Mr. Peeps annoyed that I'm taking so darn long!

Mr. Peeps annoyed that I'm taking so darn long!, originally uploaded by Hotash.

Well....

Mr. Peeps has been doing amazingly well. He is eating on his own twice a day with no special effort on my part.

He is taking his vitamin B12 by himself and he is hanging around, coming and going inside/outside by himself- without coaxing.

His hydration level remains stable and I'm only giving fluids very infrequently, so as to ease his anxiety on the issue.

I gave him antibiotics once a day for 10 days. This seems to have helped his tooth infection which I believe was really holding him back from being as healthy as he could be.

This picture is what I come home to every morning at 2am. He comes in and sits staring at me along with Bramble.

He is a much happier cat this past two weeks...without all the fussing and poking and prodding.

This is our decision.
He is happy.
When it's time it will be time.

In the mean time here is some good reading

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Mr. Peeps being a good kitty

Mr. Peeps being a good kitty, originally uploaded by Hotash.

even warm...he hates this

Peeps is taking a bit of a dive yesterday/today.
He has been smacking his lips a bit and didn't really have an appetite for about 24hrs.

He ate a bit this afternoon, ground chicken, catnip tea, colostrum & a bit of ground beef. He didn't eat with gusto though.

After a fluid treatment he went outside and hung out for awhile. Later on when I was feeding the others, he came over on his own and he ate an entire quail-bone and all. At one point he put a tiny quail leg on the right side of his mouth, he growled- I think he hurt his tooth?? He moved it to the left and went ahead and finished up his meal.

All in all he felt like this today.

Can we pretend I'm amazing....

Can we pretend I'm amazing...., originally uploaded by Hotash.

we have a plan...now we just need to trust it through.

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3 Week Re-Check

September 5th-

Peeps went to the vet.
Here's what they say.

Weight = 9.5lbs - up from 8.11lbs in August.

Kidneys = very small and lumpy
- more than likely due to traumatic injury in past

Systolic blood pressure = 136
*most normal systolic values range from 110 to160 mmHg

Teeth = 1 tooth is badly infected

Blood work =
Aug 13/Sep 5 / Normal Ranges
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BUN= 114 / 114 / 15 - 34 mg/dL
Creatinine= 6.1 / 5.4 / .8 - 2.3 mg/dL
Phosphorus= 10.2 / 8 / 3.0 - 7.0 mg/dL
HCT= 26.4 / 20 / 29 - 45 %

So, his numbers (BUN/Creatinine/Phosphorus) are not dropping low enough, fast enough for the vets liking.

His anemia is worsening - it's a non-regenerative version of anemia so iron supplements is not an option... only a type of hormone ( Erythropoietin ) replacement will help him with his anemia.

The vet is suggesting (heavily) a manufactured diet and Epogen, 200ml or sub-q daily, and 10 days of oral antibiotics.


I'm starting my research.

Here is my problem with this...

Peeps is eating really well, 2-3 times a day. His oral fluid intake is still really high/good.
He is much stronger this past 5-9 days. He is jumping up onto his bed, chairs, etc.
His weight has increased quite a bit (and it's not fluid) - he is acting like a normal cat - even the vet is amazed at his overall outward lack of symptoms in regard to the numbers.

Last night I heard Peeps meowing that "I have something to show you" meow. I took the flashlight out and sure enough - he had hunted, caught and was devouring a mouse!

His actions speak very loudly to me....but I am listening to the vet.
I'm trying hard to listen...to trust

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Questions for the vet

Yup, we have 'em

1- what was/is his weight?

2- what is/was his blood pressure?

3- what do the remarks of "Neutrophisl appear slightly toxic, slight Howell Jolly bodies" mean?

4- are we sure it's not diabetes? ketoacidosis?

5- what about our raw diet vs protein levels?
"BUN:creatinine ratio

If your cat is eating a low protein diet, this ratio is likely to be in the region of 10:1 or 12:1 (e.g. if creatinine is US 4, BUN is likely to be around 40-48). Since BUN is affected by dietary intake, if your cat is eating a higher protein diet, this ratio will be higher, with 18:1 or 20:1 not unusual (e.g. if creatinine is US 4, BUN will be around 80-96)."

5- what natural options are there for potassium supplements?

6- TCO2 levels = metabolic acidosis? treatments?

• 10 fluid ounces (0.3l) of water

• 2 tbsps powdered glucose (available from chemists)

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 pinch of bicarbonate of soda

7- does he/or should he be on iron supplements?

8- methylcobalamin vs. cyanocobalamin - b-12

9- can we get a prescription to buy sub-q fluids online?

10- how was his last blood draw? did he fight it?
If a cat undergoes a stressful blood draw, the test results may show a high neutrophil count (an increase in segs rather than bands) with a low lymphocyte count; in such cases, you might also see elevated CK levels

11- no protein in his urine? why?

12- how did/do his kidneys feel & where are they?

13- what can be done for his tooth without anesthesia?

14- does he have non-regenerative anemia?

15- any herbs/treatments you recommend?

16- should we stop doing anything?

Things we've noticed

-at first, lots of burps.... no more burbs
-foul breath
-obvious pain when touching tooth area
-dropping of food when eating
-preference for liquid foods, however will eat chopped chicken necks and whole quail
-main food of choice = 15-20% ground beef
-bony backbone at first-no longer bony
-obvious lump on side, near spine - mostly gone now
-thick, sticky saliva
-fluids absorb within the hour
-one night of incontinence
-no real odor to urine
-decent appetite

vitamins / herbs incorporated in diet

fluids = 100 - 200ml per treatment

-vitamin b-complex
-vitamin c - ascorbic acid
-taurine
-eggshell powder

-catnip infusion
-slippery elm

probiotics powder
salmon oil
colostrum
zeolites

1 dose of dandelion during 1st week (2 weeks ago)

nettle ??

marshmallow ??


for the vet

http://www.felinecrf.org/


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an update...

an update..., originally uploaded by Hotash.

Mr Peeps has been doing really well the past 5 days or so. The weather has been decent for a few days, although it's creeping up on hot again. He is feeling less bony along the back bone and he never burps anymore when you pick him up. He also enjoys being touched and held again-often comes to us for this contact. He has also been coming to afternoon dinner on his own (without me calling him) and will always come when I call him for his early morning meal. His drinking and bathroom habits are pretty much the same, drinks a lot, pees a lot.

Yesterday morning when I came home from work I was exhausted and had a headache that I had been fighting all night. Mr. Peeps was not in the yard, so I figured he was in his usual riverbed spot across the river under this tree that has washed out around the roots, making an awesome little hut of sorts. This is where he has been every single night for the past week-it goes like this...I call him, he takes his sweet time coming home. Well, I was going to skip waking him up and head right to bed (some mom I am eh?) - I head upstairs, cozy up to my book, The Lost Continent, and wish for sleep to come really fast so my headache will go away.

No such luck. I hear a manly meow of Mr. Peeps. It sounds like he is in the house - hmmm, he never comes inside, at least not the past few months. I listen again, maybe it's just my guilty conscience?? But alas, it was in fact Mr. Peeps. He was heading upstairs, meowing, telling me he would eat if I would just get up and heat him up something (it was pretty cold out) - so I did. He ate like a champ and then went into his bedroom and I made sure he had a nice cozy little hut to sleep in.

He and I (and everyone else who sleeps the day shift around our house) slept until about noon-ish. When I went in to give him his afternoon check and fluids before he goes out for the day, he hops down and heads directly (with some speed) to the kitty box which is less than 2 feet away from him (in his room) - it was like I reminded him he had to pee when I came into the room.

I don't know why, but I checked his little bed spot...it was wet, I thought just a tiny bit then I realized it was pretty wet all around the area he had been laying. sigh

The other thing I notice was that he has thick, sticky saliva today-his breath did not smell as awful as it has the past few days, but his saliva was different. I'm certain that his one tooth - the tooth that got him to the vet, is causing him issues - probably more than the CRF is at this stage of the game. Tooth decay will grossly affect his ability and desire to eat and do nothing to help his kidney failure....I plan to ask the vet if there is a way for them to evaluate this tooth without using anesthesia.

I am off to research incontinence with regard to CRF, his diet, herbal remedies and vitamins that he has been getting the past week or so.

He otherwise seems happier and healthier than he did 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure he has put on some weight even---

We will have to see how the vet visit goes...
I almost don't want to subject him to a car ride he is doing so well - I may just give them a call and see what they say.

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