Topic: Dinah's having IV fluids this weekend - home now (Read 6750 times)

Stuart · « **Reply #30 on:** January 25, 2009, 14:41:01 PM »

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #29 on:** January 25, 2009, 10:45:21 AM »

Bless her, I hope she can get rid of the fluid without a vet visit.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #28 on:** January 24, 2009, 22:28:10 PM »

Aww, fingers crossed - it seems odd that the fluid would have built up and still been there a week later though. It is never easy dealing with terminal illnesses, but all we can do is give them as much love and attention, and think positively that we have given them a wonderful home for however long, and that is the important thing - it is never long enough

Baggy · « **Reply #27 on:** January 24, 2009, 21:25:12 PM »

Thought I'd update this as we've been a bit down in the dumps this week. It feels like one step forward and one step back.

Dinah is eating well and bright in herself, weeing less, drinking less and her colitis has settled so the vet think her kidneys may be functioning better. Purr, happy paw and a bit of a naggy miaow are all back. But...the IV fluids built up in her stomach cavity so she's finding it a bit of an effort to move around as she suddenly has a big tum to contend with. Think she feels better for having the toxins flushed through, but can't figure out why moving around is more difficult. The vet says the fluid might go, but equally might not and they don't want to drain it unless it builds up so much she starts to have breathing difficulties.

We tried the Renalzine binder again and she went off her food so we're giving up on it, I'd rather she enjoyed her food. Now they have "proper" Renalzine for cats, the vets don't want to prescribe Alucaps as it's not licensed for cats...

Vets have said to just keep doing what we're doing, and hope she stabilises for a while. They don't want to see her again unless she stops eating, at which point we can try steroids if we want. We're going to concentrate on making sure she enjoys however much time she has with us, which might still be several months, but I can't help but have a heavy heart today.

At the moment she's spark out on the sofa in front of the fire

.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #26 on:** January 19, 2009, 23:44:34 PM »

So pleasewd she is home

Baggy · « **Reply #25 on:** January 19, 2009, 20:07:36 PM »

Madam seems rather subdued this evening but think she's still rather overhydrate as her tum is like a little balloon. She has eaten and drunk today and using her tray so hopefully she'll perk up a little more overnight. My OH's lap is proving very popular this evening...

MrsR · « **Reply #24 on:** January 19, 2009, 13:29:25 PM »

Good news

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #23 on:** January 19, 2009, 10:04:47 AM »

Glad Dinah is now home and so much better

clarenmax · « **Reply #22 on:** January 18, 2009, 20:04:18 PM »

Glad she's home and feeling much better

bonnielass · « **Reply #21 on:** January 18, 2009, 18:35:00 PM »

Glad to hear Dinah;s home and feeling so much better

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #20 on:** January 18, 2009, 18:14:50 PM »

home Dinah

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #19 on:** January 18, 2009, 18:07:03 PM »

I'm glad she's home and looking better - its amazing how good the fluids make them feel.

I gave Suzie SubQ fluids at home, she was a very good patient, despite the fact I was all fingers and thumbs the first couple of times I did it LOL!

Baggy · « **Reply #18 on:** January 18, 2009, 16:40:26 PM »

She's home

.

She is literally twice the size she was, even her pads look more filled out.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #17 on:** January 18, 2009, 10:04:46 AM »

Am glad she seems happier.

Baggy · « **Reply #16 on:** January 17, 2009, 21:08:16 PM »

Thanks!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #15 on:** January 17, 2009, 21:05:49 PM »

Tiggy did really well on them, didn't put her off her Gourmet pearl so that's the main thing! Have a look here... http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#phosphorus_binders Many vets seem reluctant to prescribe aluminium-based binders because they think cats hate the taste, or, if they do prescribe them, they then prescribe AlterNagel, which is peppermint-flavoured, which most cats hate, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I recommend instead that you look into buying aluminium hydroxide binders which are tasteless and odourless

http://www.felinecrf.org/obtaining_supplies_cheaply.htm#binders_uk

Baggy · « **Reply #14 on:** January 17, 2009, 20:48:16 PM »

The vet has mentioned a couple of other binders, but not Alucaps...something else we can ask. She said most aluminium binders make cats foam at the mouth or that they are less palatable, but I know people here have used them with success. I'll give anything (within reason) a go.

Dinah is taking a leaf out of Tiggy's book and turning her nose up at anything except Gourmet Pearl - posh junk food!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2009, 20:38:47 PM »

Great news

I'm a bit behind the times on binders etc but are Alucaps an option? That's what Tiggy had, they were tasteless and odourless and there were no side effects that I recall.

Baggy · « **Reply #12 on:** January 17, 2009, 20:33:38 PM »

everyone, we visited Dinah earlier and think we made her day. I've never heard her purr so much and she was giving us endless furry headbutts.

Good news so far, she seemed very perky and bright, ate some food while we were there and has been using her tray properly. She has really plumped up with all the fluid - is noticeably less liney in the corners of her eyes.

Such a relief to be able to visit! The nurse brought her out to one of the consulting rooms with her drip on a wheeled stand, very E.R, plopped her on to some vet bed and said we could stay as long as we wanted.

Desley and candyshandy - I'll consider the SEB - recently we had been adding peridale and probiotic to her food and then the binder as well, she probably won't notice a sprinkle of something else on there, and it would be easier than syringing her with antepsin. I will ask about sub Q fluids, but it would depend how good she is about it, husband has a needle phobia so wouldn't be able to help!

If all is well she'll be coming home tomorrow evening...

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #11 on:** January 17, 2009, 17:52:46 PM »

Did you see her today? How was she? Hope she's feeling a bit better

MrsR · « **Reply #10 on:** January 17, 2009, 14:17:36 PM »

Get well soon sweetie

clarenmax · « **Reply #9 on:** January 17, 2009, 12:51:35 PM »

Awww, poor Dinah, hope the fluids help perk her up and she's feeling much better soon

Stuart · « **Reply #8 on:** January 17, 2009, 12:08:50 PM »

Keeping my fingers crossed for Dinah
and I hope the IV fluids help Her out

candyshandy · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2009, 11:50:48 AM »

You could also ask about giving sub q fluids at home.

x

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2009, 08:48:59 AM »

Fingers crossed they help her - I wonder if SEB would be worth trying for her nausea?

bonnielass · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2009, 08:47:57 AM »

Sorry to hear about Dinah, hope the fluids help her and you soon have her home safe

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2009, 02:11:32 AM »

I am so sorry to hear this and hope the IV perks her up and she doesnt get too stressed

Baggy · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2009, 01:03:29 AM »

Thank you. We knew that at some point things would start to get worse, but it feels as if it has happened very suddenly.

By doing this now we hope it will buy her a little more quality time, but if it doesn't at least hopefully it will have done her no harm (other than making her very cross with us...).

Our vets have been great so far, they seem to be taking a real "treat the cat, not the disease" approach.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2009, 00:40:44 AM »

Oh no, poor Dinah

Really hope the fluids can help make her feel better. Please give her a gentle kiss from me when you visit her

Baggy · « **Reply #1 on:** January 16, 2009, 23:53:47 PM »

Poor old Dinah is having to stay at the vets this weekend.

Her routine kidney function tests came back last week, and her urea and creatinine levels have both risen. She has been doing really well on Fortekor for the last 18 months, but the results show the CRF is progressing and she's lost about 10% of her bodyweight since she was last tested. The vet suggested we should try a phosphorus binder so we started giving her Renalzin on Monday and amazingly, Dinah actually ate it mixed with her food. Unfortunately after 24 hours she stopped eating, was obviously feeling sick (smacking her lips) and her colitis tummy upset started again. A big dose of antacid didn't do anything to stop the lip-smacking, and she obviously wanted to eat but couldn't face food.

On Wednesday she was just so miserable, spent the entire evening on her hot pad upstairs and didn't come downstairs even though we lit the fire specially. We stopped the Renalzin and she started eating again overnight. She was much perkier yesterday, but a bit wobbly and obviously having trouble with her poos.

We talked things through with the vet, she agrees the nausea might be caused by the Renalzin, but says the high phosphorus levels could also be making her feel a bit icky. She now thinks the underlying cause of the recent colitis is the CRF. With heavy hearts we've decided to leave her at the vet for 48 hours to have IV fluids and hope it helps her to get over this bump.

The vet is optimistic that it will help, and as she still wants to eat and isn't anaemic thinks we can find the right balance of doses/phosphorus binder to keep her stabilised for a while longer.

The vets have promised to give her lots of fuss and we've left her brush which they've promised to make use of (and have promised not to lose it!!). We can visit tomorrow. I'm sure as she's such a sweet little old lady she'll make friends with the vet nurses and be just fine, but it's going to be such a long weekend.

Author Topic: Dinah's having IV fluids this weekend - home now (Read 6750 times)