Chronic Renal Failure in cats **update**

[kuntrygirl]

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Good that he is eating a little. Sending good vibes your way.

 

[Katy]

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I hope his numbers aren't too bad yet. One thing I did when mine was diagnosed was get a recirculating water container. Cats as a rule don't drink enough and when they're fed only dry cat food it compounds the problem. The running water temps all my cats to drink more which is a key to keeping CRF from developing in the first place. It is amazing how much more my cats drink now than when they just had a bowl of water. My cat was diagnosed in July and died in December....she was up and down with some good days and some bad. The kind of food you feed also is key, but I'm sure your vet will go over all that with you.

 

[featherz]

There is a very good yahoo group for feline CRF - start here: http://www.felinecrf.org/ . My CRF cat lasted several years on just daily sub-Q fluids, cheap medication added to food and lots of hugs.

 

[Jasmine1998]

I talked to the vet this afternoon. His blood work came back ok & his kidney function was not that bad. The worst thing was his urine concentration. For right now we are just going to stick with the meds & touch base again on Monday unless he gets any worse.

 

[redhen]

Poor guy..

Hope he gets better...

To all of you that have lost cats to this: Did you feed wet or dry food?? I have 6 cats and crossing my fingers here...

 

[Stacykins]

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This is an important question.

While the damage cannot be reversed, since destroyed nephrons cannot regenerate, it can be stopped. Don't put him on a low protein dry prescription 'kidney food'. Those are awful, and most cats refuse to eat them, and it doesn't actually do them any good. Instead, switching to a wet diet with a phosphate binder is what your cat needs. Wet = moisture, which your cat needs, which is why many cats with renal failure need subQ fluids. Phosphate is very hard for damaged kidneys to eliminate, and protein (i.e. the meat in wet food) is very high in phosphate, a phosphate binder takes this off the kidneys and instead phosphate is eliminated in the stool. But a wet diet will keep your cat eating (important) and also hydrated (important) and aid in management of his renal disease.

I suggest starting research on the matter. There are many resources out there that can prove that something like a science diet renal dry food is the worst thing you can give a cat with renal failure.

 

[Katy]

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I fed and still do, dry food altho I switched her over after her diagnosis. As I said in my earlier post since I got the recirculating waterer they consume, much, much more water than when it was just in a bowl. It's like they can't resist that little stream of water.

 

[brianf]

I am new to this group but just saw all the discussion about chronic renal failure in cats. My wife and I have several cats and 2 of them were diagnosed with CRF. My wife has become a walking computer about this topic! She is on all kinds of chat lists and reads everything she can get a hold of. She loves the feline/canine chronic renal failure facebook page as she thinks they have the most up to date info and the people are very supportive of each other. Both our CRF cats are now off of dry food and only get raw or high quality canned food. They also get pepcid to prevent them losing their appetite. She started them on RenAvast about a month ago and sees an improvement in their appetite. CRF is not a death sentence...just get educated.

 

[Jasmine1998]

Deanie is going to the vet tomorrow night again to check up on everything. He does seem to be felling a little better now, but he still does not want to eat a whole lot.