Hey y’all Lexi here again today. I really purreciate all your support an purrayers. This is the last of my Vet day posts. For the last three days we’ve been covering my latest appointment. We posted the link to my lab work Thursday and told ‘bout what happened at da VET; and yesfurday we told ‘bout what mommy and me did after we left da VET. We’ve been asked a lot of questions about just what is my diagnosis and what are we doin’ about it. So today we’re gonna cover all that. You’ve probably noticed the human speak, well we wanna make sure everyone can understand what we tell ya’ ‘bout my medicines and condition. So first, I do have kidney disease. My thyroid is okay and there’s no sugar in my urine, and the numbers from my tests confirm kidney disease. Although based on my latest lab work their does seem to be a small question as to whether it’s chronic or acute. What’s the difference you ask? There’s a few, but the most important difference is that acute can be cured and chronic can only be managed.
Now as most of you know the day doc diagnosed me he sold us a neutraceutical called Azodyl. It was expensive and mommy worried that she wouldn’t be able to afford it for long. Fanks to our wonderful furiends and awnties we were able to buy it for a few months. And then the day came that mommy had feared. We were out and she had no money to buy anymore. Of course as soon as we had gotten the news mommy started researching everything she could find and joined a very knowledgeable support group. During mommy’s research she had read about Astro’s products. So she contacted the creator, an M.D. and asked all kinds of questions. Still a little leary she staerted talking to the support group about them, and when we couldn’t afford my Azodyl mommy decided it was better to treat me with something than nothing. So she ordered the Astro’s Protein Powder because I lost so much weight, and Atro’s Nitrogen-Creatinine Scrub which takes the place of Azodyl. By this time some of our furiends had sent green papers and mommy could afford to buy them. As I said yesfurday most CRF diets are low in protein and phosphorous. And that’s great if you’re a doggy who could survive as a vegetarian. But when you’re a kitty what be an obligate carnivore, low protein isn’t the best idea. But as with most feline medicine the treatments for cats are based on those for dogs.
This be da protein powder and da scrub.
As cats, we need the protein to stay healthy and maintain muscle mass and weight. And since CKD can cause us to lose weight we sure don’t need to cut back on anything positive. Recent studies have proved CKD kitties do better on a high quality protein and low phosphorous diet. But proteins make our liver work harder and that’s harder on our kidneys. So it’s almost a lose lose. But in comes the Astro’s Protein Powder. It’s designed to help animals gain and maintain lean muscle mass and promote cellular regeneration. It’s a white fish derived, amino acid concentrate that’s pre-digested so that it’s easily absorbed by the gut. Because it’s concentrated and high quality very little waste product is created, therefore the kidneys have less toxins to filter out. In other words, it’s easier on the kidneys. That’s great news for CKD and many other ailments as well. Although this product was created with CRF in mind, it can be given to any animal who needs to gain weight and/or maintain muscle mass. It costs $32.95 for a 120gm jar. Or a little over $10.00 a month because 1 jar lasts about 3 months.
Now to talk about the replacement product for the Azodyl, the Astro’s Nitrogen Creatinine Scrub. It’s designed to use the digestive tract to trap and excrete metabolic toxins, transforming it into a rudimentary third kidney. And unlike the Azodyl, it doesn’’t have to be refrigerated and can be given in food. Or in my case the tablespoon of ham baby food I get each meal. It can be made even more effective by adding it to yogurt, but it’s not necessary. And it costs $22.95 for a 120gm jar (ie: about 2-3 months supply). Mommy prayed it would work because $23.00 for 2-3 months as opposed to $80.00 a month is a huge difference. And we know you all get tired of helping us and we hate to be a burden on anyone. But purrhaps helping with a smaller amount might be less burdensome.
Now I’m also taking Renavast. That was something that mommy had come across in her research but was also told about by Brian and Cheri. It’s more amino acids and peptides, just different ones, and helps too maintain normal kidney function in CRF cats and dogs. All of these products by the way have no reported side effects as they are all natural and can be used for both cats and dogs. Consult your VET if you’re a bunny, piggy, etc. I’m also taking vitamin B-12 supplements for overall health. And the Regeneril that Truffles and Ms. Melissa shared with me. It’s purpose is to increase appetite and energy and help with joint pain. The Renavast is $27.00 for a 30 day supply, the B-12 is $10.00 for about a 6 month supply and I’m taking Organic Slippery Elm Bark at $8.00 for about a 6 month supply for the upset tummies and acid reduction. Mommy also ordered for $20.00 some D-mannose to give to me and even Dezi in the event of a urinary tract infection caused by e-coli. Again since this is all natural it can be given to any animal even as a preventative. What all this means as far as money goes is that for less than the price of the Azodyl we can buy all the medicines I need. Because even if I was still taking the Azodyl, I would still need everything other than the Astro’s Scrub.
As always if you have any questions please ask and if we can answer them we will. As for those of you who think our VETs are cheaper, they most probably are cheaper than what you’re paying, but remember, wages are less here too, so for us; especially mommy who be on Social Security, our VETs charge a lot. Our $200.00 bill is like your $2000.00 bill. Altho’ we just don’t understand why it is that VETs think they need to charge so much. If you missed my lab work, can read it and would like to see it, you can click here.
Meowllo evewypawdy hope yous havin’ a gweat week. Well da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge modewators wuz here yesfurday and weez not been kicked out. Whew (runs paw across forehead) So we covewed 2 letters in one day, K fur Kittens and L fur Law. So today’s letter be M. Well lately there seems to be gweat discussion amung ow bloggin’ counterpawts on Facebook ‘bout whedder or not cats have a hierarchy; or as da doggy peeps call it…an alpha. So we fawt dat we wuld tackle dat subject today. Hmmmm this bloggin’ challenge sure has us duin’ a lot educational stuffs, huh?. Anyways, anypawdy hoo has evew owned a doggy knows da hooman needs to assert themselves as da alpha or there’s gunna be lots of purrawllems at their house. So duz da same hold twue wiff cats?
As you know there’s just Lexi and me. But before me mommy had sis Lexi and her 2 bwofurs. And mommy also fostered and always had a house full of kitties, so she can tell ya’ ‘bout whether or not cats have a hierarchy. But first lets take a look at the history of cats, both large and small. Even as late as the 1970’s scientists thought that the only social cat was the lion pride. Held together by it’s close matriarchal leadership where all the females share the duties of raising the young, hunting and feeding the pride and even fighting off intruders when their male is away. The only standard used to determine the results were those of the dog pack. But as anyone who has ever owned both cats and dogs know they are completely different and one can’t study cat behavior based on that of a dog.
I’z da Top Cat heer. I’z took oweber frum minez brofur Lucky when himz went too hebben.
More recent studies have shown that like lion prides the feral cat colony has a similar matriarchal hierarchy. So now we move into the house and look at the altered cats living under your roof. When all cats in the house have been spayed or neutered less attention is placed on the sex of the cats in determining who will be in charge. The humans in the house can also play a role in determining who gets to be Top Cat; we’ll tell ya’ more about that later. More often than not the top cat in the household is the one that’s been there the longest. In our house mommy makes sure that sissy remains in the top spot as she has been here longest. Cats living together will divide up territory within their house. That’s not to say that one cat won’t go into the territory of another such as pawdee boxes, water bowls, cat trees, beds, etc.. However these things are typically surrendered quickly when the top cat wants to claim them.
Typically the top cat is given a wide berth. Play time is a great time for watching the behavior of your cats and observing who is the head cat in your house. The lower cats look to the top cat for approval. The top cat usually is deferred to in every thing. All subordinates recognize the authority and experience of the top cat. Sometimes these behaviors are subtle. So subtle you might not even see them. When the top cat walks by a subordinate might flatten their ears, divert their gaze downward or drop on their side or belly to show submission. Subtle changes in the household can affect the fragile hierarchy of your little pride of house lions such as an illness in the cats (top cat especially) or a family member, a move, a new cat or kitten, or any number of other changes. You humans can help to keep the hierarchy in tact. How you ask? Well let me tell ya’.
It’s something mommy’s been doin’ for years to keep order in our house and make sure we get along. Mommy says it makes for introducing new furries and changes a whole lot easier. First recognize there is a hierarchy in your feline family and determine who is top cat. It’s not always the meanest or biggest. Mommy says she likes it to be the kitty who has been ‘round the longest cause subordinates will learn appropriate behaviors from them. Always refer to the top cat first in everything. Top cat gets fed first, petted first, greeted first, talked to first, and so on. We think you get the idea. And first does not mean that subordinates have to wait till the top cat is finished, it just means their plate is filled first, or set down first, they get the first treats and so on. Mommy says it’s sometimes hard especially if a subordinate is friendlier or more outgoing than the top cat because we’ll be the ones meeting you at the door. But mommy says ignore that and go straight to the top cat to greet and then everybody else. If you have a large feline family it helps to identify the rank of all cats and do the above in that order. It’ll for sure help keep the peace in your house. So we may not be called Alphas but we do have a hierarchy. It’s a fragile one but it exists.
Meowllo evewypawdy, hope you awe havin’ da bestest of days. It’s H day here in da bloggin’ A to Z challenge, and well mommy is tired cuz hers just completely went blank. Did she furget ow name? One of ow new favowit tweats? Or even one of da fings she weally hates…HAIRBALLS. Yep today weez gunna talk ‘bout hairballs. Now most of us wound here laff ‘bout ‘em and scheme ‘bout where to place them and ow hoomans do evewyfin’ in their power to stop ‘em, but awe they just a fact of life fur a cat? And is it healffy fur us to have them? And just why is it dat sum cats seem to have mowe of a purrawllem wiff ‘’em than udders? And…well let me quit askin’ questions and just get on wiff it and tell ya’ mowe ‘bout hairballs than you evew wanted to know.
Guess da first thing me should tell ya’ is why we kitties get hairballs in the furst place. Well you know all that groomin’ we do? Yep that’s where they come from. As anybody whose ever been licked by a kitty knows, we have a barbed like tongue and things like fur just kinda stick to it and then we swallow it. That’s why it’s not safe for us too play with things like string and threads and the like. We often can’t actually spit these things out and so down the hatch as they say, they go. As for the fur once swallowed it’s gotta come out, and there’s only 2 ways that’s gonna happen. For the purrpusses of this posty we will talk ‘but those hairballs that come back up thru the mouth.
Now here is where mommy kinda disagrees with the current thought processes of most. Most articles and Vets say that the long haired breeds tend to have more hairballs than the shorter haired kitties. Mommy sez pishaw to this. She’s had plenty of long haired cats and only a couple of short haired cats so maybe she might just know a thing or two about this subject. See, sis Lexi has far more hairballs than any long haired kitty mommy has ever had, me included. If we was to give you a ratio figure, sis Lexi would throw up a hairball 9 more times out of 10 than me would. Now we was actually asked a question once ‘bout these here hairballs. One of our dear Facebook friends started noticing her 2 year old cat convulsing and then vomiting out a mess and cryin’ ‘bout it. Mommy figured out he was having hairballs and told her what to do and voila, everything was under control again. She then told mommy he hadn’t ever done that before, so why was it now happening? Well it’s true, kittens don’t have hairballs. But once we get older and become great fur stylists, that’s when the fun begins. And by the way, our friend…he was a short haired tabby too.
Course callin’ it fun is a bit of a stretch, cuz it for sure ain’t no fun for us. We retch and sometimes meow some of the most pawful meows in our repertoire and gag and then finally…out comes the glob. Now most of these hairballs aren’t little balls at all, they’re more tube like, and that’s because they’ve got to pass thru’ the narrow esophagus in our throats. And altho’ these Hairballs are purrfectly normal they can also be dangerous. Dangerous you say, why is that? Well if your kitty is throwin’ up a hairball once or twice a week (in shedding season) most likely things are fine. But, if you notice your kitty retching and coughing and maybe crying and yet no hairball shows up; call your VET immediately!! It is possible that a hairball can become lodged in the esophagus, intestinal tract, or stomach. And if this happens this is a life or death emergency.
Symptoms to look for in a cat with an obstruction are:
Ongoing vomiting, retching, gagging or hacking without producing a hairball,
Lethargy,
Lack of appetite,
Constipation,
Diarrhea,
If you observe any of those symptoms please call your vet immediately. Surgery may be needed to remove the offending hairball.
Hairballs are a natural part of your kitties life so there’s no cure for them. However there are ways to help minimize the amount of hairballs your cat has. The furst is Grooming. Most cats love to be groomed. Altho’ not all, and we have heard many of our long haired friends really put up a fight at grooming time. Mommy sez it’s never too late to teach a cat anything, but it is always easier to train them when they’re young. So don’t give up. And these days there are lots of “self groomers” on the market that your cat might enjoy. But Grooming serves a few purrpusses, it allows you to bond with your cat while getting rid of the loose fur that would either end up on your furniture as fur shed, or any place else as a slimy hairball. Be sure too use the appropriate grooming tool on your cat. There are a ton of them on the market, but you don’t want to use the wrong one. Most cats have a double coat, but there are those with only single coats and the “hairless” breeds. We won’t go into all the tools today because today is hairball day, but if you’re interested in learning about the differences in grooming tools an what’s right for who, let us know in the comments and we will cover that in a future post.
Another way to cut back on hairballs is a hairball formula food, treats, or treatment (malty as we call it). Again there are a number of these on the market. As for treatments, you can also use some of the common things around your house. A little pat of butter, olive oil, or vegetable/canola/corn oil can also be safely used to get the hairball moving in the right direction, and maybe save you from stepping into a wet slimy mess with your bare feet in the middle of the night. MOL Well, hope we’ve helped you a little in further understanding the cat’s Hairball. MOL
Meowllo evewypawdy, we hope you had a wunnewful Easter weekend. Mommy took most of da day off yesfurday to spend wiff Lexi and me. Weez even got a little supwise fur ya’ later on. Now ifin yous member weez joined up wiff da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge fur this mumff and we left off wiff da letter D fur me. So dat means today is E’s day. And we told ya’ we wuld be writin’ ‘bout da test dat da doctow used to diagnose sis Lexi’s kidney disease. Ifin yous missed ow udder posties on Kidney disease yous can wead them here at The 3 A’s and B is fur…. So wiffout further adieu let’s get this show, or post on da road as they say.
Heska E.R.D. – Health Screen Feline Urine Test is a tool that can be used to help diagnose Kidney disease in not only cats, but there are also tests for canines and humans. It is a rapid immunoassay that detects low levels of albumin in the urine. It is specific and easy to use, and only takes about 5 – 10 minutes and requires only a small amount of urine. It is intended to be done in house for quick results. It is said to be able to detect the lowest levels of microalbuminuria in the urine, thus resulting in diagnosing at approximately 25 % of kidney function loss. Early detection, means longer life possibility and more management opportunities.
Kidney Disease is the number 2 cause of death in pet cats. And in the past it’s detection went undiagnosed until symptoms started appearing. A few of those symptoms are prolific drinking, and therefore an increase in urination, weight loss, reduction of appetite and bad breath. By the time symptoms appear typically kidney function has been decreased by 65 % in canines and 75 % in felines. At which point the assumption is the condition can’t be reversed, only managed as it progresses. So early detection could mean reversal and prolonged life for your cat or dog.
While the Heska E.R.D. is a wonderful tool used in the early detection of albumin in the urine, it is important to remember that there are other causes for those results and further testing should be done to confirm the proper diagnosis. Again you can read our previous posts by clicking the links above for more information on the importance of other testing and types. It is important to know that the method of urine collection can have an effect on the outcome of results. Urine can become contaminated very easily therefore the preferred method of collection is through Cystocentesis. This is where a doctor inserts a small needle through the skin and into the bladder to withdraw the sample. As horrible as it sounds there is little to no pain associated with this method and can be done quickly without anesthesia.
So Lexi has now had a general urinalysis that led to the E.R.D. where she was diagnosed with Kidney disease. We believe the fact that she was 15 led our VET make that diagnosis without further testing. And altho’ he was correct, we do think it was a bit unprofessional because the presence of albumin in the urine can also be caused by inflammatory, infectious or metabolic diseases. Further testing is and was required to properly diagnose and formulate a plan of treatment. So early detection of albumin in the urine is a great step in feline medicine and a great tool for early detection of a deadly disease. Just remember further testing is always a good idea. If there are underlying problems such as diabetes, IBD, dental disease, etc., the E.R.D. should be repeated 4 weeks after treatment to determine if albumin is still present.
Well we hope we shed a little mowe light on da scawy subject of Kidney disease. And now fur da supwise we purromissed. And we hope you enjoyed da fotos featurin’ sissy today. Ain’t she just bootyful? While playin’ yesfurday mommy wuz able to get a little video of sis Lexi havin’ a good time. She’s fixin’ to be 16 years old da 29ff of this mumff, and meez gotta tell ya’, meez sissy…she’s still got it. Fanks fur all yous luv and supppowt and purrayers. Kidney disease or no, meez sissy is da bestest!!!
Ifin you can’t see da video, purrlease click here.
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