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Three few weeks ago my cat Katrina (she's small and lost weight so just 7 pounds now and 15 years old) became constipated, I got her through it with an enema, but she remained lethargic, so I took her to the vet 2 weeks ago. She has been drinking a lot of water for many months and does occasionally vomit clear liquid, foam, and hairballs, so I suspect she had kidney problems for awhile. She also has some bad teeth in the back and would sometimes howl while eating or drop some food on the ground. Her BUN was 114, CREA was 7.5, Potassium was 2.8, Phosphorus 10.6, White blood cell count was 18.74, Neutrophils was 16.28, Monocytes 0.75, Plateletcrit 0.87, Red blood cell 7.70. She also had a high blood pressure, I believe the first number was around 180/190 at the vet. They said she was in kidney failure and would need to be hospitalized with aggressive fluid therapy, so I agreed to leave her from Friday morning and didn't pick her up until Monday evening.
After the treatment her BUN came down to 70, CREA to 4.3 and Phosphorus down to 7.3. When I got her back she was still mostly lethargic and wouldn't eat or drink on her own. I tried force feeding her and giving water through a dropper over the next few days. She did vomit a few times, and she didn't seem to want to swallow the food as I had to keep stuffing it back in and much of the water would also drip down her face. I gave her Cyproheptadine a few times from Monday through Wednesday, but saw no improvement in appetite. She wouldn't take more than a few licks of water, and would sometimes just hold her head above the water bowl. She had no interest in eating on her own at all, and would sort of gag or turn her head away if I put any food on a plate in front of her.
I called on Wendesday night and explained there was no improvement. I suggested she might need some teeth extracted as she does have some bad teeth in the back, but the vet wanted to do an ultrasound to check for cancer instead so I agreed and took her back in the next morning, but there was no cancer, they only found a lot of inflammation. After the utlrasound they did another bloodtest and her BUN had risen to 93, her CREA to 7.2, Phosphorus to 15.7, Potassium to 3.0, White blood cell to 24, Hemoglobin to 9.2 Red blood cell count 5.94 Neutrophils 10.54, Lymphocytes 11.60, Monocytes 1.39, Platelets 62, Platelcrit 0.10.
Since the kidney numbers got worse after being home for a few days, the vet wanted to hospitalize her again for another 3 days and said they would give me fluids to give her at home after it's finished this time (they didn't tell me to start giving any fluids yet after her first stay). I mentioned the teeth again but the vet insisted the problem is the kidneys and not the teeth although agreed the teeth are a problem. So I agreed to leave her there for another 3 days, starting last night. The vet updated me today to tell me she is doing "okay" but still not eating and they intend to continue with the IV fluids at the hospital. They've given her a Cerenia injection, KCL injection, and Unsayn injection. They are planning to prescribe me potassium gloconate gel and benazepril after this.
So would it be best to keep her there another 3 days to bring the values down as they wanted, considering she was still lethargic after their original attempt? Or would it be better to ask them to insert a feeding tube and take her home? Is being hospitalized at the vet really so much better for healing than giving fluids at home and doing other home care? I asked the vet this and he said they recover better as it's given through the veins at the hospital and at home it's through the skin, along with some other reasons. I'm open to any other suggestions or ideas on what would be the best course of action? Thanks.
After the treatment her BUN came down to 70, CREA to 4.3 and Phosphorus down to 7.3. When I got her back she was still mostly lethargic and wouldn't eat or drink on her own. I tried force feeding her and giving water through a dropper over the next few days. She did vomit a few times, and she didn't seem to want to swallow the food as I had to keep stuffing it back in and much of the water would also drip down her face. I gave her Cyproheptadine a few times from Monday through Wednesday, but saw no improvement in appetite. She wouldn't take more than a few licks of water, and would sometimes just hold her head above the water bowl. She had no interest in eating on her own at all, and would sort of gag or turn her head away if I put any food on a plate in front of her.
I called on Wendesday night and explained there was no improvement. I suggested she might need some teeth extracted as she does have some bad teeth in the back, but the vet wanted to do an ultrasound to check for cancer instead so I agreed and took her back in the next morning, but there was no cancer, they only found a lot of inflammation. After the utlrasound they did another bloodtest and her BUN had risen to 93, her CREA to 7.2, Phosphorus to 15.7, Potassium to 3.0, White blood cell to 24, Hemoglobin to 9.2 Red blood cell count 5.94 Neutrophils 10.54, Lymphocytes 11.60, Monocytes 1.39, Platelets 62, Platelcrit 0.10.
Since the kidney numbers got worse after being home for a few days, the vet wanted to hospitalize her again for another 3 days and said they would give me fluids to give her at home after it's finished this time (they didn't tell me to start giving any fluids yet after her first stay). I mentioned the teeth again but the vet insisted the problem is the kidneys and not the teeth although agreed the teeth are a problem. So I agreed to leave her there for another 3 days, starting last night. The vet updated me today to tell me she is doing "okay" but still not eating and they intend to continue with the IV fluids at the hospital. They've given her a Cerenia injection, KCL injection, and Unsayn injection. They are planning to prescribe me potassium gloconate gel and benazepril after this.
So would it be best to keep her there another 3 days to bring the values down as they wanted, considering she was still lethargic after their original attempt? Or would it be better to ask them to insert a feeding tube and take her home? Is being hospitalized at the vet really so much better for healing than giving fluids at home and doing other home care? I asked the vet this and he said they recover better as it's given through the veins at the hospital and at home it's through the skin, along with some other reasons. I'm open to any other suggestions or ideas on what would be the best course of action? Thanks.
. That being said, I would probably leave her right where she is for the time being. Your Vet is correct in that having fluids delivered through the vein is much better than under the skin. It can be delivered slower and constantly, thus hydrating the entire body consistantly. 
