"cindys" wrote in message
...
Well, I just got the bad news from the vet. Alex, who is 16 years old, is
just beginning CRF. The vet told me in addition to switching his food to
NK,
I should begin weekly subcu fluids. She stated that by so doing, since he
is
still in the very early stages of the disease process, it is actually
possible to reverse the situation and return him to relatively normal
kidney
function. Has anyone ever heard of this before (that beginning subcu right
at the beginning of CRF can reverse the process?).

I'm sorry to hear about your cat- I'm going through the same thing with my
20 year-old.

ARF (acute renal failure) is reversible in some cases but CRF is not. By
the time CRF shows up in the bloodwork (high BUN/creatinine 60-75% of renal
function has already been irreversibly lost. The reason why CRF doesn't
show up in the bloodwork as its happening is because the feline kidneys'
have a huge nephron reserve, and 'glomerular hyperfiltration'-- the
indivudual intact nephrons increase their filtration rate to compensate for
the lost and damaged nephrons.



I did successfully cure
him of diabetes with Lantus insulin, and I never would have thought that
would be possible. Now that he'll be eating NK, we are going to have to
keep
a very close watch on his blood glucose to ensure the diabetes doesn't
return. The doctor recommended that we repeat bloodwork to reassess kidney
function in about three months. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of
this?
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Fluid therapy should be administered *only* to correct or prevent
dehydration or short-term to augment GFR in a uremic crisis. Premature or
unnecessary chronic fluid therapy can *promote* the progression of CRF
because it makes the kidney work harder. What is your cat's BUN and
creatinine concentrations and urine specific gravity?

I think you should seek a second opinion from a veterinary nephrologist or a
vet who is experienced in treating feline CRF.

You might want to start thinking about giving your cat a potassium and
omega-3 supplement. Both will delay the downward spiral of CRF.

Best of luck,

Phil