My "Sticker" close to the end?... failing Kidneys

[daones]

Havent posted in here for quite awhile, sticker who is the cat who has been my avatar since I joined the site is now about 11 years old and the oldest of my 3 cats. Keep in mind im not very good with medical stuff or the terms and also im not in america so im being explained to by the vet with not the best of english.

I took her to the vet 3 days ago because she was vomiting just liquid which is abnormal for her, she would sometimes vomit but usually just food that would only be on some occassions because she sometimes eats too much. They initially did blood tests and said her creatine and bun levels were quite high about 5x over what is normal... so they also did an xray and her kidneys are also larger then they should be. Overnight vet said she didnt touch food or drink any water or urinate.

Day 2: They gave some more fluids and some medicine to help stimulate urination, but no liquids were making it to the bladder. They suggested doing an ultrasound at another vet clinic which I did. Apparently one of her kidneys the outer lining is very thick which means the inner part is quite small which they said its basically not working so all the load is on the other kidney. That 2nd day they suggested for me to take her home in the evening to relieve stress and it might help urinate or drink on her own. I setup a camera to record all night when asleep, she never did eat or drink just had saliva from her mouth quite a bit. Also the levels of creative and BUN were higher then the previous day.

Day 3: Took her to the vet again in the afternoon for medicine and fluids, they said gave her 200cc of water and again the medicine to help urinate. The only difference was when I got her home from the vet she immediately went for water and drank quite a bit, also seen her drink again about 3 hours later but still havent seen her urinate yet. One other issue is she is not eating at all, although she has a lot of body weight (she is 6.5kg).

Right now they are waiting for test results for Leptospirosis, although looking at symptoms it just seems unlikely to be that. So at this point I wonder is there anything additional I could do? The vet said if the cat vomits often with this issue its generally not a good sign and mentioned about euthanizing the cat if that happens. He also mentioned there is no Dialysis machines here for pets, there might be but its rare and probably quite expensive.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Whether or not leptospirosis is found, hydration is also commonly done for cats with chronic kidney disease. The big issue is to get Sticker urinating again, and once that is accomplished, she may still require routine hydration. I don't know what is available to you where you are located, but here in the US folks will often learn how to administer sub-Q fluids at home, so you might want to ask about this approach.

Typically, cats with kidney disease are routinely given anti-nausea meds and often an appetite stimulant to help with the lack of appetite and nausea that most of the time goes hand in hand with the disease. I would ask your vet about these as well. Receiving these meds might help you to get her to eat again. Maybe you can use some ideas in this TCS article (see link below) to see if one or more of them might encourage her to eat some.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

Lastly, the phosphorus level in cats tends to be high as well because their kidneys cannot clear toxins as easily when they are compromised. This will also affect appetite and can cause lethargy. The phosphorus level probably was checked when the vet checked her creatinine and BUN, so ask if it is relatively high. It may not be out of range, but for cats with kidney disease, it really needs to be at least mid-range or lower. There are phosphorus binders that can be added to her cat food to help reduce the level in her system. Not sure what is available to you, but some of these products are tasteless and are easily added to food without affecting the flavor.

I don't know if you want to start learning more about chronic kidney disease, but this web site is an excellent, albeit extremely detailed, source for everything you could possibly want to know.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

 

[daones]

Whether or not leptospirosis is found, hydration is also commonly done for cats with chronic kidney disease. The big issue is to get Sticker urinating again, and once that is accomplished, she may still require routine hydration. I don't know what is available to you where you are located, but here in the US folks will often learn how to administer sub-Q fluids at home, so you might want to ask about this approach.

Typically, cats with kidney disease are routinely given anti-nausea meds and often an appetite stimulant to help with the lack of appetite and nausea that most of the time goes hand in hand with the disease. I would ask your vet about these as well. Receiving these meds might help you to get her to eat again. Maybe you can use some ideas in this TCS article (see link below) to see if one or more of them might encourage her to eat some.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

Lastly, the phosphorus level in cats tends to be high as well because their kidneys cannot clear toxins as easily when they are compromised. This will also affect appetite and can cause lethargy. The phosphorus level probably was checked when the vet checked her creatinine and BUN, so ask if it is relatively high. It may not be out of range, but for cats with kidney disease, it really needs to be at least mid-range or lower. There are phosphorus binders that can be added to her cat food to help reduce the level in her system. Not sure what is available to you, but some of these products are tasteless and are easily added to food without affecting the flavor.

I don't know if you want to start learning more about chronic kidney disease, but this web site is an excellent, albeit extremely detailed, source for everything you could possibly want to know.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

Thanks for the reply, yes they have been given the subq fluids everyday, he also mentioned about doing at home but he said that is the next step... first need to start getting her to urinate which still I havent seen yet, woke up today and watched the video in fast forward she drank water 3 times throughout the night but didnt eat or urinate. ill ask him today about appetite and anti nausea.

 

[daones]

She seems to be close to the end judging from her behavior. When took her from the vet today she just layed on the floor and about every minute or so she makes a weird squirm and sound. she was drinking water yesterday a few times on her own but it got a lot worse today which I guess can be expected as she hasnt urinated at all... This all came so suddenly and blame myself for not doing a checkup sooner... was just a few days ago she seemed to be normal.

 

[di and bob]

Try not to blame yourself, cats are very good at hiding illnesses. You are doing your best, I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.....

 

[daones]

So I am just thinking at this point would Euthanization be a better option for my Sticker? I can tell today is worse then any of the other days, my only thing thinking was they still havent got the results back from that test they said it takes about 3 days. Also I wanted to ask the doctor if he tried other medication to stimulate urination or are we at a point where all hope is lost.. Perhaps these could be better questions for a vet.

From content I was reading about it seems like various drugs are used to treat anuria, dopamine, dextrose etc... so not sure which the doctor has tried. Although its been awhile since the vets treatment has started and still no improvements.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are they monitoring her kidneys to look for urine being produced? if so, would they consider catharizing her?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I didn’t have time to read replies. How long has it been since Stcker has urinated? In extreme kidney failure, they can become a anuric. This is where the kidneys have failed to the point that they can no longer produce urine. So, the bladder is small and the don’t have the ability to make urine, so all of what would be urine is in the body. They can wind up mentally different to. Sometimes very affectionate, sometimes very agitated. I have only seen this happen with Lillie toxicity. If it comes down to this point the outcome is not good even with dialysis. This kind of acute, all of a sudden, kidney failure is treated with dialysis the sooner the better. Sadly dialysis is not available for animals in many places.

Do you know if they are giving Lassix for trying to make Sticy urinate?

I don’t say this often, but if Sticky was my cat and cannot in fact produce urine, I would euthanize.

I am so sorry.

 

[daones]

Hi. I didn’t have time to read replies. How long has it been since Stcker has urinated? In extreme kidney failure, they can become a anuric. This is where the kidneys have failed to the point that they can no longer produce urine. So, the bladder is small and the don’t have the ability to make urine, so all of what would be urine is in the body. They can wind up mentally different to. Sometimes very affectionate, sometimes very agitated. I have only seen this happen with Lillie toxicity. If it comes down to this point the outcome is not good even with dialysis. This kind of acute, all of a sudden, kidney failure is treated with dialysis the sooner the better. Sadly dialysis is not available for animals in many places.

Do you know if they are giving Lassix for trying to make Sticy urinate?

I don’t say this often, but if Sticky was my cat and cannot in fact produce urine, I would euthanize.

I am so sorry.

Well since I was aware of this issue it was Wednesday when I came home she had vomited yellow liquid and it just reminded me of cats I had in the past who had distemper, so at the very best its been days since shes urinated... since then i put out a camera to record the water bowl and litter box and every morning i go back and look. Yes that was what I was reading about. I remember the first day the vet mentioned dialysis and said that its not really common practice here in Thailand and rare... so even the fact he brought that up made me think. Right now I am unsure what medicine they are giving, he said they gave antibiotics, medicine to produce urine and the Sub Q for fluids... might be one i cant remember but with that said they didnt tell me the actual drug names.

Anyway thanks for taking the time to reply, if sticker makes it through the night I will talk to the vet tomorrow about euthanization...

 

[daones]

Are they monitoring her kidneys to look for urine being produced? if so, would they consider catharizing her?

The last x ray they did a few days ago the bladder was empty, so basically the kidneys werent producing urine I am assuming and this was the 2nd day when they already gave Fluids twice with IV. Tomorrow she is due for another X ray and bloodwork so will see again if she makes it through the night here.

 

[daones]

Just woke up, sticker seems to be in the same place as I left her last night, usually she will shuffle around the house. At the moment she is just on the floor and gave her a blanket last night... she seems more at peace now then last night... Breathing normally and looks to just be sleeping. In this state think it will be hard just to get her to the vet.

 

[Margot Lane]

Whatever happens, don’t blame yourself—- kidneys and cats can be such curses, and often to me at least seem sudden, esp. in older cats. They can feel the love, though, so until vet time, give your sticker as much gentle attention & conversation as possible— they feel it and know it that you’re there.

 

[daones]

Whatever happens, don’t blame yourself—- kidneys and cats can be such curses, and often to me at least seem sudden, esp. in older cats. They can feel the love, though, so until vet time, give your sticker as much gentle & conversation as possible— they feel it and know it that you’re there.

Thank you, just earlier laid down next to her and gently was rubbing her head but hard to hold back the tears.. Just thinking how I can get her to the vet most comfortably.. I have a small cage I could cover with blankets to keep her stress down.. usually take her in a backpack bag for cats but its kind of small and probably uncomfortable as she cannot lay out completely.

 

[daones]

Just took her to the vet in the cage with a blanket, she didnt seem to care about much. We decided to do a drip IV of the Mannitol , the vet said usually a constant drip is better then once a day injection he just let her go home these few days for less stress to see if it would help... Although it might be a hail mary at this point, they will do a drip for about 6 hours then ill get her back home. He mentioned about euthanizing her and decided if it is worst then it is now tomorrow morning might have to go that route although that vet doesnt euthanize so have to find another place.

Weird enough this is the same vet where she stayed a week when she was just 1 year old after getting spayed. I was usually taking my cats to another vet the last few years.

Another side note is when she got in she had a low temperature so immediately had to put her in oxygen take and use some lights to warm her body temp up.

 

[daones]

Guys, Sticker just passed away not long ago.. I was due to pick her up in about 2 hours but she died from probably organ failure before that. The vet called and said she stopped breathing but still had a heartbeat, he said in her condition it was probably best to let her go and not resucitate. At least her suffering and pain is gone. Later on I will post in the other forum to give her a proper story on her life and some pictures.

Tomorrow I will cremate her with a monk ceremony here in thailand.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I’m so sorry. RIP Sticker, you had the best love and care from your human and you won’t forget each other.

 

[daones]

I posted a goodbye story for sticker
Miss and will never forget Sticker

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss. You fought the good fight and I believe that when she passed, she was comfortable and supported at the vet’s office. You did the hardest of the bravest thing that you could do for her. When a cat passes, we lock the thread out of respect. You have posted a lovely tribute in our Crossing the Bridge for Sticker which others will read and learn about her.