Kidney disease/needle injections

[lennydee]

15 yr old female cat. great personality.. Has stage 2 kidney disease a yr ago. Per doc im giving her a weekly injection 50 ml liquid base of neck. worked well for awhile and kept her at # 2. last several times very fearful and fighting. May have to put her down(prefer not) if I cant find another way to give those injections. Any safe home remedy that would relax her to do the job. Any help would be appreciated

 

[Furballsmom]

last several times very fearful and fighting.

Have you talked to your vet? I ask this because she might need another checkup to see how things are going--even if you had her in recently, and because a stage 2 cat, if that's what she still is, isn't in a euthansia situation.

Additionally, you could double-check with them to make sure that you're doing it correctly - two of us were able to give Poppycat sub q fluids so I'm familiar with the fact that it can be a challenging process.

Also, this website can be helpful if you aren't familiar with it alreay;
felinecrf.org - there's a button at the top of the home page (Just Diagnosed) which is for people who have just come to the site since it has a load of information.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sorry I didn't see your post until now. I agree with the above comments but will elaborate a bit on the points made.

Any cat with kidney disease needs to have blood work done more than once a year - at least twice a year, and in many cases 3-4 times a year. Treatment options change in accordance with what is happening with the blood work in terms of kidney function. Do you know what your cat's kidney levels were when the blood work was last done, and how the vet arrived as labeling it Stage 2? Did the vet explain what that means, and the varying options for helping a cat with kidney disease?

I don't know what you mean by weekly injections of fluid. Are you using a sub-Q fluid bag and allowing the fluid to drip into the injected needle through tubing? Are you changing the location each time so that you are not injecting in the exact same spot? Also 50 ml may not be enough - at least not when only done once a week. I have been giving my cat sub-! fluids since May - it is never 'fun' but does become easier when you learn certain techniques to make it less aggravating on your cat and you.

Here is the actual link to the above referenced web site - it is a wonderful and very detailed place to learn all you can possibly need to know about feline kidney disease.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

I hope you come back and tell us more.

 

[silent meowlook]

Whether or not to put her down is up to you of course.
There can be many reasons a cat suddenly doesn’t like fluids. How are you holding her during? What size needle? How long is it taking you? Are you taking her to a specific location to give them? Have you moved spots? Do you go in with the bevel of the needle up?

As kidney disease progresses there are additional things to do. Monitor blood pressure, routine blood work, supplementing things such as potassium if it is low,(common in cats with renal disease) Blood work will also show if she is anemic. (Also common in cats with renal disease) Check phosphorus levels and add a phosphate binder to food if high. Possibly, depending on status of heart, give fluids more frequently.

All of the above can be discussed with your vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

S silent meowlook , thanks for repeating many of my comments, along with detailing some of the data in Tanya's web site! If nothing else, it may help L lennydee to see more than one member thinks there are reasons to pursue the issues surrounding what they are experiencing with their cat.

Although, I still hope to hear more information from them too!