? My cat has gotten complicated

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Ruefrex, May 16, 2019.

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  1. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Hi folks! I haven't posted here in years because when my cat Travis was diagnosed with diabetes, everyone here was so helpful that he only needed insulin for a week and hasn't needed it since. But now I have a few new wrinkles. I took him to the vet last week because he's been vomiting every day. Usually a food log, and not right after he eats. Also usually on the bed, which is super awesome of him.

    He got a shot of Cerenia and the vet gave me four 8mg tablets. No vomiting until yesterday, two days after he had the last pill. The vet is going to give me four more days' worth, but doesn't recommend him being on it longer than that. She said it's probably related to the fact that his kidney values are up (I don't have the labs yet but will get them today). His appetite is absolutely fine. No changes in behavior.

    She wanted me to start him on Hill's k/d. She said it would be fine with the diabetes. IT IS NOT FINE. The carb level is horrifying! He's been stabilized on nothing but Fancy Feast classics. I'm not going to feed him something that will turn him back into a fella needing insulin. I've been doing a lot of research on food and it's super hard to find one that's low enough in carbs, phosphorous and protein. So I can't really control the vomiting if he can't be on Cerenia, and I can't feed him the k/d diet. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can handle this?

    Thank you in advance!

    :)

    Kay
     
  2. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    If kidney values are high feed low carb low phosphorus food. I feed Tiki cat and bff cans.
     
  3. Yong & Maury GA

    Yong & Maury GA Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately Fancy Feast classics are terrible for phosphorous levels :blackeye:. What country are you in Kay? Have you checked the updated FOOD CHART? You can use the Extensive filters option to search for low carb and lower phos foods :).
     
  4. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    I'm in the U.S. And yes, I've been all over the food charts!! What worries me a little is that a number of them have high protein, and that isn't recommended for the kidney issue. The Tiki Cat Gourmet Carnivore seems perfect but they don't make it anymore. Same with the Whole Earth Farms. I'm going to talk to the vet tomorrow about using a phosphorous binder. My biggest worry at the moment is the vomiting, and the fact that the vet won't let him stay on Cerenia, which works.

    I did get his labs, and the two elevated values are SDMA (at 16, 2ug over the top range) and BUN (41mg, 4 over the top range).
     
  5. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    What is the creatnine?
     
  6. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    2.1 under SDMA and the BUN Creatinine ration is 19.5
     
  7. Yong & Maury GA

    Yong & Maury GA Well-Known Member

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  8. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    You don't need low protien until the cat is stage 4.
     
  9. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    What about just the regular creatnine. Not the ratio
     
  10. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    It's 2.1 mg.
     
  11. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Yong & Maury GA likes this.
  12. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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  13. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Yep! I read everything and looked at her food chart as well. I'm relieved about the protein. That makes it easier! I've seen suggestions about adding baby food and probiotics, as well as phosphorous binders. I'm a little leery about trying something like that, although my vet hasn't been very helpful. I want to get his vomiting under control!
     
  14. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    I would wait on the binder. This early food Change to a lower phosphorus food is often enough to bring it down. What is the current phosphorus level?
     
  15. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    BTW I'm in the same situation. Cc was recently found to have early ckd and I'm working on bringing her phosphorus down as well. My cat Zimmy had ckd.... For him a food Change brought his phosphorus from 4.9 to 3.9 in about 10 weeks. Hopefully cc will have the same kind of results. She's currently at 5.6. I want that down closer to 4-4.5
     
  16. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Phosphorous level is 4.1. He was doing so well on the Fancy Feast, I was wondering if a binder would bring that down to a decent level or if it's better to just try foods that are naturally lower in phosphorous.
     
  17. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    I like hearing that changing the food worked!!!
     
  18. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

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    One wants the phosphorus level to be below the middle of the normal range. I do not know the normal rand for your labs.
    Do you know the urine specific gravity (USG)? USG is a very good indicator of kidney function.
     
  19. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Ok so at 4.1 is not really high but you want to keep it that way. :) so best to switch to a lower phosphorus food. No binder needed until your over like 6. There's a good ckd cat forum on Facebook called Cats with Chronic Renal Failure. Very knowledgeable group
     
  20. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Thank you!!!
     
  21. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    The range is 2.9-6.3. Specific gravity is 1.025, no range given for that one.
     
  22. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

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    4.1 is around the middle so you really do not not need to lower it but you do need low phosphorus food or use a little binder to maintain the level around the middle of the range.
    a USG of 1.025 indicate a moderate degree of kidney insufficiency
     
  23. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Thanks. Regarding the phosphorous, I'm looking at food under 200. Do you think going up a little would be okay? Just trying to find the best combo of low phosphorous and low carbs. And he's still vomiting. Does anyone know if there's something else I can do to combat that since the vet won't keep him on Cerenia?
     
  24. Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)

    Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Feb 18, 2019
    My CKD kitty (2nd stage) completely stopped vomiting with her first dose of pepcid AC - 1/4 of a 10 mg tab before breakfast and dinner. I give it to her in cooper sharp cheese, and she loves it. Now, she's down to only once a day, before dinner. (She also eats during the day, but the dose was only twice daily.) Also, you can buy the store brand of famotidine, and not the name brand. It's a lot cheaper.

    She's eating low carb and low phosphorus, along with EZ complete raw chicken (which she loves). For canned food I use Weruva Chicken Frick-A-Zee and Dave's Beef and Chicken Pate. Dave's is low in protein, but Weruiva's and the raw chicken make up for that. Not all cats like Dave's but mine is not fussy. I mix it with other foods so my other fussy cats will eat it. (It's inexpensive, and Weruva is costly, so I need to balance it out a little.)

    Edited to add: She did vomit one time from phosphorus binder, which is not a common side effect. She also stopped eating (for two meals) after two doses. I stopped the pho binder, and I won't try it again. She's eating great again, as usual.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2019
  25. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    When he pukes is it his food he's puking? Hairball? Or clear or yellow bile?
     
  26. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    It's his food. He doesn't vomit right after he eats but hours later.
     
  27. Ruefrex

    Ruefrex Member

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    Thank you!!! I just got the Dave's. He loves it. But I'm extremely lucky because he will literally eat ANYTHING.
     
  28. Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)

    Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Feb 18, 2019
    It's great to have an unfussy cat, isn't it? I'm glad he loves Dave's!
     
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