MX Linux Forum

Pretty late to report this in, but still.

Many of you know I have a cat, Doerak. Things have been going ok until about November of last year where he got a bladder infection. Long story short things didn't get better until about February, and then about two weeks ago we were back at the vet.

My vet did a blood test on him, and turns out the kidney values were very bad. There was no indication toward this last time I was there, but since the vet didn't trust things he drew blood and yep.. bad.

We went on renal food immediately and have been going to the vet daily since to get subcutaneous fluids in him to basically flush those kidneys. He has had four rounds of that, and today is the day that we are getting a new blood test taken to see if the values have improved. Going back and forth sucks, but the other option was having him admitted for three days, nuh uh.. not a kitty friendly option.


They have to have improved, otherwise...

well.. I don't want to think about that. I have been on oxa for these past few days to keep myself calm. It wasn't easy for him, and not for me.


In roughly 2.5 hours I have to be at the vet again, thank goodness it is an early appointment since he has to stay sober and has been whining my head off, heh.. but please.. can you all send good thoughts this way? I have no idea how long it takes to get the results. Last time we had a broad spectrum done and that took a day, but maybe since we are so early it could be sooner this time.

I did buy a can of non-renal wet food that he used to like a lot. To give him if things should turn out to be bad and I have to make the ultimate decision.. but let's just let that can sit in the storage closet for a while to come, ok!

good luck Doerak

i know cats are often prone to kidney issues ... mine has just turned 16 and has been really lucky with health stuff .... except for having her eye amputated when she was a month old
'
all the best from junoluna and the imaginatively named 'mrs one eye'

my mrs one eye


....

Eadwine Rose wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:15 am ...but please.. can you all send good thoughts this way?

Done!

for Doerak.

What a sweetie junoluna!

Thanks you both :)

Fingers crossed.

Thanks Asqwerth!

Butch and I are praying for him.

Edit: so is She Who Must Be Obeyed.

Home now.. waiting for a call.

Thanks JayM

We're not there yet, but one of the criticals is back to normal, and the others have pretty much gone back to half of what they were. Not where they should be, but things are improving.

We've been chatting about wet foods that I can try, make sure as much fluid gets in him as I can get, keep him on the renal diet, and in two weeks we're going back to re-evaluate. If we can't get the wet foods to work out he will contact the faculty clinic food experts to see what other options are available.

Of course keep a close eye on him. If I feel him going downhill, call in.

But for now... YES.

sounds very positive

Very sorry to hear about Doerak's troubles, hope he gets better soon.

Thanks guys! Let's hope he'll continue to improve!

Babe sends her best wishes for a speedy recovery.

When Babe was dealing with rampant diabetes, I found this site, created and maintained by a practicing vetrinarian in the U.S., which deals primarily with feeding cats and cat food composition. it's a really interesting read and was certainly an eye opener for me.

https://catinfo.org/

That can be.. but I am not reading ANYTHING. This is mostly to protect myself from getting more stressed out than I already am. I will follow my vet in this :)

Eadwine Rose wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:10 pm That can be.. but I am not reading ANYTHING. This is mostly to protect myself from getting more stressed out than I already am. I will follow my vet in this :)

I'm not suggesting that you do otherwise. The most important question in our decisions about our cats' diets is -- Will They Eat It? Babe absolutely refused to eat the stuff the vet was selling and that site gave me the info necessary to find foods that i, the vet, and Babe could agree on.

Yeah.. when that happens you have to. There are some options available that are not on the main list yet, but that is for later. Tomorrow I can go to two places to get two different kinds and see how he likes it. Wait and see :)

Something similar happened with my dog Jingle. (That's her in my avatar.) She needed to have a fatty tumor removed that was just under her skin on her stomach, and prior to scheduling the surgery the vets did blood tests on her including the kidney and liver ones and found that those levers were too high, so she needed to be drinking more water. I had to use a syringe and force her to drink and add water to her food, plus she was prescribed a diuretic IIRC. We basically flushed her out and had to keep bringing her back for more tests until her levels were OK again.

Wishing you and Doerak all the best. It can be stressful, can't it? Me and my two cats are sending good feelings your way.



Seaken64

I wonder if there are any liquid cat treats that he might relish just to get more fluids into him? Maybe a purée of liver or something mixed with water or a salt-free chicken or fish broth that's meant for cats? If you can find such I would call your vet first and check whether this would be a good idea or not. Or just take his canned renal cat food, add some water, and mush it together with a fork so it's a bit soupier like a gravy.

j2mcgreg wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:03 pm Babe sends her best wishes for a speedy recovery.

When Babe was dealing with rampant diabetes, I found this site, created and maintained by a practicing vetrinarian in the U.S., which deals primarily with feeding cats and cat food composition. it's a really interesting read and was certainly an eye opener for me.

https://catinfo.org/

My Butch would have an issue with that. He'll only eat crunchy food (kitty kibble.) He doesn't even like soft treats like a piece of fresh fish. They end up sitting in his bowl until I throw them in the garbage. Same with canned cat food. He's the kind of cat that likes to snack frequently during the day and evenings rather than eating regular scheduled meals.

for sure

My 14yr old cat with inoperable liver cancer is still hanging in there, we take it day by day.
Have to treasure the time we have while we can.

That's good news, SwampRabbit.

JayM wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:05 pm I wonder if there are any liquid cat treats that he might relish just to get more fluids into him? Maybe a purée of liver or something mixed with water or a salt-free chicken or fish broth that's meant for cats? If you can find such I would call your vet first and check whether this would be a good idea or not. Or just take his canned renal cat food, add some water, and mush it together with a fork so it's a bit soupier like a gravy.

That is pretty much the stage we're at, finding out which he likes that are good for him. I got some brands. When I run out of those I have to contact the vet again and he will contact the faculty (the university of animal healing, pretty much) and ask their food expert which other brands of food are ok to try.

First the five I have got though. And indeed, add a bit of water and all that jazz is something I will try.


Here he is right now,in his favorite box in the sun. He's cleaning himself, which is a very good thing :)

Just a little update. We're a week from the blood draw. Friday we're going back in to see how things are going.

I can see little improvements in him, and his doodoos are perfect. I am making sure he gets plenty of fluids in him and thank goodness aside from me giving him extra he is a good drinker, for a cat!

Here is his little shaved spot, they took a part of his beautiful white collar
This is the look you get when you refuse him something

I used to get that look from my kids...

D looks pretty good!

MISO cuddled up next to me as I am reading this. She is ancient also. I've had her since a baby from the pound.

Wife says no more cats. I aint listening. Maybe next looks one will be a short hair. MISO is a long hair rag doll cat that has looks like a fat long hair siamese cat.


Good Luck Doerak. Miso is down to 1 life left also from the 9.

Thanks Jerry! Yeah, he's looking better than he was two weeks ago, before all the fluids.

He just started playing a wee bit, on his own. That has been a while ago that I saw that last. *thumbs up*



Beautiful senior rokytnji.1

Doerak just turned 9 this past Thursday.

Not sure how old MISO is. I've had her since I got to Pecos Tx.

Wife got a job at the dog pound. The rest is history. Figure Miso might be 13 or more years old. She thinks she is dog though. She will come when called. Jump in strangers laps. Aint a fraidy cat.

Real trusting.

I lost about cat about a year ago. She was 17. We didn't get along, and I think she questioned my parenting abilities with my youngest. She also fussed at me every morning.

Your cat sounds better and a keeper! I'm glad D is doing better.

Thanks DO! I hope I will have many years with him yet. :) He and I get along.. well.. he is SO close to me that I suspect he picked the wrong body when he could choose to be dog or cat.

I guess I'll mention. Since I have close ties with our local dog pound.

I look at my animals a bit differently than most folks.
I figure they are lucky to be in my yard instead of put down by the city.

Which means I have bunches of pets,
Cannot afford to vet all of them.
So I let the wife pick.
I stay out of it.

Walk through any dog pound. Hard to keep your heart fro breaking.

Yeah... Doerak is a rescue as well. I am very much pro "Adopt, don't shop". :)

I have only him, and THANK GOODNESS he's insured well. I thought at the time that it wouldn't be necessary really, but right now I am VERY glad he's insured. We've got about two years in premiums as refunds right now, and we're not even a year in that policy. Whew.

Of course I do hope that the majority of the premiums are going to be flushed down the toilet!!

junoluna wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:23 am cats are often prone to kidney issues

According to this vid that's largely due to diet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmHHkcrCFOY

As the title suggests that's just the trailer. I saw the full length one on a cable channel. But to sum up, the natural/best/proper food for cats is raw meat.

Also:

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/

I am not looking for advice on treatment or food, thank you.

Eadwine Rose wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:14 am I am not looking for advice on treatment or food, thank you.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. All the best for your little furry friend.

Thanks :)

Had to share this while bored cuz I am stuck at home. Just google click bait I hit . It made me grin.

Though cats are definitely evil geniuses, sticking their butts in our faces isn’t actually a sign of aggression. All the other weird stuff they do probably is, though — and we love them for it anyway.

Rae Paoletta is the Senior Editor at Inverse, overseeing the space science vertical. She previously worked at Gizmodo as a space writer and launched astronomy coverage at MTV News and Revelist. She unapologetically shills for Saturn and cats.

This is in Dutch.. I will put a deepl below as I really don't feel like translating the whole thing.

---

Doerak is vanavond rond een uur of 8 over de regenboogbrug gegaan. Hij heeft lekker in de kattentrui gelegen en ik zat heel rustig met hem in een apart kamertje.

Het was overduidelijk dat het gewoon klaar was. Dit was inderdaad acuut nierfalen, ze deden niets meer. Einde oefening en het beestje niet langer laten lijden.

De dierenarts zei nadien: "Echt, ik heb ZO VEEL bewondering voor u dat u DIT voor dat beestje doet."

Duidelijk dat veel te veel mensen veel te lang doorgaan met prullen en dokteren. Dat was voor hem echt teveel geweest.

Hij is heel rustig op mijn schoot in slaap gevallen, in de kattentrui, en ging pas echt in coma toen ik mijn arm op hem legde.. zo sliepen wij altijd.. ik met mijn arm op hem. Deed ik dat niet sliep die niet he. Dus dat was de meest kalmerende ga maar jongen die ik hem kon geven.

Hoe is het met mij.. erg druk.. hyper.. maar dat zakt vanzelf wel weer. Ik heb er wel vrede mee, toen ik de urine zag wist ik het al.. dit komt niet meer goed. De reactie van de dierenarts toen hij het zag bevestigde wat ik al wist. Dit was het beste voor het beestje, en met dat in mijn achterhoofd heb ik alles voor Doerak gedaan. Wat is voor hem het beste, heeft dit nog zin. En dit was de druppel, het was op, hij was op. Het is goed zo.

Al vind ik het nog steeds SUPER KUT hoor.. ik had hem liever gehouden. Maar dat is egoïsme, verder behandelen was egoïstisch geweest. Het dier zal bij mij ALTIJD op de eerste plaats staan, altijd. En dat is gebeurd en dat heb ik gedaan.

Dank jullie wel allemaal voor de lieve berichtjes, ik kan ze echt niet allemaal gaan beantwoorden, maar weet dat ik het waardeer 

---

Doerak crossed the rainbow bridge around 8 o'clock tonight. He has been lying nicely in the cat's jersey and I sat very quietly with him in a separate room.

It was obvious that it was just finished. This was indeed acute kidney failure, they did nothing more. End of exercise and don't let the animal suffer anymore.

The vet said afterwards: "Really, I admire you so much for doing THIS for that beastie."

It's clear that far too many people spend far too much time with trash and doctoring. That would have been too much for him.

He fell asleep very quietly on my lap, in the cat's sweater, and only really went into a coma when I put my arm on him... that's how we always slept... I slept with my arm on him. Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I? So that was the most calming guy I could give him.

How am I... very busy... hyper... but that's gonna go down. I'm okay with it. When I saw the urine, I knew it... it's not gonna be okay. The vet's reaction when he saw it confirmed what I already knew. This was the best for the beast, and with that in mind I did everything for Doerak. What's best for him, makes sense. And this was the straw, it was gone, he was gone. It's all right, it's all right.

Though I still think it's SUPER KUT hear... I'd rather have kept him. But that's selfish. Further treatment would have been selfish. The animal will ALWAYS come first with me, always. And that's what happened and that's what I did.

Thank you all for the sweet messages, I really can't answer them all, but know I appreciate it .

My condolences ER.

I'm so very sorry. I feel for you.

I mourn for him too. SWMBO also sends her condolences.

Thanks everyone :)

: (

My condolences.

So sorry to hear of your loss, my thoughts are with you.

Doerak must have had an amazing life with such a caring person as their guardian.

That's truly sad news. My thoughts are with you.

My condolences.

You did the hard thing - but the right thing for your friend. I've been there and done that too. I know how hard it can be.

Much love and many caring thoughts!

Thanks all <3

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I am sorry. Not a cat person but i have trained K-9's for 48 years and did behavioral stuff. I had one of my best imported german Shepherds just after turning 4 yrs old have acute kidney failure. after 5 days of vet stuff was forced to put him down. throwing up blood. He was one of the best dogs and trained dogs for police work and schutzhund and narcotics I have ever had. it was tough. last year had to put a world class tricolor collie down due to stroke like symptoms and 6 months of 24/7 care. had to carry him a number of times and esp at the end. It killed me and the family. The Vet even lost it. and we have known each other for 25 yrs. He had fibrocartilaginos emboli in the brain. tough so i know how you must be feeling. Buried him under the Jap. red maple where we used to sit near the garden and vineyards. (week later the breeder knew of a 9 1/2 month old wild, uncared for world class tricolor collie and hooked me up with him. we have had him for 13 months and he has come a long way and he does so much everyday to fill that VOID! i have been around dogs since 'in utero'.

Best Wishes Eadwine!!!

sorry edited the many typos....

Aww wow.. yeah that sucks to see that.. throwing up blood is scary alright, happened with Doerak as well a little while ago (although that was because of the meds he couldn't handle, we immediately stopped those of course).

I am glad you have a collie to love now :) And thank you :)

So sorry for your loss. I have lost many special animals over the years. They stay with you in your memories of them and you never stop loving them.

Very sad to hear. Peregrine's thoughts are so true. I still dream of them (doing naughty things of course).

Thanks you both :) I will always love them, all of then :)

Late to this, but so sorry for your loss.

I'm dreading the day when its time to put mine down.

So sad when you lose a companion like that. Why can't they live as long as parrots or turtles?

Thanks guys

Yeah... I fully agree Stevo!

I haven't removed anything yet. Even the water bowls are still in their spots. I'll wait till it feels right for me.. the mere thought alone makes me cry right now, so.. it is not time.

Have never buried a cat, but buried many a Great Dane, in various gardens, from when I was a kid
Absolutely Heartbreaking, to be sure - a pet loss can be worse than a human loss - RIP Buddy
After a reasonable mourning period, go find another feline companion to fill that void
Kindest Regards
Jack

Very sorry for your loss. I am a "cat person", and I lost a very beloved one on Thanksgiving 2019 of all days. Quickly replaced her with a tortie "pound kitten" about a month later; she has become my best friend.

Yeah.. I have lost one quite traumatically on World Animal Day... that day was never a happy day for me again after that :(

With Doerak this whole shebang started on my birthday, I was back at the vet on Christmas, so.. eh. Wait and see how things will feel come December.

I am glad you found a new love :) Is that the cat in the profile pic?

Eadwine Rose wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:39 am Thanks guys

Yeah... I fully agree Stevo!

I haven't removed anything yet. Even the water bowls are still in their spots. I'll wait till it feels right for me.. the mere thought alone makes me cry right now, so.. it is not time.

same thing happend to me last february when i had to put Zen down. just sat there for a few days before i started taking care of the bowls etc.

Hang in there! Tough, but things do get better. As I said to you in a PM - getting/recsuing that new older pup a week later helped me get past it easier. Zen was my best dog and friend ever. So it was tough!

remebering to keep :-)))))'ing!

Doerak was lucky to have you as an owner. RIP.

Thanks guys.

I was chatting with AK-47 for a bit, telling him about Doerak in more detail.. and well.. I realized I have a permanent memory of Doerak marked on me.

About a month ago, I think, we were sleeping and he had a nightmare or something. He ended up scratching my wrists. Well.. on my right wrist this is leaving a nice scar. Heh.. I don't mind at all. :)

Reeeeeeoooooohhhhh!