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#1
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Cat losing body-moisture.
I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over,
but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. |
#2
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Cat losing body-moisture.
"Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL |
#3
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Cat losing body-moisture.
Suddenly, without warning, MaryL exclaimed (4/12/2009 9:33 AM):
"Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL Don't have to make a slurry if he won't accept it (mine won't). Just pour a spoonful or three over the chunks - they'll soak up water from the bottom. If they start looking dry on top, just flip 'em over. This works very well for my cat. Second the "moving water" idea. Also the liquid from tuna in water, or salmon, is usually considered a treat, and you can probably add a little extra to help him out. There are lots of tricks of the trade to cause a cat to drink more water - I've tried many of them, since my cat has cystitis and we had some issues figuring this one out. jmc |
#4
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Cat losing body-moisture.
"Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. You are misinformed. Diuretics like furosemide do not draw fluids out of bodily tissues. They are designed to reduce the load on the heart act by blocking the absorption of sodium, chloride, and water from the filtered fluid in the kidney tubules, causing an increase in the output of urine (diuresis). A cat in heart failure has excess fluid buildup, this is what is excreted via the administration of diuretics. There is no "moisture" being "drawn from" anywhere. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a serious uncurable disease, and I'm sorry to say this, but you'd better end your cat's suffering sooner rather than later. |
#5
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Cat losing body-moisture.
On Apr 12, 7:30*am, jmc wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, MaryL exclaimed (4/12/2009 9:33 AM): "Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". *(The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) * *It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. * To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). *Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). * But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. *So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. *This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. *This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. *It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? * Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. *It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. *If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). *However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. * First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." *Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. *Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. *Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. *Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL Don't have to make a slurry if he won't accept it (mine won't). *Just pour a spoonful or three over the chunks - they'll soak up water from the bottom. *If they start looking dry on top, just flip 'em over. *This works very well for my cat. Second the "moving water" idea. *Also the liquid from tuna in water, or salmon, is usually considered a treat, and you can probably add a little extra to help him out. There are lots of tricks of the trade to cause a cat to drink more water - I've tried many of them, since my cat has cystitis and we had some issues figuring this one out. jmc Fresh filtered or distilled water only also, my kids love to have ice cubes added which helps them "see" the water and gets them drinking lots. Cats love cold water. Sue M |
#6
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Cat losing body-moisture.
"sudee" wrote in message ... On Apr 12, 7:30 am, jmc wrote: Suddenly, without warning, MaryL exclaimed (4/12/2009 9:33 AM): "Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL Don't have to make a slurry if he won't accept it (mine won't). Just pour a spoonful or three over the chunks - they'll soak up water from the bottom. If they start looking dry on top, just flip 'em over. This works very well for my cat. Second the "moving water" idea. Also the liquid from tuna in water, or salmon, is usually considered a treat, and you can probably add a little extra to help him out. There are lots of tricks of the trade to cause a cat to drink more water - I've tried many of them, since my cat has cystitis and we had some issues figuring this one out. jmc Fresh filtered or distilled water only also, my kids love to have ice cubes added which helps them "see" the water and gets them drinking lots. Cats love cold water. Sue M Actual everything I have been reading is that distilled or purified water is not actually good for anyone it lacks the natural minerals needed |
#7
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Cat losing body-moisture.
"Matthew" wrote in message ng.com... Actual everything I have been reading is that distilled or purified water is not actually good for anyone it lacks the natural minerals needed That's especially true of distilled water. MaryL |
#8
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Cat losing body-moisture.
On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:11:57 -0400, "Matthew"
wrote: "sudee" wrote in message ... On Apr 12, 7:30 am, jmc wrote: Suddenly, without warning, MaryL exclaimed (4/12/2009 9:33 AM): "Eddy" wrote in message ... I will be taking this question to the vet once the Easter break is over, but in the meantime I wonder if anyone has any advice? One of our cats, just four and a half years old, has recently been found to be suffering from serious heart disease, namely "HCM". (The heart has become enlarged and deformed, it does not operate normally, and the heart-beat is far higher than normal.) It has been a touch-and-go situation and we are lucky that the cat is still alive. One of the effects of HCM is that fluid gathers around the lungs, restricting the space within which the lungs may expand, so breathing becomes difficult. To combat this particular effect the cat is now taking furosemide (after having had his pleural cavities drained via thoracentesis). Furosemide is a diuretic, i.e., it draws moisture out of the tissues, in this case keeping the pleural cavities clear of the inhibiting fluid. The vet told us to give our cat a quarter of a tablet per day (along with the ace-inhibitor and the aspirin he must now also take). But, unfortunately, the difficulty in breathing returned. So the vet advised us to double the daily dose of furosemide, i.e. a quarter of a tablet every 12 hours, instead of once in 24 hours. This has corrected the situation causing the breathing difficulty, i.e. it has cleared the pleural cavities of the fluid caused by the malfunctioning heart. HOWEVER, the diuretic has effected the cat's entire body, drawing moisture out of ALL his tissues, so that he has become thin - very noticeably thin, when compared to his healthy twin brother. This has happened within the space of a week and obviously his getting thinner still is a great concern. So, we have reduced the diuretic slightly, so that he receives a quarter in the morning, but only an eighth in the evening. It remains to be seen if this will be enough to keep the pleural cavities free of the buildup of fluid and whether it may reduce the excessive withdrawal of moisture from the rest of his body. Please note, our cats' diet is entirely wet-food, so we can't get more water into him via the feeding route. Has anybody any familiarity with this situation? Is there anything else we can do? Thanks. Eddy. Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL Don't have to make a slurry if he won't accept it (mine won't). Just pour a spoonful or three over the chunks - they'll soak up water from the bottom. If they start looking dry on top, just flip 'em over. This works very well for my cat. Second the "moving water" idea. Also the liquid from tuna in water, or salmon, is usually considered a treat, and you can probably add a little extra to help him out. There are lots of tricks of the trade to cause a cat to drink more water - I've tried many of them, since my cat has cystitis and we had some issues figuring this one out. jmc Fresh filtered or distilled water only also, my kids love to have ice cubes added which helps them "see" the water and gets them drinking lots. Cats love cold water. Sue M Actual everything I have been reading is that distilled or purified water is not actually good for anyone it lacks the natural minerals needed That is generally true. However, in a case where you need to get more fluid into a reluctant cat, ANYTHING that works is good. The purified/distilled water will make up a small % of the total water intake (canned food is 70 to 80% water) so this won't affect the cat's overall health. I'm sorry you cat is so very, very sick. I hope you can get him 'stabilized' ASAP, and that you have much more quality time with him. |
#9
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Cat losing body-moisture.
dejablues wrote:
You are misinformed. Diuretics like furosemide do not draw fluids out of bodily tissues. They are designed to reduce the load on the heart act by blocking the absorption of sodium, chloride, and water from the filtered fluid in the kidney tubules, causing an increase in the output of urine (diuresis). A cat in heart failure has excess fluid buildup, this is what is excreted via the administration of diuretics. There is no "moisture" being "drawn from" anywhere. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a serious uncurable disease, and I'm sorry to say this, but you'd better end your cat's suffering sooner rather than later. Deja, I know Wikipedia is not the most authoritative source of relevant information but there Furosemide is described as being used to indirectly treat either the heart OR general oedema. My vet has indicated to me that our cat is taking Furosemide to lessen his oedema, and that the ace-inhibitor he is taking each day is treating the heart. We believe this is likely to be the case because, as I said before, on a low dose of Furosemide our cat developed his breathing problem again, probably due to being unable to expand his lungs fully due to surrounding oedema. Then, as I said, when we doubled the daily dose of Furosemide, the breathing returned to normal, but a general weight-loss and thinness of the trunk occurred, due, probably, to the oedema treatment. We've now got him on a half-way dose of Furosemide, hoping that the breathing diffficulty will not return and that the thinness will fill out as his kidneys hopefully cease to extract too much water from his system. I note your advice "you'd better end your cat's suffering sooner rather than later" but would remind you that due to our vet's diligence and our own strict adherence to his quite complicated regimen of medication he is currently NOT suffering at all. Indeed, the past two days have been days of great pleasure and happiness for him, and therefore us. The weather has turned excellent and he has spent all day sitting around in the garden, fully alert to birds and insects, all the the sounds of nature about him. And he has been showing us a great deal of affection too. We know this is "borrowed time" and we greatly appreciate every day of it. Of course, when he is clearly no longer happy and we know that no more changes can be made to his medication, then indeed we will ask the vet to visit and gently let him go off to sleep. Eddy. |
#10
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Cat losing body-moisture.
MaryL wrote:
Eddy, I can't answer your question about how thin your cat has become, so I'm glad you will be consulting your vet again very soon. It is important to learn if it is really lack of fluids that is causing this problem, or something else. If it is fluid, your vet may want to give Ringer's lactate (which can also be administered at home, if it needs to be an ongoing thing). However, I did have two thoughts concerning your statement that you can't get more water into him via the feeding route. First, you could increase the water in his canned food somewhat by adding a small amount of warm water to the food; stir it to make a sort of "slurry." Some cats will reject it, but it's worth trying. Make sure it is a premium quality canned food *without* grains. Second (although this does not involve his food), some cats will drink more if the water is moving. Have you tried one of the pet "fountains" that are used for this purpose? Good luck with your kitty, and please keep us updated. MaryL Thanks, MaryL. I have looked up "Lactated Ringers" and I see that it is "used for the treatment of dehydration and electrolyte depletion in animals". So I will run this by the vet tomorrow. However, from the little I have read of this on the internet just now it seems it has to be injected subcutaneously. I think this would be too traumatic for us and the poor cat. Fingers crossed he won't get any thinner and his current happiness will continue. Many thanks. Eddy. |
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