So sorry, I only came on here as a 'new one' to find out about Constipation and crf, so was following your thread. You did your best for you little babe. I am taking in all the advice that was offered to you as my Sartre who was only diagnosed last week xx
I would check with your Vet about the phosphorus content of the cat milk, I really couldn't tell you how much is safe with a CRF cat...
the lactulose I use 2ml and mix with 4ml water than give by dropper, some cats will take from a dish but mine never would.
you can also try pumpkin in with the food...its a very good source of fiber. pumpkin plain(no spices) NOT the pie filling...most cats like the taste...just 1/4 teas. with a can of food is a good guess.
don't feed dry food esp. to a CRF cat and be sure the protein is meat not by-products.
good luck, please post anytime if you have more questions...:-)
My silver burmese boy has moderate kidney failure , ive intoduced astros CRF oil and he is marginally better , hovever qiet and abit artritic
and a bit constipated .
Ive statred feeding him renal diet 5-6 times daily pushing the fluids
and trying whiskers cat milk which has taurine and vitamins does it have too much phospherous ? .
and soem olive oil for constipation .
ive read that lactullose is good how much can i give him .
all his blood rfesults were normal in may except the kidney .
He has a warm bed and hides here most of the time i would love to have him back
Anita
thank you for the invitation. This site has been very helpful and I will try to watch the cat forum often! I was already a member of medhelp for myself, but glad I found it for my kitty family too!
Vicki
Vicki I'm glad you have others there to fill your heart, yes animals do feel the loss of a friend just as we do.
I'm sad that illness and death is what brought you to our cat forum, but now that you have found us I do hope you'll stay.
We welcome all 'cat people' and value everyone's knowledge and experience.
Thank you again for the encouraging words.
And, not to worry about finding another to fill my heart, I already do. Three in fact.
Now, I think I am having a hard time dealing with THEIR grieving and emotional upheaval. It is so very obvious in two, but the other, Onyx, has pretty much been a loner and wasn't around Mochie that much. She got to see her before we buried her too, so maybe that is making a difference. Maybe I should have seen to it that the other 2 did as well. Snickers has been watching and listening for her at the times she normally would see her and going to the door of the bedroom that Mochie chose for her final weeks. I am not sure she has slept much since Tuesday for all her waiting. Gutter, her backyard pal, has been smelling all over the backyard and hangs his head down whenever I hold him. Yesterday he was sitting right on top of where she is buried and at night he wanders all over the house meowing for her.
I am giving them lots of special attention because we all need each other.
All of my cats have their own life stories, just as Mochie did.
Vicki
Oh it is one of the hardest things we can do when we love our babies so much, but there does come the time when its their best interests at heart that we do say goodbye.
She did have a loving caring home with you and you did your best for her right up to the end thats all anyone can do.
Yes you had 6 yrs of unconditional love she came to you when you needed that and she did too....she will always be there in your heart.
I do hope your heart will eventually have room for another little one that needs you.
Its hard to think of right now when your grieving, but having someone to love in your life as you know gives back benefits many times over.
Thank you for your comfort. It really means a lot. I know she tried her best and I know she knows I tried my best. She just got so terribly weak and Tuesday afternoon, finally I knew it was time to let her go. We went to the vet and she found her peace and comfort.
I had forgotten hard horrible it is to have a pet put down. It had been several years.
But when she needed a home, I guess I needed her and it was meant to be. At least I know 6 six years
were mutual love.
Tori
Oh I am so ry for the loss of your dear little girl. With renal failure this is common.
You did all you could for the little darling, her system was just shutting down its often the case with renal failure they will just no longer want to eat....you tried, she knows she was loved. take comfort in the fact that she was comfortable in her own bed and not in pain.
RIP Mochie
I'm very very sorry for your lost. I've just seen one gone. Now another....... Is that anything I can help? I hope I can share the pain with your lost.
Hugs, Hugs......
Thanks! i will do that. Right now, getting her to eat anything is my number one priority. The medicine from the vet seemed to help her tummy yesterday evening. I found her curled up in her cat bed later in a more normal comfortable position. I hadn't seen her do that for several days!!
Will it be safe to use the medicine AND the Slippery Elm Bark at the same time?
She is still hanging in there though. Every morning I expect to find her dead somewhere.
well good the constipation issue is good for the moment at least....do try the canned pumpkin in with her food that is a good source of fiber and should help alot.
I don't know much about metoclpramide other than its for normalizing stomach contractions. you can research on
www.1800petmeds.com/metoclopramide-product10210.html
or
www.marvistavet.com/html/body-cisapride/html
SEB (slippery elm bark) plan B.....is a very very good product for kitty to relieve tummy and GI tract issues in minutes!!!..............this is a VERY SAFE product with no known side effects.
the recipe is on
www.holisticat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3092
good luck to your poor little girl, I hope you can get this under control for her, please let us know ok
Update- she is no longer constipated (after I used a disposable enema from the vet), but is now vomiting again. My poor girl is trying SO hard --- I got metoclopramide today from the vet. I was going to try Pepcid Ac but she said it was good with CRF cats. I did however order some Slippery Elm Bark for plan B.
She just absolutely does NOT want to eat. I am feeding her often with Nutri-Cal and however much K/D or Fancy Feast or A/D I can get mixed in. She seems to be able to lick the gel out even if i mix it up! Will she ever get her sense of smell or appetite back?
Has anyone used that medicine? I am curious to see if it has helped.
thanks!
I gave my cats the lactose free milk. If I found they're pooing a bit hard then I gave them some normal full cream milk or the food contains "cheese". The stool become soft. Even can be runny if too much dairy products. I don't know if it's the right way to do or not?
I also got a 12 years old male cat has CRF. He is on Fortekor 2.5mg daily. He only came home and eat. After eating 3 x 85g Fancy Feast, he wants to go out. He don't like the 6 months old female ***** (this stay home, no out door yet). I never see him poo or vee. I also never see him drink water! He is very skinny but always want to fight with the young ***** at home (show he is strong)!
Last week, he caught a mice/rat at night in the garden. I only see his mouth full of something. I asked him to release. He looked at me and ran away. I use to teach him not allow to catch birds, rats etc... Otherwise he's not allowed to go out. Now I thought he's ill so let him go for "wild" and hope he'll getting better. "YES"! He shows he can catch mice/rat outside..... NOT ILL !
SORRY ME AGAIN.
perhaps if it gets too intimidating for you, that is the site that also recommended the pet food from WELLNESS the canned TURKEY for renal issues.
Wellness I've never used but it is a very good food, NO grains and fewer additives.
Than again if your kitty is eating the Hills K/D alright, it may be best for him to stay with the one he's ACCEPTED, it can be so easy to turn a sick kitty OFF foods in general... I just hate to mess with a kitty with such severe problems already.(have I confused you enough?)
just do tons of reading honey and talking with a helpful Vet that will help you make some decisions.
good for you dear!!
the best site for homemade recipes are on the site I'll send you.
I went to the cooked pork diet, because Nemo wouldn't eat the raw.
If you do searching on this site it will give brand names of all the supplements needed, have to be careful so as not to buy ones with alot of sodium or extra additives, yes it does get complicated.
I started slow, added taurine first as this is so important.
than added Vit E (the natural d-alfa..yes in people form)
Vit A,
Vit. D
all these are also in the people vitamins, they recommend. Natural Source brands or Thorne. ...some others if you read.
need to be very careful with these 3 as they are 'fat-soluable' and do NOT give to much.
Vit. B from Thorne also, I don't have that here so I am still searching other suppliers for the best. they recommend Jarrow, however some said its smelly and cats will refuse to eat when mixed in their food(?)
the egg shell powder is calcium and easy to bake and crush from your own eggs.
gelatin is for cartlidge(people form)
the canned pumpkin, I was buying the wrong one. I got pumpkin pie mix, however found out today it has to be without the spices therefore 'plain pumpkin' apparently also avail in groc food section.
Found out squash either canned or fresh (cook and puree) is also good for constipation.
Dulse is a trace mineral, I found this at my health foods store.
to just give it a try, I started with cubing a raw pork chop, seared it in xtr virgin olive oil and he loves it.....the rawer the better, its good for their teeth and gums to chew on!
p.s. just trying this once or twice is ok, but if you are going to switch totally to a homemade diet please do the transition slowly so kitty will get used to and therefore not get a tummy upset.
and b/c of kitties renal failure I would speak to my Vet first or consult with the holistic people on the site at least, to learn what is safest for him....there are some very indepth people there who have years of personal experience treating all sorts of ailments....they just blow me away with their knowledge, and what they can't answer they will lead you to the site that can.
the site is
www. holisticat.com
when you get to the board index, search in COOKED DIET RECIPES or RAW DIET RECIPES.... than more info in SUPPLEMENTS
this site you can read on for FREE or for $10 you can join than ask mega questions, they are so very helpful.
best to you both
thanks everyone. I am just going to do my best with all the great information you gave. It seems one Mochie will be a little more perky than the next. I suppose it goes that way though. She is getting pumpkin in her food now, so I hope it continues to work as it seemed to yesterday and the day before. I gave her a washcloth bath and brushed her yesterday and she really acted like it felt good, so i am going to try to include that in her daily routine. I am going to see about making her own food, but I'd like to find a recipe that will work for me.They all seem long and complicated. I am assuming that a person just uses regular human supplements as I see nothing to indicate anything different. I want to just make a small amount to see if she will eat it on her own without having to hand feed her or add anything treats to it.
kellie, that site is really great!
again, thanks to everyone! Tori
We just had to put our 17 yr old girl down do to this awful disease. At the end I was having to syringe her due to the sores in her mouth and not eating. Constipation became a major issue near the end, I would mix meat baby food (turkey or chicken) with baby food peas (fiber) to help her and just syringe. To help us know what we needed to look for and what to expect I was lucky enough to find this site:http://www.felinecrf.org/. I am not affiliated or am I promoting this site, I am just letting those know that it contained some very good information for me and my family during one of the most difficult times that we have gone through with our furry kids. Good luck toriree with your baby.
I don't have any experience with doing this with adult cats with renal disease, but it might be something to ask your vet about. What about using KMR to supplement her diet? It would provide additional fluid to prevent dehydration as well as more nutrients than in water but more easily digestible than either canned or dry food.
I think the pumpkin might have worked for the constipation. At least there was a small movement in the litter box this morning that was sure pumpkin colored. I didn't see her though and with 2 others using the box it is hard to know. I will look at the recipes to see what I can make she might like. I am not sure where to buy some of the things they suggest adding to the recipe.
Does a person just use regular human additives? Like the taurine for instance.
Everyone on here says NOT to give dry food, but my vet suggested and sold it to me, so I am kind of at a loss on what is best.
And, if I understand correctly, the NutriCal can cause megacolon, which I understand is only worse constipation.
thanks to all..........
heres the website for info on Chronic Renal failure.(CRF)
www.holisticat.com/crf.html
they recommend WELLNESS brand cat food...CANNED TURKEY..
Dry food isn't recommended for CRF cats, the dry food is so low in moisture, and dehydration leads to chronic constipation.
I know you need to be careful how much water you give to a CRF cat.
they also recommed adding TAURINE (from NOW brand of supplements) because they loose so many nutrients due to urinating so much.
CHECK WITH YOUR VET FOR ADVICE ON THIS FIRST.
you can also check out this website for info on constipation. theres tons of good info there.
www.felineconstipation.org
good luck
or another at
www.holisticat.com
most there prefer the raw and it is better, not so many supplements to add, but my kitty won't eat it so had to go to the 'cooked pork' recipe.
laxatone and Nutrical would be nearly the same as far as I know. I've hear many use fortiflora, as long as you are not over using? find out the ingredients.(?)
I'm sorry I don't know anything about the fiber treats, again check the ingred., as you've seen the nutrical is no longer working for her and they can get mega colon as PK said.
Here are some good recipes for kitties with renal problems. They will also help with constipation issues. Please take a look.
http://users.ameritech.net/critterz/crf_recipes.htm