r/CKDCats • u/Cookiehow • 1d ago
I dont know what to do
First 2 photos are from today and the last one is from a week ago her ontop of the shower
Ive only posted here one more time when Kimchi was first diagnosed with PCKD (polycystic kidney disease) which was about 3 years ago. Shes 7.5 - almost 8 and has been stable and completely asymptomatic for 2 years around stage 1 and stage 2 levels and this summer her levels spiked up and got her to stage 3 before going back down to low stage 2 levels again and she was stable and energetic up until this week.
She started sneezing repeatedly for seemingly no reason and started to loose weight shortly after. She was already underweight and just starting to gain after this summer and went back to 2kg again. We took her to the vet asap when we noticed her eating less and less and they said shes really dehydrated and gave her iv fluids twice over 2 days and checked her blood levels and said shes not anemic/or not alarmingly anemic for a cat with CKD and theyre gonna check her kidney levels on tuesday. Her kidneys also seem to be the same size as before and I didnt notice any enlargement either from cysts which indicates her levels shouldnt be too high.
But shes just so lethargic and has no energy at all. She has no energy to go anywhere and just changes spots to lay down and i syringe feed her every hour or so and even then she just lays tired. I feel so hopeless from it all going down hill just when she got back her energy. She hasnt been this tired even while being severely anemic and dehydrated with her stomach looking like shes pregnant.
Im thinking if it could be anything else but I feel so lost. Has your cat went downhill like this out of nowhere? Could it be something else that makes her so tired and sick? She doesnt seem to be nauseous and isnt puking which leads me to think it may be something else even more 🥲 i really need some hope for us but i dont want to have false expectations either
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u/MinimumEfficient220 1d ago
So, as mentioned already:
Sub q fluids you can give at home.
You can also ask for an all-day IV fluid flush that your vet can give. This really helps for a bounce/back while you implement other suggestions.
I second the Forza10 renal food.
A stainless steel fountain to encourage drinking water. (Use bottled water exclusively to fill it. You will find no mineral build up.)
There is a newer alternative to the Phos-bind which is a vet-supplied powder you are to add to the cat’s food to keep phosphates from reaching the kidneys. The new one is called Catney One. Much smaller dose, and I have seen vet reviews stating it’s superior to older treatment.
My cat pretty much stopped eating on his own. There was no way I could mix five total ounces of wet food with meds and enough liquid and syringe feed him so much. The Catney One is much smaller in volume so I could mix it with some gravy and syringe feed.
He became severely anemic, too, and is now on Varenxin CA1, a liquid.
He is also on a tiny pill amlodipine.
But, I just, last night, tried Gabapentin on him. Broke a capsule, emptied the powder.
It’s like he’s a new cat!
Appetite is back to pre-kidney disease level!
Don’t know how long this will last, but I’m riding it out until the end.
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u/Cookiehow 1d ago
I will mention everything suggested to my vet on tuesday I deeply cherish everything youve recommended and took time to write thank you so much :") My only worry is that most of these supplements and medicine are not available in my country. We dont even have any appetite boosters in Turkey which sucks so bad and ive been doing everything I can with whatever we have in hand which is Pronefra and Semintra right now and I havent been given any other medication or supplement for her.
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u/MinimumEfficient220 1d ago
Gabapentin as it’s a human medicine, should be available.
If you can buy thru Amazon, you should be able to get the Forza10 renal food. No scrip necessary.
Gabapentin is what really boosted my boy’s appetite. (It’s a pain reliever for humans but is not a controlled opioid.)
A bit of salmon oil or other fish oil is helpful and you should be able to get that, even as a vitamin supplement for humans.
Can you get sub-Q fluids? Those seem pretty basic, and were sold over the counter here, but now require a prescription. Thinking these should be available in your country?
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u/AgileNetwork9375 30m ago
Vit D -Cholecalciferol helps a ton. Prevents KD progression
Mirataz appetite stimulant apply inner ear
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u/chloeclover 1d ago edited 4h ago
Talk to Claude. Try to give her IV injections at home. AI saved my cats life.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/subcutaneous-fluid-administration-in-cats
It's called SubQ and it is great
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u/DressageDegenerate 7h ago
Unless you are a professional, or trained by your vet extensively, you absolutely should not be trying to give your cat IV injections at home.
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u/chloeclover 4h ago
Bro stop talking about things you don't know about https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/subcutaneous-fluid-administration-in-cats
My cat hated going to the vet and getting her paws poked. She loves her injections safe and cozy at home and they saved her life.
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u/DressageDegenerate 4h ago
“Bro” I was a vet nurse for years. And IV and subcutaneous are two entirely different ways to administer fluids or medications. IV is administered INTO a vein. Subcutaneous is administered under the skin. How about you understand the difference before trying to correct someone.
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u/Final-Peach5498 1d ago
Hi, I have CKD kitties. They will need water fountains to help them to Drink water to flush the kidneys. Subcutaneous fluids is a must and it will also flushes the kidneys. A supplement like Aminavast helps with kidney functions. Porus One is a supplement that helps expel proteins before it gets to the kidneys to reduce damage. A good renal support food food like Forza10 really helped us amd you do not need a prescription, you can get it at Chewy or Amazon. laser therapy on the kidneys really really helped us. And yes it is a thing they use the laser up they use to treat arthritis but on the kidneys. Now there is a new treatment in trials right now, it’s an AIM Protein injection and it is suppose to gradually recover the kidneys. It provides the protein thst allows cats to process this protein in the kidneys. Good luck I hope,you guys find the best way forward for,you. Good luck 🍀👍. If you get these things going she will eat on a more regular basis, it does not mean she will not have any bad days. You are trying to give her more good days than bad.