My 19 year old Tortie has been super healthy all her life but just had blood work and I guess is now dying.

[35 year catdad]

She would not drink much at all today so went went back to vet who pulled on her neck skin and said start today. mild not severe.
So she just got 50cc and only 4 pokes yikes its tuff one person/ needle is sooo slick and shes antsy .
drew a black line out to show where to stop.
Its been 20 yrs so rusty. at this. Shes is such a trooper extroid. and said shed do it for me..
notice hairs standing out ? thats what I saw first. Her breath is great and I heard with kidney failure they have catitosis.
Just after infusion she goes and drinks a lot and now jumped up to my lap while I type,
I took a a 20 yr old picture to vet of first cat with her bag and said heres my credentials..she laughed.
Her neck skin pops back but vet tech said yeah..maybe start today and do every other
she has acute kidney disease I guess not chronic as it just started

dont give your cat sub Q without vets help.

 

[Furballsmom]

Its been 20 yrs so rusty. at this. Shes is such a trooper extroid. and said shed do it for me..

Bless you, and her - we had to give Poppycat fluids and it can be quite an interesting job

 

[Jcatbird]

I know others out your way and the smoke is awful! It even made it’s way over here causing people to have breathing problems.
Typos? I am great at those! I have a small phone and poor vision so I make my share. Many of us here have health issues so typos happen.
Kitty had to have fluids? So sorry. The kitty I mentioned who has a tumor was ill a couple of years ago and I had my first experience with having sub q fluids for her. She had a battle back then but she recovered. I hope she will get through this next one too. I hope your kitty will be okay too. We are all hoping for her recovery. You mentioned her previous vet. Excellent idea! Maybe her previous vet will have some insight for you. I don’t know what I would do if I had to change our vet. We have been very lucky to have a vet who is very good and kind. We have our fingers and paws crossed that things will turn around there so that kitty won’t need any more pokes or sticks.

 

[35 year catdad]

Shes a tuff Tortie and always has been. The pain meds from her spay in 2001 made her so frisky that she ripped open her wound. and had to have it re done. Heres proof shes real old look at that TV. Thats Romeow who won second place in the mirror/window contest with his Deerie thru the glass pic. I have a video of him playing with Deerie thru sliding glass door too big a file to post here...darn it.
This Tortie jumped up to that perch herself! Still can jump up now with ease on my chair. Romeow nursed my girlfriend ear lobe till age 3 and tried mine once for 2 seconds when she was gone for 10 days. Nope...not the right flavor. This big cat I saw from the road on highway 50 South Lake Tahoe -thats crazy. Owner would take pics of kids with this Cougar.Imagine his application for business license..."you wanna do what"? Dont try that with your Mt Lion! Sound asleep in bed below her one time she jumped down on my sternum from way up high and I thought fractured it.
I didn't scold her....shes just being a cat! Sorry to go off topic with the big cat ....
3

 

[35 year catdad]

I just checked her urine PH again with test strips. Its still fine. Her dad likes to think outside the box...so she pees outside of hers.
Then I thought use this to our advantage and pull the plastic out a bit. Marker is pointing to the little puddle she just left. For the PH test I hold the strip under her little tush as she goes. This should only be done by a vet so dont try this at home.Seeing a vet lately here is a nightmare. Many many sick animals are swamping them.

 

[riley1]

I am so sorry your kitty is sick! I don't have experience with this but I am sure others will have some information. I am so happy she had a good long life with you! Personally, I would talk to her with an animal communicator and find out what she wants for herself.

 

[35 year catdad]

I was JUST THINKING OF SHARON L
MY FAV. one today !!! before I read your post.
I have boose gumps
I could do that with training. We all can but clearing the mind...thats a tuffy. I love her! HUGE CRUSH She says we all can unless were on
antidepressants. Watch us get beat up by the anti woo woooos
$ 575 I think she charges. Someone invent a pain ometer please.
too tired but amazing story last night to tell with the luv bug...
Shes not ready yet for shure.

 

[35 year catdad]

Thank you Caspian who just posted about cat litter issues. We just tried 3 weeks ago, Walmart Special Kitty natural clay litter thats supposed to be 99% dust free. No way....its dust city and maybe why my old girl having her crises and eosinophils off the charts in blood work. This club is so kewl! and I forgive those who scold and and post 100% incorrect info from ages ago.
I wonder if we can flag posts that are obviously based on bad info or ignorance of current science?
off to feed this ole girl who just might make her 10 19 2021 appt. Vets said shes hopeless....
but shes not ready to go yet. She only wants tuna tuna and a friend who was a vet tech said at this point give it to her! and I did last night and wow! I am thrilled at her amazing comeback. Shes nudging my fingers as I type and wants fed now!
No she doesnt 'breathe the dust...I use a big tall cup to scoop into bag then slowly empty in box out on our deck with no cats around and me with an N95 mask

 

[35 year catdad]

Shes been off the ascorbic acid as her urine went from 5.75 to 6.0 down to 5.5 (normal is 6.1-6.6
At same time her apetite went way down so.....last night she got about 200mg C in sides of her mouth after she ate all she would eat.
Five minutes after the C, and it happens every time shes wolfing down 1/3 can of her 17 yr fav wet food from the same exact dish of it she just refused. ! My non-vet diagnosis? low tummy acid like us when we get very old? give a weak acid her body doesnt make enough of, and then its ok lets eat to put it to use.
I'm honestly not making this up....finally got more than 2cc sterile caught urine yesterday, and it was at vet 2 miles away before it cooled.This is soooo kewl not dragging an ancient cat down to vet to stress her further. I took her in my arms 3 days ago to them and the vet tech pulled on her neck skin and said yeah start now with IV.
Shes a love bug and doesnt like cages and just relaxes in dads arms.

Results today on urine. Man this is fun but if I was working and had kids on and on this would not be possible.
Dont beat yourself up if you can't devote your life to a failing kitty. They will understand.

If I gave her corn and wheat gluten, animal by products, in a very expensive KD prescription diet with cellulose (plant fiber or sawdust?) vegetable oil (highly inflammatory omega 6) , farmed salmon you dont want to know whats in that,.... and soy flour could these things be inflammatory? Could they have Roundup in them? GMO?

This little luv bug has never had any of the above and maybe why this is her first health issue. Fresh blood in stool age 14-15 from something in another expensive diet resolved and all tests normal back then. Only health issue was stress in her caretaker.

The sub Q fluids I hope can stop soon as she doesn't enjoy it. A vet tech friend said warm it up! duhhh why didnt I ... so next infusion it will be 104.degrees. Who wants cold stuff dripping under their skin?
When I went to pick up the bag and supplies for $35 I showed them the pic of my first patient 20 yrs with her bag above her
as my credentials. They are too tired to laugh. never seen busier vets everywhere.
We need a vet fact checker to filter out totally wrong info and delete it. Just an idea.

 

[35 year catdad]

BREAKING NEWS JUST IN
IDEXX Services: Urinalysis
Urinalysis
11/3/20 (Order Received)
11/3/20 1:03 PM (Last Updated)
TEST RESULT REFERENCE VALUE
Collection FREECATCH
Color YELLOW
Clarity CLEAR
Specific Gravity 1.012
pH 6.0
Urine Protein 2+
Glucose NEGATIVE
Ketones NEGATIVE
Blood / 2+
Hemoglobin
Bilirubin NEGATIVE
Urobilinogen NORMAL
White Blood 2-5
Cells
0 - 5 HPF
Red Blood Cells 20-30 HPF
Bacteria NONE SEEN
Epithelial Cells 1+ (1-2)/HPF
Mucus NONE SEEN
Casts NONE SEEN
Crystals NONE SEEN
Generated by VetConnect® PLUS November 3, 2020 01:16 PM Page 1 of 1
Waiting for two vets to call to compare what they say....a little blood in urine same morning after tuna (fish oils) and 2 drops natural E from a 400 iu gelcap= both blood thinners so holding off on that for a while. Purina did a study with diets and found E supplemented cats lived on average a year longer. Someone here posted a link to that THANK YOU!!!!
She used to have fresh blood in stool off and on from age 14 - 17 resolved with food changes-vet saw no reason or anemia etc
HPF? hmmmmmmm Im no vet yet
Watch for my book Hibou the Tuff Tortie who just wouldn't give up! And her Dad who put his life on hold to save a shelter cat one day from destruction in a high kill shelter that returned the favor and saved him. its out soon as my book on procrastination self published ... Started writing that one in

1974
she does not appear to be in pain and I won't keep her alive if in pain and suffering. She has a bounce in her step and out of hiding!
urine at 6.0 is not metabolic acidosis? will talk to vet about that and vit C but they did not say stop- its toxic etc.

 

[35 year catdad]

I talked to a friend who was a vet assistant about sub Q fluids as Hibou was squirming with cold fluids dripping in under her skin.
She said WARM it up! duhhh why didnt I think of that? sooooo next infusion with 105 degree ringers she was asleep during the first 2 minutes or so. YEAH! Shes doing great now but needs daily infusions one vet said. other one said every other day... so we go by how she feels and how fast the skin on her nap of neck snaps back down. Its tough sticking a big needle in her neck but here is our other option...pic # 2...... this box is empty and KitKit's ashes are now feeding a beautiful rose plant.

 

[Furballsmom]

That's a great tip about warming the fluids

 

[35 year catdad]

I called emerg. vet and they said dont do it. hmmmmm even slowly to 105? No they said.
ok second opinion on the way so stay tuned.....a new bag is only $35 so no biggie. I will put new bag in sm bathroom overnight set at about 100 degrees with my oil filled portable heater.
I know its very controversial to try adding ascorbic acid to a cat with toxin build up from kidney issues, but......its working for us-may not work for you. Look at her coat. Its amazing but hey I'm biased.
Even with vet formulated vitamin C supplements being sold everywhere lately.
Today at 6:03 she stopped eating and would not finish her bowl of warmed up wet food. cmon honey PLEASE? no dad not hungry now... just ate...welll not enough your still too thin.
So I gave her a maybe 200mg asc acid in water and exactly 12 minutes later shes finishing it after the C. And its cold now.
This happens every single time. Then at 7:20am shes eating more (added more liquids to it)
ask your vet if they ever heard of such "tomfoolery" as someone mentioned here. They said I'm poisoning my cat!!
Last pic is her wolfing down some ground NZ grass fed beef at 10:30 or so same morning.

 

[35 year catdad]

I called our regular non-holistic vet to ask about an ultrasound to check for bladder cancer etc
he said "why? then what if she has it?" in other words give it up duuude. sorry charlie shes not suffering and I'm not giving up just yet.
Also asked about warming the sub Q ringers lactate to about 105 and he asked how do you warm it? (must be thinking I'm microwaving it)?
I said in a big pot of already warmed water on an infinitely adjustable magnetic induction cooktop and he said thats fine do 100 degrees. The poor guy has cancer himself and not doing well. They can't keep him out of the clinic....he loves his work.and me? not so much I'm a pesticle.
Emerg vet said dont do it, but that was thru an assistant and not talking direct to vet. She just ate more beef at 11:am
I hope to be asking about obese 20 yr olds soon here!
Mooky the Calico monster just wants Hibou's food and what a fiasco keeping her from stealing it. Shes putting on the pounds fast.

 

[di and bob]

Praying for your sweet girl, bless you for helping her through this......

 

[Furballsmom]

We warmed Poppycat's fluids during his treatment, it seemed to help decrease his discomfort

 

[35 year catdad]

I called emerg vet who said dont do that. Our regular new vet said its fine use 100 degrees. Till bag is empty.
even at 105 by the time bag hung and fluid drips down thru tubes its at 90 degrees I bet.
I just found a kewl link from our blood work lab if only I had time to read it.
The International Renal Interest Society Adds the IDEXX SDMA Test to Chronic Kidney Disease Guidelines - IDEXX US
I saved her from a bad situation in a cage ready for the gallows in high kill shelter, so she returned the favor ten times over thru
well.......don't make me cry. a lot!! I agreed to take her sight unseen for my lonely Romeow runt of my 1/4 failed foster litter.

Whats a Tortie we asked each other? oh a brindle colored cat! Always females or they soon die as males.
I wonder how many stage 3-4 CKD cats ever stop the sub Q? and recover to live a year or longer without it?

 

[Furballsmom]

Whats a Tortie we asked each other? oh a brindle colored cat!

 

[Norachan]

Last pic is her wolfing down some ground NZ grass fed beef at 10:30 or so same morning.

She's a sweetie.

Looks like she's giving you the famous Tortie Stink Eye in that first picture. I get that from my girls sometimes too.

 

[felinelover2]

She's a sweetie.

Looks like she's giving you the famous Tortie Stink Eye in that first picture. I get that from my girls sometimes too.

Yep, we get that Tortitude from our girl if we displease her in some way. They are so special