat to gain weight.

(I'm not sure if that is the correct way, and you would probably get better advice in the 'Nutrition' forum.)

For instance, I read that a cat needs 20-35 calories per pound, depending if they are indoor, outdoor, and physical condition.

http://www.allfelinehospital.com/getting-your-cat-to-lose-weight.pml

http://consciouscat.net/2015/08/10/how-much-should-i-feed-my-cat/

So, I tried to find the ideal weight target for my cat, and basically aimed at him eating those calories per day.

It was never exact, and I did not get hung up on the numbers,...but I did try to get close to them.

This feline site has a calorie calculator that might be helpful: http://petsci.co.uk/feline-calorie-calculator/

Then I would go to the cat food brand websites and find the calories they list for their food:

http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-feline-kd-chicken-canned

http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-feline-kd-dry

Tanya's site also has calories per oz in cat food: http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

Say a full 5.5 oz can of hill's K/D is 183 kcal, and dry is 521 kcal per cup.

(A full 5.5 oz can of hill's C/D is 168 kcal, and dry is 349 kcal per cup.)

I would try to get my cat to eat a full can of wet, plus dry....to aim for 262 calories/day or more, for an ideal cat weight of 10lbs. Keeping track of the dry was more difficult because I free-fed.

So, no to your original question, 3 oz of food is not enough, your target should be over 221 calories per day to reach 8 lbs of weight. Trying for a full can plus dry, to reach that goal.

Not sure what glomerulonephritis is. Anything with the ending "...itis" means inflammation.

I'm sure your vet will further explain it on friday.

 

[mukkia]

cat nap . I will reply your response tonight. I just wanted to post this one here really fast

 

[mukkia]

Seriously he is still too cute! My [emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji]

IMG_20160917_185618.jpg

• mukkia
• Sep 17, 2016
• 1

Love those eyes! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

 

[mukkia]

He is feeling betterr, full of fluids. [emoji]128149[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji] He is just my beautiful little baby!

 

[mukkia]

Honestly, he posed for that picture! [emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji]

 

[cat nap]

@cat nap. I will reply your response tonight. I just wanted to post this one here really fast

@Mukkia   ....no worries. I think you have to take time for yourself, and for Mukkia, too.

And yes, taking a lot of photos, is good.

 

 

[cat nap]

Love those eyes! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

I love the nose. And the chin.

  But yes, those eyes are special.

He is feeling betterr, full of fluids. [emoji]128149[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji] He is just my beautiful little baby!

Honestly, he posed for that picture! [emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]128571[/emoji]

  I believe it!

He looks to be pointing to the camera with his right paw, too.

  ...saying, "Hey, I'm pretty good looking, don't you think."

Very nice pose.

 

[mukkia]

I just did the math, and Mukkia is only eating enough to maintain a 3.4lb kitty. It took him 5 days to eat a 5.25 oz bag of KD chicken. He will not even eat his CD now. I don't think that the scarring on his kidneys us causing all of this to happen. The scarring is 'mild.' is trying him on goat's milk OK?

 

[cat nap]

I just did the math, and Mukkia is only eating enough to maintain a 3.4lb kitty. It took him 5 days to eat a 5.25 oz bag of KD chicken. He will not even eat his CD now. I don't think that the scarring on his kidneys us causing all of this to happen. The scarring is 'mild.' is trying him on goat's milk OK?

I don't know about the goat's milk. I know they give it to young kittens. I would ask the vet, first.

He might not like the way the new food tastes or smells. Did you transition Mukkia slowly to the new food? As in 10% of new, 90% older food...then after a few days add a little bit more new...to slowly see if he gets used to it. Or try adding toppers to his food, such as pure bite chicken treats, crumbled treats that he likes.

Also, does Mukkia eat any of the canned wet food, or only likes dry ?

Those cans, I noticed are smaller cans, 2.9 oz containing 77-78 calories per can.

If you can get him to eat more of the canned food, that would be good.

As for his CD food, is it both dry and wet that he was eating, before? 

Do you remember how you got him used to the CD food, when he first started it?

Does he like any other types of canned food from this list:  http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm#prescription_canned_usa

Try to keep the phosphorus as near to the prescription diet amount he is on, or under 1.0 %...the lower the better. Lower in sodium, too, is better.

(I think your vet found protein and blood in his urine, So they wanted to find out what was causing it, and why the protein was not being filtered back or absorbed by Mukkia.

That is why they need to run another urine analysis, and see how his results are.)

 

[mukkia]

I don't know about the goat's milk. I know they give it to young kittens. I would ask the vet, first.

He might not like the way the new food tastes or smells. Did you transition Mukkia slowly to the new food? As in 10% of new, 90% older food...then after a few days add a little bit more new...to slowly see if he gets used to it. Or try adding toppers to his food, such as pure bite chicken treats, crumbled treats that he likes.

Also, does Mukkia eat any of the canned wet food, or only likes dry ?
Those cans, I noticed are smaller cans, 2.9 oz containing 77-78 calories per can.
If you can get him to eat more of the canned food, that would be good.

As for his CD food, is it both dry and wet that he was eating, before? 
Do you remember how you got him used to the CD food, when he first started it?

Does he like any other types of canned food from this list:  http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm#prescription_canned_usa
Try to keep the phosphorus as near to the prescription diet amount he is on, or under 1.0 %...the lower the better. Lower in sodium, too, is better.

(I think your vet found protein and blood in his urine, So they wanted to find out what was causing it, and why the protein was not being filtered back or absorbed by Mukkia.
That is why they need to run another urine analysis, and see how his results are.)

I am going to ask him tomorrow about the goat's milk; I agree with you. I don't want to add any unnecessary problems with Mukkia.

Yes Ma'am, I 'tried' to add the KD in with his CD just like the box suggested. I put one ounce in. However, he actually picked around the CD to eat the KD![emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128561[/emoji] ( I know, not funny ), but he is one smart, and stubborn old man! I even tried to bury the KD, if you will, to try to make him eat the CD first. Nope, didn't work. Which blows my mind, because Mukkia has always preferred his CD to anything.

The new problem is that he has already became bored with the KD, so now it's like a stand off as to whom gives in first. Either I have to force feed him, or he decides to eat.
That is how I got him to eat the CD when he was 7. The veterinarian gave me the canned paste, and I had to force feed him for two days.
On the second day, he wiggled his way out of my arms while I was feeding him, and he walked over to his bowl of the dry CD and started eating. I was relieved with joy, but I had to laugh at the moment. [emoji]128571[/emoji]

Unfortunately, Mukkia has never liked canned food. For the first two months I had him he loved it! After that, he has been a kibble kitty. [emoji]128534[/emoji]
Now, since February I can get him to eat something new, but not more than once. He will only eat something new in one single feeding, and even then it is usually only two tablespoons. There is an exception to this, and that is Turkey and cheese Fancy feast.
Right now I cannot get him to eat that.
I went to PetSmart today and picked up a treat from Blue Buffalo. It is a turkey and duck all natural. I did crumble it on top, and mixed it with the CD. He literally just ate the crumbled pieces on the top and then walked away.[emoji]128575[/emoji]

You are correct about the blood, and protein. I don't know what it would be, because everyone has said infection. Mukkia's veterinarian had the urinalysis cultured, and said that he doesn't have an infection. But, yes, he is doing another. I think to see if he still has the same results?

I am going to move up his appointment from Friday to Tuesday. I don't want to continue to put this off. Unfortunately, everytime there was an appointment, or scheduled test I am the one who had to reschedule due to my school. I am just going to take the hit for one class so I can get answers for Mukkia. The sooner the answer, the sooner we can have a planned course of action.

 

[mukkia]

Please anyone reply to this question.

Mukkia has only eaten 5.25oz of food since last Wednesday. As of this morning he has gone 24 hrs without any food. His appointment was moved to tomorrow, but is it OK for him to go another 24 hrs without any food? That would be a total of 48 hrs.

 

[cat nap]

Please anyone reply to this question.

Mukkia has only eaten 5.25oz of food since last Wednesday. As of this morning he has gone 24 hrs without any food. His appointment was moved to tomorrow, but is it OK for him to go another 24 hrs without any food? That would be a total of 48 hrs.

I would begin Assist Feeding again.

This video is helpful.


And this video, too, in Post #1:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating

 

 

[cat nap]

Please anyone reply to this question.

Mukkia has only eaten 5.25oz of food since last Wednesday. As of this morning he has gone 24 hrs without any food. His appointment was moved to tomorrow, but is it OK for him to go another 24 hrs without any food? That would be a total of 48 hrs.

Yesterday, it sounded like Mukkia does want to eat, but only if he likes the food, since you mentioned that he picks around the food he likes.

Try to get him any type of cat food he likes, at this point.

Even kitten food. But I would still ask the vet if the kitten food is okay to feed. The vet may suggest other Renal diets, or phosphorus binders, so that other non-prescription foods can be eaten.

(The one that vets give which is easier to syringe feed is Hill's A/D critical care. But Wellness pate foods, chicken, have the same soft consistency, so that is another option for easier syringe feeding.)

When was the last time that you gave him Sub-q fluids, and how much?