"22brix" wrote in message
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snip


Cindy,

I'm not an expert on this but I've read that finding a food low in
phosphorus is more important than a low protein diet.

Several websites that I've read have said the same.

The bad part is that higher protein foods are frequently high in
phosphorus. The biggest problem with the low protein, kidney diets is
that they're not always that palatable. You may want to play around with
different kidney foods.

And right now, Alex is not eating an awful lot, and he has lost over a pound
since last May. This is the pattern I went through with Molly during the
last two years of her life. I've been feeding my cats Fancy Feast in the
morning. What happens is that Alex eats a little and then Bullwinkle ends up
polishing off the rest of Alex's portion (and Daisy's portion and Tux's
portion as well) in addition to his own. Despite his voracious appetite,
Bullwinkle has also lost weight. He was recently tested for thyroid problems
and that came back negative. All of my cats have been on OM prescription
food since Alex's diabetes diagnosis last spring. At any rate, Alex has not
seemed overly enthusiastic about eating. He's not starving himself, but he's
picking and eating small amounts. I'll give the kidney diet a try, but I can
pretty much guarantee already that he is not going to go for it. For the
last year of her life, Molly existed exclusively on human tuna. It was the
only thing she would eat other than deli meats or my home cooking (beef or
chicken). I supplemented her with feline vitamins.


My CRF kitty was finally put on fluids last summer when she became
dehydrated after several years of high normal BUN and creatinine. I'm
currently giving her 100ml fluids every other day subQ. Molly's BUN and
creatinine levels are actually slightly better than they were in August.

So your kitty has actually shown improvement! That's great! My Molly never
really went on subcu fluids. At the end, she did receive subcu fluids a few
times at the vet. I was going to initiate them at home, but she was already
close to the end of her life at that point and she was suffering, so I opted
to euthanize. Now, I feel sort of confused. Phil (whose opinion I respect a
great deal) is advising against the subcu fluids at this point because of
additional stress on the cat's kidneys. A website I just read is saying the
same thing as my vet (that the subcu fluids should be initiated early and
will prolong the cat's life). Your cat has been on them for seven months and
has shown improvement. And then, there's Bullwinkle whose lab values are
still within normal limits but high. Is there any way to diagnose impending
kidney disease before the BUN and creatinine are elevated (in an effort to
prevent it)? I am so confused and so upset. I intend to speak to my vet
tomorrow and follow Phil's advice to seek a second opinion from a
specialist. There is no veterinary nephrologist in my area, but there is a
veterinary specialist who completed a nephrology residency (currently
specializing in some other organ system).

I'm giving her omega-3 and potassium supplements. Molly has her good days
and her bad days.

I will absolutely give these supplements to Alex and Bullwinkle. I also gave
Alex 5 mg of Pepcid today. He has thrown up some clear liquid several times
(I know from experience this is due to nausea from kidney disease). His
nausea may also explain why he is less interested in food. It seemed like he
perked up a little bit after the Pepcid (I hope it wasn't wishful thinking
on my part), but I'll give it to him again tomorrow before breakfast and see
if his appetite improves. I will also begin offering him canned food
multiple times during the day.

I cherish the good days--they still outweigh by far the bad days.

I wish you the best.

Thank you so much.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.