I'm sure this topic is discussed, but I don't have time to find it.
My 10 yr. old cat was diagnosed with renal failure the 13th of November.
The vet kept him for 8 days and hydrated him. She said if he stopped
eating again, let her know.
I paid around $600 for her to keep him. I told her I could take him home
and give him IV's myself, for I had done this before on my 22 yr old cat.
She kept him anyway and said if he got sick again, I could give him his
IV's. Problem- she charged on the bill $24 for each IV. I cannot even
afford that.
My husband and I are on social security. He still has to work to pay the bills.
Now, my cat has stopped eating again. He has not felt well at all since he
was in the vet hospital. He felt good one day, and the next he started
sneezing. I took him back to vet. and she gave him antibiotics.
He has not felt good since I brought him back except one day.
I guess I need to know if he is just going to lay around the rest of his life
if I can save him or will he ever feel half-way normal?
This vet I'm going to will not let me have a prescription so I can get his
IV's online or something. She has a note up in her office.
Don't know what to do. I could find another vet who isn't that expensive.
But if he isn't ever going to feel good should I try????
We love him very much and hate to see him lying around.
Thanks for any help I can get.
10 YEAR OLD CAT WITH RENAL FAILURE
-
pixielittle
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 7:41 pm
- Location: East Tennessee
Did you vet explain kitty's lab results to you? Generally, we take labs when kitty is admitted, keep for rehydrating on IV fluids and other measures if necessary, then repeat labwork before releasing from the clinic. If the BUN and Creatinine lowered to a safer level, then we feel safe in releasing them from the clinic. Releasing a cat who's BUN, Creatinine or other levels still remain critical, is never a good idea.
IV fluids are not the same as sub-q fluids. IV's require a catheter in place and frequent flushing of a port attached to the catheter, plus replacement bags and strict instructions on the amount to allow to drip at any one time frame. This is NOT easily accomplished at home - problems can be dislodged catheter, edema restricting the flow of fluids, incorrect monitoring of the drip, flow and amount of the fluids given, inability to properly flush the port, the patients' movements must be restricted to avoid problems, etc. Thus, IV fluid therapy at home is hardly recommended.
Sub-q fluids on the other hand, can easily be given at home, since the bag, line are already provided to you, you learn how to set it up correctly and your vet gives you the proper sized needles to use and the amounts of fluids are relatively small compared to ongoing infusions with IV's. There's no reason your vet cannot give you a few bags of fluids, the line set and some needles sent home with you to give fluids to kitty, provided you know how to do it and follow the vet's instructions on how much and how often.
Most fluids are prescriptions, you can't just buy them online, they require certain temperature environments and proper handling, and of course, expiration dates. Unfortunately, they are expensive, but not as expensive as getting this done regularly at the vet because of the added price of administering them. However, 24.00 for administering IV's is a bargain compared to many clinics. Buying seperate fluid bags directly from the vet is even slightly cheaper, the vets generally give you needles for free, considering so many are needed. Your vet should be providing you enough bags of fluids to last a few weeks at a time, depending on the amount your kitty requires - the cost for a bag of fluids and a line set is generaly around 18.00 or so, give or take a couple dollars. Unfortunately, you can't get them for much less than this. It is still cheaper tho, than having the vet administer sub-q fluids at the clinic.
There are other medications that can be given to kitty to alleviate symptoms, such as buffers for the stomach (because acid buildup is a common symptom in renal impaired cats), appetite enhancers to encourage regular eating, pain medications to alleviate any pain if evident. The latest lab results sort of determine to what extent kitty's symptoms may be, or how he's feeling. If the BUN and Creatinine remain critically high, it is always best to manage this in the hospital with continuous IV's to flush the kidneys, plus or minus other medications if necessary (to balance calcium or phosphorus, sodium, etc).
Feed kitty a bland diet if his appetite is reduced, and try to feed canned if possible for the additional moisture. Anything is better than nothing, but I would suggest something bland, or a few cans of Hill's Rx K/D just to tempt him to eat and get back to his regular diet and appetite. Pepcid can help with any gastric upset, but don't go out and buy this on your own, ask your vet for it and she will figure the proper dosage. An appetite enhancer med might help to address his appetite - all of this is usually only temporary to alleviate symptoms until kitty is feeling better and gets back to his normal routine.
The key point here is that his lab results need to be in a fairly normal reference range to determine how his kidneys are functioning and to determine how he is really feeling. If the labs are way off at this point, they MUST be addressed properly in order for him to improve. Fluids are the key, first with continuous fluids in the hospital, then when the labs level off to safe levels, the cat can be managed at home with sub-q fluuids.
It's important that kitty doesn't have gastric upset, or he will not eat - you must keep him eating, so address any of these problems with your vet for meds available if she determines he may need them. It is very important that kitty is well hydrated at all times! This is where daily or every other day sub-q fluids come in.
Tips to encourage appetite: pour tuna juice (tuna in water, not oil), or canned white chicken meat and it's juice over food, or chicken broth. If kitty also happens to have dental disease, put his canned food in a blender with a bit of water and blend to a pudding-like consistency to help him eat better with less dental pain. Pain medication from the vet can also help any dental issues, and to keep him eating.
Kitty has an excellent chance at feeling better and you have a good chance to manage renal failure. There is no cure, but it CAN be managed with fluid therapy, nutrition, and any meds necessary to tackle common problems like gastric upset, etc. Speak to your vet about these options, the sooner you do, the sooner you can get kitty on a plan to get him feeling much better.
Of course you should try. Of course! You need to address the issues of kitty not feeling well - chances are, either his bloodwork values are still too high, he may have gastric upset, he may need better nutritional support, he may have dental pain, or he may have a secondary condition going on (was his thyroid, liver enzymes checked?)
Don't give up, explain in detail to your vet IMMEDIATELY that kitty doesn't seem to be feeling well - she may request a new exam, or may simply prescribe you some pepcid, appetite enhancer, a special temporary diet, etc - remember, any or all of these meds are usually only temporary, used to get him feeling better so he can resume his normal routine and activity, etc. If your vet is not listening to you, get kitty to a more experienced vet immediately! You can't waste time with this because it can be hard to get cats back on a more normal schedule etc if you wait too long. First things first, make sure his last bloodwork was in normal range, and get your vet to give you fluid bags etc to give sub-q fluids at home.
Please keep us updated and hang in there!
IV fluids are not the same as sub-q fluids. IV's require a catheter in place and frequent flushing of a port attached to the catheter, plus replacement bags and strict instructions on the amount to allow to drip at any one time frame. This is NOT easily accomplished at home - problems can be dislodged catheter, edema restricting the flow of fluids, incorrect monitoring of the drip, flow and amount of the fluids given, inability to properly flush the port, the patients' movements must be restricted to avoid problems, etc. Thus, IV fluid therapy at home is hardly recommended.
Sub-q fluids on the other hand, can easily be given at home, since the bag, line are already provided to you, you learn how to set it up correctly and your vet gives you the proper sized needles to use and the amounts of fluids are relatively small compared to ongoing infusions with IV's. There's no reason your vet cannot give you a few bags of fluids, the line set and some needles sent home with you to give fluids to kitty, provided you know how to do it and follow the vet's instructions on how much and how often.
Most fluids are prescriptions, you can't just buy them online, they require certain temperature environments and proper handling, and of course, expiration dates. Unfortunately, they are expensive, but not as expensive as getting this done regularly at the vet because of the added price of administering them. However, 24.00 for administering IV's is a bargain compared to many clinics. Buying seperate fluid bags directly from the vet is even slightly cheaper, the vets generally give you needles for free, considering so many are needed. Your vet should be providing you enough bags of fluids to last a few weeks at a time, depending on the amount your kitty requires - the cost for a bag of fluids and a line set is generaly around 18.00 or so, give or take a couple dollars. Unfortunately, you can't get them for much less than this. It is still cheaper tho, than having the vet administer sub-q fluids at the clinic.
There are other medications that can be given to kitty to alleviate symptoms, such as buffers for the stomach (because acid buildup is a common symptom in renal impaired cats), appetite enhancers to encourage regular eating, pain medications to alleviate any pain if evident. The latest lab results sort of determine to what extent kitty's symptoms may be, or how he's feeling. If the BUN and Creatinine remain critically high, it is always best to manage this in the hospital with continuous IV's to flush the kidneys, plus or minus other medications if necessary (to balance calcium or phosphorus, sodium, etc).
Feed kitty a bland diet if his appetite is reduced, and try to feed canned if possible for the additional moisture. Anything is better than nothing, but I would suggest something bland, or a few cans of Hill's Rx K/D just to tempt him to eat and get back to his regular diet and appetite. Pepcid can help with any gastric upset, but don't go out and buy this on your own, ask your vet for it and she will figure the proper dosage. An appetite enhancer med might help to address his appetite - all of this is usually only temporary to alleviate symptoms until kitty is feeling better and gets back to his normal routine.
The key point here is that his lab results need to be in a fairly normal reference range to determine how his kidneys are functioning and to determine how he is really feeling. If the labs are way off at this point, they MUST be addressed properly in order for him to improve. Fluids are the key, first with continuous fluids in the hospital, then when the labs level off to safe levels, the cat can be managed at home with sub-q fluuids.
It's important that kitty doesn't have gastric upset, or he will not eat - you must keep him eating, so address any of these problems with your vet for meds available if she determines he may need them. It is very important that kitty is well hydrated at all times! This is where daily or every other day sub-q fluids come in.
Tips to encourage appetite: pour tuna juice (tuna in water, not oil), or canned white chicken meat and it's juice over food, or chicken broth. If kitty also happens to have dental disease, put his canned food in a blender with a bit of water and blend to a pudding-like consistency to help him eat better with less dental pain. Pain medication from the vet can also help any dental issues, and to keep him eating.
Kitty has an excellent chance at feeling better and you have a good chance to manage renal failure. There is no cure, but it CAN be managed with fluid therapy, nutrition, and any meds necessary to tackle common problems like gastric upset, etc. Speak to your vet about these options, the sooner you do, the sooner you can get kitty on a plan to get him feeling much better.
Of course you should try. Of course! You need to address the issues of kitty not feeling well - chances are, either his bloodwork values are still too high, he may have gastric upset, he may need better nutritional support, he may have dental pain, or he may have a secondary condition going on (was his thyroid, liver enzymes checked?)
Don't give up, explain in detail to your vet IMMEDIATELY that kitty doesn't seem to be feeling well - she may request a new exam, or may simply prescribe you some pepcid, appetite enhancer, a special temporary diet, etc - remember, any or all of these meds are usually only temporary, used to get him feeling better so he can resume his normal routine and activity, etc. If your vet is not listening to you, get kitty to a more experienced vet immediately! You can't waste time with this because it can be hard to get cats back on a more normal schedule etc if you wait too long. First things first, make sure his last bloodwork was in normal range, and get your vet to give you fluid bags etc to give sub-q fluids at home.
Please keep us updated and hang in there!
..........Traci