finding the best care/food for 18 year old cat with stage 2 kidney disease/digestion problem

joeya94

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I've been feeding my cat, Vanilla, the Hill's brand chicken pate k/d formula.
He's been eating this since the top of this year and has had normal digestion.
Recently he's been having bad diarrhea about once or twice a week.
The diarrhea appears dark and tarry which I read may suggest some type problem within the GI or even internal bleeding.
However my cat has always been the runt of the litter and is extremely thin, I'm worried :(
He has normal cat behavior, (outside of when he has active diarrhea) remains agile, runs and jumps around, shows strength/resistance when given subcutaneous fluids, and has appetite.
But I just don't know what to feed a cat with all these specific problems facing him.
I know it's bad to constantly change their diets as I've been bouncing between the k/d formula and human baby food.
Any professional or experienced advice anyone can share on maybe what to feed my cat and other things to make him as comfortable as possible?
Thanks
 

abyeb

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I would advise you to take him to the vet. Since the diarrhea is a new occurrence, and he has been eating the same food for a while without issues, I don't think it would be a nutritional issue. I think it sounds like something medical. So, I definitely think that you need to check in with a vet, to see what is causing the diarrhea. Then, you can also ask your vet if there's another food that they would recommend. But I think that stopping the diarrhea would be the first priority.
 

FeebysOwner

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It does seem odd that the diarrhea is intermittent, but getting it checked out is a good idea given his age. Is there any correlation to a specific food he is eating when the diarrhea happens - assuming you are feeding him more than one type? Oddly enough, food intolerances can happen at any time, and seem to be more common in older cats. And, it could even be the baby food. I tried that with Feeby, and while she did have some slightly loose stool from it, she also threw it up.

To start off with, you could take a sample of the diarrhea to the vet first - that is, if your vet will accept samples for testing. Just scoop it right out of the litter box, bag it, and you can even refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before getting it to the vet if need be. They can check for parasites, bacterial/fungal infections, and confirm there is blood in it. This type of testing would be a full fecal PCR test. It is just a 'time buyer' before I am sure the vet will want to see him after the results are back.

I am hoping some of our members who have first hand experience in treating their CKD kitties will soon see your post and offer some ideas as well!
 

jen

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Have you had the blood work checked again since he has been on the k/d food for a year? Are the levels stable/consistant or worse now? Definitely have him checked out. The vet can get B12 shot on board, something for the diarrhea like metronidazole, just keep the cat eating, whatever it is and stick with the fluids. If he is eating the k/d food stick with it unless you want to do some reasearch on other foods because they need to be low in phosphorus. You can ad water to the canned food too to increase the water intake even more.
 
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joeya94

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Wow you guys are awesome thanks for your responses! I will be responding to everyones posts after I give some background of whats been going on. I'll be more active with this post from now on.
So Vanilla is a 18 year old runt of the litter kitty whose had stage 2 kidney disease for a few years now. In September he had a

Hypovolemia episode where I woke up and my apartment was covered with dark diarrhea. I rushed him to the Vet and they basically realized how dehydrated he was, and couldn't get a heart rate so just suggested me to put him down considering his age & stage 2 kidney disease. Thankfully I didn't agree to give up on him and took him home where my family and I just provided all the love and attention we could. I even took him to another Vet for a 2nd opinion. At the 2nd vet I got a full detailed blood test which revealed all normal levels for a cat with stage 2 kidney disease so I spent around ~$1000 just for both vets to not be able to diagnose what was going on with him. Since then I've been giving him consistent subcutaneous fluids. During his recovery I got to see him when he was very miserable, showing signs of dying. Within 1-3 weeks he began improving and made almost a full recovery.

As far as his digestion, he was showing signs of improvement. His stool finally hardened up; however there appears to still be blood in it. His behavior is strange, he's always nagging my family and I to feed him CONSTANTLY and he's been eating ALOT. Usually he only nags to be fed his portion then is cool so this isn't very like him. So I've been feeding him as much as he demands since he dropped down weight and like I've mentioned he's always been the tiny runt of the litter. He went from 6.5lbs in 2018 to 4lbs when things got really bad this summer, and now he's walking around at ~5lbs (haven't checked his weight for a month now so maybe more) so we're definitely encouraging him to eat.

Besides that hes still athletic,(running, jumping) has sharp senses, & remains social - interacts with the other cat & family, responds to us calling his name(his hearing is declining a bit). Most recently about 2 days ago I noticed him struggling with constipation. I checked his gums which were kinda sticky, a little slippery, but he appeared to be dehydrated. I've increased the amount of Subcu I've been giving him (not too much not trying to drown my little guy) but definitely being more consistent with that. He seems to be getting past his constipation. An hour ago he just squeezed out a hard turd (nasty description here) but coated with like mucus-bloody like fluids.
I've been feeding him Tiki's brand chicken formula the stuff I give to my younger,healthier cat. Very good ingredients, however I've read that high protein foods can be problematic for cats with kidney disease, calling the Vet tomorrow and getting their opinion on that. However I agree with abyeb abyeb I think this is not a dietary thing but an internal thing.

I just don't understand internal bleeding in a Cat. Also I've spent $1000 on Vanilla since all this happened and these Vets... I just don't trust them. The first Vet that gave him his dental earlier this year instantly strongly suggested I euthanize him because they couldn't get a heart rate. I came to find out it's common knowledge when a cat is in Hypolvemic shock you can't track their heart rate and you have to give them fluids and some time, basic protocol. Also they made me sign some waiver saying I was going against medical advice for not putting him down?? I took him home and he got better in 1 week those assholes! The 2nd vet charged me $500 for some nausea medicine & a "more detailed blood test" & THEY DIDN'T EVEN EXAMINE HIS FECAL MATTER WHEN HE WAS LITERALLY DIARRHEA ALL OVER HIS FUR!!! These Vets are the most popular, highest reviewed Vets local to me and I just can't really afford to be spending thousands on my cat who already is 18 for them to either tell me they can't diagnose what's causing his problems, or that he needs surgery which he probably wouldn't even survive given his condition, weight, and age. Also he had a dental earlier this year so anesthesia for a second time in 1 year is completely not the move I would imagine. Basically my family and I agreed that if he got to a state where he was miserable and dropping weight again, and hiding showing signs of dying, that we would euthanize him. Until then I want to give him the most comfortable life I can.
 
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joeya94

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I would advise you to take him to the vet. Since the diarrhea is a new occurrence, and he has been eating the same food for a while without issues, I don't think it would be a nutritional issue. I think it sounds like something medical. So, I definitely think that you need to check in with a vet, to see what is causing the diarrhea. Then, you can also ask your vet if there's another food that they would recommend. But I think that stopping the diarrhea would be the first priority.
Yeah I took him to 2 vets prior to posting this, dropped a bag just for them to tell me "we can't get his heart rate (errr derrr I'm a licensed vet and don't even understand how hypovolemic shock works in animals just kill ur beloved pet derrr" , "based on his full detailed blood work here, he has all normal levels for a cat with stage 2 kidney disease", "we may need to do this test on him which will run you another x amount of hundred dollars".

So I really don't know about these vets, I'll be calling them Monday
 
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joeya94

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It does seem odd that the diarrhea is intermittent, but getting it checked out is a good idea given his age. Is there any correlation to a specific food he is eating when the diarrhea happens - assuming you are feeding him more than one type? Oddly enough, food intolerances can happen at any time, and seem to be more common in older cats. And, it could even be the baby food. I tried that with Feeby, and while she did have some slightly loose stool from it, she also threw it up.

To start off with, you could take a sample of the diarrhea to the vet first - that is, if your vet will accept samples for testing. Just scoop it right out of the litter box, bag it, and you can even refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before getting it to the vet if need be. They can check for parasites, bacterial/fungal infections, and confirm there is blood in it. This type of testing would be a full fecal PCR test. It is just a 'time buyer' before I am sure the vet will want to see him after the results are back.

I am hoping some of our members who have first hand experience in treating their CKD kitties will soon see your post and offer some ideas as well!
Yeah I'll talk to the vet on Monday about getting his poop checked, I don't understand why the 2nd Vet didn't do this to begin with, especially considering all the damn money I gave them.
Basically been giving him Tiki's succulent chicken formula mixed with pumpkin for the past month. It really solidified his stool, stopped the diarrhea, but not the bleeding.
Thank you so much I appreciate your reply! <3
 
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joeya94

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Have you had the blood work checked again since he has been on the k/d food for a year? Are the levels stable/consistant or worse now? Definitely have him checked out. The vet can get B12 shot on board, something for the diarrhea like metronidazole, just keep the cat eating, whatever it is and stick with the fluids. If he is eating the k/d food stick with it unless you want to do some reasearch on other foods because they need to be low in phosphorus. You can ad water to the canned food too to increase the water intake even more.
Yeah we did a full blood work analysis and all his levels were normal/healthy for a cat his age and with stage 2 kidney disease.
And thank you for the food recommendation, I'll be looking into this ASAP. And yes I've been adding warm water to his wet food for a couple years now.
 
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joeya94

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Forgot to mention I've been mixing the Tiki's stuff with pumpkin.. Also thank you all for your responses if you end up reading my post and see any red flags or have any advice keep em coming I greatly appreciate it!
 
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