Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   I took Jetta to the vet today. She's lost another 1.5 pounds. Her heart murmer is much worse. She's dehydrated but she doesn't want to force fluids because of her heart. I ok'd the bloodwork ($202 but my girl is worth it). Will know more tomorrow. Oh, and she is getting a little senile (her wailing at night sometimes is her being confused). She is 16. She doesn't seem to be in pain but I don't want her to get there. I don't know what to do.

   I'm off to fix dinner and hang out with dad. Will check in later.

   Posted 2 years ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #

2. 

   From the little bit i've been able to read through the tears and knowing what the doctor told me I am not very hopeful. She can't treat with fluids without compromising her heart. We can give her pepcid for her upset tummy. She was playing last night. I'm not ready to lose my girl but I will honor her by not letting her ever suffer and I will be with her to escort her to the bridge WHEN her time comes. I'm taking my aching heart and pounding head to bed.

   Posted 2 years ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #

3. 

   Lainey my Basil died of kidney failure as did Menden. Menden was 18 years old. Basil was 7 years old with feline leukimia. Kidney disease is treatable. Please speak with your vet. This is not a death sentence. The only reason that Basil went so fast was because of the complications due to fe-luk. If she is having trouble there are a variety of medications. Please call and speak with your vet.

   Posted 2 years ago by SoxsMom #

4. 

   Thanks, SM. She is going to call me tomorrow. She said what you just said but with the caveat that Jetta's heart is not in good shape and it will be a balancing act to treat the kidneys and not send her into heart failure. I'm going to remain hopeful. You should've seen her playing last night! Almost like a kitten. Also, I'm in a negative monthly cash flow (borrowing from my HELOC just to pay the bills) so if it's something expensive, I just can't do it. So everyone please say a little prayer for my girl. Thanks

   Posted 2 years ago by Jetta and Boo Boo's Mom #

5. 

   I pray it's good news.

   Posted 2 years ago by Khom #

6. 

   It can be done!

   Posted 2 years ago by SoxsMom #

7. 

   It is indeed a balancing act, but treatable. Lots of prayers for your little girl.

   Posted 2 years ago by JoanfromNewJersey #

8. 

   A big thing is to feed only wet food. No dry food whatsoever - dry food is dehydrating.

   http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfood.html
   http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm

   You want to only feed the lower phosphorus canned food, above there are two lists.

   Posted 2 years ago by furryfriends50 #

9. 

   or you can feed regular senior canned cat food with a cooked chopped up egg white. it is a phosphorus binder also...

   Posted 2 years ago by CSBM #

10. 

    Velvet had CRF but also hyperthyroid. unfortunately it is very difficult to treat both at the same time. Velvet's heart and lungs were very good, so the vet treated for the kidneys and then the thyroid as much as possible. Velvet was 16 years and 8 months when diagnosed with CRF. she died 6 months later.

    Posted 2 years ago by CSBM #

11. 

    Tansey was diagnosed with hyperthyroid and began treatment, but then we discovered she had the early stages of kidney failure and she wasn't tolerating the medication at all. Hubs didn't want to invest a lot of money in trying a variety of medications or approaches (we're on a limited income) so we're letting nature take its course. She was diagnosed at 13. She is now 16. She has a not-so-good day from time to time, but they're rare, and could be her arthritis too, it's hard to tell.

    She still eats (like a HORSE) and drinks lots of water. Output is good (STANKY!). She plays energetically, like a kitten at times, and acts healthy, although she's getting thinner and thinner. Still keeps herself clean. We know we are very fortunate. The only thing is ... she's started to pee where she shouldn't from time to time. From all we can tell, it's "attitude" oriented, and so far, we've been able to deal with it by not leaving attractive targets where she can find them. We can't keep a laundry basket of clean clothes on the floor anymore, and sometimes she even pees on the bed ... but that's rare.

    Posted 2 years ago by Siobhan #

12. 

    I'm sorry to hear about Jetta. Simba went through something similar before I lost him. He was diagnosed with kidney disease about two years before he died. I had to give him fluids a few times a week to keep him hydrated and feed him prescription food. He bounced right back but still needed regular fluids which dwindled down to once per week and kept his diet of prescription food. In March, he passed all his tests with flying colors and I was told to take him off the fluids as all his "levels" were normal, his blood was fine, etc...

    He was fine until June when I took him in to see the vet because he woke up with a swollen paw. He had been slowing down a bit for a couple of weeks but I chalked it up to old age because he passed his physical, was eating well, and going to the bathroom. He wasn't showing an signs of illness.

    But, it turned out he was full of fluid and going into heart failure. He was also going into kidney failure, couldn't receive fluids because of his heart and so on. The X-rays were full of fluid but we saw two masses which the vet also said looked like tumors. The rest goes without saying. It was an awful day and a big surprise because he was given a clean bill of health 3 months before except for a heart murmer which he had his whole life.

    I'm glad I got two more years out of him. Kidney disease is not a death sentence. It's treatable with the proper food and, if need be, giving him the fluids if that's what your vet recommends.

    My heart goes out to you, Lainey.

    Posted 2 years ago by Simbas Mom #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.