Tama's Kidneys :(

[smokey the elder]

Kidney failure is like that. A dehydrated cat will often perk up with fluids; if he's a good patient they can thrive a good length of time with supplemental fluids.

My Pink Nose is also on two supplements: Azodyl and Epakitin. These seem to be working for him; he's on 100 cc fluids 3x a week as a precaution (I've checked for hydration and he passes the "skin test". The extra won't hurt him.

[Kirsten]

So glad to read that Tama is doing better!! Sounds like he responded very well to his treatment!

[Barbara]

I am sorry I didn't see this earlier.
I am so glad the fluids worked their magic with Tama! He just has the same weight now as Orion- they seem to be similar not only in color.
You know that Filou survived kidney failure for 5 years. He got weekly fluids and was happy, eating well and having all the fun an Aby is meant to have. I hope Tama will be just the same. How old is he, BTW?
I am wondering whether Abys are prone to kidney diseases.

[neko1]

Abys are prone to kidney disease

He's 10- he'll be 11 on Aug. 24th.

Right now he's on 150cc fluids daily & Tumil-K twice daily.

When he goes back to vet, I am going to ask about the supplements as well.

Have any of the kidney kitties here ever eaten Royal Canin Renal LP? The vet gave me a couple cans but said most cats don't like it. Right now I'm just feeding him whatever he will eat since he was a picky eater to begin with and now it's even worse!

[Barbara]

Abys are prone to kidney disease

He's 10- he'll be 11 on Aug. 24th.

Right now he's on 150cc fluids daily & Tumil-K twice daily.

When he goes back to vet, I am going to ask about the supplements as well.

Have any of the kidney kitties here ever eaten Royal Canin Renal LP? The vet gave me a couple cans but said most cats don't like it. Right now I'm just feeding him whatever he will eat since he was a picky eater to begin with and now it's even worse!

Filou's kidney disease was discovered when he was 9 and he lived up to 14. He LOVED the Royal Canin Renal- the pouches that is. He also loved Royal Canin Dry food, actually Tigris loved that as well. In the last year I fed him whatever he wanted. When he stopped eating - and he became a very picky eater- egg yolks were always enticing to him. Our vet always said it is important that he doesn't lose weight.

[Lizzie]

Abys are prone to kidney disease

He's 10- he'll be 11 on Aug. 24th.
Right now he's on 150cc fluids daily & Tumil-K twice daily.
When he goes back to vet, I am going to ask about the supplements as well.

Have any of the kidney kitties here ever eaten Royal Canin Renal LP? The vet gave me a couple cans but said most cats don't like it. Right now I'm just feeding him whatever he will eat since he was a picky eater to begin with and now it's even worse!

I never use the special diets, focusing only on having them eat well and enjoy their meals. I rely on fluids therapy (150cc every other day in the early stages once stabilized) and then dealing with the later issues, anemia, high phosphorus, stomach ulcers, etc. as they arise, usually years later if the condition is caught early. The vets I've seen, my own and several at the shelter, have been fine with this program, saying there is some doubt special diets are the best way to go.

Instead of giving him Tumil-K, you could put potassium directly into his fluids bag, and add vitamin B12 - that's the mix I get from the shelter clinic and anything that means fewer pills is good for both the cat and you.

Anyway, it's wonderful that Tama has bounced back so very well. When I took Sam to foster she was a few days from being euthanized because she was losing 1/2pound a week and wouldn't eat. With twice daily fluids, a quiet room to herself, and any food she wanted, she bounced back with a vengeance much to everyone's surprise. It's been nearly two years now, she's on Epogen injections after a blood transfusion and her levels are starting to rise, but she's still really enjoying her life - and that's the bottom line.

Many more years to Tama!

[neko1]

I tried feeding him the prescription food and he wasn't having any part of that!

He's such a picky eater that we must have at least 1 of every kind of cat food there is in our cupboard now- It's always a hit or miss when I open a can and just because he likes one can one day doesn't mean he's gonna like it the next day!

Always keeping me on my toes!

He gets the B-complex vitamins already in his fluids and he takes him Tumil-K really well.

Tama, too, was about a day away from being PTS, I'm so glad he decided that it wasn't time for him to leave me just yet.

Unfortunately, due to a bad vet, his condition was not caught early

But we take each day with joy and hard lessons learned. I've learned so much in this short week, about what really matters in life, about how much love there is in these tiny creatures, about my strengths and many weaknesses and about my Tama- such a fighter

One hard lesson learned on my end is that I don't handle mega-stressors very well. Due to this stress, I've pulled a muscle in my back which has kept me out of work and is constantly spasming. Which makes taking care of Tama even that much harder considering I can barely move. But his favorite thing is to lie in bed with me, curled up under my chin, so life really isn't that bad

I do hope to have many more years with him! As long as he wants to continue the fight, I will happily stand by his side and help him with whatever he needs.

[phesina]

Prayers that you and Tama will indeed have many more years together!

God bless you and him both.

[neko1]

Kidney failure is like that. A dehydrated cat will often perk up with fluids; if he's a good patient they can thrive a good length of time with supplemental fluids.
.

I'm so lucky- he's great with the fluids- doesn't move at all until the very end- he seems to sense when he's almost done

[smokey the elder]

Aww, what a good patient! I'm glad he's eating and stuff. That's really key. Apparently, they get upset tummies sometimes; this is why they won't eat. I don't know if it's because of the supplements, but Pink Nose rarely throws up and it's the "bolt and barf" that he's done all his life when he eats too fast.