Diagnosis of Stage 2 CKD in 3 Year Old Cat

[hillyy13]

Hi, I took my cat for blood tests as he had lost a little bit of weight (also had diarrhoea on and off - however the vet thinks this is related to his allergies)

I have attached the results. After doing some googling it looks like early stage kidney disease to me. The vet wants us to bring a urine sample in (urine sample checked about 6 months ago which was all good)

p.s - my cat has just turned 3, I would be absolutely devastated if he was diagnosed so young.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I am not sure, but this article explains a little;
Cat Blood Test Results Explained – TheCatSite Articles
In the meanwhile you might look into a couple things here, and if you're feeding only kibble, add some wet food to his diet;
Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

 

[LTS3]

Did your vet say anything about possibly kidney disease? If not, call the vet and ask for a full explanation of the blood work results in layman terms and what steps to take (repeat blood work in 3 months, etc) if any. Has your cat had blood work done before? The results can be compared with the current results and you can see if there is any difference.

Be wary of information found online. Unless it's from a reputable veterinary source like a veterinary association or publication, you don't know how accurate the info is.

What do you feed your cat? Blood work reference value ranges were established decades ago, long before raw diets and high protein and other diets were heard of. Elevated values on, say, a raw diet doesn't necessarily mean the cat has kidney disease.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

You are probably thinking possible kidney disease because his SDMA is higher than normal. Yes, this can be an indicator of early kidney disease, but it doesn't always mean that. One of my cats has a higher than normal SDMA and it turned out he had a UTI. Once that was taken care of, his SDMA went back into normal ranges. I'm guessing that's why your Vet wants a urine sample, to check for an infection.

 

[hillyy13]

Hi all, just wanted to update that our beautiful boy has been diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease. He has only just turned 3. We are heartbroken but going to do all we can to make sure he lives the best life he can. I’m going to make a new thread to ask about advice for CKD as I’m completely overwhelmed and don’t even know where to begin

 

[hillyy13]

As I’m sure you can understand I am devastated right now. It’s difficult not to see the worst in something that will never get better.

I was hoping for some advice/reassurance/even just a virtual hug from the community. I love him dearly and will do all I can to give him a good life.

The vet has given me Semintra oral solution which he has taken with his food this evening. He will be going back to the vets on Wednesday for an ultrasound on his kidneys and a blood pressure test.

The vet recommended renal food but he is very fussy and also doesn’t do well on a lot of foods because of his food allergies. I was going to try Thrive chicken with vegetables wet food as this is relatively low in phosphorus. Any recommendations for holistic medicines/foods/treatments would be appreciated.

thank you

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am here to give you that virtual hug you are so desperately needing . I have been in your shoes...three times. And each time, my cats were diagnosed because they were already losing weight and drinking lots of water, which means their kidneys were already very bad. And each one of my furries still lived another three years (plus one didn't even die of the kidney disease)!

I am attaching a link that became my "go to" for everything kidney: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - What is CKD

I would start there. It can be quite overwhelming, but has so much information, including foods listed in order of the amount of phosphorus in it, both wet and dry. Our Vet told us not to worry too much about trying to feed a low phosphorus diet since it's much more important that they EAT. And if you are also dealing with food allergies, it's more important that those don't interfere with his quality of life as well. You can always add phosphorus binders to his food if they are needed rather than change his food.

Is he going in for an ultrasound because he is a persian? I know that breed is susceptible for a genetic issue with their kidneys and this could be why he has it so young Did your Vet mention this?

As far as treatments, I think what you've already started him on is the best thing. That wasn't available to us when we had our last kidney cat but I do know some people here on TCS are now using it on their cats. It isn't a cure, but does seem to prolong the disease. Some cats even get kidney transplants!

 

[fionasmom]

My Jamie was diagnosed with kidney disease at 2 and is still fine at 6....just to give you some hope that this could all turn out. BUN and creatinine were elevated on a routine blood test which lead us to his first ultrasound. Given his young age, I was told to brace myself for polycystic kidney disease, along with a couple of other serious conditions. Nothing suspicious appeared. Vet had good reason to suspect HCM on a separate exam, so we did an ECG. Yes, he has HCM which can affect the kidneys....but I am not saying that your cat has this at all, so don't panic. Cardiologist rules out any connection between the kidney values and the HCM, more than once. He was given no medication for the kidney condition, was given subQ fluids until the cardiologist ruled that out, and was briefly on blood pressure meds and anti clotting meds. He was determined to have too early a case of HCM to continue at this time.....like, save them until you need them. His BP has remained normal, as it always was.

Some vets, including the two specialists we see, will not run SDMA as it is considered to be unreliable, including in humans. As a non-medical professional, I have no personal way to evaluate this, but the 45 minute lectures I got from each vet seemed to boil down to a problem with specificity.

Jamie is not cooperative about his diet; he will eat a tiny bit of prescription dry food, no prescription wet food, and wants fish. Period. We just ran blood a few days ago, no ultrasound, and his numbers were somewhat better. Go figure. Antech still projects that he will have full blown kidney disease within 12 months now, their countdown from the original 24 months, but one of his vets feels that the projection is also unreliable.

 

[Furballsmom]

The website Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat has a ton of information as mentioned above, but I wanted to mention that you'll see a link on the main page for "just diagnosed" which is a distillation of info that you need right now.

Additionally, this page is very helpful;
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Which Foods to Feed, and Which to Avoid

I was going to try Thrive chicken with vegetables wet food as this is relatively low in phosphorus.

There are a couple other foods you may be interested in that have a little lower phosphorus - The Honest Kitchen minced chicken turkey and duck, Weruva Truluxe steak frites with beef and Forza10 Neutraceutic actiwet renal support.

 

[hillyy13]

I am here to give you that virtual hug you are so desperately needing . I have been in your shoes...three times. And each time, my cats were diagnosed because they were already losing weight and drinking lots of water, which means their kidneys were already very bad. And each one of my furries still lived another three years (plus one didn't even die of the kidney disease)!

I am attaching a link that became my "go to" for everything kidney: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - What is CKD

I would start there. It can be quite overwhelming, but has so much information, including foods listed in order of the amount of phosphorus in it, both wet and dry. Our Vet told us not to worry too much about trying to feed a low phosphorus diet since it's much more important that they EAT. And if you are also dealing with food allergies, it's more important that those don't interfere with his quality of life as well. You can always add phosphorus binders to his food if they are needed rather than change his food.

Is he going in for an ultrasound because he is a persian? I know that breed is susceptible for a genetic issue with their kidneys and this could be why he has it so young Did your Vet mention this?

As far as treatments, I think what you've already started him on is the best thing. That wasn't available to us when we had our last kidney cat but I do know some people here on TCS are now using it on their cats. It isn't a cure, but does seem to prolong the disease. Some cats even get kidney transplants!

Thank you for the virtual hug, very needed! It is lovely to have a group of supportive people to chat to on here when you’re feeling a bit rubbish about these things.

It’s strange, my cat isn’t drinking lots of water like most do with CKD. Maybe it’s just in early stages, but I guess the ultrasound will reveal more (although I must admit, I’m not totally sure myself why the vet wants to do it, maybe it is to rule out PKD?)

Next up is looking at a potential diet change - I’ve heard mixed opinions on whether to go low protein or not!

 

[hillyy13]

My Jamie was diagnosed with kidney disease at 2 and is still fine at 6....just to give you some hope that this could all turn out. BUN and creatinine were elevated on a routine blood test which lead us to his first ultrasound. Given his young age, I was told to brace myself for polycystic kidney disease, along with a couple of other serious conditions. Nothing suspicious appeared. Vet had good reason to suspect HCM on a separate exam, so we did an ECG. Yes, he has HCM which can affect the kidneys....but I am not saying that your cat has this at all, so don't panic. Cardiologist rules out any connection between the kidney values and the HCM, more than once. He was given no medication for the kidney condition, was given subQ fluids until the cardiologist ruled that out, and was briefly on blood pressure meds and anti clotting meds. He was determined to have too early a case of HCM to continue at this time.....like, save them until you need them. His BP has remained normal, as it always was.

Some vets, including the two specialists we see, will not run SDMA as it is considered to be unreliable, including in humans. As a non-medical professional, I have no personal way to evaluate this, but the 45 minute lectures I got from each vet seemed to boil down to a problem with specificity.

Jamie is not cooperative about his diet; he will eat a tiny bit of prescription dry food, no prescription wet food, and wants fish. Period. We just ran blood a few days ago, no ultrasound, and his numbers were somewhat better. Go figure. Antech still projects that he will have full blown kidney disease within 12 months now, their countdown from the original 24 months, but one of his vets feels that the projection is also unreliable.

That’s great to hear that Jamie is doing well! When I first heard the diagnosis this morning I really thought it was a death sentence, but upon reading some forums I have hope we can have a good few years with him yet.

Is that what they do the ultrasound for, to check for PKD? The vet said he wanted to do one, along with a blood pressure check, but didn’t really explain why!

 

[Furballsmom]

my cat isn’t drinking lots of water like most do with CKD.

My Poppycat has been drinking a lot of water (and therefore needing several litterboxes), for years, but he wasn't actually diagnosed with CKD until this spring, so not every cat is going to be typical.

I just wanted to mention that you might want to take a look at my post #9 above, there's some good info for you

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My guess IS that your Vet wants to check for PKD since he is a Persian and PKD is genetic in Persians.

As far as low or high protein, the newer way of thinking is that low protein isn't necessary in the early stages of CKD. I am a firm believer that it's the low protein that causes such muscle wasting in kidney cats, but that's just my personal belief. Now if it turns out to be PKD I don't know if diet has any effect at all since it's really a different ballgame altogether. that's something you can ask you Vet and have him explain WHY so that you can understand it. You might read up on how protein effects the kidneys on that website we provided before you discuss it with them. The page that Furballsmom referenced about Food discusses a LOT about food, when and why use a kidney diet, etc, so should be very helpful.

Hang in there. There are a lot of us here who unfortunately have a lot of experience with CKD and will help guide you along

 

[stephanietx]

One of the best things we ever did for my girl when she was diagnosed with kidney disease was to start giving her potassium gluconate (in powder from from Amazon given in tuna juice) and Feline Renal Support by Standard Process (I got it from my chiropractor who's a distributor for SP). When she passed at the age of 16 it wasn't from her kidneys! Those two supplements helped her tremendously and my vet was on board with them. Her numbers actually improved somewhat when on the supplements.

 

[hillyy13]

One of the best things we ever did for my girl when she was diagnosed with kidney disease was to start giving her potassium gluconate (in powder from from Amazon given in tuna juice) and Feline Renal Support by Standard Process (I got it from my chiropractor who's a distributor for SP). When she passed at the age of 16 it wasn't from her kidneys! Those two supplements helped her tremendously and my vet was on board with them. Her numbers actually improved somewhat when on the supplements.

Thank you for this. My boy is currently on Semintra and we have just ordered Kidney Support Gold (herbal supplement). I am unsure on what other things to supplement as I don’t know if giving him lots of different ones is safe/if they could interact with each other.

Wondering if I should order potassium gluconate as per your recommendation (what exactly does it do?) and I’ve also been debating ipakitine (phosphorus binder) as he is currently still on his normal food.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi again, the binder isn't necessarily viable to use until later on. You don't want to decrease the phosphorus he's getting until it's indicated in his blood tests

Hydrate hydrate hydrate, start taking a look through felinecrf, and talk to your vet. If you don't have confidence in him/her, find another because you really need to be a team as much as possible for your kitty.

This may help, if you need it;
Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Thank you for this. My boy is currently on Semintra and we have just ordered Kidney Support Gold (herbal supplement). I am unsure on what other things to supplement as I don’t know if giving him lots of different ones is safe/if they could interact with each other.

Wondering if I should order potassium gluconate as per your recommendation (what exactly does it do?) and I’ve also been debating ipakitine (phosphorus binder) as he is currently still on his normal food.

The Semintra can already cause an increase in potassium, so does potassium gluconate, so definitely discuss with your Vet before doing anything. You don't want to cause too high potassium! And, as already mentioned, you don't want to use phos. binders until needed. Cats do need some phosphorus, and bloodwork will show it it's getting too high.

 

[stephanietx]

As mrsgreenjeens said, check the potassium level with your vet. You want it to be on the high side of normal range. My girl's was mid-range and we added the potassium which really helped her level to go up. That was the only potassium supplement she was on, though.

 

[hillyy13]

Hi guys, I have just got back from dropping Cecil at the vets for his ultrasound. I didn’t get a chance to ask all of the questions but I will make sure I do when I pick him up.

The one thing we did discuss was diet. The vet was adamant he should be on a renal diet, I said about how newer research has suggested It’s more about the phosphorous than the protein, especially for younger cats, and he said he had never heard that before and wanted to see where I had read it!

I’m totally confused now. I’ve seen a few people say they put their cats weight/muscle loss down to the renal diet. With him being so young I’m not sure I want to do this! Help

 

[Furballsmom]

he said he had never heard that before and wanted to see where I had read it!

I'll try to find research about it, although some of what I'm seeing says it's "controversial", and there's a tipping point in the illness where too much protein can have a negative effect.

That said, you might want to take a look at Weruva, they have a couple varieties such as their steak frites that are lower in phos, and a new line coming soon called Weruva WX which is nutritionally complete except for even lower phos (so they have to state it's not nutritionally complete in order to be able to sell it).