# Feline kidney failure and sub Q fluids



## unregistered6474 (Apr 21, 2003)

I have a 14-year-old kitty. I rescued her in college - she was a feral 6-month-old kitten that someone had dropped of at the local animal shelter. Today she is a wise old kitty. She's lost most of her teeth and she's stopped grooming her fur. She still purrs like a motorboat, though.

Her kidneys have also started to fail. She drinks about a gallon of water every two days. My vet tells me the subcutaneous fluid therapy is the way to go. I can't imagine that my cat would tolerate this well. She's always been slightly wild and she doesn't like to be held.

So, I am asking what to do. Do I try the SubQ therapy, or is it something that will only give her a few more months while stressing her out more?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I would put her on a high carb, low protein diet immediately to try to take some burden off her kidneys. 
I have read many instances of people who do buy their cats a year or two by giving fluids on a regular basis (at home themselves) to deal with kidney failure. Honestly, it is not a choice I would personally make. I would allow the cat to pass peacefully rather than being poked and prodded 2-3 times a week to extend her life that way. But that is a personal decision.
Kidney failure is not an exceptionally painful disease. That is a blessing. But as she retains fluids, it does make her short of breath.
I'm sorry you have to make these decisions. I can tell how much you love her.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

I have a cat with this and have had them in the past. My cats are raw fed, but they are strays, so haven't always been. But, the raw food seems to help a lot! There is debate about a low protein, high carb diet for kidney failure in cats. It hasn't been actually shown to help them, although it has in dogs and humans. And the one cat I tried it with didn't do well at all! I just give them the best raw food I can and keep them as comfortable as I can for as long as I can.

To me, the sub Q liquid thing has always seemed more stressful than helpful. I would feed the best quality food you can get/she will eat. Be it low protein or not, get the best you can. Otherwise it's kinda about watching her quality of life. She could be good for another few years, or just a few weeks, depends on the cat. 

Best of luck and I'm sorry about your cat, it's hard.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

If one of my cats had anything that would require me to take him/her in to the vet for sub Q fluid injections on a continual basis, I would not do that. And I work at a vet so it wouldn't cause me any inconvenience. I would not want to stress any of my cats out that much...and it would stress them out. Since I know how to do it and I could do it myself at home I would only do that if it didn't stress the cat out too much. Some take it really well...most don't like it. I'm wondering how often and how many cc's are involved with this therapy? What would your cat want if she could speak? 14 is getting up there and sometimes it's best to just make them comfortable and happy as possible. I'm so sorry you are going through this


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## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

I don't have experience with sub Q fluids for a cat, but I did use them with a beagle who had kidney disease. I was lucky because my vet showed me how to give the fliuds at home, which minimized her stress. Buddy had 23-1/2 pleasant hours every day, and tolerated sitting on my lap for the 1/2 hour while the fliuds were administered. Since it was done at home, it was possible to use smaller daily amounts, rather than huge amounts a few times a week at the vet's office. We also used a homemade low protein diet, after she refused to eat the commercial kidney diet. 

Whether it might work for your cat might depend on how tolerant he might be in letting you give the fluids, and if your vet will let you give them at home.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

I went through this with a 16 yr old...though did not realize he was in kidney failure until I noticed the fast weight loss, then add in the amount of wet litter, etc. and it dawned on me. I did sub-Q's through the weekend, he stopped eating- so gave nutrical and then he stopped drinking, he made it through the weekend but passed on the way to the vets to be PTS that early monday morning. They say it is not painful, but I saw him weakening and he did cry. If I had been able to I would have taken him in to be PTS before monday morning instead of letting him suffer.
Remember cats also purr when in pain, so you cannot gauge suffering from that. My other cat is 9 yrs old and if she goes into kidney failure, I will have her PTS when it becomes neccessary to take invasive measures. JMO


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## SunsetSonata (Nov 23, 2006)

End stage renal failure IS painful. End stage is UGLY - think lying down moaning with open eyes. If your cat did allow you to administer fluids sub-Q, she would feel more comfortable. 

Whatever you do, please consider euthanasia when she loses her appetite.


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## unregistered6474 (Apr 21, 2003)

I would never allow her to suffer ... this cat has been with me through my last year of college, through my first job, through my first house, through the births of my two children. My husband and I both love her dearly. Thanks for turning me on to the reality of the situation, though. In my mind I have always hoped that she could just get better. 

That said, knowing that she is the type to fight if held, I have been really hesitant to go the sub Q fluid route. We have had vets that have had to put her into a "cat sack" (all zippered up except for where they can give her a shot) just so she can get her vaccinations. I cannot imagine putting her through the stress of more injections just to gain a few more months. At the same time, I just don't want to let her go. I am beginning to accept that this is very selfish on my part.

Thank you for the advice about the raw diet. One of the things that I have found is that dry cat food is lower in protein than wet cat food, but my kitty loves the wet cat food. It seems like the raw food would be a good compromise. Thanks everyone.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

If you go raw, transition slowly. At her age she may not transition to a new food well. Some do, some don't. If she really doesn't want to, I wouldn't force her. The stress of the change may negate any benefit from the diet change. Same with changing from wet to dry. I have one cat who eats anything anytime and another who takes months to make a food change. Needless to say, we don't change his food much! 

If you really want, there are prescription canned foods out there for this sort of diet. Senior foods also tend to be lower protein than 'normal' cat food.


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## deb (Jul 27, 2002)

I have read a discussion on another group between folks who have done the sub Q fluid injections on their cats with failing kidneys for *long* periods of time. 

I think the longest was 3+ years and the cat had very good quality of life until the last week or so. It sounded like giving the sub Q fluid to that cat was part of a calm petting routine which they did twice a day. This was not torture. If the owner got off their schedule for some reason, the cat would find her to remind her.

You can find a lot of good information here: Feline CRF Information Center 

Specific instructions on giving Subcutaneous Fluid Therapy is here: Management of CRF

There is also a large Yahoo group Feline-CRF-Support  It was started 10 years ago and has 11,879 members. You will need to join to read the archive.

I hope this helps

Deb
in iw


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Kat, at the beginning of the year I had to Subq my 16 year old cat. She had lymphatic cancer (which was operated on on Christmas Eve but continued to spread) as well as renal failure but whenever I made a time to bring her to the vets to have her put down or have the vet come here, her 6th sense told her and the little begger would hide so well I couldn't find her. In the end it was decided (by her vet) to put her on palitive care and let her call the tune. So that's what happened. She was put on Metacam, AB's and I had to inject fluid into her twice a day. It isn't difficult to do and because it is going under the skin, it doesn't have to be a slow process as in a drip. 

Go back to your vet clinic and have one of the nurses show you how to do it.
If your cat doesn't like being held you may need somebody else to help you but it should only take a few minutes and will make her life more comfortable. As for the rest of it, she will let you know when it is time to go in the same way as my little cat did. She only lasted another month but it was a good month - she ate, slept, played with my other cats, lay upside down in the sun and enjoyed her final days.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

deb said:


> I have read a discussion on another group between folks who have done the sub Q fluid injections on their cats with failing kidneys for *long* periods of time.
> 
> I think the longest was 3+ years and the cat had very good quality of life until the last week or so. It sounded like giving the sub Q fluid to that cat was part of a calm petting routine which they did twice a day. This was not torture. If the owner got off their schedule for some reason, the cat would find her to remind her.Debin iw


My boss and his wife have been giving their 14 year old cat sub Q fluids for the past 2 years. They do it at home every evening. This is their child since they have no children. The cat has responded really well to the fluid treatment as they have regular check ups with their vet. 

I guess to give or not to give fluids is a choice that as to be made by the pet owner along with vet recommendations.


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