My kitty cat is in chronic renal failure

woodstock said:
The problem is, she also has severe heart issues. Subqs strictly verboten. :(
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You have been through this before! :yesnod:

I always wanted to be a vet so I do all of the animal stuff. Stitches, shots, meds, birthing, end of life stuff. Any animal owner needs to give the best care possible, and sounds like you are on it! :yesnod:


Good luck with the kitty, I'm sure you will do good by her. It is what we do as responsible animal care givers.



:needpics:

We need kitty pics! :D
 
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Geico266 said:
You have been though this before! :yesnod:

I always wanted to be a vet so I do all of the animal stuff. Stitches, shots, meds, birthing, end of life stuff. Any animal owner needs to give the best care possible, and sounds like you are on it! :yesnod:


Good luck with the kitty, I'm sure you will do good by her. It is what we do as responsible animal care givers.



:needpics:

We need kitty pics! :D
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It's harder to get into Vet school than Med School....
 
Here below is Miss Ophelia. I have two kitties, sisters. Cecily did not pull the bad card, thankfully.

Both gentle, sweet cats. Very tough to watch this. I'm doing everything I can...
 
My two send their prayers.

HR
 

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Our "Attack Cat" Shadow sends prayers your way.

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Thank you for all the kind thoughts, everyone.

I was so spoiled for so long. Three and a half years of chronic renal failure, and she was still pretty self-maintaining food and water wise.

I've now entered the roller coaster phase, and if you've had a pet with CRF before, you know what I mean. Every bite of food is a triumph, and every sniff of the water fountain or bowl with a wander away... is a letdown.
 
Henning said:
It's harder to get into Vet school than Med School....
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True. When my dad was head of the admissions committee for the WSU vet school a few decades ago they typically had 700 applicants for 70 openings in the Freshman class. They were really picky about who they admitted. They wanted those 70 incoming Freshmen to be 70 graduating Seniors, the thought being that for every one that dropped out that was someone else who didn't get a shot that year. For years there were only 3 veterinary schools in the West, WSU, Colorado State and UC Davis. Not many options for students.
 
woodstock said:
I've now entered the roller coaster phase, and if you've had a pet with CRF before, you know what I mean. Every bite of food is a triumph, and every sniff of the water fountain or bowl with a wander away... is a letdown.
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Right there with you.

Tonight's small "win" with fresh cooked chicken and white rice with some of the chicken broth as recommended by our Vet, was the first time since Friday morning that Ebby's food plate didn't get the shrug off, and she's managed to keep it down for three hours or so and is resting peacefully.

She popped up from the floor without prompting and came to the kitchen when she smelled the chicken cooking but has been lying down before and after.

She's not sleeping so I know life isn't perfect, she just doesn't want to walk around, but she's hanging out here in the living room while I watch the Olympic playback and we wait for "mom" to come home after a rehearsal tonight.

Thank you for your kind comments on my sick dog thread. I wish you and your furry friend all the best also.
 
Very sorry to hear about Miss Ophelia, Beth. I haven't had a pet in my family in nearly 40 years, but I do remember how much it hurt to see him in pain. :(
 
azure said:
Very sorry to hear about Miss Ophelia, Beth. I haven't had a pet in my family in nearly 40 years, but I do remember how much it hurt to see him in pain. :(
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Thank you - it really is tough. I just reported my observations to the specialist to see what she thinks. I'm seeing glimmers of improvement so we will see if it's enough or not. The roller coaster really is apt b/c you don't know if the glimmers are temporary or not.

Nate, hope your pup had a good night...
 
Kaye, it's all up and down. We put her on a new anti-nausea med on Monday night (specialist visit) and that seems to be helping a little.

She hasn't been barfing through all of this (which is a small miracle) but if they are even a little nauseous they won't eat or drink enough. And I had been seeing that dwindle pretty quickly.

So her consumption is trending up but still not what it was a week ago. She's still acting perky and affectionate. I just don't know if this is another plateau and we'll adjust or if I'm watching the downward slide - and I'm just slowing it a little. She's not in pain and she's doing all the normal kitty things like jump on bed/desk/table/play with me and her sister...

I hate that when the time comes her sister is going to be alone, too. Among many other things that I hate about this, that is.

Thank you for asking.
 
Ghery said:
True. When my dad was head of the admissions committee for the WSU vet school a few decades ago they typically had 700 applicants for 70 openings in the Freshman class. They were really picky about who they admitted. They wanted those 70 incoming Freshmen to be 70 graduating Seniors, the thought being that for every one that dropped out that was someone else who didn't get a shot that year. For years there were only 3 veterinary schools in the West, WSU, Colorado State and UC Davis. Not many options for students.
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But don't worry about those 630 applicants that couldn't get into vet school. Many of them wind up getting into medical school and making three times the money.
 
Hang in there. You'll know when it's time. We thought we had a week or so, but the event yesterday morning made it clear that the pup's time was up.

Our cat did the long decline but then leveled off, very skinny, and awful matting since he wasn't cleaning himself well, but otherwise normal, for many months -- and then passed in a single evening according to Karen.

She saw him sneak off to the basement at an odd time and went to check a little while later. He had curled up in a corner and that was it.
 
denverpilot said:
Hang in there. You'll know when it's time. We thought we had a week or so, but the event yesterday morning made it clear that the pup's time was up.

Our cat did the long decline but then leveled off, very skinny, and awful matting since he wasn't cleaning himself well, but otherwise normal, for many months -- and then passed in a single evening according to Karen.

She saw him sneak off to the basement at an odd time and went to check a little while later. He had curled up in a corner and that was it.
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Hi Nate

I'm so sorry about Ebony. You were great parents to her. I know you must be thinking "she's just around the corner, she'll pop into this room in a second". Heck, I felt that just in the four days she was hospitalized. Sorry about your kitty too. That sounds like a gentle way to go.

Both kitties (sisters) turn 9 yrs old tomorrow. Ophelia drew a bad card. Chronic kidney failure, and progressive heart disease. The heart disease is reducing her options, too.

But, so far, she's eating (less) and drinking (less) but still doing normal things. She was wrestling with her sister earlier. Grooming is a biggie with cats, too. Once that starts to slow down, it's a sure sign. And she's definitely doing that (funny, kinda: earlier today I syringed some baby food into her and she turned her head and it went down her front. yep, the second she was on the ground she was cleaning herself, even before I had a chance to grab a towel.)
 
Hi

Can't believe my last update was 6 weeks ago.

Anyway, she's still hanging in there. We have had a lot of ups and downs which is apparently very par for the course with CRF and especially as things progress.

Ophelia is still perky and alert but quieter. Playful, but less so. More content to just curl up and relax.

My prior-arranged vacation (just home from the first of two, the next in December) caused me no end of stress but I have a first-rate petsitter who lives in my house when I'm gone. She had lost weight during the week I was out but is slowly putting it back on. She has slowly been losing weight, period, though, during all of this. CRF kitties just don't want to eat much. I've started syringe-feeding her a little to supplement what she will eat and I'm hoping that helps to put a little bit back on her.

Homecoming was very heartwarming. I have two kitties, one is healthy (sisters). They both were all over me, meowing, and Ophelia was especially happy. She had a purr like a revving motor when I cradled her.

Nate, how are you doing?
 
woodstock said:
Anyway, she's still hanging in there.
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Enjoy the time you still have together. I put my 13 year old puppy down last week. He was acting weird and was in obvious distress. Turned out to be a brain tumor. The place just isn't the same without him.
 
Steve Foley said:
Enjoy the time you still have together. I put my 13 year old puppy down last week. He was acting weird and was in obvious distress. Turned out to be a brain tumor. The place just isn't the same without him.
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Steve, I'm really sorry about your puppy. :( I understand. The house is full of places that are "her spot" and when the time finally comes, this is going to be so hard.

But for now, things seem to have calmed down a little bit, we are both adjusting and in a weird way, going on vacation was actually good for me, despite all the stress and worry leading up to it. The week was fine and it made me realize that if she can go a week without my hover-parenting that maybe she'll be with me a while yet (now that I'm back and hovering again).
 
Beth, thanks for the update. I have even more empathy for you now, because our cat was just diagnosed with CRF too, along with a urinary tract infection and heart murmur. I hope we can be as good at caregiving as you've been!
 
gprellwitz said:
Beth, thanks for the update. I have even more empathy for you now, because our cat was just diagnosed with CRF too, along with a urinary tract infection and heart murmur. I hope we can be as good at caregiving as you've been!
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Dang, that is rough. I know. :(

That is everything Ophelia has. The UTI you can take care of pretty quickly. Are you getting an echocardiogram done?

What are her renal numbers?
 
We lost our 16 year old cat to CKF two weeks ago. 2 months ago she had a tumor removed and prior to chemo, all blood work numbers were excellent for a cat her age. She pulled thru the surgery like a 1 year old and the vet was shocked at her quick recovery time.

Chemo started 3 weeks later and for the first 3 weeks blood numbers were still very good, however one of the 'rare' side effects of Carboplatin is kidney damage, her BUN and CREA levels skyrocketed and was immediately put on IV fluids but after 4 days, she had multiple seizures on day 4 and we had to get her go.

Faced with a similar situation with any of our other cats, I would never do the chemo again.
 
woodstock said:
Dang, that is rough. I know. :(

That is everything Ophelia has. The UTI you can take care of pretty quickly. Are you getting an echocardiogram done?

What are her renal numbers?
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Don't want to stress him with a trip to the hospital, so just blood work so far. Don't know the numbers, but the doc said they aren't too bad. Hoping his appetite will improve once the UTI clears up.
 
gprellwitz said:
Don't want to stress him with a trip to the hospital, so just blood work so far. Don't know the numbers, but the doc said they aren't too bad. Hoping his appetite will improve once the UTI clears up.
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In the four years we have been dealing with this, I have become a font of information. Feel free to ask me lots of questions.
 
Scrabo said:
We lost our 16 year old cat to CKF two weeks ago. 2 months ago she had a tumor removed and prior to chemo, all blood work numbers were excellent for a cat her age. She pulled thru the surgery like a 1 year old and the vet was shocked at her quick recovery time.

Chemo started 3 weeks later and for the first 3 weeks blood numbers were still very good, however one of the 'rare' side effects of Carboplatin is kidney damage, her BUN and CREA levels skyrocketed and was immediately put on IV fluids but after 4 days, she had multiple seizures on day 4 and we had to get her go.

Faced with a similar situation with any of our other cats, I would never do the chemo again.
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:(

I am really sorry to hear this. I know how much it hurts.
 
We'll need blood work done on the little Moogie dog, though I think she's in good shape. Perky enough. She has gone rather insane lately, but she is a little old lady, so I have to cut her some slack.
 
woodstock said:
Nate, how are you doing?
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Glad you had a good homecoming with your kitties.

We're good. The house is very quiet if you're home alone, but we want to try at least a year of no animals to do some traveling and things.

Now that we've read up on Huskies and realized all the behaviors for them that are "normal" that endeared us to our mix (who was called a Lab mix for years until she got older and a Vet recognized her habits), we'll probably wait and plan on training another Husky or Husky mix again.

There's certain things that going in, one would know that would make it easier. Like how easily they become disinterested with traditional training techniques. We learned it all the hard way with Eb.
 
gprellwitz said:
Beth, thanks for the update. I have even more empathy for you now, because our cat was just diagnosed with CRF too, along with a urinary tract infection and heart murmur. I hope we can be as good at caregiving as you've been!
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Grant,
Sorry to hear. I have had two CRF kitties and you know of course about my rebuilding of Dee a little over a year ago. If I can help with advice and recommendations for vets in the Chicago area let me know.
 
Scrabo said:
We lost our 16 year old cat to CKF two weeks ago. 2 months ago she had a tumor removed and prior to chemo, all blood work numbers were excellent for a cat her age. She pulled thru the surgery like a 1 year old and the vet was shocked at her quick recovery time.

Chemo started 3 weeks later and for the first 3 weeks blood numbers were still very good, however one of the 'rare' side effects of Carboplatin is kidney damage, her BUN and CREA levels skyrocketed and was immediately put on IV fluids but after 4 days, she had multiple seizures on day 4 and we had to get her go.

Faced with a similar situation with any of our other cats, I would never do the chemo again.
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Sorry to hear that!

I had a cat we did chemo on too. We had to rub the medicine into her skin and of course we had to wear all kinds of protective gear so that we did not go through chemo with her. In the end it was just too much. I too would never put a cat through that again. Heck, depending on the cancer and a few other things I might not want to go through it myself should I ever face that decision. I saw what it did to my mom.
 
How are everyone's pets doing? Nate, did you guys get a puppy yet? Grant, how is kitty cat?

Ophelia is still hanging in there. We've started anemia treatments. She's much quieter but still does some happy kitty things albeit her energy levels are very low (although she is still being sociable which is a really good thing).

I'm hoping these treatments will help her a lot. She's not in pain and in fact still lays around in a very relaxed pose which means she is not uncomfortable. Still I fear that decision is going to loom in the next few months, especially if the anemia treatments don't help as much as I hope.
 
Our kitty has lost another few pounds. Now at 6, down from 12 last year. Got a steroid shot, and it seems to have helped. He's now eating a little more. Possibly lymphoma, but we don't want to subject him to chemo at his age. He's still up and around and apparently pain-free.
 
No pup. We both watch a lot of dog videos and what-not, but we realized the old pup was spending a lot of time sleeping at home when we had to be out and about for work, volunteer duties, and just busy life.

We had a serious talk and realized we don't have enough time at home to give to a new younger dog right now. Especially training.

So no pup right now. May be a sign that we need to slow up a bit, but that'll take some time and an effort to say "no" more often.
 
woodstock said:
How are everyone's pets doing? Nate, did you guys get a puppy yet? Grant, how is kitty cat?

Ophelia is still hanging in there. We've started anemia treatments. She's much quieter but still does some happy kitty things albeit her energy levels are very low (although she is still being sociable which is a really good thing).

I'm hoping these treatments will help her a lot. She's not in pain and in fact still lays around in a very relaxed pose which means she is not uncomfortable. Still I fear that decision is going to loom in the next few months, especially if the anemia treatments don't help as much as I hope.
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Glad to hear Ophelia is still with you.

We just picked up two male puppies, brothers from the same litter, Brittany Spaniels. Those of you on FB already know that, but since you asked! POA, meet liver and white Rafferty ("Raff") and his orange and white brother Finnegan ("Finn"). We also all Finn "Goggles". :-)

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Arriving home after a 3 hour drive from a day of skiing Christmas Day, five "live ones" were in a plastic bag hanging from my door knob. The immediate suspect was my lobsterman neighbor ½-way down the hill on which I live. (Suspicions were accurate and true).

HR
 
Chemo... Would never do it again,it destroys Kidneys very fast and to the point of no return
 
I've been worried about my 14yo lately. She seems to be getting skinny, and her back legs slide out on occasion. She's been affectionate and otherwise normal, but recently started going outside the box. She's on thyroid meds, pepcid, and special food for IBS. I'm hoping a steroid shot can give her some short term relief.
 
Sorry to hear this. Just lost my best friend (our 14 year old golden retriever) exactly one month ago. Do what you can to keep the cat healthy but don't dwell on what you can't control. Make the cat happier every day than it was the day before. Good luck.
 
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