Early Stage Kidney Failure in Cat

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by growler

Since her vx she has been eating a little less during the day & @ dinner time, but did eat all her breakfast Friday morning

Duffy also seems a little more lethargic & seems to be a wee bit drooly - I know that can mean several different things (mouth ulcers/teeth/nausea/just plain old age) so I will be keeping an eye on those things, hopefully it is just a mild vaccine reaction.

Okay so I figured out why she was a little lethargic & not wanting to eat......When we came home from that vet visit, I gave her a couple of teaspoons of food but didn't add water to it so now she has decided she likes it better w/out extra water added, therefore wasn't eating much = less energy. Her meals today have had only 1 extra tsp of water, & since she seems to be drinking from the fountain it's okay & I'll just slowly try to add in more water to her food again

As for the "wee bit drooly" - not today so will keep an eye on it

Originally Posted by chico2

that Duffy will improve,with such a caring loving owner,she just has to

Thanks Chico

[growler~GateKeeper]

Duffy is back to eating great including with the normal 4 tsp water added in

Not Drooling today either

She has has 2-3 retching episodes in the last month about one per week but nothing has surfaced so I'm happy she's not bringing anything up therefore no water loss either. Duffy is so not a "hairball thrower" so it is more likely caused by a bit of nausea :sad: likely the drool cause too.

Her better feeling days far far out number the days where she looks a bit under the weather

[Love4himies]

Wahoo Duffy, keep up the eating!

[chico2]

Growler,that's great news that Duffy will continue to do well

[growler~GateKeeper]

An update for those of you following along

Originally Posted by growler

I have noticed some hind end weakness esp when she turns corners. She will still play with & chase the new laser toy & jumps on the bed & also the table to get onto the window sill.

The hind end weakness has not resurfaced since she had several electic machine massages except when alot of chasing the laser toy is goin on....so I'm unsure what was up with that may just have been pronounced muscle pull or hip joint soreness she doesn't appear to be arthritic in any way except for laying down after/during long laser chase session & her careful sit. Neither one really looks as bad as it may sound but you never know w/these cats I may discuss this w/the homeopathic vet later this month - we'll see how that visit goes & I'll update

Originally Posted by growler

She has has 2-3 retching episodes in the last month about one per week but nothing has surfaced so I'm happy she's not bringing anything up therefore no water loss either. Duffy is so not a "hairball thrower" so it is more likely caused by a bit of nausea :sad: likely the drool cause too.

glad to say no more retching & no more drooling (except a tiny bit when she is - that's old age )

[chico2]

Growler I did not realize Duffy was 16 yrs old,not that cats always show their age,but she looks great.
I hope she continues to do well
I was told my Rocky(11yrs old) might be arthritic by my vet,she suggested painmeds,which I declined for now.
He jumps,runs,climbs stairs stairs with no problem,I don't want to give him more pills unless I have too.
to Duffy for continued improvment

[rainbow]

WOO HOO.....sounds like Duffy is doing quite well.

[shredy]

So glad to hear that Duffy is doing well and what a purdy kitty I have to say

[sugarcatmom]

I agree about the purdiness of HRH Duffy, and am also glad that she's doing fine. Go Duffy!!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by chico2

Growler I did not realize Duffy was 16 yrs old,not that cats always show their age,but she looks great.

Yup my BabyCat is 16 years old - the only noticable (to those who know her) outward sign of her age is she now has 9 white whiskers instead of only 1 which she has had all her adult life

Duffy thanks ya'll for the compliments & good wishes =^.^=

[growler~GateKeeper]

For all who are keeping up & those searching for information on CRF - CRF cats quite often have trouble with stomach acid-nausea (some symptoms incl vomiting, drooling, hanging head over dish but not eating/drinking, repeatedly going to the dish but not eating/drinking) that is part of the reason they don't want to eat, in order to counter-act this issue the food & water (when possible) dishes should be raised above the stomach level. This will improve their eating which I have seen in the past 2 days with Duffy .

Above the stomach level can be 2-3 inches off the ground up to 5-6 inches depending on what works best for the cat. This can be done either by placing the dishes on something like a phone book - providing of course the dish is prevented from slipping off, purchasing a dish holder something like this from the pet supply store or making your own.

I currently have Duffy's dish (stainless steel w/removable rubber ring that fits on the bottom - slip proof similar to this) sitting on an upsidedown Wellness 12oz can 12pk case box - it is between 2-3 inches high & has worked wonderfully for Duffy - for the past week or so she has been leaving food in her dish (sometimes even leaving it overnight) & not eating it but would eat a bit if I held the dish up for her - now with the dish sitting on the turned over case box she's licking her bowl clean & asking for more

[Love4himies]

Thanks for the tip, growler, I would never have thought of that!

[chico2]

That is a good idea Growler and makes sense.
With Rocky and Chico I now stay with Rocky until he eats the spoonful with his pill and I have to keep making his food into a mound in the middle,lately Chico wants the same service
He won't eat unless I sit right beside him as if he feels he needs protection,so feedingtime takes at least 30 minutes

[growler~GateKeeper]

The homeopathic vet visit went real well alot of discussion about her overall health & lifestyle, did a physical exam including pressure points along the spine she was fine with all this until he got to the kidney area & she growled, then again but not as much @ the stomach area - her body physically expressing there are definate issues with those two areas, he expressed her anal glands - a depositing place for bodily toxins ~ so everyone reading this should definately have their cat/dogs glands checked next visit & expressed to remove toxins & prevent impaction.

He was impressed with her heart condition since alot of cats with, or who had in Duffy's case, HyperT develop cardiac issues - the HyperT often leading to or having @ the same time CRF.

He also mentioned she has very tense muscles in these energy-blocked areas as well - suggested both physical & needle therapy - something similar to acupuncture - this I will need to wait a bit on - Dec coming up & @ work it's extremely busy (6 day work weeks for the whole month) I can do muscle massages at home I can use some of the techniques taught by the PT I took my Cally to. Releasing the deep muscle tension will also release some of the blocked energy.

Raw feeding was also discussed - something I have been mulling over for about a week - phos levels are lower than the canned she's on now. He is also against the conventional low protein theory as am I, which is one reason I will not switch to the prescription food.

I was given a single dose remedy to start her with then she has 2 supplements to take twice a day crushed in her food plus probiotics.

We are supposed to do a recheck in 3 weeks - of course that puts it in the middle of the busiest work month for me - so I may need to just do a phone consult for then & book for Jan recheck roughly 5-6 weeks later we'll see how it goes

this helps & shows great improvement in her BUN & Creatinine levels

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by growler

she has 2 supplements to take twice a day crushed in her food plus probiotics.

Should have wrote could be crushed in her food or just popped in her throat.

I decided against crushing & just pill popped her it's faster, there's 4 pills per day plus she already needs a liquid probiotic & knowing her she'd refuse to eat anything with non-treat "extras" added in

Pill popping went quite well - she did spit one into my hand @ dinner tonight cuz I dropped it in the "wrong spot", she hates the liquid in her throat more than the pills

[growler~GateKeeper]

A wee update......it's been 4 weeks on supplements & she into the 3rd week on raw food.

After the first week on the supplements she definately felt better than she was before - more perky etc

She loves the raw, started with chicken - easiest to digest 2 weeks of straight chicken & this week added beef so she'll get that 1x per week for a bit then I can maybe up it to 2x. Can add a 3rd meat next week.

The other thing I got her was a Cat Zoom Groom by Kong for a nice massage after dinner, she's always loved being combed but this she LOVES

Speaking of treats if you need to encourage your cat to eat Kitty Kaviar is the thing to try!!! Affectionately known as Kitty Krack it can be put on top of their dinner w/no spacey kitty catnip buzz Duffy has never liked any of the junkfood cat treats but this she LOVES

Recheck appt w/homeopath on the 28th & picking up a refill of supplements, not sure if he will retest her bloodwork but I am curious to see what the results would be after 1 month of holistic supplements & raw food

I'll update after the appt.

[rainbow]

WOO HOO for Duffy .....glad to hear she is doing so well.

[luckypenny]

That's great news Growler! With all you've done, I'm not surprised .

[chico2]

Growler,that is great news,Duffy is certainly getting the royal treatment,the best of the best,but well worth it for a healthy kitty
Also a good learning-experience for the rest of us cat-slaves..

[Love4himies]

I am glad to hear she is feeling better, growler. I am curious about her blood work too.

[hazelrunpack]

WooooHoooooo! You're both doing a great job, growler...you and Duffy both.

Tomorrow is your next homeopathic appt?

[growler~GateKeeper]

Thanks for the praise , the support & the good wishes

I sure hope the treatments are having a positive effect on her numbers but of course there is no guarentee & no way to reverse the damage done :sad:

Yes the homeopath appt is today I'll update after w/what he says & if there are tests those would come back in 2-3 days usually but w/holidays maybe more

[growler~GateKeeper]

So our recheck was great YAY!!

No tests today we've scheduled those for 6 weeks ~ early March ~ that way it will be 3 months on the supplements & raw - that amount of time shows a better view of how it's working. This is also when her reg vet wanted her to be retested.


When he did the pressure points again, he had to press quite hard to get her to react to the point over her kidneys -> this means they are not as bad as before

The pressure points for her stomach/intestine areas also took awhile/more pressure than before for her to growl - the supplements & raw are helping to clear up the sensitivity/digestion issues as well......in fact he said that today it was because she ate too much she not affectionately called "piglet" for nothing

Her heart still sounds great & very strong

Originally Posted by growler

pressure points along the spine she was fine with all this until he got to the kidney area & she growled, then again but not as much @ the stomach area - her body physically expressing there are definate issues with those two areas

He was impressed with her heart condition since alot of cats with, or who had in Duffy's case, HyperT develop cardiac issues - the HyperT often leading to or having @ the same time CRF.

He also mentioned she has very tense muscles in these energy-blocked areas as well - suggested both physical & needle therapy - something similar to acupuncture - this I will need to wait a bit on - Dec coming up & @ work it's extremely busy..............Releasing the deep muscle tension will also release some of the blocked energy.

Originally Posted by growler

The other thing I got her was a Cat Zoom Groom by Kong for a nice massage after dinner, she's always loved being combed but this she LOVES

The zoom groom was suggested by the homeopath @ the 1st appt, he was sold out so I didn't get it there but picked it up @ the local supply store. Dr was very impressed with how well this has help the muscles that were previously very very tense - to the point of recommending needle therapy with the clinic physical therapist. Now he says she doesn't need the intra-muscle therapy. Just keep up with the zoom groom


He also hand scaled her teeth (while she was awake) she behaved very well during that too - no way the reg clinic vet would've gotten the same reaction & she bites & claws me for checking her teeth. A conventional vet will not do this w/out anaethesia & a specific dental appt. It's a shame because so many organs are affected by bad teeth/bacteria in the mouth.

When he did the scaling she had 1 tooth which she reacted to pressure beside by "silent chattering" because it hurt. She has a cavity in that tooth, the question is how deep & how affected is the root/nerve system. She will need xrays to see the extend of damage. This is quite likely the reason she has been a bit drooly the past couple of months :sad: cuz it hurts. With the tarter off her teeth it will help to ease the pressure in the mouth. I know I must start & keep up w/the brushing which I have been lazy about

We will wait to check the kidney values before discussing options with the tooth because putting a CRF cat under anaethesia can be very risky, and we need to make sure the kidneys are stabilized before proceeding.

[hazelrunpack]

Wow! Great news on everything (give or take a tooth )! Mummy is doing a great job!

Does Duffy like to get her teeth brushed? Sure would make it easier if she does!

[growler~GateKeeper]

hehe Duffy would prefer to just lick the toothpaste off my finger, she's so-so about the actual brushing

[hazelrunpack]

At least she doesn't actively attack! I can't imagine how you would brush a totally ballistic cat's teeth against its will.

[rainbow]

Growler, what an amazing mommy you are. All your research has definitely paid off. I'm glad to hear that Duffy's re-check had such good results.

I understand about the teeth brushing though.....mine are the same way and I tend to "forget" to do it. I just read something yesterday that may help. It said to use a Q-Tip instead of a toothbrush for cats as it's not as irritating to them. I haven't done it yet but it might be worth a try.

[growler~GateKeeper]

You can also use a piece of gauze wrapped around the end of your finger.....I think it irritation is most likely the little bristles going everywhere in their tiny mouths that gets them upset.

Will have to be more vigilant about brushing

A good lesson for all cat owners - have your vet check for reaction to the pressure on the tooth/gums and swelling/bleeding gums - it indicates pain/problems. Please be sure to brush your cats' teeth & have them checked regularly. Kidney, heart, liver problems (among others) can be caused by tarter/bacterial build-up in their tiny mouths.

[rainbow]

I'd sooner use a Q-Tip in case they bite.

[chico2]

Growler,sounds like a lot of good news,except for the tooth,you certainly are the best of catmoms
I am dreading Rockys vet-visit,he needs his teeth scaled,but the vet wanted to wait for his Thyroids to be ok:sad:
So far his hyperness(is there such a word)has not improved much,he eats like a piglet,just like Duffy but is not gaining back his weight..:sad:
I have never been able to brush their teeth,especially not Rocky and I am sure it needs doing,so I'll see what the vet says.