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Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
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klingklang77
kraftwerk!
Member since 7/06 11487 total posts
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Völlig losgelöst
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
Posted by NervousNell
I'm very sorry for your loss. I've lost several cats and I know it's just terrible.
We recently took in my FIL's cat- he had to go to nursing home.
She was a stunning Himalayan... she was estimated to be about 18-20 years old.
We only had her for 8 months and she died peacefully in her sleep one night. My daughter (and I) were devastated though... in that short time we had grown very attached to her.
Can I ask what your cat's symptoms of kidney failure were?
I have another cat who is getting up there in age- about 12 years old- and she has been losing a lot of weight- we took her to the vet in Nov and she was found to have an overactive thyroid- started meds. But since then she has lost 2 more pounds.
She is concerningly thin- the vet said she is now anemic and gave us some meds for that.
They never mentioned creatine levels though or kidney issues.
I'm very concerned though.. she's eating fine, not vomiting, but she seems very off.
I wonder if it's kidney failure....
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. They mean a lot.
Nell, I’m sorry for your recent loss.
Now to answer your question with a timeline and symptoms.
My cat started with the weight loss around 2016-2017 I think? I believe she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism then and given meds.
In 2018 she had a seizure, so I took her to the vet. And they changed her med dosage and gave me something for her high blood pressure.
Hyperthyroidism is very tricky to get the meds right. It also disguises a lot of things. Cats don’t usually die from it, but rather it leads to heart problems, liver problems, kidney problems, etc.
Somewhere around 2019, I got the dosage right with a lot of vet visits checking the blood for T4 (for the thyroid). I was also a bit annoying at the vet because my sister has a vet tech background, so she tells me what to ask for before I go. I was only concentrated on the hyperthyroidism at this point, though.
2019-to beginning of 2021, all good with the thyroid and they were just keeping an eye on the blood pressure.
February 2021 they lowered her dose and said the meds were working and things looked good. I was surprised, but she was acting fine, eating, etc.
May 2021 she was not doing so great and sleeping a lot and quite stiff. But still eating, bossing the other cats around, and her normal behavior. She stayed two nights in the hospital and got and IV. After realizing that it could be kidney problems, they started looking into that. They checked the levels then more closely (with blood and urine this time) and monitored her to rule out a kidney infection. It was then diagnosed with kidney disease. I am still kicking myself for not asking for the fluids you do at home then, but they said come back for a follow up and we will decide then. The number wasn’t too bad, and they didn’t seem concerned with waiting a few weeks.
June 2021 I did the follow up and her numbers went up a lot. They told me there was nothing they could really do, but gav me things to keep her comfortable (sub q fluids, medicine for nausea, pain meds if needed).
July I decided because she had become incontinent and couldn’t stand when I brought her to the litter box. There was really nothing more I could do for her. She was also 15 1/2.
Looking back in hindsight, I probably could have been more active with things I read on the internet, but I do believe it was too late at that point.
Here’s the thing that I now realize I should have told them and that was that there was a lot of LARGE urine clumps in the litter boxes when I scooped every day. But Hyperthyroidism makes them drink more, so I thought that was it. I also have two other cats and one of them has been diagnosed with a small kidney stone that needs to be watched, so I increased the water for everyone and gave more wet food.
I think they just run a standard basic test for kidney function and don’t do a full panel until you notice symptoms.
I would bring her to the vet, tell them about the weight loss. Ask for tests to check the creatinine level and the BUN (I think this is through urine) and do a full panel for the thyroid. If they catch it early, you can get YEARS of life with it. The sub q fluids are very easy to administer and it isn’t expensive. I had health insurance for her, so cost wasn’t a factor anyway.
There’s a lot I probably could have been probably more proactive on, but her bloods were ok, so I took the vet’s word on it. I suspect it was probably a problem for longer, but I didn’t know about the BUN level and creatinine level either. I mean I talk to my sister, but it wasn’t that in detail.
Good luck.
Message edited 7/7/2021 7:02:57 PM.
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Posted 7/7/21 7:01 PM  |
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Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
So sorry. I have only lost 1 pet but dreading this one too as it is so hard. 
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| Posted 7/7/21 7:18 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
Posted by klingklang77
Posted by NervousNell
I'm very sorry for your loss. I've lost several cats and I know it's just terrible.
We recently took in my FIL's cat- he had to go to nursing home.
She was a stunning Himalayan... she was estimated to be about 18-20 years old.
We only had her for 8 months and she died peacefully in her sleep one night. My daughter (and I) were devastated though... in that short time we had grown very attached to her.
Can I ask what your cat's symptoms of kidney failure were?
I have another cat who is getting up there in age- about 12 years old- and she has been losing a lot of weight- we took her to the vet in Nov and she was found to have an overactive thyroid- started meds. But since then she has lost 2 more pounds.
She is concerningly thin- the vet said she is now anemic and gave us some meds for that.
They never mentioned creatine levels though or kidney issues.
I'm very concerned though.. she's eating fine, not vomiting, but she seems very off.
I wonder if it's kidney failure....
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. They mean a lot.
Nell, I’m sorry for your recent loss.
Now to answer your question with a timeline and symptoms.
My cat started with the weight loss around 2016-2017 I think? I believe she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism then and given meds.
In 2018 she had a seizure, so I took her to the vet. And they changed her med dosage and gave me something for her high blood pressure.
Hyperthyroidism is very tricky to get the meds right. It also disguises a lot of things. Cats don’t usually die from it, but rather it leads to heart problems, liver problems, kidney problems, etc.
Somewhere around 2019, I got the dosage right with a lot of vet visits checking the blood for T4 (for the thyroid). I was also a bit annoying at the vet because my sister has a vet tech background, so she tells me what to ask for before I go. I was only concentrated on the hyperthyroidism at this point, though.
2019-to beginning of 2021, all good with the thyroid and they were just keeping an eye on the blood pressure.
February 2021 they lowered her dose and said the meds were working and things looked good. I was surprised, but she was acting fine, eating, etc.
May 2021 she was not doing so great and sleeping a lot and quite stiff. But still eating, bossing the other cats around, and her normal behavior. She stayed two nights in the hospital and got and IV. After realizing that it could be kidney problems, they started looking into that. They checked the levels then more closely (with blood and urine this time) and monitored her to rule out a kidney infection. It was then diagnosed with kidney disease. I am still kicking myself for not asking for the fluids you do at home then, but they said come back for a follow up and we will decide then. The number wasn’t too bad, and they didn’t seem concerned with waiting a few weeks.
June 2021 I did the follow up and her numbers went up a lot. They told me there was nothing they could really do, but gav me things to keep her comfortable (sub q fluids, medicine for nausea, pain meds if needed).
July I decided because she had become incontinent and couldn’t stand when I brought her to the litter box. There was really nothing more I could do for her. She was also 15 1/2.
Looking back in hindsight, I probably could have been more active with things I read on the internet, but I do believe it was too late at that point.
Here’s the thing that I now realize I should have told them and that was that there was a lot of LARGE urine clumps in the litter boxes when I scooped every day. But Hyperthyroidism makes them drink more, so I thought that was it. I also have two other cats and one of them has been diagnosed with a small kidney stone that needs to be watched, so I increased the water for everyone and gave more wet food.
I think they just run a standard basic test for kidney function and don’t do a full panel until you notice symptoms.
I would bring her to the vet, tell them about the weight loss. Ask for tests to check the creatinine level and the BUN (I think this is through urine) and do a full panel for the thyroid. If they catch it early, you can get YEARS of life with it. The sub q fluids are very easy to administer and it isn’t expensive. I had health insurance for her, so cost wasn’t a factor anyway.
There’s a lot I probably could have been probably more proactive on, but her bloods were ok, so I took the vet’s word on it. I suspect it was probably a problem for longer, but I didn’t know about the BUN level and creatinine level either. I mean I talk to my sister, but it wasn’t that in detail.
Good luck.
Thank you for sharing all this.
I am thinking of going back and asking them abut the kidney panels etc.
She was just there a few weeks ago and they did more blood work and he examined her and didn't feel any tumors- he said she's so thin that he can pretty much feel everything.
She doesn't seem to have the urinary issues you mentioned though- the large pee clumps in the box. Her main symptom is weight loss.
It's frustrating because I feel like with veterinary medicine it's much less precise than with humans. A lot of process of elimination and guessing. And diagnostic tests are so so expensive too.
Thanks again for sharing.
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| Posted 7/8/21 8:56 AM |
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klingklang77
kraftwerk!
Member since 7/06 11487 total posts
Name:
Völlig losgelöst
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
No worries! I completely understand. The vet should really be concerned with the losing weight thing, though. I found this site to be very, very helpful, even if it was a bit too late. There is a whole bunch of stuff on there, but I chose two relevant links.
Test information
Hyperthroidism
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| Posted 7/8/21 9:31 AM |
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JennP
LIF Adult
Member since 10/06 3986 total posts
Name:
Jenn
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
I don't know anything about any of this but I'm sorry for everyone's recent losses.
The loss of a pet is heartbreaking.
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| Posted 7/8/21 10:46 AM |
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Re: Kidney disease/failure (CKD) and cats
I'm so sorry for your loss.
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| Posted 7/8/21 2:41 PM |
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| Pages: 1 [2] |
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