Elevated Kidneys In Older Kitty

[weemomma]

I have never dealt with this before and I’m waiting at the vet’s office still for them to get us some meds and a sub-q.

My girl is 12. She had dental work last month and the pre op bloodwork showed an elevated kidney function of 20. I don’t know what the scale is.

Today, after days of dwindling eating, she came back in and now has a kidney function of 27.

We are starting a blood pressure medication to her her kidneys and the doctor didn’t feel that we needed to do sub-q all of the time.

Can this be reversed? Will the numbers keep climbing?

I was told today that the dental surgery could also be having a lingering effect on her kidney count as her body deals with the junk that was in the diseased teeth.

We’re not talking special diets or anything like that. We’re going to give it 3 months on this medication to see if it makes a difference at all. I feel like the medication is a precaution more than anything and it’s not “too” serious yet.

I’m devastated. She’s my baby and I know she’s getting old, but losing her is something I’m not prepared for at all.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

I'm not experienced in this, but are you familiar with this? There is a support group as well ;
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

 

[weemomma]

Hi!

I'm not experienced in this, but are you familiar with this? There is a support group as well ;
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

Yes, I discovered this while still at the vet's office.

I'm beside myself this evening. She decided to not sleep with me, as usual. She's curled up in the other room. She's also not eating still. I'm hoping this is a trend soon reversed.

 

[Furballsmom]

Have you tried reddi whip?

 

[weemomma]

Well, around midnight, she decided to forgive me. She curled up in bed with me and we snuggled for the rest of the night. She also ate her nightly 1/3 cup of kibble. She likes the probiotic she was given and the Cerenia has definitely made her tummy settle.

This morning she got her first blood pressure pill but she was back to being grumpy. I’m sure that she’s sore from the blood work and the subq.

I’m hoping to see another 1/3 cup of kibble gone by the time I get off work!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Have you had a chance to try pouch foods with the increased gravy they have?

Flat paper plates? These often will get a cat eating.

I meant to mention, the food enticement suggestions you're receiving aren't just long-shot guesses, they're tried and true methods that have gotten many cats to eat again.

Even if you don't want to run the risk of increased tummy upset with different foods you can choose bland items like pureed unseasoned baby food or Pedialyte.
Considering that you might even be looking at the possibility of more invasive feeding methods, you aren't losing anything by trying any of these other more simple methods, and you have everything to gain

In case something might help;

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members

Also here is a compilation of things;

Try feeding in different locations - and utilize different heights. For example put a couple of books underneath the dish, next time use two thick phone books, or a small-ish box so the heights are varied....

Try sitting with her and scoop some food on your finger or a spoon and hopefully your kitty will lick it. Or gently tuck some food inside the cheek.

Try some raw egg yolk. Egg white must always be cooked, and some people cook the white and make a slurry of sorts by adding in the raw yolk.

Also you could try some Nutri-cal or similar product.

Try making these recipes - they're just as viable for an adult cat as for kittens;
Kitten-Rescue.com

These below can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave.

Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored (pureed) baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up, lettuce, applesauce, mashed chickpeas, black olives
• whipped topping such as reddiwhip
• dry pasta

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables, Only Natural Pet, Primal

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese, string cheese

 

[Jem]

We are starting a blood pressure medication to her her kidneys and the doctor didn’t feel that we needed to do sub-q all of the time.

When my kitty had CKD, the subQ fluids were key to keeping him eating. It flushes the toxin build up that cause the nausea and lack of appetite and dehydration, because the kidneys loose function over time to do so. Most kidney cats can't drink enough water to maintain the amount needed to keep the kidneys flushed and to keep up with the amount they pee, making them dehydrated.
At first, we only had to do it a few times, but over time it was a daily dose.

Can this be reversed? Will the numbers keep climbing?

Unfortunately, CKD can't be reversed, but you can get his numbers under control and stable with treatment, however, with time the kidneys will continue to lose function and treatment will need to be adjusted accordingly to keep kitty stable and eating.

We’re not talking special diets or anything like that. We’re going to give it 3 months on this medication to see if it makes a difference at all. I feel like the medication is a precaution more than anything and it’s not “too” serious yet.

Although a special diet has not been recommended by the vet (I assume you mean prescription), I would still recommend you start looking for low phosphorus food options, and several flavors and textures of these foods to rotate thru for your kitty. In the beginning they thought that protein was the enemy for CKD but new research is showing that phosphorus is the bigger issue with CKD. So you want to try and find a good quality protein food with low phosphorus.
Sometimes you can tempt a not eating kitty by offering something different. CKD kitties are prone to feeling unwell and losing their appetite, but they also tend to associate their feeling of unwell to the food they ate, so they will refuse to eat something today that they ate yesterday. But by offering a different smelling food, when kitty is being picky, can sometimes get them to eat. We had 6 different wet foods and 3 different dry foods for my boy, and every meal was different. Also wet food would be better for your kitty at this point as well, they tend to have better ingredients and less fillers that kitty just doesn't need. Not to mention the added moisture for hydration.
Here is a link for you to check out that provides the phosphorus content of several wet food options.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

My kitty was diagnosed when he was in stage 3 (there are 4) kidney failure, and we still managed to keep him going for over 3 years with only the fluids and food changes. He crashed a few times along the way, but that was a sign that we needed to increase his fluids. In the end he did develop congestive heart failure so at that point there wasn't much else we could do then keep him comfortable (treatment for CKD and CHF are opposite and can make the other worse) and try to find a balance.

I have heard of using phosphorus binders for CKD kitties, so you could ask your vet about that.

If you have any other questions for me, don't hesitate to ask, and there are several other members on this site that have had experience with CKD, I'm sure they will be along shortly.

I'm sorry for this new diagnosis for your kitty, CKD is just terrible, but as I said, there are many things that can keep your kitty happy and comfortable for potentially several years to come.

 

[weemomma]

Right now I’m just trying to get her eating. She ate so well last night. Today, she isn’t interested again. I’m trying the paper plate trick and got her to eat some wet food at lunch. I’m sure she’s stressed with all of the vet time and changes that have been taking place.

We are going to try and make it to July before we make any more decisions on the diet. The vet said we’re still in the early stages and her Bun and Creatine were barely elevated. They still boardered on normal. It was the kidney function that was elevated.

I’m hoping once her nausea is handled, she’ll start coming back around!

 

[Furballsmom]

I’m trying the paper plate trick and got her to eat some wet food at lunch.

 

[basschick]

our cat's improvement from sub q fluids was amazing. he went from type 3 to type 2 kidney disease and has stayed there for over 4 years with no kidney-related meds. once we started doing sub q's, he felt better, his appetite was better, nausea was down, and as a bonus was better hydrated. sub q fluids are also the first thing a lot of vets recommend.

did your vet give a reason why he/she didn't recommend them? our old vet - the really good one - said she always preferred to try them before any medications.

btw, did you try alternate flavors this morning? sometimes we try 3 or 4 before hitting the flavor that our picky eater will chow down on.

 

[weemomma]

I don't think the vet wanted to do sub-q's right away because she didn't feel like the levels were high enough to warrant that. The BUN and CREA were the smallest amount elevated. The other indicators were still good. The kidney level itself was the only thing that was high and had gotten higher since the last time. She said that could also be the after effects of the dental work that she had done. They gave her a sub-q yesterday and it does seem to have helped her, however, today she just seems tired and sore from the long vet visit yesterday. I don't blame her.

Her blood levels yesterday were really good in spite of the high kidney level. We're optimistic and decided to wait until she goes back in for her yearly exam and shots in July to retest everything. Of course, if the eating doesn't pick back up, she will go in sooner.

However, I blame myself. I have cried and cried over this for the past 24 hours and I feel like the worst cat mom for letting her down. I know there's nothing that I could have done to prevent this, but I still feel terrible and scared for my baby. I'm mourning a loss that hasn't happened yet. We've been through some scary medical things together in our 12 years as cat and owner, but I know this is a big one. As long as she's bright and active, I'll keep fighting for her.

She ate really well over night. About 1/3 of a cup from midnight to 7am. Today, she's hardly touched anything. She did put on some weight over yesterday, but I know that also might be her fluids that she was given at the vet. I'm hoping that the eating picks back up tonight and stays good.

It's her first day on benazepril. She also has Cerenia on board. The vet said that cerenia (which we have used many times before) is showing more and more benefits of not only decreasing inflammation in the tummy, but inflammation all over the body.

I'm an incredibly impatient person. I want to see instant results and I know that it's probably not going to turn around over night. She's felt crummy for a week and I know I have to wait for her to decide that she's feeling better. We're also waiting on some poops, which might not come for a few more days since her eating has decreased.

We went back to her regular sensitive stomach cat food. It is lower in protein than the other food she was one. We're going to see if we can get the tummy settled down, but I did get some wet foods for her to try. She's not a wet food girl. She never really has been. She'll lick at the gravy and maybe eat a tbsp if she really likes it, but that's about it. Today, we tried Instinct Salmon. She seemed like it was alright. Not a huge favorite.

 

[weemomma]

I do also have to mention that her litter box, despite having no poop at the moment, is relatively dry. This is a huge change as she was flooding it before. I doubt that one vet visit and a small dose of benazepril has had that much effect on it, but it was worth noting.

 

[Furballsmom]

. This is a huge change as she was flooding it before.

Goodness!!

She ate really well over night.

Hang in there - Keep music on, --the app Relax My Cat, and chamomile tea with honey for you. Also there's holy basil for the stress, and L-tryptophan to help with tension, and there is a homeopathic remedy Ignatia Amara under the tongue for the emotions, all natural remedies.

 

[weemomma]

The sounds of kibble crunching is welcome music right now!!! Keep eating, peanut!!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[weemomma]

She finished her entire bowl of kibbles (1/3 cup) and a bit of the wet food. She was also playing in a cardboard box I gave her when I woke up. Hopefully this trend continues!!

 

[Furballsmom]

She finished her entire bowl of kibbles (1/3 cup) and a bit of the wet food. She was also playing in a cardboard box I gave her when I woke up.

oh my goodness, GO BABY!!!

 

[Jem]

 

[weemomma]

She had a really, really good day today. I think since midnight last night to right now (6pm), she has eaten more than her 2/3 cup of food goal! She still has 6 more hours to go too! She peed a little more today than yesterday and we are still waiting for the elusive poop.

I was reading up on her illness and got the bloodwork from the vet just to look at everything again. I feel the slightest bit better that everything is still mild/low moderate. I feel safe knowing that she isn't in immediate danger and that we probably have many more days ahead of us.

I joined the CKD cat board and wrote up a little bit about her. I'm still....a little iffy on it. It's slow to get information and a few people are rather gruff. Not what I really need right now when I'm beating myself up over this entire situation, but if I can gain some information that will help her, I will do whatever it takes.

 

[Furballsmom]

She had a really, really good day today.