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Old December 13th, 2011, 09:49 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Location: Calgary, AB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sojuorn View Post
What questions should I ask? what do I need to know? Is it really this hopeless?
Can you get a copy of the lab results, including the urine specific gravity? That can help determine how advanced the renal insufficiency is, as well as give you some ideas of where to go from here. For instance, potassium supplementation, phosphorus binders, calcitriol, probiotics, B vitamins, subQ fluids at home, slippery elm bark, etc, are various "tools" in the CRF arsenal that can help keep this disease at bay. A couple of really good sites to read are here:

http://www.felinecrf.org/
http://www.felinecrf.com/


Quote:
Originally Posted by sojuorn View Post
Is 3-day IV treatment common? Is it helpful?
Yes and yes. IV fluids can really help "flush" the build-up of toxins out and help the cat to feel better, which will also hopefully perk up the kitty's appetite.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sojuorn View Post
also, are there different levels of CRF? how do I know where my cat is?
There are different "stages" based on the lab results. Here is a link explaining them, although the values may be different depending on where you live: http://www.felinecrf.org/how_bad_is_...ow_bad_numbers

I wouldn't focus solely on the numbers though. There are many factors to this disease and it's important to view the cat as a whole, which includes how they're feeling and behaving and their quality of life. I'm sorry you and your cat are going through this! Cats can and do live quite a while with CRF.
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