Kidney Disease in cat or something else?

[growler~GateKeeper]

I'm glad to hear you've got a diagnosis nailed down, now you can start on ensuring Mikey is always comfortable.

A little bit more info here on polyarthritis.

The reason it comes on so quickly is being immune mediated means the body's own immune system (which is what protects the body from threats - virus etc) sees the joints/cartilage as a threat that needs to be eliminated, so it starts destroying the cells in the cartilage.

[MnM]

Again the info has been so incredibly helpful.

So far no luck on finding an acupuncturist here in Bangkok for animals, but will continue to search.

This is killing me. Mikey is in so much pain and it's getting worse, not better. I can tell when the pain med starts wearing off because he gets much much much worse. But I can't keep giving it to him because it will destroy his already 'fragile' kidneys. This is like the most impossible choice!

I know the glucosamine (with choindrotin in it) won't take effect for a couple of weeks, but I swear he's deteriorating before my eyes. It's like he went from FLUTD, to Kidney Disease, to Progressive Polyarthritis in two weeks-a perfectly healthy, normal spunky boy, to a diseased, old cat that people are wondering if I'm going to 'put him down'. How is this possible? I just can't understand how this happened so fast.

[chico2]

MnM,so sorry I was hoping he was doing better:sad:

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by MnM

I can tell when the pain med starts wearing off because he gets much much much worse. But I can't keep giving it to him because it will destroy his already 'fragile' kidneys.

Quality of life is an important consideration here, and I'd be inclined to keep giving Metacam if it's helping him feel better. Not every cat that takes it ends up with renal failure, I know of many cats that have been on it for years without a problem. If Metacam is the only option for pain relief and Mikey's pain is profound enough to be affecting how he's living, it might be worth the risk.

[rjesak]

I'm so sorry MnM. Watching Oscar suffer with Asthma has been heartbreaking so I really know what you're going through. I can't offer you any of the extraordinarily helpful advice that others here (like SCM and Growler) can but I wish you and Mikey all the best. I think I agree with SCM that it's worth giving him the Metacam as long as that's giving him quality of life. Best of luck!

[MnM]

Hi all-just to keep you updated. Mikey has rallied a bit yesterday and today. Acting a bit more like his old self, just 'creaky' when he moves sometimes. We go back to vet #1 tomorrow night for a check up and urinalysis to see if the FLUTD is cleared completely (if that's ever what it was).

Here's the crazy part (I wouldn't even write this because I'd be too afraid people would think I was nuts, but my husband confirmed it and he's definitely not paranoid)...the last few days, I have noticed McKinley (Mikey's sister) having the same 'crack' sound in her joints that Mikey has. Not near to the same level as his, but when I can't remember EVER having heard either of my cats' joints make that 'crack' sound, it really becomes significant.

So am I crazy? Paranoid? (please feel free to tell me if you think so!) Here's my new question: could Mikey have caught a virus from the vet's office when we first took him in for the FLUTD? His immune system was at an all time low, and cleanliness/sterility has a different meaning for people here, so animals I can't imagine it's any better. Then could he have transferred the virus/bug to McKinley and because she's healthier it's not impacting her as drastically? Is there something he could 'catch' that would erode his cartilage? I am supposed to get on a plane and leave them for three weeks and I'm now freaked out that as Mikey is slowly/somewhat improving, I'm leaving McKinley to start down the same path. Is there something I can test for before I go? Or is this completely off base? Should I start giving her the Glucosamine too?

I feel like I'm turning into one of those people that becomes obsessed! Sigh.

[hazelrunpack]

Noticing things that are amiss with your pets isn't paranoia, it's being a good pet parent. Even if down the road it turns out to be a false alarm, congratulations on being so in tune with your kitties!

Not having had cats, I can only speak to dogs, but if McKinley is truly Mikey's sis--from the same parents--then it would more likely be something genetic. It is not too unusual for closely related pups to have similar orthopedic problems. Are they from the same litter or was "sister" used in the "adoptive sister" way?

If the same litter, I'd start her on the Glucosamine, as well. Watch her closely for other symptoms and have her checked to confirm the diagnosis. If she does have polyarthritis, at least you won't have to waste any time trying to figure out what it is.

Being from tick country, the first thought we'd have if two of the dogs presented with joint problems at the same time was that we were dealing with anaplasmosis or Lyme's (both tick-borne). If you don't have disease-bearing ticks in Thailand, then that's not the issue here...

that it's nothing. for both Mikey and McKinley!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by MnM

Here's my new question: could Mikey have caught a virus from the vet's office when we first took him in for the FLUTD?

Maybe not from the vet's office, but there is a virus that is at least statistically linked to progressive polyarthritis (a direct link hasn't been proven), called Feline Syncytia-Forming Virus. I mentioned it previously (you might have missed it in all the hubbub): http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....rus#post858975

You could have Mikey and McKinley tested for it (along with FIV and FeLV), but it's quite unlikely that if they do have it, they got from the vet clinic. Transmission is either passed down from the mom (less common), or more typically from prolonged social contact like grooming, but also from bites. How long have you had these kitties and how much of their history do you know? http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/37/9/2848.pdf

Several natural modes of transmission have been suggested for FeFV infec- tion. These include vertical transmission from queen to kitten (4) and salivary transfer, either by the respiratory route (3) or through aggressive behavior such as biting (13, 23).

Could also be something entirely different, such as a hereditary link like Hazelrunpack mentioned, or perhaps diet related. Were you feeding both your cats homemade food, and for how long? Was it properly balanced for all the required nutrients, like taurine and calcium-phosphorus ratio? Was there a particular commercial food that they ate exclusively for extended periods?

Glad to hear that Mikey seems to be feeling better. Hopefully McKinley doesn't come down with anything so serious.

[growler~GateKeeper]

I would go ahead with the glucosamine with McKinley as well, being in the same age range it will help in the long term as well as right now.

If you can get them both in to tomorrow's appt have the vet have a look at McKinley's joint range of motion and mention that you're hearing the same sounds from her.

for the UA results