Acute Renal Failure

Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her BUN is a
little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think around 8.
Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small town, none
of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle to a 24 hour
hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting fluid therapy.
I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency vet that her
prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the renal failure yet.
I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't act sick, other than a
decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is not acting depressed, she
was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult time accepting that she
very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie

On Mar 30, 11:58 pm, "22brix" wrote:
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her BUN is a
little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think around 8.
Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small town, none
of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle to a 24 hour
hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting fluid therapy.
I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency vet that her
prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the renal failure yet.
I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't act sick, other than a
decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is not acting depressed, she
was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult time accepting that she
very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie

My tortie, Kahlua, suffered renal failure when she was seven. She
didn't act sick, just decreased appetite and some vomiting. She was
hospitalized for about week, then came home and went on Science Diet K/
D. She didn't love it, but she did eat it, and she healthy, happy, and
a joy to be with for five or six more years. Eventually, her kidneys
failed completely, and fluids and special diet couldn't do anything
more for her, but we did have those additional years, and when the end
came for her, it was very quick and peaceful. She broke into the other
cats' food, gorged, and went to sleep. (The vet assured me that no, it
wasn't that off-diet meal that did it; she just had one really good,
tasty last meal when her kidneys were already crashing.)

What I'm trying to say, probably very clumsily, is that if your vets
think it's worthwhile to put her in the hospital to put her on fluids,
there's a very good chance she has years of happy life ahead of her.

Lis

"Lis" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 30, 11:58 pm, "22brix" wrote:
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with
acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her BUN is a
little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think around 8.
Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small town,
none
of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle to a 24
hour
hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting fluid therapy.
I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency vet that her
prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the renal failure
yet.
I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't act sick, other than
a
decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is not acting depressed,
she
was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult time accepting that she
very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie

My tortie, Kahlua, suffered renal failure when she was seven. She
didn't act sick, just decreased appetite and some vomiting. She was
hospitalized for about week, then came home and went on Science Diet K/
D. She didn't love it, but she did eat it, and she healthy, happy, and
a joy to be with for five or six more years. Eventually, her kidneys
failed completely, and fluids and special diet couldn't do anything
more for her, but we did have those additional years, and when the end
came for her, it was very quick and peaceful. She broke into the other
cats' food, gorged, and went to sleep. (The vet assured me that no, it
wasn't that off-diet meal that did it; she just had one really good,
tasty last meal when her kidneys were already crashing.)

What I'm trying to say, probably very clumsily, is that if your vets
think it's worthwhile to put her in the hospital to put her on fluids,
there's a very good chance she has years of happy life ahead of her.

Lis


Thank you for telling me about your experiences with Kahlua. I'm hoping
that is the case with Tortle. This is a new vet for me and I'm having a bit
of a time communicating with her--she talks very softly and fast and I'm not
sure I'm getting everything she says. She's been quite pessimistic, though
which is coming through loud and clear.

Did you give fluids to Kahlua after she came home? If Tortle does pull
through this we may need to give her Sub Q fluids. I hope we'll know more
today if the fluids are affecting her blood levels yet.

Thanks again for posting--I need some positive stories right now.

Bonnie

"22brix" wrote in message
...
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with
acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods

..............What does she eat? You are aware Hills pulled feline dry m/d?
Does her food contain any wheat gluten? We still don't know if the unnamed
pet food companies getting loads of wheat gluten from the same company as
Menu Foods have all come clean. So far Hills m/d and Alpo have been added
since FDA announcement yesterday. One announcement came out at midnight.
Better safe than sorry - if it's got wheat gluten don't feed it.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

......Done. May she spend many years with you.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:15:17 GMT, "22brix"
wrote:

Thank you for telling me about your experiences with Kahlua. I'm
hoping that is the case with Tortle. This is a new vet for me and I'm
having a bit of a time communicating with her--she talks very softly
and fast and I'm not sure I'm getting everything she says. She's been
quite pessimistic, though which is coming through loud and clear.

Having a pessimistic vet is Not helpful. Is there another vet in the
practice you can work with, or another emergency hospital in the same
general area? If not, just grit your teeth and don't let this vet's
negative attitude affect yours. Make sure she understands that you want
to do EVERYTHING possible for your cat. Then stay on top of her
treatment.

Did you give fluids to Kahlua after she came home? If Tortle does
pull through this we may need to give her Sub Q fluids. I hope we'll
know more today if the fluids are affecting her blood levels yet.

Thanks again for posting--I need some positive stories right now.

I wish I had some positive stories for you, but all I can offer are some
positive, healing thoughts for you and Tortle.

--
Lynne

"buglady" wrote in message
link.net...

"22brix" wrote in message
...
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with
acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods

.............What does she eat? You are aware Hills pulled feline dry
m/d?
Does her food contain any wheat gluten? We still don't know if the
unnamed
pet food companies getting loads of wheat gluten from the same company as
Menu Foods have all come clean. So far Hills m/d and Alpo have been
added
since FDA announcement yesterday. One announcement came out at midnight.
Better safe than sorry - if it's got wheat gluten don't feed it.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

.....Done. May she spend many years with you.

buglady
take out the dog before replying



Thanks for responding! Tortle is very finicky--about all she'll eat is
Hill's T/D, which does not include wheat gluten--I have checked and
rechecked this! The vet feels that one of the kidneys has not been
functioning for awhile. It is smaller than the other. They did x-rays last
night but food in her bowel made it difficult to see what was happening with
the kidneys. She's thinking there are stones in her kidney(s) and is saying
that even if Tortle pulls through, she could little kidney function left.
She started talking about kidney transplants but didn't know if Tortle would
be a good candidate. She's hard to understand--out of frustration I finally
asked her if things were so bleak, was it even worth trying to treat her? I
wasn't sure if that was what she was trying to say. She immediately backed
off and started being a little more positive. I am so frustrated not to be
able to work with my own vet. I realize this is extremely serious but
Tortle just doesn't act that sick.

Thanks for listening to me vent. We're going down to see her
today--hopefully her lab values will have started responding to the fluid
therapy.

Bonnie

PS Thanks for researching and posting up-to-date news regarding the food
recall.

"Lynne" wrote in message
m...
on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:15:17 GMT, "22brix"
wrote:


I wish I had some positive stories for you, but all I can offer are some
positive, healing thoughts for you and Tortle.

--
Lynne

Thanks, I appreciate it!

Bonnie

On 31 Mar, 04:58, "22brix" wrote:
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with acute
renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she doesn't eat
any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her BUN is a
little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think around 8.
Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small town, none
of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle to a 24 hour
hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting fluid therapy.
I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency vet that her
prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the renal failure yet.
I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't act sick, other than a
decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is not acting depressed, she
was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult time accepting that she
very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie

I am so so sorry to hear of Tortle's troubles. Unfortunately, I
personally can't share a healing story with you, but you might find it
helpful to read Cindy's post regarding Alex's troubles which she
posted recently.

I noticed that Phil gave her some very valuable information, that
helped her to question why this had happened to Alex. I think that you
might find it of benefit to you & it might help you find the reason
that you are looking for.

She also sought a second opinion which might be something that you
might want to consider, given the negative outlook you were given as a
prognosis in her case?

It is entirely possible that you might have to start fluid therapy for
her, but if you have a supportive vet, it will go a long way to
helping both you and Tortle too. They will explain any questions that
you might have regarding how to go about fluid therapy & how to care
for Tortle too. As Lis points out, with the care that she needs, there
should be no reason for you not to share many years to come with her.

I wish you well with Tortle and want you to know that we are sending
really soothing purs across the pond to you and both.
If I come across anything of interest, then I will forward it to
you..& if you need something explaining, try pinging Phil as he seems
very well informed regarding this issue.
Best Wishes,
Sheelagh x

"22brix" wrote in message
...
Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with
acute renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she
doesn't eat any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her
BUN is a little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think
around 8. Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small
town, none of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle
to a 24 hour hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting
fluid therapy. I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency
vet that her prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the
renal failure yet. I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't
act sick, other than a decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is
not acting depressed, she was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult
time accepting that she very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie




My cat Amber (RB) had a similar diagnosis when she was 13 years old. She
was not expected to live more than a few weeks "or 3 months at most." She
developed IBD at approximately the same time. My vet put me in contact with
vets at Texas A&M and Ohio State veterinary schools, and they both spent a
great deal of time on the telephone with me. This was 24 years ago, long
before I had access to the Internet and the information it provides, and
these vets gave me a lot of help (and neither of them charged anything for
their time!). We put Amber on a prescription cat food diet, and we had to
change a number of times before we found one that she could tolerate. She
had very bad diarrhea for awhile, and she was put on a program (gradually
increasing, then plateau, then gradually decreasing to none) of prednisone
for awhile. She would need fluids every few weeks.

Well, this regimen gave us an additional *3 years* instead of the few weeks
that originally been expected. She was happy and had a good quality of life
during those years, although I had to monitor her healthy carefully and take
quick action (such as fluids or diarrhea control) as soon as I noticed early
signs of problems. I hope you can have similar results. The point is,
don't give up too quickly. My vet said that most people lose their cats
much earlier, but he also said that most people will not follow their care
so closely. You can do the same thing! Nothing is guaranteed, but it is
well worth the attempt. Moreover, that was 24 years ago, and you will
undoubtedly find better information today than I had at that time.

You can see a picture of Amber at the link below my signature, at the age of
15. She was a little angel and still had that "kittenish" look, even at
that time.

MaryL
http://tinyurl.com/a5tpn

On 31 Mar, 21:07, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"22brix" wrote in message

...





Tortle, my 8 1/2 year old tortoiseshell kitty has been diagnosed with
acute renal failure. It does not appear to be related to food (she
doesn't eat any of the recalled foods). Her creatinine is over 11 and her
BUN is a little over 100--the phosphorus level is elevated, too--I think
around 8. Since our regular vet doesn't have 24 hour coverage (very small
town, none of the vet clinics here have 24 hour coverage), we drove Tortle
to a 24 hour hospital about 1 1/2 hours away so she can start getting
fluid therapy. I've been told, both by my regular vet and the emergency
vet that her prognosis is guarded. We don't know what has caused the
renal failure yet. I'm just devastated. The crazy thing is she doesn't
act sick, other than a decreased appetite. Her eyes are bright, she is
not acting depressed, she was purring at the vet's--I'm having a difficult
time accepting that she very well may not survive this disease.

Any healing thoughts you could send this way would be appreciated.

Bonnie

My cat Amber (RB) had a similar diagnosis when she was 13 years old. She
was not expected to live more than a few weeks "or 3 months at most." She
developed IBD at approximately the same time. My vet put me in contact with
vets at Texas A&M and Ohio State veterinary schools, and they both spent a
great deal of time on the telephone with me. This was 24 years ago, long
before I had access to the Internet and the information it provides, and
these vets gave me a lot of help (and neither of them charged anything for
their time!). We put Amber on a prescription cat food diet, and we had to
change a number of times before we found one that she could tolerate. She
had very bad diarrhea for awhile, and she was put on a program (gradually
increasing, then plateau, then gradually decreasing to none) of prednisone
for awhile. She would need fluids every few weeks.

Well, this regimen gave us an additional *3 years* instead of the few weeks
that originally been expected. She was happy and had a good quality of life
during those years, although I had to monitor her healthy carefully and take
quick action (such as fluids or diarrhea control) as soon as I noticed early
signs of problems. I hope you can have similar results. The point is,
don't give up too quickly. My vet said that most people lose their cats
much earlier, but he also said that most people will not follow their care
so closely. You can do the same thing! Nothing is guaranteed, but it is
well worth the attempt. Moreover, that was 24 years ago, and you will
undoubtedly find better information today than I had at that time.

You can see a picture of Amber at the link below my signature, at the age of
15. She was a little angel and still had that "kittenish" look, even at
that time.

MaryLhttp://tinyurl.com/a5tpn- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

She looked Beautiful Mary. I am so pleased that you had a possitive
outcome.

It seems, reading through this thread and lots of others too, that the
attitude of the vet that you have, has a lot to do with the outcome &
prognosis of the cat?
I agree, there must be any amount of vets who would be more than
willing to help Tortle through this episode, the question is more,
which is the best to approach?
Where would you suggest that Bonnie start with?

I was frankly shocked to hear that the vet was so pessimistic
regarding Tortle. It is really sad that the vets were not very
helpful, & that Bonnie had to be pushed to the stage where she was
threatening not to treat her cat to make them change the tone of their
tune.. You would expect more from a vet that you have traveled over
one & a half hours to see wouldn't you?
If the outlook is pessimistic, then they should be forthright & say
so.. not blow hot, then cold at the suggestion that Bonnie might
decide not to treat Tortle.
In a situation like this, you need to hear exactly how it is, rather
than a half hearted wishy washy attitude regarding her cat.

It is distressing enough to know that your cat is ill, without the
added stress of not understanding what the vet has to tell you.
I'm so glad that there are people like you and Lis out there, who can
give Bonnie positive feedback, because @ times like this, it is just
the tonic that you need to hear.
Positive purrs
S;o)