kidney disease in my cat, help please

[wobble]

my poor cat has been diagnosed with kidney problems....
... the vet says it needs to stay in the hospital for 3 days on a drip... he is there now, just gone into the hospital today.
can you tell me will he be okay?

he was eating less for the last couple of weeks, but i blame myself, i thought he was just being picky.... and some loss of weight i thought was worms...
the vet says there are no medicines he needs, just a drip... any suggestions.../?
help :confused::(

[LJohnson]

Kidney problems are common in older cats. I myself had a cat with kidney problems. If it is just the early stages then fluids should be enough to flush the kidneys through and get the cat re-hydrated. Fluid therapy is a good supportive treatment and most if not all cats respond well to being on them.
For the long term, there are special veterinary diets that are designed for kidney disease. It is definitely worth asking your vet about it.
I'm a veterinary nurse not a vet but this is from my experience of nursing cats with kidney disease and living with my own cat who lived with it for many years.
I hope that this is of help and that your cat is ok.

[wobble]

oh, thanks so much for your fast answer, that was very helpful.
Ok, I will ask my vet about a special diet, I hope my cat will eat it as he is so picky!
I am so worried it was something I have done which gave him the kidney problem, maybe i could have prevented it....?
But I do hope he can live for a few years more also, we are so attached to each other, we are such friends! :)

[DancesWithCats]

I am not a vet, just a humble assistant.

At the feline-only clinic where I work, we have dozens and dozens of patients with kidney disease. Two of my own cats have it, in fact. It's one of the most common chronic conditions we see in older cats.

For our patients with more advanced kidney disease, they come in 2-3 times per week for subcutaneous fluids (not an IV drip) or their owners do it at home. It's a simple procedure. We recommend that they eat canned food which has been modified for cats with renal disease, or the dry version if they just won't eat canned. (We sell Science Diet products, so that's what my cats get: Science Diet k/d.) There are other brands, too. When they develop gastrointestinal problems that cause them to vomit frequently, we usually recommend 1/4 tablet of Pepcid (famotidine) a day to help curtail the barfs. :) You absolutely should NOT give this to your cat unless your vet says you should do so.

We have had patients with kidney disease who have lived to be 18 years or even older. They can have long happy lives, you just need to make sure you're feeding them the appropriate diet, giving them fluids when prescribed, and give them access to lots of fresh water--oh, and visit the vet at least twice a year so they can recheck the cat's chemistry panel, CBC, urinalysis, etc.

Good luck with your kitty!

[bigdog]

Hi Wobble,
good luck with your kitty.
I would 100% agree with what the other members have said, its all about Fluids+ the prescription diet, these can extend your cats life 3x at least, compared to not using these.

Dont blame yourself, its nothing you did, these things just happen and are very common in cats.

I have quoted the below from a great FAB worksheet on Chronic Renal Failure (http://www.fabcats.org/owners/kidney/crf.html) in cats, which I suggest you read.....

What causes chronic renal failure?

Chronic renal failure occurs where there is long-standing, irreversible damage to the kidneys that impairs their ability to filter and remove waste products from the blood. In most cases where chronic renal failure is diagnosed, the exact cause of the disease is unknown.

How common is chronic renal failure?

Chronic renal failure can occur in cats of any age, but is most commonly seen in middle to old-aged cats, and it becomes increasingly common with age. It has been estimated that around one in five cats over 15 years of age has renal failure. In general, chronic renal failure is seen about three times more frequently in cats than it is in dogs.

On a personal note, I sometimes use Azodyl (http://www.vetoquinolusa.com/pages/pro_azodyl.html) which is meant to help reduce the amount of nitrogenous waste products in the blood... but its of minor help compared to the fluid and diets.

[LJohnson]

If you find your cat is very finnicky with food then there are lots of options. First of all it is ideal if the cat is on a wet diet. This helps to increase water intake which is very important in kidney disease. There are about three companies that offer specific feline kidney diets. They are Hills prescription k/d, Royal Canin renal and Eukanuba do a kidney diet too. This should give you a few options to try your cat on! If you decide to try and make a home-made diet then it is worth discussing it with your vet as it needs to be low protein.
The other method is trying to warm it slightly before feeding, cats seem to enjoy this! Or I have even tried just mixing it with a very small amount of juice from a tin of tuna! You just have to ensure that the tuna was in spring water not brine.
I hope you cat is feeling better on the fluids!

[wobble]

thanks people for all your support, its been invaluable....
... yes, my cat is feeling much better now and is eating better.... still at the hospital... they want to repeat a test before he goes home...
... i will give you an update once he is back at home!
thanks so much....im glad to hear that there is more than one option with the diet..... :)