Tama's Kidneys :(

[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.

[Barbara]

Abys may be prone to kidney disease but they are fighters for sure. Kiss your little boy from me.

[neko1]

He gained more weight! When he crashed he was 5.7 lbs. Since I've had him home & eating, he's went from 6.0 to 6.2 and today at the vets he is 6.6 lbs!

I'll get his bloodwork results back tomorrow- I'm really hoping those kidney values went down!!!!

[jennielynn1970]

Yay for Tama!!! I'm so happy he's doing better!

[BarbIvey]

Sooo glad Tama is improving ! Still sending rayz and some for you too and your back.

[sana]

Lots of prayers for Tama Lots of good thoughts and lovies your way, dear Tama!

[katladyd]

Keep it up, Tama!!! We're all pulling for you.

[neko1]

Thanks all- his kidney values came down- they are still above the normal range but much better than his values when he crashed 2 weeks ago. We are trying fluids every other day now and will do that for a few weeks and recheck him again.

I think he's constipated though, he hasn't pooped in 2 days and today he doesn't feel much like eating- or maybe he just doesn't have enough in him to poop?

I've been having a hard day today- feeling really sad in the morning and really aprehensive all day. Maybe he's picking up on my mood....

[phesina]

Sending along prayers and good wishes and healing energies for Tama and you both..

That's great to hear how his kidney values have been coming down so well! Hopefully he will be pooping again shortly.

[maerlyn]

My Merlin went to the Bridge very nearly 10 years ago, and I know things have changed drastically since then, but constipation, I know, is a side effect of kidney insufficiency. When I realized that had happened with Merlin, we were not at home, so I went to the grocery store and bought some baby suppositories, and that seemed to help. No doubt your vet has better solutions, but it might be something to keep in mind.

Prayers for Tama's continued improvement.