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Old February 16th, 2011, 04:43 PM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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Advice please about my Crf cat

All this is new to me and I am looking for any info or advice on what I should try. My Persian Peedee who will be 15 in April has renal failure. I took him to the vet yesterday for testing.I had noticed he had lost weight,then going to the bathroom outside letterbox and just looking like he doesn't feel well. The vet gave me the results of his lab work. His BUN was 152 creative 5.5 The vet couldn't believe he is still eating,but he is. She suggested fromatine? For his stomach and kidney diet wet food. She said I would know when it's time to put him asleep. Night time has been rough ,he constantly gets out of bed to get water which his bowl is in my bathroom then comes back and cries for me to lift him back in bed. We do this many times through the night. Needless to say we don't get much sleep. He has starting peeing in my bedroom which he usually would never do. He doesn't have a uti so it must be the Crf causing it. Obviously he doesn't feel well due to this.He still loves to be petted ,he sleeps most of the day. When he urinates it's very clear like water due to his kidneys not functioning. He has lost 3 pounds over the past few years. Sorry I know I have rambled. I will appreciate Any advice and suggestions. Thank you.
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Old February 16th, 2011, 04:54 PM
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Peedee,I have no advice to give you,but please stick around,we have a couple of experts on CRF-cats who,I am sure will give you all the info you need. WELCOME TO OUR FORUM!
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Old February 16th, 2011, 05:11 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Sorry to hear about Peedee's renal issues! We have a member here, growler, who is well versed in everything CRF, so hopefully she'll be around to give you some advice. My almost 18 yr old cat, Aztec, also has renal insufficiency but it's not as bad as Peedee's. All I've really done is tweak his diet a bit and added some Chinese herbs and glandulars to his food.

Did the vet mention anything about giving Peedee subQ fluids at home? It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it, and could help make Peedee feel better.
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Old February 16th, 2011, 05:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
Night time has been rough ,he constantly gets out of bed to get water which his bowl is in my bathroom then comes back and cries for me to lift him back in bed.
Can you put a bowl of water in your bedroom? I have bowls all over the house so my guy never has to go very far to get a drink. Also, perhaps some pet-steps to help Peedee get back into bed would lessen the amount of times he has to wake you up. I got some for my cat because he has really bad arthritis, and although it took him a couple weeks to get used to them, he always uses them now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
He has starting peeing in my bedroom which he usually would never do. He doesn't have a uti so it must be the Crf causing it.
Arthritis is another possibility, since something like 80-90% of cats over 12 have it to some degree. You might not like my suggestion, but I think you should put another litter box in or very near your bedroom. Find a large shallow one, like an under-the-bed storage box. Scoop it several times a day and I doubt you'll have a problem with odours. I have a box just outside my bedroom for Aztec. Sure beats having him pee on the carpets!
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Old February 16th, 2011, 05:31 PM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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Thank you for your input. I do have a water bowl in my bedroom ,it's in the bathroom that's in my room. He has more then one. I did buy a litterbox today to put in my bathroom that's in my bedroom. I have pet stairs to my bed but he still goes to my side of bed and meows until I pick him up and put him back in bed. I do have medicine from the vet for his arthritis. The vet did mention the subq fluids she said it may be an option we could try.
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Old February 16th, 2011, 05:57 PM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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Thank you everyone who has already posted. I appreciate any and all advice.
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Old February 16th, 2011, 09:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
I do have medicine from the vet for his arthritis.
Do you know what the medicine is?

Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
The vet did mention the subq fluids she said it may be an option we could try.
SubQs are probably one of the more crucial aspects of treatment for advanced CRF. This is a great website on how to give a cat fluids: http://weirdstuffwemake.com/weird/st.../catjuice.html
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Old February 16th, 2011, 10:24 PM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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He gets feline joint gel twice a day. I am going to make some calls about the subqs tomorrow.I would prefer he start it at the vets office until I can get comfortable with it. The link had wonderful information on doing it, I am just nervous about doing it. I am sure most people felt the same way at first too. Thank you again for replying.
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Old February 17th, 2011, 01:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
The vet gave me the results of his lab work. His BUN was 152 creative 5.5
Was there a urinanlysis done? If not I would suggest having the urine tested prior to starting fluids.

With numbers like that I would be asking the vet about admitting Peedee for a few days stay at the vet for IV fluids. A couple of days on IV Fluids will drop those numbers significantly so Peedee can be better maintained with (likely daily) subq fluids at home.

Does your vet have round the clock care when patients are admitted and staying overnight? If not I would look at have him transferred to a clinic/ER Hosp that does for the night & then transferring back to your regular vet for monitoring during the day.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
The vet couldn't believe he is still eating,but he is. She suggested fromatine? For his stomach and kidney diet wet food.
How much is he eating, is it consistant from several years ago? or is he not eating very much?

What food are you currently feeding? Brand/Flavour? Canned or Dry?

Famotidine USP is the active ingredient in Pepcid AC, it is commonly prescribed for stomach acid, however you must have the correct dosage from your vet. There are several different types of Pepcid on the market and some have ingredients that are not good for kidney cats as well as some that have twice the famotidine of Pepcid AC which can be harmful.

Some cats especially those with Creatinine over 5 may not do very well on Famotidine as it can cause an increase in vomiting, likely from the kidneys not clearing the excess amounts as efficiently as they should. Ranitidine has good results when cats can't tolerate Famotidine.

You should speak to your vet about using Ranitidine instead. Ranitidine's brand name is Zantac 75, it works in much the same way as Famotidine. My CRF cat was briefly put on Zantac while hospitalized for a protein allergy, her Creatinine at that point was 2.7 so not nearly as high as Peedee, but this was the recommended choice of the ER vets.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IlovemyPeedee View Post
She said I would know when it's time to put him asleep. Night time has been rough ,he constantly gets out of bed to get water which his bowl is in my bathroom then comes back and cries for me to lift him back in bed. We do this many times through the night. Needless to say we don't get much sleep. He has starting peeing in my bedroom which he usually would never do. He doesn't have a uti so it must be the Crf causing it. Obviously he doesn't feel well due to this.He still loves to be petted ,he sleeps most of the day. When he urinates it's very clear like water due to his kidneys not functioning. He has lost 3 pounds over the past few years.
Do you have any other bloodwork results? What else is out of normal range?

It sounds to me like he is feeling too weak/tired to climb the stairs to the bed, not just from the arthritis but likely the effects of not enough of the toxins (BUN/creatinine) being cleared by the kidneys, as well as dehydration.

Several trips to the water bowl/litterbox over a short period of time shows he can't keep hydrated properly, it's time for IV fluid intervention, this is passed the need for subqs at this point. Once you get the numbers down to a more manageable point then subqs.

How much does he weigh now?

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Old February 17th, 2011, 08:49 AM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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I just called the vets office about Iv treatment and they told me they usually do subq's on their kidney cats due to Iv's blowing out their vein. I have an appt at 11 for peedee to get a treatment of subqs. I hope that helps him some,even though it's not an Iv treatment. He did have a urine test this week and it ruled out Uti. His weight has dropped from 10 pounds to 7 pounds. He is eating wet cat food and dry. Lately I noticed it's taking him a day and a half to eat a can that used to be almost finished at one setting. I do see him munching on his dry cat food occasionally. He is drinking lots of water and likes to get in the bathtub where we have a slow drip so he comes up to me with a wet head a lot from hanging out there.he does get in the bed during the day by himself,but if I am in the bed he will meow until either myself or my husband pick him up. Yesterday he hung out on back of couch a lot in the sunshine while I was downstairs. He still likes to be where I am. He has started to where he will get in front of a wall and just stare at it for long periods of time. That is new. I will ask today for a copy of his labs and will post the high ones. I know there was another test the vet said was blood electrolytes and his level was high and was 15. I wrote the name of the medicine you recommended down and will ask for it today. Thanks for so much input.
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Old February 17th, 2011, 09:41 AM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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I called another vet about second opinion. I am bringing peedee's records there after he gets fluids today. The vet I called today for second opinion said she would hospitalized peedee for a few days,but since he is eating and drinking on his own she things the subq's is way to go. She is going to evaluate him at the appt and look over all his labs and give me her total opinion. I hope the subqs today help peedee feel a lil better.
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Old February 17th, 2011, 01:35 PM
IlovemyPeedee IlovemyPeedee is offline
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O.K. Just got home from vet and Peedee had his first subq fluids. He did well during it. He is going to be getting this treatment twice a week and in 2 weeks he will have his labs drawn again to see if the fluids,hills kd can food and the fromadine is making any difference. I have fed him when we got home and he ate it very well.I did get a copy of his lab results
AMY result was 1362. Normal range is 300-1100
BUN 152. Normal range 10-30
CA 12.6 normal is 8-11.8
PHOS 15.1. Normal is 3.4-8.5
CRE 5.5. Normal is 0.3-2.1
GLU 151. Normal is 70-150
CHOL 278 normal between 90-205
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Old February 18th, 2011, 02:11 AM
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I'm surprised the vets you've spoken to are not attempting more aggressive treatments in order to bring those numbers down & help Peedee feel better.

I would suggest making sure that Peedee finishes all his meals, even if you have to dress it up with treats, if he's acting hungry and wants more feed him a bit more. It is so very important for kidney cats to eat consistantly especially since he's already lost weight.

You may wish to ask about Phosphorus Binders in particular you would want an odourless & tasteless Aluminium Hydroxide Phosphorus Binder which can be purchased from the pharmacy - do not get the one that is peppermint flavoured. You also want to make sure that you do not get one that contains Calcium, as Peedee's blood calcium is already too high.

Phos binders will attach to the phos in the food in order to prevent absorbtion of even more phos. This should be given two hours apart from the famotidine as the phos binder may counteract the absorbtion of famotidine.

You may also wish to ask your vet about Azodyl a kidney specific probiotic that helps reduce the BUN & Cre

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