Advice re:14 yr. old cat

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Kelly - 09 Jun 2004 15:17 GMT

Hi there,

My brother has a 14 year old cat that is somewhat overweight (14.1 lbs).
Every year I take his cat to the vet to have an exam and some bloodwork done
(he's very good about this, says he'll pay as much as it takes... it's just
that if I didn't take her, she wouldn't go at all... he is very busy).

Anyway... so this year I was told that her teeth looked very bad. Two of
them have to be extracted and the rest need a good cleaning. So before
leaving I booked her for a dentistry, got the estimate for my brother
(almost 400 dollars canadian), and they said they would call me with the
results.

The next day the vet called, and said there were some findings with her
bloodwork. Her thyroid levels were elevated, however, Smokey is showing no
symptoms of this whatsoever (and she's overweight!). I think she said the
value was 6.02.

Smokey's kidney levels were also slightly elevated. I know she said the
creatinine was 196 compared to a high normal of 177... and she said the urea
was elevated in the same proportion.

So the main verdict is, that she is hesitant to treat for the
hyperthyroidism because A) Smokey is not showing any sypmtoms of being
hyperthyroid and B) treating for it will aggravate kidney problems.

We are still going ahead with the dentistry as planned. I was just
wondering if anyone could give me any tips regarding this cat. Will she
eventually die of kidney failure? How long will it take to get serious?
I'm pretty sure we're going to put her on a special kidney diet... but we're
going to do a urinalysis at the same time the dentistry is done to ensure
she wasn't just dehydrated and this is why they levels were off. The doc
also said that when abnormalities show on the bloodwork, that the kidneys
are already less than 25% functioning. This is scary. What is the
treatment for kidney disease? How long does she have? How will her thyroid
levels complicate things??

Thanks so much for any advice,
Kelly

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 10 Jun 2004 00:59 GMT

circa Wed, 9 Jun 2004 10:17:45 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Kelly (none@goaway.com) said,

> So the main verdict is, that she is hesitant to treat for the
> hyperthyroidism because A) Smokey is not showing any sypmtoms of being
> hyperthyroid and B) treating for it will aggravate kidney problems.

AIUI, treating hyperthyroidism will *unmask* kidney problems, not
aggravate them. The kidney failure is already there; it's just that
the hyperthyroidism is basically pushing stuff through the kidneys
extra fast and making 'em look better than they really are. Or that's
my nutshell understanding, anyway. :-)

> We are still going ahead with the dentistry as planned. I was just
> wondering if anyone could give me any tips regarding this cat. Will she
> eventually die of kidney failure?

CRF is an eventually fatal disease, but the cat could die of any
number of things.

> How long will it take to get serious?

It depends entirely on the cat and how the owner chooses to treat the
cat.

> I'm pretty sure we're going to put her on a special kidney diet...

You absolutely should do this. Look for a diet with as low phosphorus
as you can find. The veterinarian will most likely recommend Hill's
K/D, which is an excellent food for CRF cats as long as they like it
(some don't). Fortunately for me, my cats are gourmands and will eat
any cat food I give 'em. My CRF cat was diagnosed about 2.5 years ago
and is still what is considered "mid-stage" renal insufficiency. Over
the past couple of years, his treatment has become gradually more
involved. At first, it was simply a switch to K/D. Then there were
occasional UTIs and zeniquin treatment. Some time later (last fall,
actually), daily fluid therapy began. Now he gets the fluid and all
kinds of goop mixed into his food (Pepcid for his tummy acid,
glucosamine/MSM for his joints, slippery elm bark for his tummy acid
when I'm giving him a rest from the Pepcid, pumpkin or metamucil for
constipation....).

However, Jacob is active, alert, his coat is shiny and his values
have been holding steady (he's due for a checkup in a few weeks). In
fact, his last numbers were better than when he was first diagnosed
at the beginning of 2002.

With that said, every cat is different and there is no way to predict
how long they'll last.

> but we're
> going to do a urinalysis at the same time the dentistry is done to ensure
> she wasn't just dehydrated and this is why they levels were off. The doc
> also said that when abnormalities show on the bloodwork, that the kidneys
> are already less than 25% functioning. This is scary.

Yup. Luckily, cats' kidneys have a lot of "horsepower" to begin with,
but that's why you don't see bloodwork changes until they're pretty
heavily diseased.

> What is the
> treatment for kidney disease?

See above.

> How long does she have?

See above.

> How will her thyroid
> levels complicate things??

The best thing you can do is to peruse these sites:

http://www.felinecrf.org
http://www.felinecrf.com

The first one is the most comprehensive and detailed feline CRF site
I've found to date.

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

Reply to this Message

Kelly - 11 Jun 2004 03:42 GMT

Hi Laura,

Thanks so much for your reply. There is only one thing that I find
confusing. The vet didn't say that she was in renal failure. She said her
kidneys are functioning, just not as they should be normally. Wouldn't
renal failure mean they are not functioning at all?

> circa Wed, 9 Jun 2004 10:17:45 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
> Kelly (none@goaway.com) said,
[quoted text clipped - 76 lines]
>
> Laura

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 11 Jun 2004 04:23 GMT

circa Thu, 10 Jun 2004 22:42:14 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Kelly (none@goaway.com) said,

> Hi Laura,
>
> Thanks so much for your reply. There is only one thing that I find
> confusing. The vet didn't say that she was in renal failure. She said her
> kidneys are functioning, just not as they should be normally. Wouldn't
> renal failure mean they are not functioning at all?

Renal "failure" is just the catchall term. CRF encompasses the
progression of the disease from insufficiency to complete failure. In
reality, once a cat's kidneys have truly *failed* in the way that
you're thinking, the cat is going to die. Kidney failure doesn't
necessarily mean *complete* failure; it means that the kidneys are
failing to function properly or completely.

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

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~*Connie*~ - 10 Jun 2004 01:14 GMT

I can not talk about specifics, but in general, cats can be managed with
kidney issues for many years. I would have them treat the thyroid, and then
manage the kidney issue.

and get the dental.. everyone will be happier for it :) Stinky kitty breath
is no way to be greeted in the morning. (that and bad teeth tend to lead to
other health issues)

> Hi there,
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> Thanks so much for any advice,
> Kelly

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