Just diagnosed with Kidney Failure, etc...

[lovemykittehs]

Hi all;

My 13 year old cat was diagnosed with kidney failure a month ago. He had x-rays, blood and urine testing done and I also found out he is anemic. I was prescribed Clavamox for the anemia and also Epakitin for his kidney function - one scoop daily in his food, twice per day (for the rest of his life). Well, the very first day on Clavamox he vomitted and had diahhrea and also lost interest in food greatly. He went 10 days like this; vomitting, diahhrea and no appetite. He was losing weight rapidly.

I took him in for his second vet visit (this time with a different vet, tho same clinic) and I was then told he should have been put on fluids the first time around so I then started the fluids at home and was prescribed even more Clavamox. He was on Clavamox for another 10 days and the same horrible side effects continued. Eventually he finished both dosages and immediately after he had his appetite back, and then some. No more vomitting but still diahhrea DAILY and it has a been a while since he's been off the Clavamox. Has anybody else experienced the same side effects? It's been over one month so I figured the diahhrea would have gone away by now; I can't see how healthy that can be for him, plus it's no fun when he constantly tracks it through the house and all in my bed.

 

Anyway, on the 3rd visit to the vet, I got more bloodwork done and it looks like the fluids and Epikitin got his kidney and phosphorus levels up He has shown significant improvement!! 

 I was told the diahhrea is from his kidneys failing but I really don't think it is. He didn't have any diahhrea until the first dose of Clavamox. I got his anal glands done and he also also de-wormed. I was then prescribed Metronidazole to get rid of his diahhrea but it is definitely NOT working - he is is almost finished the dosage and no improvement whatsoever. I was also told that I don't need to give him Epakitin anymore since the phosphorus levels look good, but the other vet initially told me I will have to give it to him everyday for the rest of his life. Anyone know anything in regards to this?

Two other issues are... My cat has a heart murmur - this I found out last late December. I was giving my cat 200 mls of fluids everyday until his 2nd blood panel was done. Now, since his levels have improved, I am told to give 150 ml every 2nd day. Is this a lot to be giving a cat with a murmur?

The other issue is I also just found out on the 2nd vet visit, that he also has Periodontal disease. He has two rotting upper teeth on one side of his mouth. I am assuming this is what caused the heart murmur/kidney failure. I recently went out of town for one night and came back to find one of the rotten teeth has basically broke off - is this a cause for concern? I know he will need the rotten teeth extracted and his other teeth cleaned once he's in a bit better shape but I'm worried about leaving it too long (as I already obviously have)?? He still eats alot, but he does need more coaxing, so I spoon feed him his food and he eats quite a bit this way.

Sorry this is so long.... This is just so overwhelming to me as this lil guy is my heart and I keep getting conflicting stories from different vets. Just hoping to connect with anyone who has any similarities of what they have gone/going through or anyone who has any words of advice. 

THANK YOU if you have read this far - lol!!
 

 

[arlyn]

I am unsure why the vet would prescribe clavamox for anemia.

Clav is an antibiotic and does cause diarhea.

He is off the antibiotic now, add a probiotic to his meals, or see if you can get him to eat a tablespoon or two of plain, unflavored yogurt twice a day.

Antibiotics kill good and band bacteria in his system, the probiotic will help restore the balance.

 

[lovemykittehs]

He does eat yogourt almost daily, already. He loves it.... so yogourt obviously isn't helping....

Oh and I think I may have had that wrong w/ the clavamox for anemia - the blood panel showed he had an infection in his blood - which I'm assuming is from the bacterial from the rotten teeth... I had originally brought him in because he had blood in his urine.

 

[arlyn]

He is a senior, and balance upsets can take a while to get straightened out.

My oldest has CRF, she doesn't have diarrhea due to her CRF, however, occasionally when something upsets her system and she does get diarreah, it takes a while longer for her to straighten out than it does for my two younger, healthy cats.

 

[feralvr]

You certainly DO love your kitty so much :heart3: I don't have much experience with CRF, just want to pass along my vibes and well wishes to your cat. He sure has been through a lot and you too I am glad he is feeling better and hope it keeps up

 

[lovemykittehs]

Thank you!

 

[sugarcatmom]

He still eats alot, but he does need more coaxing, so I spoon feed him his food and he eats quite a bit this way.

What is your kitty eating now? Was this the same thing he was eating before the CRF diagnosis?

 

[carolina]

My cat got Clavamox 13 months ago for an UTI..... got horrible diarrhea from it..... while he got somewhat better - after a LOT of treatments - so many treatments that actually affected hi liver, his digestive tract never wen back to normal. He still has soft poop. Not diarrhea, as he only poops once..... but still gelly like. And again - we are talking 13 months here..... and he is only 4.

P.S. - take care of that tooth - having those disease pieces broken inside of his bone is absolutely not a good thing..... Whenever giving him antibiotics (like for the dental, for example), get injections as oppose of pills - it is much easier on their bodies..... easy to give at home too, don't worry.....
Make sure to do a full blood test prior to the dental and TELL the dentist about the murmur - get an IV for emergencies. If you have all these things in place, your kitty will be fine.....

 

[lovemykittehs]

What is your kitty eating now? Was this the same thing he was eating before the CRF diagnosis?

Well I had him eating Costco's Western Family brand dry cat food for years, until I read about the harmful effects of dry food, as opposed to wet... So I started feeding him wet every day and since then he will not even look at the Costco brand anymore.  I was however feeding him a horrible brand of wet food (Friskies and Fancy Feast), and did so for just under a year, now I have switched to Wellness and Petsmart's Simply Nourish (both dry) and completely wet it for him. But I also now leave out some dry of it for him as well.

 

[lovemykittehs]

My cat got Clavamox 13 months ago for an UTI..... got horrible diarrhea from it..... while he got somewhat better - after a LOT of treatments - so many treatments that actually affected hi liver, his digestive tract never wen back to normal. He still has soft poop. Not diarrhea, as he only poops once..... but still gelly like. And again - we are talking 13 months here..... and he is only 4.
P.S. - take care of that tooth - having those disease pieces broken inside of his bone is absolutely not a good thing..... Whenever giving him antibiotics (like for the dental, for example), get injections as oppose of pills - it is much easier on their bodies..... easy to give at home too, don't worry.....
Make sure to do a full blood test prior to the dental and TELL the dentist about the murmur - get an IV for emergencies. If you have all these things in place, your kitty will be fine.....

What do you mean "treatments"? and also, "get an IV for emergencies"?

Thank you for the words of advice, it is appreciated..

Does anyone have a rough figure of how much it will cost to extract two teeth and have a dental cleaning done? I'm assuming it is pretty costly :/

 

[lovemykittehs]

What is your kitty eating now? Was this the same thing he was eating before the CRF diagnosis?

Sorry, I forgot to say he was eating the wet food before the diagnosis and now I have switched him to a much better brand (wellness and simply nourish).
 

 

[carolina]

Well I had him eating Costco's Western Family brand dry cat food for years, until I read about the harmful effects of dry food, as opposed to wet... So I started feeding him wet every day and since then he will not even look at the Costco brand anymore.  I was however feeding him a horrible brand of wet food (Friskies and Fancy Feast), and did so for just under a year, now I have switched to Wellness and Petsmart's Simply Nourish (both dry) and completely wet it for him. But I also now leave out some dry of it for him as well.

Hum..... IMHO.... if I had to choose for a kidney disease cat, I would go with a 100% wet - even if Friskies and fancy feast. No dry at all...... over what you are doing...... There is a list here somewhere a think, of low calcium/magnesium FF and Friskies, or FF only, but if I am not mistaken, there is a list here on TCS of the best ones.

Dry food is not meant to be fed wet - that might be the problem with the diarrhea. It is infested with bacteria.... what happens is that when you add water, these harmful bacteria quickly multiply and become dangerous for the kitty. Since your kitty is already lacking good bacteria from his intestinal tract (due to the antibiotics), his system can have twice as much trouble to fight these bad bacteria from the food.
If you moisten the food, you need to make sure the kitty eats it within 30 minutes and take it away. Otherwise you are setting yourself to trouble....

 

[carolina]

What do you mean "treatments"? For his diarrhea - first trying to figure out why.... I mean, months long of diarrhea... you can't just leave it be..... Several different types of antibiotics.... Steroids..... You name it, he had it. All combos you can find of antibiotics and drugs that could opssibly help with diarrhea (some antibiotics, like metronidazole (but there are others too Metro is only one), do have an anti-inflammatory effect on the gut.... After months of this, his liver suffered. So we dropped all; Bugsy was days from going into a massive exploratory surgery when I decided in going with a completely natural approach - so far it is what has helped him the most. It has not solved the problem completely..... But he is doing good. Not perfect, not 100%.... but not losing weight, not pooping all the time..... Just pooping soft poop.... once a day - I can live with that. He takes 2 different probiotics Align (the human one ) and Proviable-DC, a natural diarrhea supplement, and fiber...... All, of course approved by his vet. We do test his liver from time to time, since this scare, as he does take one drug, for his stomatitis, but that has never affected him, and it has been showing on his tests to not affect him at all...... so...... so far so good! :cross: and also, "get an IV for emergencies"? It is advisable to place any cat on IV fluids during and after any dental procedures in order to avoid falls in blood pressure during the procedure. These falls in blood pressure can reduce blood flow to the kidneys, which may lead to the kidneys failing a few days later. In addition, CRF cats should be placed on IV fluids before any dental procedures, as well as during and after them. This is optional, and you will have to ask for it - but it is highly recommended, and specially in your case, it will make the surgery that much safer. I have never, and will never do a dental on a kitty of mine without an IV and blood test (both optional, and both potentially life-saving).

Thank you for the words of advice, it is appreciated..


Does anyone have a rough figure of how much it will cost to extract two teeth and have a dental cleaning done? I'm assuming it is pretty costly :/ Not necessarily too costly, but it highly depends of the area you live.... The last surgery Bugsy had, I think he had 4 extractions? They were big teeth, and complicated surgeries too - molars and pre-molars. Due to periodontal disease, his roots melted inside the bone - so they had to open the bone to shave it off (which I think it is your case) - the tooth was also abscessed - for the 4 teeth, blood test, x-rays, IV, 10 days of antibiotics (injection), and follow up visit, I think I paid $700. I do go to a dentist - I do not do any dental procedure on a vet - Bugsy has Stomatitis, so he does see a dentist..... I work with 3 vets and an Emergency vet :lol3: - One of them is a dentist. Dentist is not at all more expensive IMHO - but for sure I do feel it is money better spent, as they are specialists :nod:

 

[lovemykittehs]

Hum..... IMHO.... if I had to choose for a kidney disease cat, I would go with a 100% wet - even if Friskies and fancy feast. No dry at all...... over what you are doing...... There is a list here somewhere a think, of low calcium/magnesium FF and Friskies, or FF only, but if I am not mistaken, there is a list here on TCS of the best ones.
Dry food is not meant to be fed wet - that might be the problem with the diarrhea. It is infested with bacteria.... what happens is that when you add water, these harmful bacteria quickly multiply and become dangerous for the kitty. Since your kitty is already lacking good bacteria from his intestinal tract (due to the antibiotics), his system can have twice as much trouble to fight these bad bacteria from the food.
If you moisten the food, you need to make sure the kitty eats it within 30 minutes and take it away. Otherwise you are setting yourself to trouble....

Uh oh, really?! That sucks, cuz I've been leaving the moistened food in the fridge and I take a bit out at a time an add even more water to it when I serve it to him.  That is an ultimate no-no?? I was suggested I do this by a Royal Canin supplier at Petsmart, lol. I felt alot better about getting rid of the Friskies out of his diet and feeding him a better brand... silly me

 

[lovemykittehs]

 

Thanks for the pointers!

 

[carolina]

Uh oh, really?! That sucks, cuz I've been leaving the moistened food in the fridge and I take a bit out at a time an add even more water to it when I serve it to him.  That is an ultimate no-no?? I was suggested I do this by a Royal Canin supplier at Petsmart, lol. I felt alot better about getting rid of the Friskies out of his diet and feeding him a better brand... silly me

Definite dangerous no-no for sure I am sorry he did this to you..... Unfortunately he closed a sale at the expense of kitties health Not good
Yes, lots and lots of bacteria on dry food - moisture and dry food is not a good thing at all...... :nod:

 

[carolina]

If the diarrhea was caused by antibiotics and this food bacteria, adding probiotics can help tremendously.
I am going to bed now as it is super late - but get a gel Called "Dia-Gel" for cats - comes in little syringes - if it is dues to antibiotics/bacteria imbalance, toxicicity, 2 doses (it is expensive, like $12 a pop) within 12 hours of one another might fix the problem entirely. This gel is FANTASTIC. (in Bugsy's case, it helps, but doesn't fix... His is a SERIOUS one)
Your vet can also order it for you - it is used a lot in vet clinics - it is not a drug, all natural, super safe, and super effective.... It is one of my emergency "must have" for all my kitties when they have diarrhea - I call it my magic super-plug :lol3:

 

[lovemykittehs]

Definite dangerous no-no for sure

I am sorry he did this to you..... Unfortunately he closed a sale at the expense of kitties health

Not good

Yes, lots and lots of bacteria on dry food - moisture and dry food is not a good thing at all......

Well I feel like a dumbass now! I actually didn't end up buying Royal Canin - I went for the Wellness instead.

I just flushed a big bowl of moistened dry food that I had in the fridge down the toilet..waste of money but oh well...don't need him getting sicker than he already is.

Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention!! I also researched it and you are very right.

 

[lovemykittehs]

If the diarrhea was caused by antibiotics and this food bacteria, adding probiotics can help tremendously.
I am going to bed now as it is super late - but get a gel Called "Dia-Gel" for cats - comes in little syringes - if it is dues to antibiotics/bacteria imbalance, toxicicity, 2 doses (it is expensive, like $12 a pop) within 12 hours of one another might fix the problem entirely. This gel is FANTASTIC. (in Bugsy's case, it helps, but doesn't fix... His is a SERIOUS one)
Your vet can also order it for you - it is used a lot in vet clinics - it is not a drug, all natural, super safe, and super effective.... It is one of my emergency "must have" for all my kitties when they have diarrhea - I call it my magic super-plug

Thanks for the tip - I'll look int that
 

 

[lovemykittehs]

I don't feel right feeding him an all wet diet though, as he lost quite a bit of weight while eating only canned... Now that he is eating some dry too, he has definitely got his weight back up.