Hi there,
I'm hoping I can find, I don't know, some reassurance I guess? Sorry for this being so long.
My dearest, sweetest Arlo was diagnosed with kidney failure on Monday. The vet gave him some fluids that day before we even got the test results back because he was dehydrated I guess. When his numbers came back the vet told me they "weren't horrible." I noticed an improvement in Arlo this Monday. He ate more and seemed a bit more alert.
The vet asked me to come in on Tuesday so we could start doing subcutaneous fluids on him. We went in, I learned what I had to do and we went home. Arlo ate a bit less this day but didn't really seem worse.
On Wednesday I game him his fluids and that seemed to go well. He only ate a few treats that my Mom gave him in the morning, but apparently he really enjoyed them. Later on in the day he hardly ate anything. Then in the late afternoon, early evening I noticed he would get this strange look on his face and his head was cocked a bit forward. This got worse through the evening. He also had some trouble walking. He would walk with what I now know is a stilted gait. He didn't eat or drink anything the rest of the evening. I took him upstairs with me and he had trouble getting comfortable. At one point he peed on the pillow he liked to sleep on on my bed. His chin seemed to be glued to his chest.
After doing some reading I thought maybe it was low potassium. We took him into the vet first thing this morning and I said the same to the vet and he didn't disagree. He gave Arlo one half of a 500mg potassium pill and sent me home with the rest with instructions to give half in the morning and half in the evening, for a total of one pill a day. Also he agreed that I should assist in his feeding, giving him at least an ounce of food today. We went home, I gave him his fluids then 1/2 an ounce of food.
Since then Arlo has peed in his cat bed and what looked like across the floor. He's still not lifting up his head and just seems uncomfortable. I just got off the phone with the vets office and...I don't know what to do. They just reiterated the same instructions and said he's peeing because of the kidney failure.
I guess what I want to know is given the circumstances is this normal? Is it possible for him to get better? I wish had gotten a copy of his numbers, but as I said the vet said they "weren't horrible." I remember one being 27 when the normal range was 29 to 40-something, but I don't remember what this was for. I haven't had much sleep since Monday and it is killing me seeing my baby sick. I don't want to lose him, but I don't want him to suffer and he's a shadow of his former self right now and I know he's not comfortable. I wish there was something more than basically fluids I could do. I've been trying to read on this, but I really don't know where to start. I feel pulled in a million directions.
Is there any hope for my baby? I'm crying right now even asking this question, but I...I just don't know what to do.
Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have!
I'm hoping I can find, I don't know, some reassurance I guess? Sorry for this being so long.
My dearest, sweetest Arlo was diagnosed with kidney failure on Monday. The vet gave him some fluids that day before we even got the test results back because he was dehydrated I guess. When his numbers came back the vet told me they "weren't horrible." I noticed an improvement in Arlo this Monday. He ate more and seemed a bit more alert.
The vet asked me to come in on Tuesday so we could start doing subcutaneous fluids on him. We went in, I learned what I had to do and we went home. Arlo ate a bit less this day but didn't really seem worse.
On Wednesday I game him his fluids and that seemed to go well. He only ate a few treats that my Mom gave him in the morning, but apparently he really enjoyed them. Later on in the day he hardly ate anything. Then in the late afternoon, early evening I noticed he would get this strange look on his face and his head was cocked a bit forward. This got worse through the evening. He also had some trouble walking. He would walk with what I now know is a stilted gait. He didn't eat or drink anything the rest of the evening. I took him upstairs with me and he had trouble getting comfortable. At one point he peed on the pillow he liked to sleep on on my bed. His chin seemed to be glued to his chest.
After doing some reading I thought maybe it was low potassium. We took him into the vet first thing this morning and I said the same to the vet and he didn't disagree. He gave Arlo one half of a 500mg potassium pill and sent me home with the rest with instructions to give half in the morning and half in the evening, for a total of one pill a day. Also he agreed that I should assist in his feeding, giving him at least an ounce of food today. We went home, I gave him his fluids then 1/2 an ounce of food.
Since then Arlo has peed in his cat bed and what looked like across the floor. He's still not lifting up his head and just seems uncomfortable. I just got off the phone with the vets office and...I don't know what to do. They just reiterated the same instructions and said he's peeing because of the kidney failure.
I guess what I want to know is given the circumstances is this normal? Is it possible for him to get better? I wish had gotten a copy of his numbers, but as I said the vet said they "weren't horrible." I remember one being 27 when the normal range was 29 to 40-something, but I don't remember what this was for. I haven't had much sleep since Monday and it is killing me seeing my baby sick. I don't want to lose him, but I don't want him to suffer and he's a shadow of his former self right now and I know he's not comfortable. I wish there was something more than basically fluids I could do. I've been trying to read on this, but I really don't know where to start. I feel pulled in a million directions.
Is there any hope for my baby? I'm crying right now even asking this question, but I...I just don't know what to do.
Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have!
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