I'm a regular participant on the Strays and Ferals forum, and this is my first time posting here.
My 15 year-old cat, Chablis, has had hyperthyroidism and on again off again kidney issues for about 4 years. Two years ago his labs indicated middle stage CRF, but then a year later, his labs were normal. The past week he's been more lethargic and isolative, dehydrated, and lacking appetite. I started giving him SubQ fluids daily since last Thursday and he seemed to perk up a bit. He's been eating only tuna and Greenie treats. I took him to the vet yesterday and his Creatine is 6.6 and BUN 118mg, which indicates stage 4 kidney failure. The vet gave me the option to euthanize him or have him hospitalized for IV fluids. I don't want to hospitalize him because I don't want to traumatize him with the separation and put him through that-I went through that with another cat who had kidney failure and it did not work out well and I have a lot of guilt about his last days in the hospital. I also didn't feel it was the right day to euthanize him because he was still eating a bit, sitting at the window, and laying beside me on the bed so I didn't think he'd given up yet. So I decided to continue giving him SubQ fluids and start Azodyl to give him some more time and see if by chance he would bounce back from this. Today he's not wanting to eat much except a few bites of Greenies. I bought some baby food and will try to entice him with that later. I guess if he stops eating on his own, that's the sign that's it's time to euthanize him? The vet said that he might have a few more weeks. I hope I made the right decision not euthanizing him yesterday and I hope I know when the time will be right. I don't suppose cats ever just pass peacefully on their own with kidney failure? Has anyone else cat a cat with such a high Creatine level who survived for months afterwards?
My 15 year-old cat, Chablis, has had hyperthyroidism and on again off again kidney issues for about 4 years. Two years ago his labs indicated middle stage CRF, but then a year later, his labs were normal. The past week he's been more lethargic and isolative, dehydrated, and lacking appetite. I started giving him SubQ fluids daily since last Thursday and he seemed to perk up a bit. He's been eating only tuna and Greenie treats. I took him to the vet yesterday and his Creatine is 6.6 and BUN 118mg, which indicates stage 4 kidney failure. The vet gave me the option to euthanize him or have him hospitalized for IV fluids. I don't want to hospitalize him because I don't want to traumatize him with the separation and put him through that-I went through that with another cat who had kidney failure and it did not work out well and I have a lot of guilt about his last days in the hospital. I also didn't feel it was the right day to euthanize him because he was still eating a bit, sitting at the window, and laying beside me on the bed so I didn't think he'd given up yet. So I decided to continue giving him SubQ fluids and start Azodyl to give him some more time and see if by chance he would bounce back from this. Today he's not wanting to eat much except a few bites of Greenies. I bought some baby food and will try to entice him with that later. I guess if he stops eating on his own, that's the sign that's it's time to euthanize him? The vet said that he might have a few more weeks. I hope I made the right decision not euthanizing him yesterday and I hope I know when the time will be right. I don't suppose cats ever just pass peacefully on their own with kidney failure? Has anyone else cat a cat with such a high Creatine level who survived for months afterwards?