15yo with end stage kidney disease - I feel like I am torturing him trying to force him to eat

[krystab]

Hi all... I haven't posted in a long time...

I have a 15 year old DSH male that has recently been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. He is VERY anemic and has super high blood pressure that has caused him to lose most of his vision. The vet has put him on blood pressure meds and at the time he was eating just fine (or at least as fine as usual for him). that has now changed... I have to force his medication into him and he will not eat. I can rub some food on his upper lip and make him lick it off but he will not willing eat. I feel like I am torturing him by forcing medication and food into him - he hates it.

he has always been such a spunky, sassy cat. He is super vocal and I could always count on him to scream at me several times a day to get whatever he wants... but barely a peep out of him for the last week. He was a giant cuddle bug and would purr up a storm - now nothing. He just lies on his heating pad and barely moves except to drink water and occasionally use the litter box. he has has a total personality change and not for the better.

I have another call into the vet and am waiting for a call back - but I just don't know what to do. I know the next step would be an appetite stimulant and anti-nauseant but really I don't want to have to force more pills into him. It is torture for him and is making me feel like an awful, horrible person...

I just don't know how far to go with treatment when it really won't fix him... how much is too much???

 

[LTS3]

Ask the vet if a feeding tube would be helpful for your cat's situation. Soupy canned food and liquid medications can be given fuss-free through the tube.

 

[krystab]

I had thought about that... but I guess I just don't see the point in putting him through that when there is no recovering for him. If he was a younger cat in a lower stage of the disease maybe... but he is in Stage 4 and has gone mostly blind due to the high blood pressure. I guess I am just trying to figure out if he has any quality of life left...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I guess when the vet calls back, ask about the feeding tube and if it would be worth it to put him through the procedure to have it inserted - and, if so, will it help prolong his life in any positive way. If you trust your vet, have a heart-to-heart about the pros and cons of all options you have to your avail.

Does he get subQ fluids at all? I thought that most CKD cats ended up needing them to help them feel better. However, in your guy's case with anemia it might not be possible. Does the vet prescribe anything for the anemia? That too can cause lethargy and inappetence.

The link below connects to a page that talks about end stage kidney disease, signs you may see towards the end, the factors to consider when deciding whether to euthanize, and what to expect if you do choose euthanasia. It might be of some help to you since it is truly focused specifically on your little guy's illness. I hope it helps...even a little.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - The Final Hours (felinecrf.org)

 

[krystab]

thanks - I have been through Tanya's site in detail... we did not put him on fluids or anything for the aneamia yet... the first concern was his super high blood pressure. He is EXTREMLY difficult to medicate or do any tests on. It takes 4 vet staff just to get blood out of him and good luck ever trying to look in his mouth - he's not vicious but hates to be restrained (or cat-handled as I call it) and fights like a 500 pound tiger even though he is only 7 pounds...

I guess it just comes down to whether I think he has any quality of life left... I know the medical conditions are causing him to feel crappy - but so is trying to stuff meds and food into him... he is just not the same cat he was and it is killing me to see him like this.

 

[LTS3]

Are the current medications pills or liquids? Have you tried Pill Pockets or something similar for pills? Many medications can be compounded into easier to give forms such as a flavored chew treat or transdermal gel. Ask your vet if these are options for the medications your cat is taking.

 

[gilmargl]

I had 2 cats with kidney disease. I force fed Lucy (she was 15 and also going blind) but, I believe I was told to make sure she ate, to prevent her from losing weight and developing liver disease. I would not put a cat through this torture again. She was euthanized within two weeks of being diagnosed. The other cat, Lily, was younger but always underweight so, perhaps, had less chance of losing more muscle and developing liver disease.

Lily's condition was for many years fairly stable - sometimes we gave her subQ fluids and her condition improved. She would vomit for a few weeks and then stop. We were often at the vets - he wanted to give her teeth a thorough going over (most had already been extracted anyway) but I wanted her general condition to improve before she was given another anesthetic. From this point on her condition deteriorated. There was no more talk of dental work. She was perhaps 16, maybe older, her blood tests did not suggest that she was in the last stages of kidney disease but she was eating very little. Fortunately, I was not told to force feed her and I allowed her to eat anything she fancied. The vet offered her palliative care but refused to give painkillers. I was at the vet's on Thursday but Lily died, in dreadful pain during the night of the following Sunday. Why euthanasia was not suggested on Thursday I'll never know.

I do not wish to be force fed if, and when, the time comes. I could imagine, that for certain medical conditions, a young cat could profit from being force fed and afterwards lead a normal life. But, an elderly cat, in the later stages of a terminal disease, should be allowed to live his last few hours, days or months, as peacefully and pain-free as possible. Don't let the treatment become too much of a strain for either of you.