Looking for advice for CKD diagnosis for young cat

[KayReindl]

Hi everyone, long-time lurker looking for advice. I've had my cat since she was six months old and she's now four and a half. I've been taking her to Modern Animal. I got her test results today and according to her urinalysis results, her urine is dilute and her creatinine is 2.3. Her potassium is 5.3, up from 4.5 last year. pH was also high. The vet says she has stage 2 chronic kidney disease. They want me to do a blood pressure check, put her on the renal-specific diet (which I have issues with), have an abdominal ultrasound (which they don't do) and re-do bloodwork and urinalysis in a month.

I feed her only Koha (low ingredient wet food), which I always mix with water. She doesn't get dry food, or treats that have carbs. I'm just looking for advice. Should I take her somewhere else for a second opinion? Does this sound strange? Have I been a bad cat mom? I lost my other kitty in 2019 and am just so upset right now. She's not even five.

Any advice y'all can give me would be much appreciated!!

 

[AbbysMom]

Have I been a bad cat mom?

Absolutely not. CKD can be genetic and show up at any age. My niece just had this happen with her younger cat. A second opinion never hurts but I would go ahead with the tests. Once you know what is going on there are other options to the renal diet. My cat is allergic to chicken so can not have any of the renal diets. It wouldn’t necessarily hurt to start her on it and then do more research on what works for her. BP is a common thing to test with kidney disease. As far as the abdominal ultrasound my cat also has IBD so was having ultrasounds for that so I’m not sure if it would have been suggested for her CKD otherwise. I’m sure someone else will come along and be able to answer that.

good luck!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS. I think the BP check and ultrasound are good ideas. The ultrasound will look at all her organs, but will see what the kidneys look like too. Taking a look at the kidneys will tell the vet if there are any structural issues that might have attributed to her early chronic kidney disease (CKD). Depending on what they find, there may be other treatments or at least help them in determining how her CKD might progress. I am not sure why a follow-up on the bloodwork/urinalysis is needed so quickly, but I am guessing it may have to do with seeing if the renal food changes the results. You might want to ask them about why another set of these tests are needed so soon.

I am not a fan of the renal foods, and neither are many cats. The primary goal of these foods is to lower the level of phosphorus that can exacerbate CKD. So, a better approach, IMO, is to look for lower phosphorus foods that aren't prescription - which there are many on the market. See below for a link that lists a lot of foods by phosphorus level.

I would also suggest you start educating yourself about CKD and there is no better way to do that than this web site - Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org). It is comprehensive and can take a while to get through, because of the level of detail and information. But it is well worth it to take the time and effort to read through the material. You can start off with the introduction section, but from there just pick and choose the areas that interest you most and you can move on from there over time. The more you know the better equipped you are to understand how you can help your cat and how to dialog with your vet as time passes. This web site has the listing of low phosphorus foods I mentioned above - Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease- Canned Food Data USA (felinecrf.org)

Come back any time with your questions and updates about her tests, and we will help in whatever way we can!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I just want to add that you are NOT a bad cat mama . Koha is not a bad food, not at all. Some cats are just unlucky and no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot prevent this. I've had three kidney cats so far and wondered if it was our water. With my current guys, I started only using filtered water, which I also add to their wet food only. So far so good, but I never stop worrying.

The above website is fantastic for all things kidney related. I referred to it almost daily when my kidney cats were still alive, especially the food chart. But the sections on how to handle vomiting, giving sub-q fluids, new medications, etc. were most helpful.

 

[KayReindl]

I appreciate the replies and info, thank you! I am familiar with Tanya's site, which I used with my other cat and it was so helpful. I am extremely leery of the renal foods because of the carb content (my other cat was a diabetic but controlled with food so I'm very conscious of carbs). The vet wanted a followup on the blood and urine "to ensure that these results are persistent and have not progressed any further."

The vet I'm using (have been since last January) is a new membership model which I was debating canceling before all of this, primarily because the only thing the membership covers is exams. Everything else is extra so I'm not sure what I'm getting for it. I was thinking of going back to the holistic vet I was using for my other cat. Also, the fancy vet doesn't do ultrasound in-house so I'd have to find another clinic. Would it be better to just try the other place? I'm not trying to be that person who shops around for the results I want <g>, but I was thinking of leaving anyway and just got this exam because I still had a few weeks left on the membership.

Thanks!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think when it comes to selecting a vet, you pretty much are in the best position to decide that, and some of it is going with your gut.
Since you don't seem all that comfortable with this membership model and previously had another vet you have dealt with, that would probably be your best bet. I presume this other vet can arrange for an ultrasound without too much difficulty? I do think given the age of your cat, it might be worth it to go forward with that.

I am curious though if there are other factors/aspects going on here since the vet said to repeat bloodwork/urinalysis after just one month "to ensure that these results are persistent and have not progressed any further." It would seem unusual in most cases for CKD to escalate that fast. Anything we are missing?

 

[KayReindl]

I asked (they answer everything through a chat on my phone) but got the same words repeated back to me! I've made an appt with another vet for Thursday so hopefully I can get some answers.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Get copies of all the records from this vet to share with the new vet.

 

[KayReindl]

Get copies of all the records from this vet to share with the new vet.

All set with that, thanks!