Dewey is so handsome!!! I could get lost in all that fluff!
His coat sure does look good - I’m glad he’s doing well right now. 
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Thanks! 
He has always had beautiful fur. He has some mats in his fur. I try to work on it a little bit every couple of days. He doesn’t like it and I don’t want to harass him with it. The worst mats are in his belly but brushing/combing in that area is definitely a no-go. 
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I’m sorry, I didn’t even see this until just now. I’m still getting used to the new format. lol
He’s on methimazole for hyperthyroidism but nothing else. The vet sent me home a bag of fluids if he needs a perk up, but I asked about pain meds and he said he didn’t think he was uncomfortable.
He doesn’t seem to be, so… Fingers crossed we have a little more time 
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Hi everyone,
Just wanted to give an update on Dewey. I took him last week to get his bloodwork re-checked. I took him to a different clinic because I’m not thrilled with my usual vet so I wanted a 2nd opinion and I figured I could do some vet shopping at the same time.
Dewey’s bloodwork is pretty much the same. A couple of the levels are slightly better. But it’s good that the numbers haven’t gotten worse and he has gained a little weight since his last vet visit which is good.
The vet suggested I put him on 2 supplements - Epakitin (a phosphate binder) and Azodyl (a probiotic that helps with kidney function). I’m also supposed to keep him on the kidney diet and the subQ fluids and the clinic said I can bring the fluid bags to the clinic to get potassium added to it. Does anyone have experience with getting potassium added to the fluid bags? Not sure if I can keep up with this depending on my schedule and if I will need to start a new bag over the weekend.
We’ll see if the supplements help. It’s going fine giving him the Azodyl capsules. The Epakitin is trickier because it has to be given with food and Dewey is a picky eater and a grazer that just eats a few bites of dry food at a time. This morning, I mixed it with water in a syringe and gave it to him that way after he had eaten a little dry food. I might have to do it that way since I can’t get him to eat reliably and especially not with wet food. I wish I could just mix it with some wet food that he likes.
He is hanging in there. Sometimes he seems a little off and other times he’s doing pretty well and he still does some of his funny naughty things like smelling the other cats and swatting them. This makes me happy.
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I don’t think I ever had potassium added to fluids so I don’t know if it stings going in or not. If you do, I would recommend having a back up bag of plain fluids at hand.
I added b vitamins to the port on the iv line and mine did much better with that than it being in the whole bag.
He was also on epatikin and azodyl.
You can try both, if it becomes too stressful for you and him, don’t worry about it. Sadly there is no cure for this and I believe no treatment is worth making them miserable.
Jingles for you and Dewey! It sounds like this vet is more thorough than the last one and it’s always good to have options.
Did the epakitin and azodyl seem to help your kitty?
This morning, Dewey threw up once (unusual for him) and acted like he didn’t feel great when I was leaving for work. I gave him Pepcid and skipped the epakitin. I had already given him the azodyl…not sure if he threw it up or not.
My usual vet is low key and low pressure, which can be nice. But sometimes he can be too low key and his communication skills aren’t so great. When he told me the results of Dewey’s blood work, I specifically asked if there was anything I could do for him at home besides fluids. The vet said no, just the fluids. He didn’t mention the kidney diet (although Dewey was already on urinary care food). He didn’t mention anything for nausea or an appetite stimulant or re-checking the blood work, etc.
I’ve found that some vets, although very personable, aren’t that great with some things. I had to bring up epatikin to mine and ask for b12.
TBH, it’s been so long ago, I don’t remember it either did anything or not. I truly am sorry, I wish I did.
I’d like to think something did, but I couldn’t say if it was just the fluids or those things. The vet thought I would be lucky to have another year with him after initial diagnosis, but he had three good years with me after it.
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Sounds like this vet is on the ball.
I tried Epakitin with one of my cats, Mick - she never did eat it, and once she got on the kidney diet food, she was fine and never needed it.
The potassium is good to add simply because cats who are on a lot of IV or subQ fluids get depleted (which I didn’t know until last night when I was researching potassium deficiencies). Nigel may have to go on some soon, I don’t know. I think they can give it as a shot, but you might ask the vet - Mick had to have that, too, but it’s been so long, I don’t remember how she got it.
Jingles for Dewey and for you!
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I will be very happy if I get another year with Dewey. Neither vet gave me a time estimate and I didn’t ask for one. I really don’t want to know. If I had an estimate, I would probably get hung up on it and obsess about it. For me, I think it’s better to not know and just take it one day at a time.
I gave him a Pepcid yesterday morning after he threw up. When I got home, he was feeling better and he ate well last night and more than usual this morning (he tends to eat more in the afternoon and evening). Today I didn’t give him the supplements but I gave him another Pepcid. I’ll try giving him just Pepcid for a few days and see how he does with that. Even though he hasn’t thrown up much, maybe he still has a yucky stomach and maybe it will increase his appetite.
I did some research about the supplements. I can’t remember which supplement it was, but there was a vet that said if the cat is eating it probably doesn’t need it.
Thanks for telling me about the potassium. I haven’t done a lot of research about it yet. I just saw that it is sometimes given for kidney failure but I didn’t know the reasons.
I was glad to get some other options from the other vet. Even if I don’t do all of them, it’s good to have them.
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I just hope he continues to do well and I’m glad the pepcid seemed to help him. That did help Thomas alot too.
He was on it for a couple of years. Nausea and kidney disease must go hand in hand.
Yeah. Kidney disease causes nausea in a couple different ways. It ups acid production, causing stomach and mouth ulcers. That can be treated pretty effectively with something like famotidine.
But rising kidney values also causes nausea, because those are toxins that are circulating instead of being expelled. Fluid therapy can help move some of those toxins, but when the kidneys don’t work and levels rise, the nausea that creates is really the life limiting issue, in my experience, because they won’t eat. It’s also such a big quality of life issue. Famotidine won’t help that–it’s not an acid issue–but it can still be treated with anti nausea medication, up to a point.
It’s also important to recognize that “nausea” isn’t just vomiting. Vomiting is kind of the end point of nausea, not the whole shebang. So those kidney kitties that are inappetent, hiding or depressed are probably badly nauseous and should be treated, even when they’re not vomiting. Drooling and frequent swallowing are also signs of pretty profound nausea.
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I have a quick question about the Lactated ringers fluid bags. Once you open a bag and have the drip line put in, how long will the fluid stay good?
I’m not sure if I can get to the vet today before they close to have potassium added to a new bag but I know I can get there tomorrow. I have an old bag at home with about 200 mL left in it. I opened that bag around December 21. Can I still use it? It still has the drip line attached. If it’s too old, it’s OK. I will just open a new bag tonight but I might have to skip the potassium this time.
Should be okay, that’s only a couple weeks
Fluids, once opened, should always be stored with the infusion line attached–don’t take that off unless you’re swapping for a fresh one. I always put a new needle on the line after giving fluids, too, so the whole thing is as sterile as possible for storage.
Thanks! I stopped using the old bag when I got potassium put into a new bag (so I haven’t used the old bag since December 28). I was hoping I could use the old bag to get me through today. Then I can get potassium put into a new bag tomorrow.
How’s Dewey doing?
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He’s doing OK. Seems stable for now. I don’t think the 2 supplements (Epakitin and Azodyl) are going to be a good option for him because he’s such a light/fussy eater. If they were just pills I could give anytime, that would be fine but I was told one has to be given on an empty stomach (and wait about an hour before he eats) and the other has to be given with food. Early in the morning, he doesn’t eat much. Usually just a few bites. He eats better in the afternoon/evening. Maybe I could give the Epakitin once a day in the PM but I don’t know if that would help much. It’s supposed to be twice a day.
Thanks for checking on him! 
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I’m glad he’s holding his own. I’m almost positive I never made it a whole hour between dosing and eating with Thomas. I think I was lucky to get 30 mins tops.
I’ve almost always worked shifts and couldn’t seem to make myself get up at 4 am to make sure I had enough time.
We do the best we can.
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Back in the end of March DH and I adopted a hospice kitty, Coral. She was supposed to have cancer and kidney failure. The rescue was going to euthanize her but the foster asked to see if they could put her up as a hospice adopt. So we decided to take her.
We had my vet look at her records and he determined only kidney failure. We were doing the sub q fluids the first couple of months. We gave her the renal diet the first month but she hated it. We determined that we would rather her have a better quality life that was shorter rather than a longer one that was not as enjoyable.
We had her for 10 months. She was eating and drinking well until last week. If if came off my plate she wanted it. Wet food, crunchy cat treats, people food- that cat could pack away some food, especially for a 6.5 pound little girl.
We put her back on sub q on Friday and some Prevacid. We could not get her comfortable and Monday she told us she was ready. We will miss the little sassy thing but she had a good happy 10 months that she would not have had. She normally slept with me and I missed having her last night.
I hate kidney disease.
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So sorry to learn of Coral’s passing. Thank you so much for caring for her.
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