Question about Kidney problems

hexiesfriend

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My female cat who is about 11 had a blood test 2 months ago. Her creatinine level was 2.5. 2.4 was the cut off. The vet told me this needed to be watched as a poss sign of kidney failure. All other kidney values were normal. A week and a half ago she went in for a Convenia injection due to stomatitis. The vet suggested a water additive for the teeth which I started using and now she is drinking markedly more. Everything else has remained the same. She has a return appt Saturday for another Convenia injection with the regular vet but I want to change it to the Cat Specialist if the increased water intake could be a sign of kidney issues. I have had a diabetic cat before and know it
could be a sign of diabetes, that I can handle with the regular vet we can get a glucose reading but Kidney issues scare the crap out of me and I'd rather go directly to the expert. Is increased water intake a sign of kidney troubles??
 

stephanietx

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If the vet gave you something to make her drink more, then it's probably not diabetes, but the side effects of the medicines.  Extra drinking water is great for kidney kitties, too.  Since you're keeping an eye on her kidneys, I would caution you on the amount of medications you give her.  Remember, the main function of the kidneys is to filter out toxins in the blood.  Most medications are actually toxic to the body, but most of the time healthy kitties (& humans) are able to filter out the toxins without problems.  When you have kidneys not functioning at 100%, it puts a strain on their ability to filter out the toxins.  Use medications and supplements with caution and sparingly.  Also, look into changing her diet to a low phosphorus diet and adding wet food if you don't already feed her wet.  I know people who feed their kidney kitties Fancy Feast pate (the original Fancy Feast) and have much success with it.  That way, you can add a bit of water to it and she'll get additional hydration.  I had a kidney kitty who lived about 5 years or so after her initial diagnosis, so it's not time to panic just yet, but you do want to start educating yourself on the ins and outs of the disease.  A great group of people to ask for advice and to learn from is on the Yahoo CRF group.  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-CRF-Support/info  
 
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hexiesfriend

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The additive to the water was for her teeth. It is called dentaclenz by vet one. It is supposed to help keep their teeth clean. After I put it in her water, I noticed she started drinking a lot more. Maybe I am just being paranoid because of the kidney values but I've never seen her drink this much water. It could be she just likes the taste of the additive. She has had Convenia injections before and I haven't noticed and increase water intake after those other injections. I was just worried this water intake could be connected to worsening kidney issues. I am probably just being a worry wart.
 
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hexiesfriend

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Also she hasn't been officially diagnosed with kidney failure the vet just said it would have to be watched for the possibility. I will try to educate myself as to what to look for as the vet never really told me what to look for.
 

stephanietx

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I would ask the vet about the increase in drinking water.  It could be from the additive for her teeth or like you've already mentioned, something like diabetes. 
 
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hexiesfriend

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I will ask. It may keep their teeth clean because it makes them drink more water.
 
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