Kitty with PKD and when to stop listening to the vet

[Meg142!]

I know this title probably makes a lot of people cringe but my vet, despite how wonderful he has been through this process, really doesn't seem to think my PKD kitty is going to last much longer. She came home from being hospitalized for 8 days a week ago and I wasn't told what special diet she would need, what medications, etc. And when i mentioned her appetite wasn't the best, he told me that once she stops eating all together I can start her on an appetite stimulent. However, I really don't want to wait until she gets to the point because by then, in my opinion, she's already suffering too much. I really don't think he initially had a lot of Hope for her, which is why he didn't give me any options. I've been doing a ton of research about support options like supplements and vitamins that can help support kidney function, but for each suggestion he says : well when we get to that point we can try. But as a pet owner, I don't want to sit and wait until she gets so sick she can't eat before I do something to help her. So my question is, at what point should you stop listening to your vet? Obviously I value his opinion and output and will put that before my own research, but he's not really being helpful in the proactive aspect of her health. I know it's only a matter of time, but I want her last few days, weeks, months, whatever it is, to be as happy and pain free as possible. She is doing really well right now, eating and drinking, but not nearly as much as I'd like her to. She ended up losing a lot of weight right before her diagnosis and I really want her to gain a few pounds back. So do I go ahead and start my own health support plan I have come up with? Or do I listen to my vet and just wait until she starts getting really sick again?

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know, but maybe these will help if you haven't seen them;

35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain – TheCatSite Articles

When Is It Time? – Making The Difficult Decision – TheCatSite Articles

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Perhaps, a second opinion from a vet in an entirely different practice (to avoid colleague bias)? In your research, have you come across this web site - Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat? It might have tips about some proactive steps you could take.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am definitely cringing at the thought that your furbaby was sent home after eight days and you were not given any instructions on special diet,etc. Kidney cats, no matter whether it's CKD or PKD need special care, particularly if she'd had to be hospitalized for that long. Do you know what stage she is in? I've had three kidney cats and did utilize the above website ((tanya's) for pretty much everything but it can be very hard to find things since it contains a TON of information. Here is the page that is specific to PKD: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Polycystic Kidney Disease

Here's what I think: If I were you, I'd gather up all of your girls records and find another Vet. Whether she is on her last legs or not, she DESERVES attention. If her eating has slowed down, she should be on appetite stimulants. If she is having any issues with early morning vomiting, she should be on some sort of antacid, if she is having troubles pooping, those issues should be addressed (very common with kidney cats). Depending on what stage she is in, she might need sub-q fluids a few times a week, which can be done at home, Also depending on what stage she is in, she may need lower potassium food. And the list goes on. You didn't mention whether or not she is actually having any issues other than her eating slowing down, saybe she doesn't need any prescription meds right now, but IMHO, it's always a good idea to have them handy. Again, IMHO, it's NEVER a good idea to wait until a cat is not eating at all before addressing that topic, especially during this pandemic time when appointments are hard to get.

On another note, I just want to say that my last kidney cat lost weight, as they all tend to do, and once we got her to feeling better, she started eating like a true champ, but she never was able to put any weight back on So just stayed around the 5 pound mark for a couple years, and then something else got her, NOT the CKD. Just telling you in case your girl doesn't gain her weight back. We were absolutely shocked at each of her weigh-ins because we'd never seen her eat so much in her life! But she still had lots of energy at age 15, enough to continue to jump up on the kitchen counters and fight with our 15 pound male, no problem!

 

[Meg142!]

Hi. Perhaps, a second opinion from a vet in an entirely different practice (to avoid colleague bias)? In your research, have you come across this web site - Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat? It might have tips about some proactive steps you could take.

I was thinking about getting a second opinion as well. And yes, I love that website! It has been extremely helpful the past few weeks!

 

[Meg142!]

I am definitely cringing at the thought that your furbaby was sent home after eight days and you were not given any instructions on special diet,etc. Kidney cats, no matter whether it's CKD or PKD need special care, particularly if she'd had to be hospitalized for that long. Do you know what stage she is in? I've had three kidney cats and did utilize the above website ((tanya's) for pretty much everything but it can be very hard to find things since it contains a TON of information. Here is the page that is specific to PKD: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Polycystic Kidney Disease

Here's what I think: If I were you, I'd gather up all of your girls records and find another Vet. Whether she is on her last legs or not, she DESERVES attention. If her eating has slowed down, she should be on appetite stimulants. If she is having any issues with early morning vomiting, she should be on some sort of antacid, if she is having troubles pooping, those issues should be addressed (very common with kidney cats). Depending on what stage she is in, she might need sub-q fluids a few times a week, which can be done at home, Also depending on what stage she is in, she may need lower potassium food. And the list goes on. You didn't mention whether or not she is actually having any issues other than her eating slowing down, saybe she doesn't need any prescription meds right now, but IMHO, it's always a good idea to have them handy. Again, IMHO, it's NEVER a good idea to wait until a cat is not eating at all before addressing that topic, especially during this pandemic time when appointments are hard to get.

On another note, I just want to say that my last kidney cat lost weight, as they all tend to do, and once we got her to feeling better, she started eating like a true champ, but she never was able to put any weight back on So just stayed around the 5 pound mark for a couple years, and then something else got her, NOT the CKD. Just telling you in case your girl doesn't gain her weight back. We were absolutely shocked at each of her weigh-ins because we'd never seen her eat so much in her life! But she still had lots of energy at age 15, enough to continue to jump up on the kitchen counters and fight with our 15 pound male, no problem!

She definitely has trouble pooping although this was an issue even before I knew about her PKD. She's either had really soft poop or was constipated.

Her last blood test showed her phosphorus levels were in the normal range so a kidney specific diet wasn't necessary but I still put her on a grain free wet diet and am also making very small batches of cooked homemade food. I follow a very simple recipe with all of the needed vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. I only feed this to her on days she's really not feeling well to encourage her to eat. She also LOVES baby food. I read that baby food is a good short term solution to a cat not eating. Obviously this is not a great option because it doesn't provide the needed nutrients, but I was able to get her to eat about 170 calories today by feeding her baby food with a little bit of canned food mixed in. This is the most she has eaten in about 2 weeks.

I'm also not sure what stage she is in, another reason why I'd love a second opinion. So far though, she's been home for 2 weeks and has been doing well. She threw up the first few days but hasn't had a problem since. Her appetite is really good some days and not great on others. I have her on a few different supplements that I read are good for helping improve kidney function for her remaining kidney, but I'd love to get her on some pain meds. She doesn't seem to be in pain daily but on her bad days, she refuses to let anyone pet her so I'm assuming that's a sign of her being in pain.

Thank you for being as upset about my vets lack of proactive options as I was! I know he has her best interest in mind, but I just don't think we see eye to eye on this specific situation.

 

[Meg142!]

Also! She's a very petite cat as it is so I don't have too much hope for her gaining much weight, but I would like to see her fill out a bit more. She's so scrawny it makes me so sad. She was about 5 and a Half pounds at her physical which was almost a year ago now. She's about 3 pounds now

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm so glad she has been eating well lately. I'm not sure if not wanting to be petted is a sign of pain or not in the case of PKD. Our Vet told us that in general, kidney disease does not cause pain, but of course, at times, they just won't feel well, and then don't want to be disturbed. This could be the case with your girl. (PKD could be different though)

 

[Furballsmom]

Within the constraints of what she can eat with this disease, there are some things here that might help;
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[Meg142!]

There's been a new "symptom" I've noticed today. She's been confined to the downstairs area ( my bedroom and my sister's bedroom) because we're having a bathroom renovated and I didn't want her being stressed out with people going in and out of the house. When I went to check on her there these drops of.... Stuff all over both rooms she was in and out if. I can't really tell what it is. It's definitely not blood so I'm thinking she was kind of "leaking" poop? I know this can be seen in constipation and kidney disease in general can cause constipation. I have to schedule an appointment for her anyway for another urine test (she also peed on the floor today and I'm worried about a UTI) so I'll ask about it with him. She also threw up, but she's still eating like a champ so I don't know if that was from one of the new supplements I started giving her yesterday.

If anyone also thinks the drops we're leaking poop, what can I do for her constipation?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Did the drops stink like poop? Are you seeing that she's pooping at all normally? If not, you'll want to make that appointment as soon as possible.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

With my kidney cats, they were chronically constipated, but I never saw what you are describing. Yes, it is true that when they are constipated sometimes they can also have diarrhea at the same time, but with that diarrhea you don't normally find "leaking poop" as you described. As Furballsmom asked, did it smell like poop? Usually what I would find was little marbles of poop around the house, but not several at the same time and not just "spots".. One or two at times that weren't in the litter box. And the fix: Miralax on a regular basis, and sometimes Laxatone. Miralax works on whatever is in the colon that isn't as hard as a rock. Laxatone will help those hard as a rock items slip out more easily. That's what my Vet just explained to me as my guy was pretty backed up recently.

The vomit could be from the new supplements, from constipation OR from stress of the bathroom renovation or being locked away. So many options there.

 

[Meg142!]

It definitely was poop, I looked around my room and found a very small softer looking poop surrounded with a bigger spot of the leakage. It didn't smell like poop which is probably why I didn't find it until today. It had more of an amonia smell then the classic cat poop smell. I'll definitely give her some merilax for now and hopefully I can get my hands on some of the Laxatone because typically she does leave very hard marbels in the litter box so I think that would better suit her needs.

How quickly did you notice the Miralax working for your kitty? Did it help in one day or did it take longer to notice a difference?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

miralax usually takes a couple days to work. Sounds like the Laxatone would work better as she may have a large hard stool blocking the say. this is what may be causing the liquid stool to be forming behind it Per my Vet, the Laxatone should help any large stool "slide out" easier. Most big box pet stores will sell it.