kb2zct
Alpha Cat (Moderator)
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 1612
Location: Upstate NY
Posted: Wed 23 August 06:24 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret:
I gave away all of my KMR power a few weeks ago to a family that had taken in a 4 week old kitten.
I'll have to see if they are done with it. If so, I'll try to mix that up with the baby food.
Right now, the vet is more concerned with calories than anything else. If we can get the caloric intake problem solved (resolved?), we'll work on the other nutrients.
I also found out that Evan does not qualify for radioiodine treatement, due to his kidney issues.
Mark
Back to top
animalangel1
Hostess/Host
Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Posts: 2232
Location: Upstate Eastern New York
Posted: Thu 24 August 07:29 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow Mark, that baby food sounds like it's really working out well!!!! And I never thought that kidney values can improve in chronic renal failure.... that's amazing. You must be doing something very right and Evan must be a heck of a fighter!!!
I'm thinking that Margarets suggestion of putting the KMR in the baby food might work better than the cat food - only because I don't think it would change the "texture" of the baby food as much and Evan might not catch on that it's in there.... on the other hand, I do understand you wanting to wean him off the baby food at some point and using KMR won't help accomplish that.
Either way, it sounds like things are going pretty well.... hope giving Evan a bit more fluids will help him too....
I'll keep my fingers crossed today for Ranger too.... (today is Thursday).
_________________
Michelle
Back to top
kb2zct
Alpha Cat (Moderator)
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 1612
Location: Upstate NY
Posted: Thu 24 August 08:22 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle:
In the short run, the baby food is working great. Evan is eating three jars of it a day. If I feed him 2 jars of turkey and one of beef, he is getting 250 calories - which is about 40-50 calories above what he would need to maintain body weight (at 8 lbs, he weighed 7 at the vet last week).
Just on a note – here are the caloric contents of the baby food
Chicken – 100 calories
Turkey – 90 calories
Beef – 70 Calories
Ham or Veal – 50 Calories
Evan really loves the turkey. He is pretty good with the beef. I have not tired the chicken yet (just got a jar last night) nor the jars of ham or veal.
More good news – Evan was eating some dry food this morning. After feeding him the turkey this morning, Evan started eating a mix of the Purina One and Precise dry mixed together.
I have a book at home that discusses holistic treatment for various feline ailments. There are home cooked cat food recipes. I will have to look over the book and see if there is something I can make for Evan that may be better for him than just baby food. As I mentioned, in the short term, it is great. But, in the long term, it does not have all the nutrients Evan will need.
The really good news is that Evan is filling out somewhat. When I carried him to the room for his fluids last night, I noticed that he was filling out some. And, a little more luster is coming back into his hair.
Also, with upping the Tapazole prescription (to 7.5 mg per day from 5.0 mg) this should slow down his metabolism some more. It is a delicate balancing job between the hyper-T and CRF, and I am hopeful that the additional Tapazole will not throw the balance out of whack.
Mark
Back to top
Galensgranny
Site Administrator
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 2274
Location: West Virginia, previously NYC, MA and AL
Posted: Thu 24 August 11:46 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, Mark, at this point, just getting calories into Evan is important. That's good he ate some dry food!
Michelle, the kidney values can improve in CRF, with proper treatment, until at some point, nothing helps. But a cat can live well for years with CRF- with treatment, of course.
We don't have to give Galen fluids as much as we used to. I'm thinking it must be that some of the nephrons in his kidney that were "spares" have kicked in to work now. We all have extra nephrons that are not needed in a normal kidney. So when some get damaged, there are some extras that can be called into service.
I don't know how else it could be explained that he is doing so well. We haven't taken him in for bloodwork lately, but from how he is feeling when we examine him, how he is eating, eliminating and behaving, you would not think there is anything wrong with him.
Quote:
I'm thinking that Margarets suggestion of putting the KMR in the baby food might work better than the cat food - only because I don't think it would change the "texture" of the baby food as much and Evan might not catch on that it's in there
That was my thought.
_________________
Margaret, a/k/a Galensgranny
Back to top
animalangel1
Hostess/Host
Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Posts: 2232
Location: Upstate Eastern New York
Posted: Thu 24 August 01:47 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret, that's great that Galen is doing so much better. You hadn't posted any updates on him lately and I was wondering. I'm glad it's good news.
Thanks for the info on the nephrons in the kidneys....now that you mentioned it, I do seem to recall something like that from WAY back. I just forgot about it because it's been so long.
_________________
Michelle
Back to top
kb2zct
Alpha Cat (Moderator)
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 1612
Location: Upstate NY
Posted: Thu 24 August 03:08 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan is still eating the Eagle Pack Shrimp and Salmon wet food (he is eating some right now). I'll see about feeding him some more of that as we start the transition back to cat food.
But, for the time being, I'm going to let him eat as much of the baby food as I can get into him. I can already see the difference in his coat.
Mark
Back to top
Galensgranny
Site Administrator
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 2274
Location: West Virginia, previously NYC, MA and AL
Posted: Fri 25 August 03:13 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to what I said, the remaining nephrons increase their function to compensate.
Either way, or both, must be the case with Galen. Maybe Evan's remaining nephrons will begin to increase their function too.
There may be a correlation between the FVRCP vaccine and chronic renal failure in cats. Important info to read and ponder:
http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/insight/2004/fall2004/cats.htm Don't not get cats vaccinated for FVRCP, but for sure go by the new protocols of once every three years after the kitten series and one year booster. Many vets, including mine, still do it every single year, so you need to keep track and tell the vet you only want it done once every three years, after the kitten series.
But I'm not having Galen vaccinated again, and don't think any cat with CRF should get anymore FVRCP vaccines. The "P" part (panleukopenia aka distemper) has been shown to last 7 years, actually anyway.
_________________
Margaret, a/k/a Galensgranny
Back to top
kb2zct
Alpha Cat (Moderator)
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 1612
Location: Upstate NY
Posted: Fri 25 August 07:52 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret:
Based on Evan’s health, the vet has decided not to give him any further vaccinations. So, technically, Evan is illegal right now, because his rabies vaccination is out of date.
On to the good news….
I weighed Evan last night, 7 lb 4 ½ ounces. This is almost a quarter lb higher than what he was some two weeks ago.
Evan ate nearly three jars of baby food last night. In addition to that, he ate about a tablespoon of Eagle Pack Shrimp and Salmon wet and a handful of the Precise dry (Ocean Fish Flavor).
He is becoming very talkative again. His coat is showing signs of improvement. And, he is eating all of this without having to take the appetite enhancer meds.
He has a good deal of BM in the box, so what is going in is coming out. There have been no incidents of vomiting either.
So, it looks as if we may have dodged another bullet. I am really going to try to bulk Evan up some over the next month or so. I would like his weight to be about 9 lbs. That is too much to add in such a short time, but I’m going to make sure he is getting more calories than he needs. Being as thin as he is right now, that is just too close to the edge for my comfort.
Mark
Back to top
Galensgranny
Site Administrator
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 2274
Location: West Virginia, previously NYC, MA and AL
Posted: Fri 25 August 11:55 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark, I think it is true that you have "dodged another bullet". Getting any nutrition in and some weight on will certainly improve a creature's health. I am glad Evan is back to eating well, even if it is mostly the baby food. Wow, three jars in one evening! That's a very good appetite! Yay! Even better that he doesn't need the appetite enhancers.
I have a good feeling about things with Evan. For some premium dry foods, cats only need 1/4 cup a DAY to get all the essential nutrients, (even if not all the needed calories) so with how Evan ate last night, such as the handful of the dry food along with the baby food, he likely is fine with that meal plan.
_________________
Margaret, a/k/a Galensgranny
Back to top
kb2zct
Alpha Cat (Moderator)
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 1612
Location: Upstate NY
Posted: Fri 25 August 12:24 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret:
I’ll carefully measure out how much dry food Evan eats tonight. He eats the dry food at night when he is in his room. I’ll try to find out how much he is eating by doing a before and after measurement. I may also set up three different bowls – Precise, Purina One and Eagle Pack and see which he prefers (currently I think it is Precise). I will repeat the test over a few days to see if the results are consistent.
I think Evan’s current weight loss problem revolves around me being gone for 4 of the past 5 weeks. The largest contributing factor was Mike did not thinking it was “right” to keep Evan “locked up” in a room by himself all night, and Mike opened the door so that Evan would be free to “roam around”.
My counter to that is that when Evan is free to “roan around” at night, I always find him hiding under a bed somewhere. And, I think the food put out for him is eaten by the other kitties (well, at least Ranger and Pippin). When I “shut” him up in his own room, I find him sleeping on top of the bed (not under the bed) or looking out the window. When I come into the room, I usually get a happy greeting from him. It’s less stressful for Evan – and there is no competition for his food.
Now, when I am home, I let Evan out of the room. I can monitor what is happening. He comes out to the living area on his own and usually climbs on top of a chair or couch (or me if I am at the computer desk). He wants to be around the rest of the family. My job becomes keeping Pippin away from Evan; Pippin’s rough play is too much for my old guy.
When feeding time comes around, I feed Evan behind the closed door – again, none of the other kitties are there to try to take his food. He is focused on eating, not on watching over his shoulder to see if Pippin is going to try to take his food.
Another problem was the lack of combing (or brushing). I don’t think Mike was brushing Evan every day. Much of the vomiting I found had hair mixed in with it – so I think we had hairballs forming and the vomiting was a reaction to the hairballs. It could also be a reaction to not having enough food in his belly. Or, it simply could be that Evan stopped liking the Friskies Whitefish and Tuna food. At cat can change his mind on what he likes to eat!
I was reading the most recent Dr Smith and Foster catalog I had (here at the office) for feline food supplements. I did not find much in the way of guidance. Feline food supplements sounds much like the human food supplement industry. “We can say just about anything about our products and we do not have to prove the product to be safe and effective”. That makes it so you can’t trust any of them.
Anyway, I will be home for the next two weeks or so. I have been told that I will have to make a trip into Rochester NY sometime soon (within the next few weeks) for business. With the extra time and attention, I think Evan will bounce back quite a bit.
Mark
Author
Topic: Evan's CRF and Hyperthyroidism part 2-June 2006 (Read 1795 times)