PT Prayers for Henry please *Update*

[Laura's Babies]

Fingers crossed that the meds work for Henry.

[phesina]

Praying for Henry that the meds work well.

[Freedom]

Oh Henry! I am just now seeing this thread. I am glad he went to been checked over a t the vet. I do NOT like a sore mouth, ugh!

Prayers that the meds kick in quickly and he starts feeling better and eating.

I hope you and Linda both keep him indoors during this time. It is easiest to keep track of what he is eating and how much, what is being deposited in th elitter box, etc.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Henry. I hope that the meds will help his gum problems and that he'll feel better soon. I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

[CultureJunky]

Thank you all for your good wishes for Henry. He has eaten a whole dish of food today and had his morning tablet in corned beef, he thoroughly enjoyed that!
Sandra, Henry doesn't go at all much, and since he's been feeling unwell has only gone out twice for a hour then come back in. When I say he's moved in with us, that is literal! He is probably in our house more than we are, bless
He doesn't ask to go out, and uses the litter tray. He's a good boy really.

[CultureJunky]

Well Christmas has come and gone and it seems to have flown by. Henry has had two more vet appointments.
The blood and urine tests brought negative news, it seems that Henry has kidney disease (Chronic Renal Failure) his kidneys are not in good shape.
Luckily the anti-biotics have been good and he is eating again now, and also gained 29 grams in weight, which isn't much but it something.
He has another course of anti-biotics and has another appointment in two weeks time. If he is eating okay, we'll leave it at that, if he's back to having trouble, he'll be booked in for a dental, though the vet is reluctant to do this as the risk would be very high with an anaesthetic.
So my neighbour and I are happy to take care of Henry and try to do the best for him. He is happy in himself and eating regular though in small amounts, and he's not pawing at his mouth anymore. His gums do look slightly less inflamed. I am hoping the anti-biotics will clear the problem.

I have ordered Hills K/D (kidney diet) pouches online, so he will be going on a vetinary diet. They were expensive but I don't care, I don't mind paying, and my neighbour is going to pay half, as we both want to make him happy and as healthy as we possibly can.
The vet said that time wise, she couldn't really say, some cats live for years very well on a good diet and vet supervision, but others don't. I guess it's down to how happy Henry is with us.
He is more or less our cat now, but I have decided to leave the adoption idea for now, as Linda does really care for him, and I think feels that she wants to help pay for things as he's still 'officially' her cat even though he lives in our house with us. So I'm okay with that situation, it's Henry that is important not who he 'belongs' too.

Does anybody have any advice for helping Kidney disease, such as any supplements that are helpful, or natural herbal remedies, things like that. I'd be very interested to have any advice or info from PT'rs as you are the people who have been through these things with your cat. You can read a myriad of things online, but the best advice would be from somebody who has had a cat have this actual problem.

Thanks for all PT prayers, Henry is grateful for them all, as are we.

Kate

[Lizzie]

Lucky Henry, to have two guardians to take care of him. I've had several cats live for years with this condition, even without going on a special diet - though I used subq fluids which helped enormously. However, I just lost my Nougat to CRF only weeks after she was diagnosed, which really shocked me after the others had lived so long. As you said, it can go either way. We will all hope for a good few extra years for Henry.

Has your vet suggested Epatikin? You sprinkle it on their food and it helps bind excess phosphorus. Will you give subq fluids?

[Taz_Zoee]

I put my Taz on the k/d diet about 4 months ago. Although, he still has to have his treats each day. I've been looking for treats that are low in protein, but haven't found any.
Taz's kidney levels have been slowly (very slowly) going up over the past couple years. So I just hope they do not shoot up suddenly on me. He is super skinny (at his heaviest he was 21 1/2lbs, and now is maybe 12lbs) but eats pretty good.

I will hope that the diet helps with Henry's levels and he is around for many years to come with both of his families that love and care for him.

[CultureJunky]

Lucky Henry, to have two guardians to take care of him. I've had several cats live for years with this condition, even without going on a special diet - though I used subq fluids which helped enormously. However, I just lost my Nougat to CRF only weeks after she was diagnosed, which really shocked me after the others had lived so long. As you said, it can go either way. We will all hope for a good few extra years for Henry.

Has your vet suggested Epatikin? You sprinkle it on their food and it helps bind excess phosphorus. Will you give subq fluids?

I will ask if there are any meds to sprinkle on food, thanks for that suggestion. What exactly is subq fluids?
He did have metacam which was a fluid, on the leaflet that came with it it said it was for muscular-skeletal problems, however the vet told me to stop putting the drops on his food as this particular one wasn't good for cats with kidney problems.

The anti-biotics are called Amox and have penecillin in them, twice daily. He also has two weeks worth of Fortekor, once daily. The vet didn't explain what this was for, and it didn't come with a leaflet, just in an envelope.

[Lizzie]

Fortekor isn't available in the U.S. but an online search gave me this information:

"After oral administration, benazepril is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and hydrolysed to benazeprilat, a highly specific and potent inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Fortekor produces significant inhibition of plasma ACE activity for more than 24 hours after a single dose in cats and dogs.

Inhibition of ACE leads to reduced conversion of inactive angiotensin I into active angiotensin II and therefore reduction in the effects mediated by angiotensin II, including vasoconstriction of both arteries and veins, retention of sodium and water by the kidney and modeling changes (including pathological cardiac hypertrophy and degenerative renal changes).

In cats with chronic renal insufficiency Fortekor reduces the protein loss in urine and reduces systemic and intraglomerular blood pressure. Fortekor increases the appetite, quality of life and survival time of the cats, particularly in advanced disease."

Fortekor is flushed out of the system mainly through the GI tract, only a little through the kidneys, making it fine for use with CRF cats. However, I think Metacam needs to go through the kidneys and that would be why the vet won't want you to use it. I don't know if your vet will think Henry needs a potassium binder, it may not be something they use in the U.K.

Subq fluids is basically water with added electrolytes which is given just under the surface of the skin, and anyone can learn to do it at home. It flushes the kidneys and I've seen dramatic reductions in BUN and Creatinine levels in my cats after using subq fluid therapy even for only a few weeks. However, as with Epatikin, it may not be a treatment that they use in the U.K.

[3Catcondo]

Thoughts and prayers to Henry, that he can be healthy and pain free for a long time to come! Thank you for taking good care of him!

[Emeraldgreen]

Prayers that Henry will feel better soon. I had a Tortie cat named Jade that had kidney failure. She was diagnosed with it at the age of 18 when she was getting a dental and the bloodwork prior to that showed she had kidney issues. She went on to live for 4 more wonderful years. At first she was on K/D and she LOVED the dry version but wasn't too keen on the wet.
After a while she didn't want any of it and the vet said to make sure she was eating, even if it wasn't low protein. So she was on regular food for the last year or so.
The biggest impact on her disease was fluids. They really gave her quality of life. Before we started, she looked alot like Henry did in that photo you posted. She was dehydrated and her fur had that dehydrated look to it.
The techs showed me how to administer the fluids and let me practice a few times at the clinic and then sent me home with a bag of fluids. I swear, it is not that hard at all once you get the hang of it and it only takes 5-15 minutes, depending on what gauge needle you use and how many cc's of fluid you are giving.
I gave Jade 100 cc's once a week and she felt better within an hour of getting it. She would race up and down the carpeted stairwell and play. It made all the difference. Cats with kidney disease drink so much but they have trouble staying hydrated so providing extra fluids helps them feel so much better.
Plus, it isn't expensive. One bag of fluids lasted 10 weeks for Jade.

[Anikaca77]

I'm afraid I don't have any advice to offer regarding kidney's but I'll say a big pray for Henry.

Take care,
Melissa

[CultureJunky]

Thank you Emerald Green, Lizzie and Taz for all your advice and information. I will definately be asking the vet at his next appointment about extra fluids and if there is anything available over here in the UK. Even if there isn't a vetinary equivalent I will ask if there are ones I can purchase anywhere else. I have taken a lot of comfort in all you've said and am determined to give Henry the best care he can have within the limits we have. It has made me feel very positive about his future.
The vet was quite negative about it, though I suppose it's because they feel they have to prepare you for the worst.
I now feel so much better about his future and trying to keep his disease as balanced as we can.
Thank you everybody, and special smelly kisses from Henry!

[Medusa]

My computer got another virus and I was w/out it for nearly 3 days so I've had a lot of catching up to do and I guess I somehow missed this update. I'm sorry to read of Henry's CRF but as Emeraldgreen and others have said, your vet/tech can show you how to administer subcutaneous fluids to Henry. My RB Puddy had CRF and I gave her subQ's for years. In the beginning I thought that I'd never be able to stick a needle in her and I was nervous at first and screwed it up a couple of times but once I got over the nervousness, all went smoothly and Puddy got used to it and even purred sometimes during it. If you use a thicker gauge needle, it may sting a little more when you first put the needle in but the treatment is over much more quickly. It can mean the difference between a 30 min. treatment and a 5 min. one plus it saves money (you don't have to depend on a vet/tech to do it) and Henry won't be stressed out from going to the vet's over and over.

Good luck w/this and know that our prayers are w/you and Henry and that he'll be w/you for years to come. Puddy lived for approximately 6 1/2 years w/CRF and went to the Bridge at age 14. The last two years of her life were pretty intense but she had many other health issues besides CRF. Keep the faythe.