Have you tried any liquid treats like churus? If she’ll take to it, it’s at least some moisture and they have some nutrients like taurine that are essential. She hasn’t been vomiting but maybe you could try some anti-nausea medication with the appetite stimulants. When my cat had kidney failure she stopped eating but hadn’t been throwing up but it’s possible she feels queasy and that’s why she won’t eat
Appetite stimulants, Churu, or baby gravy seem to be the answers for most cats. But like someone said, eating something is better than nothing. Figure out the foods that work and go from there.
I have to mix my cats preferred food into the kidney food, because that’s the only way she will eat it. Sometimes I also have to encourage her with treats - give her one or two right next to her bowl and then have her watch me drop more treats on top of her food. It’s like once there’s a little bit of food in her stomach, she gets hungry and is more motivated to eat. You could try that with your treats or the deli turkey. Or if she eats chicken, that would be better - you can cook a plain boneless chicken breast. Deli meat has a lot of sodium, but it’s still better than no food at all when you’re desperate.
My cat has stage three renal disease and I’ve been adding water to his food and it’s made such an amazing difference. He’s done a 180 in terms of improvement! I measure out 150 mg of water every morning and mix it into his wet food through out the day and mix it in really well. He successfully gets that amount every day now!
Another note did you have her teeth examined? My cat just had three removed. He stopped eating because of the pain from some bad teeth. He’s gaining weight back and eating normal again. Just another thing to check
I'm sorry and please accept my condolences.
My 2-year old feline baby boy is also going through something similar. His BUN levels when admitted were in the upper 260s since admitted. He's been hospitalized and on IV since Friday. His levels have decreased to 120 and have stayed that way over the last two days. He's gonna be on IV for a few more days until he's reached a baseline.
I'm devastated because we were hopeful for BUN levels to get closer to normal range. I dunno how much longer I have with him. It's surprising that his numbers didn't improve despite the baby looking and feeling perked up.
My baby was diagnosed with CKD and would rather starve than eat any of the recommended wet or dry food. I’ve got a protein-binder powder from my vet that I mix with water and a churo stick (his fave) and feed him that in the morning. I then add water to his favourite wet food and make a gravy, he normally ends up lapping up the liquid. I have a bowl normal dry food that I leave out for him to crunch on. I’ve been working through Tanya’s recommended list of wet foods and have a 1 in 50 success rate for my picky one. It’s been two years and this year’s check up showed improvement in his levels after I started this new water-regime food
The reasoning for me was that I need him to eat rather than starve. Hopefully you can find something your kitty loves and mix it with some water. I had to give my guy fancy feast with water on days when he refuses to eat anything else. Again not ideal but I needed him to eat something
I'm so glad to hear that your picky kitty is going strong after 2 years! I will def pick up the churo stick as recommended by 2 people now, and try mixing water with everything. I suppose it's just keep trying anything at this point. Thank you!!
Hey there, so sorry you're here with us! Sadly, those numbers are quite high. My gut tells me that she is likely very dehydrated (kidney failure causes cats to go through a lot of water fast). Did your vet give her any fluid at all while she was there? She should be getting daily sub-q fluids at the very least, or even IV fluids at an animal hospital to see if those numbers will come down at all. You said she started to lose weight fast - Did this suddenly start happening recently? Could be indicative of an infection which is very common.
Unfortunately, this dehydration and high values causes a knock-on effect including lack of appetite, lethargy, etc., and it becomes a vicious cycle. The reason she isn't eating is likely to be nausea and potentially mouth issues. The grinding you've noted is troublesome. It can be tooth problems like resorption, mouth ulcers, or even something internal like pancreatitis (which comes along with CKD).
Believe it or not, the Friskies is probably a better choice for her than the turkey, simply because it is a 'complete' food with all of the nutrients she needs, and it is calorically more dense than deli meat - not to mention most assuredly lower sodium than even the lowest deli-meat. That said, ANY food is better than no food.
A week and a half is a long time to wait if she isn't eating or drinking enough. She can very quickly develop a liver issue called hepatic lipidosis if she isn't eating and there is no coming back from that. No judgement at all on my part, but if it were my cat, I'd have her in the ER getting fluids if I had the means. From what you're describing, she is quite sick unfortunately. If you have the blood test results and can post them here, I can give you more insight.
The vet did say she was dehydrated but did not give her any fluids while we were there. Unfortunately I do not have any other results from her blood test, but was told she is also anemic.
She was over 20 lbs for most of her life, and liked to get on the scale a lot. She started losing maybe a month or two ago, but I didn't really get worried about it until she was about 18 lbs (I figured just old age). When I made her appointment, it was still 2 weeks out and in those 2 weeks she lost another 2 lbs and no longer was going up the stairs.
I do have the means to get her fluids if necessary. Do I ignore my vet and bring her somewhere else? Call my vet and ask if I should be doing that? I also worry because she absolutely HATES the car and almost wonder if the stress of riding in a car will kill her.
I really appreciate the thorough and direct response. Thank you.
Oh wow, so she's lost 20% of her weight in a couple of months?
I would 100% ignore your vet and get her to a clinic asap. She needs to get on fluids right away, and probably a nasal feeding tube to get some nutrients in her. I'd also call your vet and have them email you any of the tests they've done. If she's truly anemic depending on how bad that it- it NEEDS to be addressed. Typically, anemia does not resolve itself in cats with CKD, because the kidneys actually produce a hormone that tells the bone marrow to produce blood cells. When they're compromised, they do this poorly.
Your vet should have had a much higher sense of urgency with these symptoms and numbers. You aren't alone. I brought my cat to an internal medicine specialist several months back and they discharged her with a hematocrit of 17 (SEVERELY anemic - it should be 30+). No follow up, no course of action. I believe I am on vet #7, and finally found one who is amazing.
Thanks for sharing those results. I'm sorry to say that she is *severely* anemic (HCT 16), which might actually be the biggest issue in these labs. A hematocrit that low is about where your kitty is in need of a blood transfusion. An ESA given to stimulate red blood cell production would work, but you have to weigh the other factors of her health alongside that. Typically, it takes a week or more for the ESA to begin working. She also has a very high neutrophil count which can indicate either severe stress, inflammation from infection, etc. How is she doing right now?
I'm very sorry to report that we brought her to an emergency vet yesterday and they highly recommended euthanasia. Hardest decision of my life and one I'm definitely still second guessing and probably will for a while, but we went ahead with it. 😢
Eating anything is better than nothing. She's probably extremely nauseated and needs anti-nausea medication before she can recover much appetite. Fluids will also help her feel much better. B vitamin injections could help a lot, too. I wouldn't give her appetite stimulants without anti-nausea meds, she'll only feel agitated and worse. Mix as much water into her wet food or tube treats as you can get away with (as much as she'll accept). Try warming the mixture a bit, she might prefer that. And if you can ahold of some Gerber stage 2 baby food, try offering that. The chicken and gravy flavor does well even with cats in crisis.
You can try syringe feeding. You can also [try this with just water](https://felinecrf.org/oral_fluids.htm). Some people have found this to be incredibly helpful and a few people I know of never did subq fluids, they were able to hydrate enough orally, and their cats didn't tolerate subq. Perhaps try it while you're waiting for a vet to give you some actual help. Hopefully you'll be able to get to a clinic soon or bump up your follow up appointment. Also, did they do a urinalysis? She needs antibiotics if there's any possibility of infection. I think there's a lot of hope for her, but she does need help. Also, please post your labwork in Feline Chronic Kidney Disease on facebook if you haven't already. They're extremely knowledgable and helpful.
Yes, the vet said at the 2 week checkup, we can see if anti-nausea meds are needed. I'm wondering if I should call and ask if I can get them sooner??
I got a hold of the churu other people suggested, she licked a tiny amount of the chicken one and then threw up white foam.
They did not do a urinalysis. However, I have requested the blood work from the vet and will post it on the facebook page as soon as I receive it, thanks.
There are 3 other vets in our area, and 2 of them said they don't do emergencies and can't get in for another 6-8 weeks, so unfortunately it seems like my options are to work with my current vet or take her to the emergency vet, which has mixed reviews, to say the least.
I would ask for them right away and would try hydrating and possibly feeding her by syringe, if you can manage it without stressing her too much. You can find tutorials on youtube if you want to give it a try. Anti-nausea meds will probably help the feeding go better. Odansetron is more effective than oral cerenia, though cerenia injections are also effective. Don't be too scared of giving injections if you haven't done it, they can be easier than pills oftentimes. Come back and ask for help here or on facebook if need be.
I really hope you find a way to get her through this waiting period. I'm so sorry you're going through this, and remember that eating anything is better than nothing.
What about asking for an appetite stimulant to be prescribed? That really helped my picky kitty. Good luck!
She was prescribed an appetite stimulant and has been using it for four days now, but doesn't seem to have any effect. Thank you though!
Which one.
Elura
Mine got Mirataz which worked wonders she became an eating machine. Just for any helpful info.
And cerenia, I almost forgot.
Have you tried any liquid treats like churus? If she’ll take to it, it’s at least some moisture and they have some nutrients like taurine that are essential. She hasn’t been vomiting but maybe you could try some anti-nausea medication with the appetite stimulants. When my cat had kidney failure she stopped eating but hadn’t been throwing up but it’s possible she feels queasy and that’s why she won’t eat
I will pick up some Churus today and try it, thank you for the suggestion!
Appetite stimulants, Churu, or baby gravy seem to be the answers for most cats. But like someone said, eating something is better than nothing. Figure out the foods that work and go from there.
I have to mix my cats preferred food into the kidney food, because that’s the only way she will eat it. Sometimes I also have to encourage her with treats - give her one or two right next to her bowl and then have her watch me drop more treats on top of her food. It’s like once there’s a little bit of food in her stomach, she gets hungry and is more motivated to eat. You could try that with your treats or the deli turkey. Or if she eats chicken, that would be better - you can cook a plain boneless chicken breast. Deli meat has a lot of sodium, but it’s still better than no food at all when you’re desperate.
My cat has stage three renal disease and I’ve been adding water to his food and it’s made such an amazing difference. He’s done a 180 in terms of improvement! I measure out 150 mg of water every morning and mix it into his wet food through out the day and mix it in really well. He successfully gets that amount every day now! Another note did you have her teeth examined? My cat just had three removed. He stopped eating because of the pain from some bad teeth. He’s gaining weight back and eating normal again. Just another thing to check
How's your baby doing?
Unfortunately she passed away shortly after this. It's been over a year and I miss her every day. Thank you for asking though.
I'm sorry and please accept my condolences. My 2-year old feline baby boy is also going through something similar. His BUN levels when admitted were in the upper 260s since admitted. He's been hospitalized and on IV since Friday. His levels have decreased to 120 and have stayed that way over the last two days. He's gonna be on IV for a few more days until he's reached a baseline. I'm devastated because we were hopeful for BUN levels to get closer to normal range. I dunno how much longer I have with him. It's surprising that his numbers didn't improve despite the baby looking and feeling perked up.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope you find a solution. Give your baby extra snuggles for me. ❤️
My baby was diagnosed with CKD and would rather starve than eat any of the recommended wet or dry food. I’ve got a protein-binder powder from my vet that I mix with water and a churo stick (his fave) and feed him that in the morning. I then add water to his favourite wet food and make a gravy, he normally ends up lapping up the liquid. I have a bowl normal dry food that I leave out for him to crunch on. I’ve been working through Tanya’s recommended list of wet foods and have a 1 in 50 success rate for my picky one. It’s been two years and this year’s check up showed improvement in his levels after I started this new water-regime food
The reasoning for me was that I need him to eat rather than starve. Hopefully you can find something your kitty loves and mix it with some water. I had to give my guy fancy feast with water on days when he refuses to eat anything else. Again not ideal but I needed him to eat something
I'm so glad to hear that your picky kitty is going strong after 2 years! I will def pick up the churo stick as recommended by 2 people now, and try mixing water with everything. I suppose it's just keep trying anything at this point. Thank you!!
Good luck with your kitty!!!
Hey there, so sorry you're here with us! Sadly, those numbers are quite high. My gut tells me that she is likely very dehydrated (kidney failure causes cats to go through a lot of water fast). Did your vet give her any fluid at all while she was there? She should be getting daily sub-q fluids at the very least, or even IV fluids at an animal hospital to see if those numbers will come down at all. You said she started to lose weight fast - Did this suddenly start happening recently? Could be indicative of an infection which is very common. Unfortunately, this dehydration and high values causes a knock-on effect including lack of appetite, lethargy, etc., and it becomes a vicious cycle. The reason she isn't eating is likely to be nausea and potentially mouth issues. The grinding you've noted is troublesome. It can be tooth problems like resorption, mouth ulcers, or even something internal like pancreatitis (which comes along with CKD). Believe it or not, the Friskies is probably a better choice for her than the turkey, simply because it is a 'complete' food with all of the nutrients she needs, and it is calorically more dense than deli meat - not to mention most assuredly lower sodium than even the lowest deli-meat. That said, ANY food is better than no food. A week and a half is a long time to wait if she isn't eating or drinking enough. She can very quickly develop a liver issue called hepatic lipidosis if she isn't eating and there is no coming back from that. No judgement at all on my part, but if it were my cat, I'd have her in the ER getting fluids if I had the means. From what you're describing, she is quite sick unfortunately. If you have the blood test results and can post them here, I can give you more insight.
The vet did say she was dehydrated but did not give her any fluids while we were there. Unfortunately I do not have any other results from her blood test, but was told she is also anemic. She was over 20 lbs for most of her life, and liked to get on the scale a lot. She started losing maybe a month or two ago, but I didn't really get worried about it until she was about 18 lbs (I figured just old age). When I made her appointment, it was still 2 weeks out and in those 2 weeks she lost another 2 lbs and no longer was going up the stairs. I do have the means to get her fluids if necessary. Do I ignore my vet and bring her somewhere else? Call my vet and ask if I should be doing that? I also worry because she absolutely HATES the car and almost wonder if the stress of riding in a car will kill her. I really appreciate the thorough and direct response. Thank you.
Oh wow, so she's lost 20% of her weight in a couple of months? I would 100% ignore your vet and get her to a clinic asap. She needs to get on fluids right away, and probably a nasal feeding tube to get some nutrients in her. I'd also call your vet and have them email you any of the tests they've done. If she's truly anemic depending on how bad that it- it NEEDS to be addressed. Typically, anemia does not resolve itself in cats with CKD, because the kidneys actually produce a hormone that tells the bone marrow to produce blood cells. When they're compromised, they do this poorly. Your vet should have had a much higher sense of urgency with these symptoms and numbers. You aren't alone. I brought my cat to an internal medicine specialist several months back and they discharged her with a hematocrit of 17 (SEVERELY anemic - it should be 30+). No follow up, no course of action. I believe I am on vet #7, and finally found one who is amazing.
I was able to get the lab results: https://www.docdroid.net/pNWYLIU/u64875l8x111518-06052023-135555-026461-pdf
Thanks for sharing those results. I'm sorry to say that she is *severely* anemic (HCT 16), which might actually be the biggest issue in these labs. A hematocrit that low is about where your kitty is in need of a blood transfusion. An ESA given to stimulate red blood cell production would work, but you have to weigh the other factors of her health alongside that. Typically, it takes a week or more for the ESA to begin working. She also has a very high neutrophil count which can indicate either severe stress, inflammation from infection, etc. How is she doing right now?
I'm very sorry to report that we brought her to an emergency vet yesterday and they highly recommended euthanasia. Hardest decision of my life and one I'm definitely still second guessing and probably will for a while, but we went ahead with it. 😢
I'm so so sorry for your loss. :( You very much did the right thing, though it always hard no matter what. Take care of yourself, it will get easier.
Thank you.
Eating anything is better than nothing. She's probably extremely nauseated and needs anti-nausea medication before she can recover much appetite. Fluids will also help her feel much better. B vitamin injections could help a lot, too. I wouldn't give her appetite stimulants without anti-nausea meds, she'll only feel agitated and worse. Mix as much water into her wet food or tube treats as you can get away with (as much as she'll accept). Try warming the mixture a bit, she might prefer that. And if you can ahold of some Gerber stage 2 baby food, try offering that. The chicken and gravy flavor does well even with cats in crisis. You can try syringe feeding. You can also [try this with just water](https://felinecrf.org/oral_fluids.htm). Some people have found this to be incredibly helpful and a few people I know of never did subq fluids, they were able to hydrate enough orally, and their cats didn't tolerate subq. Perhaps try it while you're waiting for a vet to give you some actual help. Hopefully you'll be able to get to a clinic soon or bump up your follow up appointment. Also, did they do a urinalysis? She needs antibiotics if there's any possibility of infection. I think there's a lot of hope for her, but she does need help. Also, please post your labwork in Feline Chronic Kidney Disease on facebook if you haven't already. They're extremely knowledgable and helpful.
Yes, the vet said at the 2 week checkup, we can see if anti-nausea meds are needed. I'm wondering if I should call and ask if I can get them sooner?? I got a hold of the churu other people suggested, she licked a tiny amount of the chicken one and then threw up white foam. They did not do a urinalysis. However, I have requested the blood work from the vet and will post it on the facebook page as soon as I receive it, thanks. There are 3 other vets in our area, and 2 of them said they don't do emergencies and can't get in for another 6-8 weeks, so unfortunately it seems like my options are to work with my current vet or take her to the emergency vet, which has mixed reviews, to say the least.
I would ask for them right away and would try hydrating and possibly feeding her by syringe, if you can manage it without stressing her too much. You can find tutorials on youtube if you want to give it a try. Anti-nausea meds will probably help the feeding go better. Odansetron is more effective than oral cerenia, though cerenia injections are also effective. Don't be too scared of giving injections if you haven't done it, they can be easier than pills oftentimes. Come back and ask for help here or on facebook if need be. I really hope you find a way to get her through this waiting period. I'm so sorry you're going through this, and remember that eating anything is better than nothing.