CRF and Allergy Problem. Need Advice...
 

Hello Everyone,
I am a new member and have been doing some searching and reading of threads regarding CRF/Kidney problems.
I have a two year old boy named Sampson who is a sweetheart of a cat.
He developed a skin problem about four weeks ago.
So, after changing litter and his food to Wellness Grain Free his skin and fur started to look better. Hair started growing back.
Well, we had a heartbreak with another pet...our dog...a Dal/Pointer the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Our beautiful Dottie died suddenly of a heart attack. Died in my arms. A shock to our entire family. Tho she was almost 13...appearance and activity she would have passed for a much younger dog to a stranger.
We are all heartbroken..including Sampson. He adored her.
He seemed to be mourning the loss so we took him to the vet.
His skin condition was much better even with the loss of Dottie. We did blood work and it came back abnormal.
Signs of CRF and appears to be anemic. So, our vet told us to stop with Wellness and use Prescription Diet k/d formula. I hated this because of his skin but she said the Wellness grain free isn't what I should be feeding him.
So, after a couple days of this food and researching I do NOT want to have him eat this k/d food. I can't seem to find any positive words about it.
Also, his skin and hair is showing symptoms again.
My question is...
Is the grain free wellness okay to give him?
I see people have suggested wellness chicken and a few other flavors by wellness.
I tried to read as much as I could but along with my baby being ill I have quite a few medical problems. I became a little overwhelmed searching and reading.
It has been such a sad time for us and I don't think I can handle losing another pet. We have another vet appointment on Dec 19.
Thanks for any advice. It is greatly appreciated.

I should add he was only on the wellness a few weeks but all grain free flavors.
So, I can understand why his bun creatinine levels since he was eating fish flavors.

Should I switch him back to wellness grain free chicken, turkey flavors?

Was there a specific diagnosis for the skin problem?

I would give the Wellness grain free chicken, turkey & beef & chicken flavours a try.

Has Sampson ever had blood work/kidney function tests before? Did the vet do a urinalysis?

Do you have a copy of the abnormal test results & could you post the values both the actual and the reference range for each abnormal item?

There's lots of specific information here on anaemia [url]http://www.felinecrf.org/anaemia.htm[/url]

Grief will certainly bring about drastic changes in our animals, and sometimes when there is one medical issue it may be masking another and only when the 1st issue is treated does the secondary come to light.

Two years is highly unusual for a cat to develop Chronic Renal Failure as it's most often seen in cats over 13. Is there any chance he got into something toxic? Chemicals/Lily plants/anti-freeze/rat bait/onion/garlic/Tylenol etc [I]Very[/I] high kidney numbers would be more indicative of Acute Kidney Failure than CRF which is slower progressing.

Was he injured 4 weeks ago? trauma to the kidney region can sometimes bring on kidney function issues.

Thank you so much for your response growler!! I was able to find a wonderful specialist in Livonia Michigan. His name is Dr. Bloom. We saw him December 20 and he has laid out a step by step treatment plan for Sampson. The doctor was so understanding and caring. He had to contact our original vet THREE times to get sampsons records. He found a few issues with how his care was handled. Basically we HAD a vet who appeared to somewhat care but really just wanted money. My husband went into our original vet to sign a release and the vet said we cared nothing about our cat. Well, needless to say my husband did not end up in jail... He really wanted to knock the guy out. I cannot begin to tell you what the specialist is helping us with. Even creating a special blend of food for allergies and kidney problems. His first goals are to do a step by step process to figure out the allergy along with treating any health problems. His first is possible seasonal or a single flea bite since none of our pets have fleas. Seasonal since we have had to warm of a winter. We go back Jan 20. We have him on wellness. No new hair loss! Hoping his blood work will be better. I will give an update when I know more!

Good to hear you've found a vet willing to work with you to resolve Sampson health issues. Hoping for a good news update :goodvibes: :fingerscr

curly,reading you post made the hair on my neck stand up,your"old"vet sounds just like my old vet,I am so glad you found someone who's first concern is your cat.
I too have found a wonderful vet,who is perfectly happy with what I feed my cats,Wellness is their main food,but I also feed GoNatural and Natural Balance for some variety,I stay away from fish.
Hope your kitty will be ok,our Growler is always a big help..