Your personal experience with older Cats, kidney disease
woodnative
5 years ago
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Comments (18)
functionthenlook
5 years agofunctionthenlook
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Kidney problems in cats linked to..
Comments (12)This is very interesting. I appreciate you posting it. My previous cat (to the 2 we have now) was lost to a vaccination site sarcoma. Since that time I just about go into major anxiety mode when I have to get a pet vaccinated. Our cats have to be registered and rabies is obviously required, so there's no getting around that. Other than that I had them vaccinated every 3 years when we did the rabies booster, no more often than that. The last time I only had boy shot up for rabies though. He never goes anywhere and was routinely vaccinated until he was 10 or so. I feel in his senior years he doesn't need that stress on his body. Since the girl kitty is sick with kidney disease and hyper-t, the vet wrote her a waiver, so no more vaccinations for her ever. The thing is, it never dawned on me that her kidney disease might have been caused by the combo vaccine. Thinking back, it wasn't too long after she was vaccinated that her health started to dive a bit. She wasn't diagnosed for a little while after that. I think this is a very real possibility for the cause of her CRF. :( I always tell my DH if I ever have another vaccination site sarcoma cat, it will be the last cat I ever own- it was so hard to deal with the first time. It's depressing to me to think that my current kitty's health problems may also be the result of vaccinating. Some days I think I should not own cats anymore. As much as I love them, I feel like I keep failing them. Thanks again for the information. Education and information can only improve within the veterinary industry, I hope....See MoreIs hyperT totally ruled out in my older cat? long, sorry.
Comments (5)I don't think the thyroid is an issue, but I would be concerned about the kidneys. With the BUN and creatinine as high as they are, and the USG as low as it is, I'd be very concerned with CRF, not so much hyperT4. We see decreased USG at 66% kidney function lost; nothing is seen in blood values until 75% of kidney function is lost. Sounds like your girl is somewhere between 66% and 75% kidney function lost. Some things to check: Ultrasound abdomen to take a look at kidney structure especially. Not uncommon to see small fibrotic kidneys. But if the kidneys were enlarged (as with renal lymphoma for example) you'd want to know that for treatment and/or prognosis. Ultrasound could also pick up bladder stones, kidney stones, and other causes of decreased USG if present. Urine culture and sensitivity: not likely to show an infection but wouldn't it be nice if a simple course of antibiotics cured her? Urine protein to creatinine ratio: excess protein in the urine speeds the process of chronic renal failure, but there are many strategies that decrease proteinuria. Blood pressure measurement: another consequence of kidney disease that causes more damage and speeds the process. Also there are medications to control blood pressure. That's what I would recommend for my patients in the same situation....See Morehelp...older cat not eating much
Comments (9)How long ago was the last trip to the vet? A lot can change in a couple of months, or even a couple of days, especially in older animals. Even if bloodwork was completely normal last time, keep in mind that you can lose 66% of kidney function before seeing any changes in the urinalysis, and you lose 75% of kidney function before you start seeing rise in BUN and/or creatinine. So your cat could have been close to renal failure last time bloodwork was done and there is no evidence on bloodwork. Another thought, especially in an older cat, is cancer. Cancer does not show up on bloodwork, it has to be diagnosed by biopsy. IBD cannot be diagnosed on bloodwork either- it is a histological diagnosis. Anyway, there are lots of reasons that even a very sick animal can have completely normal bloodwork. It is not a reflection of bad veterinary care, just a need to do further diagnostics. A trip to the vet is definately warranted. Not likely that the behavior you are describing (not eating, crying a lot) is strictly due to not liking the food. Good luck....See MoreKidney failure--cat
Comments (27)How old is your cat? What brand of food did you feed? Most foods are filled with cheap grains and fillers, grains probably stressed the kidneys over the years and overtime lead to this. Cats are 100% carnivores, the only time they eat plants is to soothe their digestive tracts. Grass,catnip ect. Vets in gen know a lot about how to treat these kinds of issues but sadly because of mass capitalism, ( if you think purely in a $ view point- this makes perfect sense to the makers of the food) The foods they preach to be good are crap ( S/D science diet, and (Iams - a brand that does animal testing BTW). actually cause many of the issues they do services for. Use the prescription food only when you MUST and then switch to raw or grain free canned. Pre made raw Natures variety Bravo Primal canned/dry Innova EVO Instincts wellness grain free,and wellness core ziwi peak Orijen- a dry...See Moreannztoo
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