Topic: I'm heartbroken- Penny has kidney failure (Read 10938 times)

clarenmax · « **Reply #64 on:** November 14, 2010, 21:01:56 PM »

I hope the treatment works hunnie, as others have said, she definitely has age on her side, and the vets wouldnt suggest such treatment if they didn't think it would work

Kirst · « **Reply #63 on:** November 14, 2010, 15:33:32 PM »

Zenith (Liz) · « **Reply #62 on:** November 14, 2010, 13:06:51 PM »

I'm so sorry Lau, hope things improve

Mark · « **Reply #61 on:** November 14, 2010, 12:33:42 PM »

I wondered that. I thought with benign ones, they left them be as long as they weren't causing an obstruction or mobility problems. Not sure really.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #60 on:** November 14, 2010, 12:12:27 PM »

Fingers crossed - would chemo work on a benign tumour?

Mark · « **Reply #59 on:** November 13, 2010, 00:30:23 AM »

Hoping it is benign and can be treated

My Alice had a huge malignant tumour removed from her face 3 years ago and she is fine. (she adores having her scar scratched with a slicker brush now

)

Alice recovering

bunglycat · « **Reply #58 on:** November 13, 2010, 00:23:34 AM »

So sorry to hear this news.
Hope the treatment helps Penny and she has many more years with you

ginge66 · « **Reply #57 on:** November 12, 2010, 23:54:50 PM »

for you and Penny but at least shes got age on her side. Hope the vets has let you see her now and its not too long before shes back home again.

Andrea x

lau200 · « **Reply #56 on:** November 12, 2010, 23:36:12 PM »

thanks everyone, i just need to get my head around what is going on. we haven't had the biopsy results back so we don't now if it is malignant or benign tumour yet

jezebel · « **Reply #55 on:** November 12, 2010, 21:43:21 PM »

Like I said before, she's young and strong. They wouldn't be giving her chemo if they thought there was no hope for her.

Lots of love and strokes to Penny, hope she's better soon.

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #54 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:58:09 PM »

So sorry to hear that its cancer

I hope she responds to the chemo and is home again soon

sheryl · « **Reply #53 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:55:50 PM »

So very sorry Hun, sending you lots of

and sending love and healing vibes for Penny xxx

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #52 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:53:22 PM »

Hi lau
my cat went through 2 rounds of chemotherapy.
So if you want to chat feel free to get in touch xxx

Ellen2010 · « **Reply #51 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:35:55 PM »

Lau I am so very sorry to hear it is cancer and I hope the chemo helps her and you have her for many more years to come with each other. Sending you lots of

and

as it is never easy seeing a loved animal or person go through that.

Sorry am crying my eyes out here as know what it feels like to be told that about a cat. Hope the vets now let you visit her so you can give her loads of cuddles and loves.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #50 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:24:38 PM »

Oh Lau, I am so sorry

I am sure you will give us details when you are ready but do hope that they are letting you visit

lau200 · « **Reply #49 on:** November 12, 2010, 20:16:36 PM »

she's started chemo. it's cancer

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #48 on:** November 12, 2010, 12:16:41 PM »

Fingers crossed the scan helps identify the cause

Mark · « **Reply #47 on:** November 12, 2010, 10:05:38 AM »

Good luck today

clarenmax · « **Reply #46 on:** November 12, 2010, 09:53:31 AM »

Best of luck for the scan, and hope that she's a bit brigher today if she's been eating

jezebel · « **Reply #45 on:** November 12, 2010, 09:14:03 AM »

Not knowing is so difficult. When my last cat was ill he was at the vet's for a week having various tests and every day the prognosis was different. I felt like I was on a roller coaster.

Good luck for Penny, she's a young cat so she'll be strong.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #44 on:** November 12, 2010, 07:56:02 AM »

Fingers crossed the scan shows something treatable

bunglycat · « **Reply #43 on:** November 11, 2010, 23:27:57 PM »

Get well vibes from us here too

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #42 on:** November 11, 2010, 23:08:50 PM »

Sending lots of good vibes for Penny

lau200 · « **Reply #41 on:** November 11, 2010, 23:06:36 PM »

i phoned several times today for an update but the vets had meetings and alot of surgery etc so i sneakily asked my sister to pop down as i was in work.

john the vet was brilliant and saw her straight away even though she hadn't booked an appointment!

basically penny's kidney are just not working. when they give her fluid, it pretty much comes out as it went in, instead of the kidneys adding the bits and bobs to it. to find the cause, they usually do biopsies, but penny is far too ill to have one as she is too weak for the anaesthetic. john the vet has said he isn't giving up on her, he'll do a scan tomorrow in the hopes it will shed some light on the cause of penny's kidney failure. he says that the usual symptoms you would see in a cat that has been poisoned are not the same as penny's symptoms, which points more to a condition she has been born with or something that has caused them to shut down. john also said that although she is duller than yesterday she is alot better than she was when she went in and she has eventually managed to eat something again today.

i'm hoping my girl pulls through, this is agony waiting to hear what is going on.

ginge66 · « **Reply #40 on:** November 11, 2010, 21:20:53 PM »

Hi hope no news is good news and everything is ok

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #39 on:** November 11, 2010, 18:15:30 PM »

I think you should insist on seeing Penny, its well know that it helps cats, although not dogs.

I agree with the other posters, its farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr too early to mack any sort of decision.

Have they said why you cant see her.................I would be tempted to suss out another vets who are more reasonable and move her asap straight onto fluids with good care.

clarenmax · « **Reply #38 on:** November 11, 2010, 09:51:18 AM »

I agree with the other posts so far, don't make any decision just yet, give it a few days to see if the levels come down and kidney function improves.

I'm amazed they wouldnt let you see her, again I would be firm and tell them you want to, nobody knows here better than you

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #37 on:** November 11, 2010, 08:21:05 AM »

I am sorry to hear that Penny is ill, but acute came to my mind straight away too, with her age, although I have heard of young cats with CRF. I am also sorry you have such a negative vet, you do get that quite often that they try and push PTS with kidney problems, but quite often they just need a bit longer on the fluids, so I would definitely fight for her to stay on them for at least a couple more days. What a shame they wont let you see her though, I dont understand vets who do that, and glad mine aren't like that.

Ellen2010 · « **Reply #36 on:** November 11, 2010, 00:44:16 AM »

Lau there are 3 things they check for in kidney function at least, Phosphates, Creatnine and Urea in the blood so is worth finding out if it is one or all or what they have tested for in kidney function. Thought I would let you know if they say BUN reading that is the Urea in the blood that they have tested.

Hope things improve for Penny and try to speak to the vet you like rather than the other vet if you can as well.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #35 on:** November 10, 2010, 22:47:06 PM »

Quote from: Mark on November 10, 2010, 22:42:25 PM

As long as she isn't suffering, I would give her more time. i can't believe your vet won't allow you to see her - I would insist. You know her better than anyone and will know what to do, only when you see her

Completely agree, I know all cats are different but Andrea's experience with Leo shows that it can take a while for the results to drop.

I would also insist on a visit, be polite but firm and just don't take no for an answer. Tell them you'll come at their quietest time so as not to inconvenience them. If you take a top that's been worn it will help relax her and she's more likely to eat if you are there.

Let us know how she gets on

Mark · « **Reply #34 on:** November 10, 2010, 22:42:25 PM »

As long as she isn't suffering, I would give her more time. i can't believe your vet won't allow you to see her

- I would insist. You know her better than anyone and will know what to do, only when you see her

ginge66 · « **Reply #33 on:** November 10, 2010, 22:26:16 PM »

I agree with your sister that you should give her more time before making THAT decision, is there a possibility that you could see the other vet instead. It took quite a while before Leos levels started to drop for example his creatinine levels were initially around the 600 mark and I think they only dropped by about .2 after 3 days, his levels are now around 180 I think the normal for cats is abt 120-160
Its a shame that the vets wont let you visit, have they given you a reason for this I used to go around dinner time in between clinics. Sending you more positive vibes and hope things have improved again by tomorrow

Andrea & Leo x

lau200 · « **Reply #32 on:** November 10, 2010, 20:05:37 PM »

sadly although she seems better, she isn't really.

her potassium levels are down to a reasonable level but her kidney function has not improved, "if anything it is worse" said the vet.

it wasn't john, it was the one i don't like. she said that if there are no improvements by tomorrow then we should think about making that decision.

but my sister thinks we should wait abit. i'm going to nip up and give them some of my clothes to put in with her- it may aid her recovery i think. sadly i am not allowed to go in and see her myself, so i hope some of my smell will do.

any advice? i'm so very upset at the thought of losing her

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #31 on:** November 10, 2010, 14:09:18 PM »

So pleased Penny is doing well and losts of good wishes for a continued improvement

Kirst · « **Reply #30 on:** November 10, 2010, 13:52:07 PM »

So glad shes a bit better today.

clarenmax · « **Reply #29 on:** November 10, 2010, 09:50:25 AM »

Sorry to hear Penny's at the vets hun, but so pleased that she's brighter this morning.

As Mark said, it sounds like this has been bought on by ingesting something she shoulnd't have, as chronic is a progressive illness, and you would have seen a gradual deterioriation in health, whereas this sounds as though it was very sudden.

Hope Penny has a good day and the vets can tell you a bit more about what's going on

lau200 · « **Reply #28 on:** November 10, 2010, 09:36:57 AM »

ive just phoned the vets to hear she is brighter this morning, and has even eaten some breakfast

lau200 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 10, 2010, 08:58:23 AM »

on the plus side poppy is fine today and it looks to be lexie's IBS that caused her to be ill rather than whatever ails penny.

i mentioned cleaning spray and various other things to my partner. sprays are kept away in a cupboard. we don't use anything for the slugs. she could have eaten something outside though. i know some of our neighbours feed my cats, although i wish they wouldn't. penny has caused us worry in the past when she disappeared for several days and came back blue. the ink took several trips to the vets to get rid of, we never found out what it was. i wonder whether that has anything to do with it?

Mark · « **Reply #26 on:** November 10, 2010, 08:19:09 AM »

Just to point out, there are 2 general types of kidney failure, Acute & Chronic.

Acute (which it sounds like Penny has) is usually caused by infection or poisoning. Although it can be dangerous, if treated in time, the kidneys can recover 100%

Chronic is the more common type, this is irreversible and the kidneys deteriorate over time. It can take from months up many years. It can be slowed down with diet and/or meds, but it is a case of "how long is a piece of string" timewise. We lost Clapton at the beginning of October, and it would have been 5 years since diagnosis had he made it to the end of the month.

Another poisoning culprit seems to be the clear type of antibacterial kitchen spray, ie Dettol spray - although supermarket own-brand seem to be the same. A few have warnings on but not all. I think people assume as they claim to be safe to use on high-chairs etc, that they are non-toxic. They are safe for humans, but cats are unable to break down the toxins so they build up over time. Also a rule of thumb is any disinfectant/antiseptic that turns cloudy when water is added is also poisonous to cats - it is the phenols that poison them.

As for lilies, anything in the lily family is poisonous, including onions, garlic, leeks. I think lilies are more toxic though - any part of the plant is dangerous.

Author Topic: I'm heartbroken- Penny has kidney failure (Read 10938 times)