3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! PMPS 96 +2 98 +4 111 U/S Report

Yesterday

Looks like we are off to the races here today! I do have to work so I hope she doesn't go too crazy with this. I can definitely come home to check on her, but I'd like a surf none-the-less.

Last night, she surfed the upper 60s/low 70s. When she did this the other night, I thought all was groovy by 7.5, so I turned in....then woke up to a 43! So last night I did get up in the middle of the night to test at +8.5 and got a 106. "Phew", I thought. Then I woke up to a 70 this morning. A nice number...but apparently she seems to be doing some double-dipping again. Since she bounced the other day, when I did the BCS, I went for the full dose this morning...no bounce. I'm glad she did this today, rather than yesterday while she was at the vetty.

Something definitely seems a bit different. Maybe we just hit a breakthrough dose (and I am thankful we didn't have to go all the way up to 5.00U to do so), but it seems like as soon as we doubled her BP meds on Sunday (since her BP wasn't under control yet), we started getting these better numbers. Yes, she had good numbers before I changed her food, too...but, I don't know....it is an odd coincidence. Maybe getting her BP in line is helping her kidneys which in turn is helping her BGs. For now...that's just an interesting observation on my part, and a little of me thinking out loud because I'm desperate for some sort of answer about her kidney values. I don't know if it means anything or not...only time will really tell.

BTW, I also finally got her Labs Tab updated. Hopefully I'll get the U/S results at some point today. To be honest, I was OK with not getting the results today, because I want to hear them from our actual vet rather than some other vet who only knows Trix by her chart.

We got the slightest dusting of s*** last night...just enough to let us know that winter ain't done yet. It is windy and bitter today. Not one sign of a spring flower just yet....

Sending prayers out to Tricia and Cinco for Cinco's surgery today, along with all the kitties here who seem to be having tummy troubles.

Have a great day, LL!

Amy

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56

Woah Trixie! Surf it now sweet girl. That is strange about the BP meds. I'm glad it didn't take that many increases to get to a better number. More s***? I am pretty sure winter is never going to leave. Have a great day!

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56

Uh-oh. I missed the memo that we were no longer using the "s**w" word. Sorry if I offended anyone in my previous posts by using it. :lol: :lol: :lol:

That's a heck of a way to start the morning, Trixie. Maybe slowing down now would be a good thing?

Hope the ultrasound results are good!
Shelly

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43

Gravy with a touch of Karo on board since I have to work. I will definitely be coming home to check on her today!

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96

Hi guys .. woah trixie! Easy does it little lady .. No advice from me on her meds, but that seems to be a pretty good observation you've made .. have a great day guys!

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96

That's quite the coincidence with better numbers with the increase in heart meds. I'm glad to see it! Uh, that 43, Trix, that was pushing it. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: I'm sorry about the s***. :-x :-x :-x
Liz

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96

Good morning Amy,
Sending good u/s results prayers to you!

:shock: :mrgreen:
Trixie's working the juice little too hard today, but it's wonderful to see her in green.
It's interesting about the BP meds.

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96

Whew, I'm glad Trixie came up! Now surf that, little girl, it's perfect :mrgreen: .

Paws crossed that the results come in from the ultrasound sooner than later! I hope they can pinpoint what is going on, and it is nothing to worry about ;-)

Yuk on the white stuff, we're getting some too...not a ton, just enough to be annoying with a cold wind :evil: . I hope that the increased meds will keep her in greens, that's an interesting thing to notice!

Have a good day Amy, I hope that work will go by fast

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96 +6.25 49

Ugh....more HC and Karo on board - a fair amount to hopefully carry her through. I have to head back to work, but either I or DH will run back home in 2 hours at the most...

Re: 3/26 Trixie AMPS 70 +2 56 +3 43 +4 96 +6.25 49

Please come up some Trix - then jump on that surfboard.
Very interesting observation on the BP meds, Amy. Hope your day goes quick, and Trixie surfs safely~

Re: 3/26 Trixie +4 96 +6.25 49 +8.5 - U/S Report

We got the ultrasound results back. IMO, given all the possible outcomes, I think we did get the best news out of it that we could. The report only shows consistency with CKD. While that is not ideal, it’s manageable, and far better than a tumor or a cyst or a cancer that we wouldn’t be able to do anything about. There is no sign of stones or damage caused by a blood clot or infection. She’s just being our sweet little anomaly…having crazy high kidney values, not having other BW/urine data consistent with CKD, and not behaving like she’s really sick. I just love her. And, I do wonder if we’ll see at least some improvement with her kidney values with her BP being under control.

Vetty wants to check her BP in the next week to make sure we have the right dose. This weekend would be ideal but she is not going to be in the office, so I’d rather wait until next week when she will be there. She said we can recheck her kidney values in 3 months, unless something comes up between now and then.

She also said we should cut back on the fluids. The main purpose of the fluids is to bring the numbers down and to make them feel better, and since the fluids had no impact on her numbers, and she already feels good (and wasn’t seeming to feel yucky to begin with), overdoing the fluids can cause more damage than good. So for now, we are switching to 100mls every other day – she feels that is better than 50mls every day. She said we may be able to eventually get her completely off fluids, depending on how things go. At Trix’s current state, vetty feels that adding water to her food (which she knows we already do) is a great way for Trix to get what she needs in addition to the every other day fluids.

So, at this point, it’s a matter of tweaking and customizing the treatment plan for Trix’s specific needs. Of course if things change, we’ll change what we are doing appropriately.

Unfortunately, at this point, doing a dental and removing the cyst from her shoulder are off the table; she’s too high of a risk with where her kidneys are. But if some miracle happens and her kidney values improve enough, we can consider it in 3 months. Like everything else, it is wait-n-see.

I did mention to her that Trix’s insulin needs have suddenly dropped since we increased her BP meds and she thought that was interesting, but again, it’s early in the game…only time will tell if it’s a coincidence or something more.

Stage 4 kidney disease ain’t ideal by any stretch, but at least we know what we’re up against, and more importantly, Trix is feeling awesome and radiant – that is what matters most. Vetty said that there are some cats who are just like this for whatever reason…they have crazy high numbers but feel fine and can live a good QOL for even several years.

So for now, we will just enjoy our radiantly beautiful TrixieCat.

Re: 3/26 Trixie +4 96 +6.25 49 +8.5 - U/S Report

Trixie - no need to be so dramatic today! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Please keep surfing, but just a bit higher.

Good news that the U/S shows nothing unexpected and that you can focus on treating what you were already. It's great that you can ease off on the fluids a bit. And best of all, Trixie is still her radiant awesome self. cat_pet_icon

Re: 3/26 Trixie +4 96 +6.25 49 +8.5 - U/S Report

I'm so glad the ultrasound didn't show anything else. At least now you know what you're dealing with and have a good treatment plan. I hope Trixie surfs a little higher this afternoon. Enjoy your beautiful, radiant kitty.

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! - U/S Report

Holy moly what a day! I gave her HC with Karo after every test (except +4.25), but she still kept bopping down to the 40s. Thank goodness I could come home when I could...I would have preferred more frequent tests, but at least I managed to catch her before she fell lower.

She had an HC/Karo appetizer tonight, followed by her usual PLC/BFF din-dins.

Normally, that +11.5 would be her PMPS, but I'm going to do the same thing I did the other morning...test her again in 45 minutes (15 minutes past her usual shot time), and hopefully I'll be able to shoot a BCS at that point. Since it will be a food-influenced number, I'm not super comfy with shooting anything other than a reduced dose, but I'd like to not drain her shed TOO much.

Crazy, crazy, crazy....

Vetty is supposed to e-mail me the ultrasound report at some point, but it hasn't come in just yet.

Kidney values and protein in cat food

Hi Amy,

I wanted to share something with you that happened to my three cats, Digger, Daphne, and Tsering, about 3 years ago regarding their kidney values.

I was getting ready to take them all to the vet to get their teeth cleaned and I did their necessary blood work. I do not remember their numbers now but they were through the roof for all three cats, :shock: , and yet, their numbers for the phosphorus, creatinine, and all those other kidney related markers that make a cat sick were all within the normal range. Their urine was also at the specific gravity that it should be as well, all except for my Tsering's..

I had been feeding them all nothing else but the homemade raw cat food for three years and I told the vet this. The DVM was also schooled in cat nutrition, homeopathy, as well as acupuncture.

http://www.animalwellnesscenterdavis.com/

She told me not too worry to much about Tsering's urine yet because **sometimes** cat's who eat those raw food diets do concentrate their urine less. So only time would tell concerning Tsering.

However, she did say that she still did not like to see those other kidney values so high and she was worried about kidney damage if I didn't do something to help them right away. The vet told me to stop feeding them the raw food diet and instead to put them all on a canned food diet where we could monitor and control their protein intake. She instructed me that I was to feed them only canned cat foods that had a protein level of one digit or less. That is, the vet instructed me to feed all three of my cats who had the high kidney values only canned cat food that had a protein level of under 10%.

I went to pieces when I left her office. I cried and cried because just a few years earlier my cat Emma had died from CKD and I felt that I killed her by feeding her dry kibble. (she also got 1/2 can of wet at night). At the time I knew nothing about cat nutrition and it's relationship to a cat's health.

So, that day I went about searching for high quality cat foods that had 9% protein or less. I cannot remember which foods I fed to them now but I wanted to make sure that they were grain-free. I referenced a list of cat foods for cats with kidney disease to help me choose their new foods. (They are all getting Friskies now, even though I don't like this food. It's because I am a cat rescue and have 30 mouths to feed at my house. I am only doing the expensive food with Rocky at the moment because he needs a novelty protein source, I believe.) I also began adding (1) TBS of water to everyone's food. I still do that to this day.

Six months later, after they ate only canned cat foods with protein levels of 9% and under I brought all three of them back to the same vet and she tested them again. nailbite_smile All three of them had kidney values that were low and back within normal range. WHEW! :RAHCAT (I did not recheck Tsering's urine specific gravity though, and I still do worry about her..) :sad:



I read in Trixie's profile that you feed her FF Classic Chicken and BG 96% Chicken, etc.. I see that the FF Chicken has protein of 11% and the BG Chicken is 9%. I don't know, maybe consider feeding Trixie another good source quality cat food with under 9% to replace the FF? I don't feed any of my cat's a fish flavored food. I know many here do not believe it but I believe fish cat food causes health problems in cats.

I am wondering if it would lower Trixie's kidney values, like it did with my three cats, if you still fed her a high quality cat food, one that is all right for a diabetic cat, but just choose brands/varieties that have lower than 10% protein? :roll:

I don't know if this would help Trixie. I just wanted to share with you Amy what DID actually work to lower my three cat's high kidney values, in fact, put them all back within normal range.

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! - U/S Report

Hi Tina-

Thank you for that info! Trix's profile is out of date ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile ....gotta fix that.

She is now primarily eating Weruva's Paw Lickin' Chicken with a little bit of BFF Tuna and Chicken Chuckles. I haven't had a chance to look at the protein in the PLC, but it is good for diabetics and is low in phos, which is why we are feeding it.....plus she loves it! And, I do add a fair amount of water to it. We did try the Friskies Special Diet T&G awhile ago...she was not a fan.

Also, she was eating Wellness (primarily chicken) when her kidney values first came back so high, so she has only been on the Weruva for about 3 weeks now. And, we are just getting her BP under control as well...when we went for a re-check last weekend, the dose of amlodipine was too low, so we just increased it this past Sunday (from 1/4 tablet once a day to 1/4 tablet twice a day).

I will definitely continue to do fuds research...the learning curve for CKD makes the learning curve for FD look like a picnic, but we are slowly getting there.

Gosh, I cannot tell you how thrilled I would be to see improvement in her numbers, much less normal numbers! Her case is a little odd because not all the BW/urine tests quite point to CKD, but the ultrasound does, and we've ruled out everything else except the high BP (since it was still high as of last weekend). It will be very interesting to see where she is at with her next round of BW.

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! - U/S Report

I agree that the U/S report was the best outcome. Trixie doesn't care about all that. She is still your cuddly little girl. Great news that you can reduce the fluids. ((((Amy))))

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! PMPS 96 - U/S Report

Shot a BCS of 1.5U (her new "regular" dose should be 2.75)....hopefully we'll see a surf and no dives or bounces!!! I am SO glad she didn't pull this craziness while stuck in a cage at the vet yesterday!

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! PMPS 96 - U/S Report

Much better PMPS. Wow what a day.

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! PMPS 96 - U/S Report

Holy moly what a day!

Click to expand...

Yes, indeed!

You're doing such a great job with her, Amy

Re: 3/26 Trixie +11.5 43!! PMPS 96 +2 98 U/S Report

I agree: WHAT A DAY!! You got some really encouraging news, Amy, and we are so happy for Trixie and you and DH.

Oh, and one more thing: the LagoonMeister says: Surf Safe, Trix!!

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty

Feeding a cat with CKD a low protein diet is old school and does not make any sense. While you don't want to feed them a diet really high in protein, you don't want to feed a low protein diet. I would focus on high quality.

I'm wondering if Tina's kitties had an elevated BUN. BUN can be elevated due to dehydration and due to a high protein diet. Since the creatinine and phosphorus levels were normal, those kitties were quite different than Trixie.

I'm glad you know 100% what you are dealing with. Sometimes the wisest thing to do is focus on the cat and not the numbers because we all know they are more than the numbers.

Sending big hugs. If I know you and Mark, you will be able to keep her stable a very long time.

Hi Amy, I'm glad that you have your answer, even if it is another learning curve you will do wonderful. I hope that having the BP dose raised it will really help her also. And you already know how to use binder and do fluids, and have Tanyas site too, so that is a giant plus . Scritches to sweet radiant Trixie, and hugs to you :YMHUG:

Hi Amy:

First, thanks so much for the prayers and support. It means the world.

Secondly, I'm so glad that the U/S didn't show anything unexpected or scary. Now that you know what you're dealing with, you can handle it! I also think it's very interesting that her numbers came down after the BP meds were changed. It will be worth following closely to see if they continue this way. I've learned that many things can affect a cat's BG, and perhaps high BP is one. Wouldn't that be wonderful, if it was that easy?

The best news of all is that she continues to be radiant and eats well. Have a great night!

I am so glad that the US did not show any new problems for Trixie~ and that she feels/acts so fantastic
And these great BG numbers