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bonniepunch

Good news from the vet!

bonniepunch
18 years ago

I took my kitty Ham in to get some bloodwork done (he's in a fairly advanced state of kidney failure) - and they said he's still stable!!! My feet are tired from doing the happy dance, and my wallet is significantly lighter, but I am so glad!!

His heart hasn't been damaged from all the fluid I've been pumping into him (they can still hear a murmer, but he had that before), his blood pressure is good, he hasn't lost any weight and most of his blood values are within normal. Creatinine hasn't risen much at all, and his urea has gone down again :-)

I was so worried that he'd be in decline and he'd die while I was in Florida visiting that I almost couldn't book the trip, but now I can breathe easier.

And he might get to spend another summer outside in his favourite chair, under the ostrich ferns!

Yippee!

BP

Comments (6)

  • peatpod
    18 years ago

    YAHOOO!!!! What wonderful news Bonnie!!! It feels so good doesnt it :o)

    My new vet has had me stop giving Taz his meds and his fluids to check his blood work. Since his orginal diagnoses his tests have shown him to be fine. They think that there could be something else that was missed on his original diagnoses ... so now I have to book his appointment to get it checked out.

    Have fun in Florida

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Maybe Taz had a mild acute case and not the chronic problem Ham has. Of maybe the lab or your old vet screwed up! In any event, it'd be great if you didn't have to worry about CRF with Taz - the treatment won't do his heart any good, and that's nothing to take lightly!

    It's possible he has a mild chronic condition that's treated pretty well with his fluids too - but taking him off the meds and fluids should show that.

    Is your new vet working out so far?

    There's a possibility that Ham's malformed kidney might have some limited function that's holding him steady for now. There's no way to know without a biopsy or ultrasound, and I can't afford those, nor would I subject Ham to them even if I could. The results wouldn't change anything, they'd only give me a better picture of how long he has.

    But considering that no one thought he'd make it through last summer I'm thrilled to pieces that he's still going strong!

    BP

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    18 years ago

    Ham. I like the name! That is great news! How old is he?

    We have Minnie, a 14 year old Calico cat. She's small, and a few years ago we noticed she was putting on weight really, really fast. Then one night I noticed her chewing funny and discovered she had no teeth on the left side of her mouth?!

    Off to the vet we went and discovered she had some kind of kidney disease they couldn't treat. They didn't give her much time. This was when she was 7 years old.

    She's still very fat and has become quite lethargic, but when she wants to, she's a great mouser and keeps them out of the basement. She also seems to have perked-up since we got Annie in October. Annie will be off to the vets next month to get 'you know what' done. (She's sitting on my lap right now and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag if you know what I mean.) :)

    You have a great time in Florida and make sure you get a nice souvenir for Ham!!

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Actually his real name is Agni, but we have called him Ham for years - he's a big pig (weighs 20 pounds). Somehow 'Ham' seemed a better fit :-)

    Ham is pretty young for this - he's 11 (diagnosed a year ago). He is a senior cat now, but kidney failure more commonly hits around 14-15. He's only got one properly formed kidney though - two dying kidneys can carry a cat a lot further than one can, so that's probably a large part of it.

    I'm glad Minnie had adapted to the new addition! It's pretty common for older cats to perk up when you bring a young kitten into the house - once they get over the hissing fits, they discover that kittens are great fun to play with :-). I hope the new kitty does well for her spay.

    Once Ham is gone I'll be looking for a couple of kittens to adopt, but I don't want to do it now - I think it'd be too hard on him since he needs a lot of sleep, and he is really sooky these days. I have to give him so much attention! My other kitty is going out of his mind with boredom in the meantime though! He's used to having several cats around (we used to have 4), and now he has no one to play with - he actually likes other cats and he especially likes kittens, so it'll be good for him to get new playmates :-)

    BP

  • asongbird4u
    17 years ago

    I have a 9yr.old cream persian whom I adore and in Jan.2004 the vet said she had crf.Well it's Jan.2007 and she is still doing well.Within the past month she has been throwing up.It's like a thick spit.The vet said to up her fluids from 100ml. to 150ml. Does anyone know of anything else I can do for her.Her name is Baby.

  • peatpod
    17 years ago

    There are some medications that will help with her kidney function as well as a change to a lower protein diet may help her out too. The medication I have my guy on is called Fortekor (benazepril hydrochloride). Speak with your vet regarding this .. it isnt a drug that was made to assist in kidney function but in studies it has proven to help cats. The dose is very low and can be prepared into a liquid for easier doseing. There are also medications that will help with her upset stomach.

    Take care
    Laura

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