***Cosmo Has Kidney Disease ***

[Lizzie]

Question for the folks whose cats had kidney disease....how many times per week did you do fluid therapy when your cat was first diagnosed?

With Ted (a big boy) it was 200cc twice a day for a few days, then 150cc twice a day for another week, then 200cc once a day for about a month. His values were almost off the charts but the therapy helped enormously. He also had bladder stones for which he had surgery, kidney stones and calcification of the ureters, and one kidney simply became so tiny it was non-functional. So, he had a lot of strikes against him but he still lived for two and half years after the initial diagnosis, and they were very good years until the last week of his life.

Simka started out with 150cc every day, plus force feeding because she stopped eating completely. Within a few weeks her values were so close to normal that I gave them every three to four days depending on how well she appeared to be and how dehydrated. She also had cancer of the liver. Towards the end of her life, the renal failure really kicked in and she received 50cc of fluids twice a day. She was so tiny then that it was better for her to get small amounts frequently. She lived nearly 3 years past her diagnosis.

So, it's case by case and even then fluctuates with how well the cat is doing.

Edited to add that Cosmo is a gorgeous hunk!

[elizabethann]

With Ted (a big boy) it was 200cc twice a day for a few days, then 150cc twice a day for another week, then 200cc once a day for about a month. His values were almost off the charts but the therapy helped enormously. He also had bladder stones for which he had surgery, kidney stones and calcification of the ureters, and one kidney simply became so tiny it was non-functional. So, he had a lot of strikes against him but he still lived for two and half years after the initial diagnosis, and they were very good years until the last week of his life.

Simka started out with 150cc every day, plus force feeding because she stopped eating completely. Within a few weeks her values were so close to normal that I gave them every three to four days depending on how well she appeared to be and how dehydrated. She also had cancer of the liver. Towards the end of her life, the renal failure really kicked in and she received 50cc of fluids twice a day. She was so tiny then that it was better for her to get small amounts frequently. She lived nearly 3 years past her diagnosis.

So, it's case by case and even then fluctuates with how well the cat is doing.

Edited to add that Cosmo is a gorgeous hunk!

Wow! You are very dedicated to your kitties and must love them very much to give them all that care & attention. There's a spot in heaven just for you! What did you do when you went on vacation? Did you get a pet sitter to administer the fluids?

[Lizzie]

Wow! You are very dedicated to your kitties and must love them very much to give them all that care & attention. There's a spot in heaven just for you! What did you do when you went on vacation? Did you get a pet sitter to administer the fluids?

That made me laugh, a little wryly I must admit. The only place I vacation is at home so there is never a problem with keeping up with therapies.

I had a very hard time with Simka at first and ended up taking her to the vet every evening so I could use their table and their "atmosphere" to quiet her down to the point where I could give her fluids. They know me well so let me do this free of charge. She bucked, reared, rolled, thrashed, and the needle came out lots of times. Eventually, she got used to it and I was able to do them at home and then the other two needed treatment and I was experienced enough to control them.

Like you plan to do, I used the bedroom with the door closed and hung the bag by the closet, but I put in a nail so I could hang the bag higher. You want to be able to see the marks on the bag so don't want it too high, but you want it high enough for the fluids to run in as fast as possible. Since it's only going under the skin, it doesn't matter how fast the fluids run in. Some techs will squeeze the bag to make it go fast but I found that impossible alone since I was holding the cat with one hand and adjusting the needle or valve with the other.

If the fluids don't run well, it's often because the slanted open part of the needle is sitting against fat or skin so you have to turn the needle slightly. To hold the cat, and everyone does it differently, I knelt on the floor with the cat between my knees, and my ankles locked so they can't back out. I scruff and lift the skin high between the shoulder blades so it's in a U shape and slide the needle into the middle of the U. This is the trickiest part because it's the time when you are using both hands and the time when the cat is most likely to react. If Cosmo reacts extremely badly to the needle, you may have to use a narrower gauge - I did with my Artful Dodger. The problem with that is the fluids run a lot more slowly.

If I did get a sudden loss of control of the cat during the time I was giving fluids and the needle came out, I put on a new needle and started again if it was 50cc or less and gave up for the day if it was more. The reason for that is that it's hard to put a needle into a bulge of fluids.

I'm sure you will get lots more advice, and I'm sure I will learn more from others who have gone through this also - because I know it will come up for me again, and any advice is useful.

[elizabethann]

Cosmo is back from the vets. He seems to be doing a little better. Though he is crying allot & is not too steady on his feet. Tomorrow & Saturday I will be giving him fluids by myself (350cc's). Then they said not to give him anymore and to watch him and see how he does. But I'm afraid to stop the fluids. What if I stop & he gets dehydrated again & stops eating? I think it would be cruel to do that to him. What do you think?

[jazzcat]

Cosmo is back from the vets. He seems to be doing a little better. Though he is crying allot & is not too steady on his feet. Tomorrow & Saturday I will be giving him fluids by myself (350cc's). Then they said not to give him anymore and to watch him and see how he does. But I'm afraid to stop the fluids. What if I stop & he gets dehydrated again & stops eating? I think it would be cruel to do that to him. What do you think?

I think you will know quickly if he needs more because he really should perk up with all that he's getting and you will see a decline when he needs more. The main thing I've been told is to watch them closely.

Cosmo is gorgeous!!!! Looks like a big loveable Maine Coon kitty.

[rg_girlca]

I am so sorry that your gorgeous boy Cosmo has kidney disease.

You have been given some great advice from others who have been through this with their own cats.

Prayers being sent out to Cosmo that he has many, many, MANY more years with you.

((((((HUGS)))))) for you.

[Barbara]

Filou is on fluids now since April 2005. He's doing very well.
He gets weekly fluids but of course the amount and frequency depends on the state of the kidneys- so it will be more often later

In the case of Cosmo it was kind of a kidney crisis, so they will start with IV fluids- as opposite to the Sub-q fluids that you can administer yourself.

Many kitties here have become better after such a crisis and I am sure Cosmo will have quite some happy time with you.

One thing about kidney transplant: If you transplant a kidney in humans then in many cases it is a donor who knows about it and has agreed. In the case of cats the kidney is taken from another kitty who has no chance to agree to anything.... I would never do that. It is a risky operation and it is not sure that my cat would live that much longer and with much better life quality. Filou is only ten years old and when he has to go it will break my heart- but I will not put two kitties under the stress of a kidney transplant.