Stage 4 Kidney Disease - Information Needed Please

[abyssinianlove]

Hello fellow cat lovers,

My nine year old cat "Sophie" was just diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease and we are devastated. She has had numerous bouts of UTI's and a course of antibiotics bounces her back with a day. We moved to NC seven months ago and had to get a new vet, which we like very much - she seems very good and was willing to continue to treat Sophie with the antibiotics since they worked just fine. Unfortunately her UTI's starting happening more frequently and our vet wanted to do a series of tests which included a urine test, blood tests, X-rays and an ultrasound. She found sugar in the urine and originally thought it was diabetes but after a week we brought her another urine sample that we collected at home and the number of glucose was 300 compared to 1000 in the initial testing. Because the sugar level dropped, she ruled out diabetes but said the sugar in the urine indicates kidney disease. Her blood results also showed elevated levels of two substances (of which I cannot remember), I think one was BUN level and the other started with the letter "C"....I will call the vet to get this information, I was in shock after hearing the news. I'm reaching out to the community for information on what I can or should expect...is there anything I can do that can help her? I'm giving her subcutaneous fluids to help flush out the kidneys and feeding her a lot of wet food (K/D) and others including Fussy Cat - basically anything she wants. She is the love of our life as well as our two other cats - Madison and Gracie but Sophie, affectionately known as "Boopie" is such a very special girl. She has had a tough life, health wise, before we adopted her seven years ago but we have managed to keep her very happy despite her health conditions - we just are going down without a fight. Does anyone know anything about stem cell treatment? Does it work? We know it is costly but we will go without most everything to keep our girl with us. I want to thank you for reading my post and if you respond, a huge thank you! God Bless All!

 

[abyssinianlove]

Clarification on my typo - WE ARE NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!!

(Sorry)

 

[zygote]

You're doing everything right so far! Sub Q fluids, wet food. Great steps. The most important thing is to keep her hydrated to ease the load on her kidneys. How is her appetite? If she is eating less than normal she may benefit from some anti nausea (cerenia) or anti acid (pepcid) meds.

We discovered our cat has kidney disease during the course of cancer treatment, and I have found the facebook group Feline Chronic Kidney Disease to be invaluable. If you get a copy of the most recent labs from your vet and post them there, they can give you more specific advice. (For you to run by your vet, of course.)

As for stem cell treatments, my understanding is that those are experimental right now. Unless you're near a major vet teaching hospital that is doing a clinical trial, I don't know how accessible it would be. And the effectiveness hasn't been proven yet. In theory, it's also possible to do a kidney transplant, but the ethics of that are up in the air because the donating cat can't consent. If you go that route you have to adopt the donor cat as well and provide a good home. Cost can be in the area of $10k. Not many people choose to do it.

That said, there is a lot you can do to keep her comfortable for, potentially, years more. Often, cats are diagnosed during a "crash" and their numbers can be brought down a lot with consistent IV or sub Q fluids. Once stable, they can stay stable for a while if managed well.

 

[Charleeblu]

Clarification on my typo - WE ARE NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!!

(Sorry)

Zygote....I also had a cat with stage 4 renal disease. Along with initial antibiotics I gave her s.q. fluids every week for approx. 6 months and that gave her a normal life for 6 months and then she did pass away. I know how you feel. I was frantic to save her but kidneys do not regenerate. I was happy that keeping her hydrated for so long gave her and a normal and happy 6 months. She was her old self!

 

[oyster]

Where are you in NC? Raleigh has an excellent vet school thst could give you lots of info. They also have hours for experimental treatments. Contact the NCSU vet school. All the best.

 

[abyssinianlove]

Where are you in NC? Raleigh has an excellent vet school thst could give you lots of info. They also have hours for experimental treatments. Contact the NCSU vet school. All the best.

We are located in New Bern which is only 2 short hours from Raleigh! Thank you for your response, I will absolutely contact NCSU vet school. Thank you!

 

[abyssinianlove]

You're doing everything right so far! Sub Q fluids, wet food. Great steps. The most important thing is to keep her hydrated to ease the load on her kidneys. How is her appetite? If she is eating less than normal she may benefit from some anti nausea (cerenia) or anti acid (pepcid) meds.

We discovered our cat has kidney disease during the course of cancer treatment, and I have found the facebook group Feline Chronic Kidney Disease to be invaluable. If you get a copy of the most recent labs from your vet and post them there, they can give you more specific advice. (For you to run by your vet, of course.)

As for stem cell treatments, my understanding is that those are experimental right now. Unless you're near a major vet teaching hospital that is doing a clinical trial, I don't know how accessible it would be. And the effectiveness hasn't been proven yet. In theory, it's also possible to do a kidney transplant, but the ethics of that are up in the air because the donating cat can't consent. If you go that route you have to adopt the donor cat as well and provide a good home. Cost can be in the area of $10k. Not many people choose to do it.

That said, there is a lot you can do to keep her comfortable for, potentially, years more. Often, cats are diagnosed during a "crash" and their numbers can be brought down a lot with consistent IV or sub Q fluids. Once stable, they can stay stable for a while if managed well.

Hi Zygote, thank you so very much for your response.

I am sorry to hear you had to battle cancer with your cat, then find kidney disease on top of that...that is just heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to you!

We are having one heck of a time administering the sub q fluids, I don't have a problem setting the needle under her skin or squeezing the bag to force the water in, she just starts freaking out and it's impossible to hold her still long enough to get the fluid in. I think I'm partially to blame because the IV bag was in the house in an air conditioned room so the fluid was cold and I'm sure was uncomfortable for her - I've since put the bag on our back porch so it will be more "body" temperature. When we moved to NC, our vet in NY gave us sedation pills for our cats and I was thinking about giving Sophie a pill to make her sleepy so I can give her the fluids....I will do anything I need to do! Regarding her appetite, she eats quite well - thankfully she still loves her food! Thank you for the Facebook site...I will look that up after sending this message. In doing some research online, I'm surprised my vet didn't prescribe Ace Inhibitors as a course of treatment, I read they help for Kidney Disease.

Again, I thank you for your response and kindness in reaching out to help us!

 

[babiesmom5]

I am so sorry and I totally understand your desperation. University of Pennsylvania Veterinary school in Philadelphia has been a pioneer in feline renal treatment including hemodialysis and kidney transplants. They have a comprehensive kidney and urinary care unit there with lots of renal specialists. You might want to have a look at www.vet.upenn.edu/veterinary-hospitals/ryan-veterinary-hospital/services then look under comprehensive kidneys and urinary care. It may be a ways from you now, but you might consider them for a consult and treatment plan. I took my cat there years ago and was very pleased.

 

[zygote]

You say we...are there two of you? That helps a lot. One of us holds her while the other gets the needle in. Once the fluids are going we hold her/the needle with three hands and scratch her chin with one. It distracts her/calms her down enough that she accepts the fluids.

We don't warm them because we haven't needed to, but some people do have luck with that. The kidney facebook group is also somewhere you could ask for other suggestions.

 

[denice]

I haven't had to deal with it but I know many people have found this site helpful Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat I don't think she is a vet professional. She has cats with CKD. She has taken the time to do a lot of research and put what she has learned along with her experience into this website.

 

[abyssinianlove]

You say we...are there two of you? That helps a lot. One of us holds her while the other gets the needle in. Once the fluids are going we hold her/the needle with three hands and scratch her chin with one. It distracts her/calms her down enough that she accepts the fluids.

We don't warm them because we haven't needed to, but some people do have luck with that. The kidney facebook group is also somewhere you could ask for other suggestions.

Hi Zygote, yes, I have a spouse that has helped me - the first time we tried was a disaster when the cold water went under her skin, however we were successful two days ago with room temp water (outside porch room temp). I did you suggestion of rubbing her chin and it seemed to have worked to distract her. I'd love to give it every day, but I'll settle for every other day, with the goal of working up to every day. When she starts fussing, it's hard to keep the needle from falling out and I'm so afraid I'm going to hurt her. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it. I need to find out more on Ace inhibitors....I'm reading they help a lot.

 

[abyssinianlove]

I haven't had to deal with it but I know many people have found this site helpful Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat I don't think she is a vet professional. She has cats with CKD. She has taken the time to do a lot of research and put what she has learned along with her experience into this website.

Hi Denice,
Thank you very much for this information....I truly appreciate it!!

 

[abyssinianlove]

I am so sorry and I totally understand your desperation. University of Pennsylvania Veterinary school in Philadelphia has been a pioneer in feline renal treatment including hemodialysis and kidney transplants. They have a comprehensive kidney and urinary care unit there with lots of renal specialists. You might want to have a look at www.vet.upenn.edu/veterinary-hospitals/ryan-veterinary-hospital/services then look under comprehensive kidneys and urinary care. It may be a ways from you now, but you might consider them for a consult and treatment plan. I took my cat there years ago and was very pleased.

Hi Babiesmom5,

Thank you for your understanding and your posting! I've read a lot on transplant options and it doesn't sound too promising at this point. While PA is a distance from us, I'd drive there in a heartbeat if they could help our girl. I will absolutely look at their website. Thank you for your kindness!

 

[IndyJones]

I've had two cats with ckd and while it ultimately is a terminal illness many cats can live a good year or two with proper management my one cat lived to be almost 20, 2 years past the vets initial prognosis.

Watch for phosphorus in her food and get her on a phosphorus binder. Also ask about Semintra, it's a fairly new medication that reduces proteinurea (protein in the urine). Ckd cats will also need IV fluids to help keep them hydrated. Your vet can show you how to give them at home if you aren't needle shy.

Though terminal, ckd is relatively painless. Make sure you avoid painkillers if possible they are hard on the kidneys.

 

[IndyJones]

Also since ckd can cause nausea you may want to try cerenia. And while kidney food is ideal my experience with Hector has shown me the best food is whatever you can get in them. Even if it's a can of tuna or salmon.

 

[dorymb]

Just a thought: Please also make sure her UTIs are truly being cleared up. My cat had a "series" of them and the Vet sited kidney trouble, but I discovered that her follow up tests were false negatives because the protocol for a 10 day wait time after stopping the antibiotic was not followed. They would scheduled a follow up test too soon and turned out she just needed a longer course of antibiotics and hasn't had a UTI in over a year.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Just wondering how your kitty is doing now.

 

[abyssinianlove]

I've had two cats with ckd and while it ultimately is a terminal illness many cats can live a good year or two with proper management my one cat lived to be almost 20, 2 years past the vets initial prognosis.

Watch for phosphorus in her food and get her on a phosphorus binder. Also ask about Semintra, it's a fairly new medication that reduces proteinurea (protein in the urine). Ckd cats will also need IV fluids to help keep them hydrated. Your vet can show you how to give them at home if you aren't needle shy.

Though terminal, ckd is relatively painless. Make sure you avoid painkillers if possible they are hard on the kidneys.

Hi IndyJones,

My apologies for the delayed response, but thank you for your response. I hit the ground at 100 mph to try and save our baby and it's been touch and go. Unfortunately my Vet wasn't the best vet as I learned through this experience as she didn't suggest or recommend that Sophie be admitted to the vet hospital when she started to lose her ability to walk, which was due to the potassium level - needless to say I found a new vet and she is doing so much better and it is because of people like yourself who have reached out to help and from the bottom of my heart I thank you!

 

[zygote]

I'm so glad to hear you have found a better vet and that she is doing well!