18 yr old dx CRF/Hyper T

My little Tida is not doing very well. A few days ago she started losing her appetite, and was throwing up liquid. I know how important it is for her to eat. I went and bought as many different varieties of food off Janet and Binky's list. I loaded up on lo-phos food also, because I was suspecting possibly it was her kidneys.

I took her to the vet yesterday. The did a complete analysis on her. They said her kidneys were very bad, in addition to her liver. They told me they would call today with her Thyroid results.

I have just completed a lot of reading on CRF, in addition to the thread by cyndi and fuzzy. They gave her sub-Q fluids yesterday. I have all the test results from yesterday. The vet just called and her Thyroid is 4.3. So,they said she is hyperthyroid also. I am going to pick up some pills for her when I get off work.

Poor baby, she has so many things wrong with her. We were doing so good. She doesn't have diabetic numbers anymore. Yesterday, she was at 109, and that was at the stressed vets.

I have got to get her to eat. I have given her the appetite stimulant. She mainly only wants to lick the water off the food. I have thrown so many cans of food away...she just takes one lick and walks away. Saturday, I bought the "kitty Kavier" bonito flakes and also the freeze dried chicken breast pieces.

I'm going to keep trying. My question is: is it possible for her to recover when she has sooo many things wrong. I'm so scared that this is the end. She will be 18 in May. I don't have kids or any other pets. She is my only child. I'm so sad right now.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

I'm sorry she's doing so poorly

We cannot tell you that she'll fully recover but we can help improve the odds.

I'm assuming she'll get tapazole for her hypert; note that this can make her very thirsty so its important to ensure she has a lot of water.

For the kidneys, what were her values and what does the vet suggest? There are some great links from people I think in Cyndi's posts to the crf boards....you'll be looking at things like phosphorous binders and fluids and possibly other meds....

I know it is all overwhelming but we'll help as much as we can

Jen

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Thanks for the kind words, Jen.
I went to the other room and got her lab results...her BUN is 91, her Cre is 4.7 and her Urine SG is 1.015.

I don't know what these things mean, but I'm sure they are not good. My brother just went through the diagnosois of Hyper T with his cat. She had the $1000 treatment and she still died 14 days later. I'm going to try to do what I can for her.

Edited to add: The vet gave me Epakitin powder to mix in with her food. I think she can smell it. Hasn't touched a bowl with it in it. And I'm giving the appetite stimulant Cypro twice a day.

The vet just told me to feed her the renal food, (of course she gave me 4 different kinds to try...hill, k/d, purina vet etc....) I know how we think about the vets and their food. I put them down for her. She kinda nibbled at the k/d. I still have plenty of the Friskies Special diet Turkey and giblet. She doesn't have much of an appetite at all.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Hi there,
My best advice to you is take it one illness at a time. Check this site as an excellent resource for CRF info http://felinecrf.org/ There are a good many CRF/Hyper T kitties on here whose owners can give you options, tips and hope. ((((hugs)))) Hang in there, sweetie.. don't let this take the wind out of your sails.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Thank you for the link Carolyn. It's a good website.

That explains it all a little better to me. From what I can tell, Tida seems to be in a very advanced state of kidney failure (according to her numbers).

It's just very upsetting. I can't quit crying....and I'm here at work. I thought we were doing so good with her diabetes treatment, but now this.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Lee, the kidneys seem to be a weak link as our cats get older....

Learn about crf and what you can do to manage it; you may find you have a lot more time with her yet.

Jen

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Th bad thing is that hyperthyroidism improves kidney function. Thus, treating the hyperthyroidism may make the kidney function worse. That is why most places who do the I131 treatment first require a short treatment with Tapazol (or equal) to check kidney function before the I131 treatment.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

I know just how painful this must be for you, but thankfully you've already treated one feline illness, so these next two will just be a continuation of your journey with Tida. Have you been started with fluids? That alone should help with appetite and really, truly, they are not hard to give. (((hugs)))

Larry has a very good point in that you may want to do more research into hyper t treatments on crf kitties as the two sometimes do go hand in hand. I am certain there are people on the board who have treated kitties positive for both.. you might change your topic to dx CRF/Hyper T and see if you can get more responders familiar with your diagnosis'.

 

New dx CRF/Hyper T

I think I have changed the topic.

Does anyone know how important the Epakitin powder is? Is that the phosphorus binder? She won't eat the dishes that have it in it. I put a little bit in a Greenie pill pocket. Is that ok?

I'll pick up her Hyper T pills in a couple of hours. From anyone's experience, should she have them in the am? That's when I have been giving her the Cypro appetite pill.

 

Re: Tida not eating, vet visit

Epakitin is a calcium based phosphorous binder. It just needs to be given at the same time food is given. It does not have to be mixed with the food. Using Pill Pockets is fine.

 

the only caution I know of is that if your cat has high calcium levels then epatakin is not a good binder; rather you'd want an aluminum one. Your vet can tell you whether calcium levels were an issue.

 

HyperT pills are usually twice a day. What dose? I'm going to assume you're picking up 5MG tablets, they come in 10MG also.

I did have one cat that after trial and error we ended up giving her 2.5MGs every morning and then every other night, another 2.5MG. All of my other hypert kitties always got meds BID.

 

I have all the test results here in front of me, but they seem to be abbreviated. Would that be the CA? If so, it says 10.7. There is a chart it looks like it is in the middle.

I asked the vet yesterday if she was in pain, and if she could have something for the pain. She said, she didn't think she was, and that she didn't want to give her any pain meds because of her kidneys.

When I leave in about an hour to go pick up her Hyper t pills, is there anything else I should ask?

BTW, she has eaten some more in he last few hours. Maybe a total of a third of a can of the Friskies Special Diet Turkey and Giblets.

 

I don't know much more about the calicium issue but if the levels are ok then hopefully it isn't an issue for you guys...you can always confirm with your vet. From what little I know, tapazole treatment for hypert can work quite well and is fairly simple. I think you need to get more info on how to address the crf. the inappetance may be linked to the crf (and genuine feeling like crap) and so talk with her about pepcid ac as well, whether you should start doing fluids at home, etc. and whatever you do, do NOT let her sell you any prescription food!

Good luck

 

I picked up her tapezole yesterday after work. She receives half a pill once a day. Even though she is taking the cypro her appetite doesn't seem to be improving much. If I give her some pepcid ac, is that different than the cypro? How much do I give her of the pepcid? (This is the human kind, right?)

Thanks for everyones help....This is tough, but we're trying to get through it.

 

pepcid ac (not the complete form) is for stomach upset and you can give 1/4 tablet twice a day (ALWAYS follow a pill with water).

Once a day tapazole? Hmmm...guess to start?

 

Yes, I just looked at the paper. It says Tapazole 5mg Tablets. The bottle says one half a tablet daily.

About the Pepcid AC...she takes her pills in the greenie pill pockets with no problem. Should I still also give her the Cypro for stimulant? Is it ok to give both?

 

I believe it is fine to give both at the same time but when in doubt you should ask your vet

 

Hi there. I usually pop in on Health once a day, but I have been working 14 hours days so it's been a bit nuts.

My cat, Spader, was dx with CRF when he was 18 and he lived to be almost 21. I have a bunch of CRF links in my signature so hopefully that can give you some ideas about food and all of that. I fed most of the Friskies Special Diet flavors and FF Chicken and Tuna.

I don't know anything about HyperT.

You can do this. I have been there.

Holly

 

Thanks for all the kind words from everyone. They are very much appreciated.

I picked up some Pepcid AC (original) tablets this afternoon. I just gave her her first dose. I hope that makes her feel better. I called the vet and she OK'd taking the Cypro and Pepcid at the same time.

I will continue to read up on these 2 diseases. Thanks for the links.

One good thing is that I live where I work; my office is connected to my apartment. So that means I can check on her a lot during the day. I just have to walk through a set of doors. :smile: