Kidney Disease Support

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili her symptoms did not match renal failure-I don’t think that is what caused her death-she was impacted by a faster acting neurotoxin of some kind Okay, thanks, Margrove.  I appreciate that, ’cause we’re so upset and we don’t want to feel like it was our fault. kili no one who has fed their dog food that was poisoned by a self regulalting food system need blame themselves. There are things in life that we have little control over. In the case of your mil’s dog, she exhibited typical symptoms of a neurotoxin, which could be anything from a poisoning that was deliberate, or not, or a spider bite, a snake bite, or possibly an infection that was not picked up prior to symptoms. They cannot tell us how they feel-so we rely on our instincts and observations. The pet food problem is astronomically tragic because this system is unregulated, pets are viewed as property so law suits againts the feed companies are impossible. Right now the only thing motivating this feed  company is potential loss of income from sales and returns frmo large retailers. How this happened, the time it took to report it, the actions taken to control it and the reasons for it to hapen in the first place are criminal. People are spending more money for premium foods that are prepared by the same company who prepares the less expensive ones all with the same binders and ingredients. This is tantemount to shopping at Niemen Marcus for gap clothes. The whole thing sickens me really.and I have made my positon known to Iam’s whose products I have used for better then two decades-I may start making my own food for my dog, simply out of principle let alone safety. Kili in light of the new info that came out about aminopterin being the cause of the food poisoning it is almost guaranteed your mil’s dog was an end result of eating contaminated food-most often the chemical causes fatal renal failure or liver failure but in large doses can cause neurotoxicity and seizures-if your Vet can write a leter of cause of death and you provide the unused or used containers of dog food to menu foods-they will at least pay the vet bill-a minor consolation but something

Thanks, Margrove. kili — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili her symptoms did not match renal failure-I don’t think that is what caused her death-she was impacted by a faster acting neurotoxin of some kind Okay, thanks, Margrove.  I appreciate that, ’cause we’re so upset and we don’t want to feel like it was our fault. kili no one who has fed their dog food that was poisoned by a self regulalting food system need blame themselves. There are things in life that we have little control over. In the case of your mil’s dog, she exhibited typical symptoms of a neurotoxin, which could be anything from a poisoning that was deliberate, or not, or a spider bite, a snake bite, or possibly an infection that was not picked up prior to symptoms. They cannot tell us how they feel-so we rely on our instincts and observations. The pet food problem is astronomically tragic because this system is unregulated, pets are viewed as property so law suits againts the feed companies are impossible. Right now the only thing motivating this feed  company is potential loss of income from sales and returns frmo large retailers. How this happened, the time it took to report it, the actions taken to control it and the reasons for it to hapen in the first place are criminal. People are spending more money for premium foods that are prepared by the same company who prepares the less expensive ones all with the same binders and ingredients. This is tantemount to shopping at Niemen Marcus for gap clothes. The whole thing sickens me really.and I have made my positon known to Iam’s whose products I have used for better then two decades-I may start making my own food for my dog, simply out of principle let alone safety.

Kili in light of the new info that came out about aminopterin being the cause of the food poisoning it is almost guaranteed your mil’s dog was an end result of eating contaminated food-most often the chemical causes fatal renal failure or liver failure but in large doses can cause neurotoxicity and seizures-if your Vet can write a leter of cause of death and you provide the unused or used containers of dog food to menu foods-they will at least pay the vet bill-a minor consolation but something — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili her symptoms did not match renal failure-I don’t think that is what caused her death-she was impacted by a faster acting neurotoxin of some kind Okay, thanks, Margrove.  I appreciate that, ’cause we’re so upset and we don’t want to feel like it was our fault. kili

no one who has fed their dog food that was poisoned by a self regulalting food system need blame themselves. There are things in life that we have little control over. In the case of your mil’s dog, she exhibited typical symptoms of a neurotoxin, which could be anything from a poisoning that was deliberate, or not, or a spider bite, a snake bite, or possibly an infection that was not picked up prior to symptoms. They cannot tell us how they feel-so we rely on our instincts and observations. The pet food problem is astronomically tragic because this system is unregulated, pets are viewed as property so law suits againts the feed companies are impossible. Right now the only thing motivating this feed  company is potential loss of income from sales and returns frmo large retailers. How this happened, the time it took to report it, the actions taken to control it and the reasons for it to hapen in the first place are criminal. People are spending more money for premium foods that are prepared by the same company who prepares the less expensive ones all with the same binders and ingredients. This is tantemount to shopping at Niemen Marcus for gap clothes. The whole thing sickens me really.and I have made my positon known to Iam’s whose products I have used for better then two decades-I may start making my own food for my dog, simply out of principle let alone safety. — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

::I guess, if you want to be safe, buy human tunafish and canned meats. People should talk to their vets first before feeding their furbabies "human" food. I know canned tuna fish is not good for cats except as an ocassional treat. Jackie ~*~I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me… I have gone ahead despite the pounding in my heart that says:  turn back, turn back, you’ll die if you venture too far~*~ — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I guess, if you want to be safe, buy human tunafish and canned meats. People should talk to their vets first before feeding their furbabies "human" food. I know canned tuna fish is not good for cats except as an ocassional treat.

You’re right some foods aren’t good for animals that are perfectly healthy for people.  I think garlic and onions, grapes, raisins aren’t good for dogs. kili — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too.http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html — The charter is available at:http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

I guess, if you want to be safe, buy human tunafish and canned meats. I guess most of the tainted food is the canned soft food.  I NEVER give my dog canned food.  It is bad for her teeth.  Animals develop a perference for soft food when they are overpapered.  My dog gets Kibbles and Bits and she loves it.  I still have a two week supply so this problem should blow over before I have to buy more dog food. — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html

Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip

We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili

her symptoms did not match renal failure-I don’t think that is what caused her death-she was impacted by a faster acting neurotoxin of some kind — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know how many people out there have cats, but there has been a recall of several brands of cat food. Apparently, some cats have actually died. I beleive there’s also some sort of recall on dog food too. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html Yep, it’s for many brands of "wet" dog and cat food which comes in cans and packages. Our dogs eat one of the brands, but they eat the "dry" dog food. It’s unknown what the toxin is in the pet food, but it causes kidney failure in pets. Cats are about 9 times more likely to develope the problem than dogs. (for reasons unknown to me) Chip We’re now thinking that our MIL’s dog wasn’t poisoned by a person, but the food she was eating was on the list.  I wish we would have had an autopsy done, darn it.  We were too upset at the time to even think of having it done. kili her symptoms did not match renal failure-I don’t think that is what caused her death-she was impacted by a faster acting neurotoxin of some kind

Okay, thanks, Margrove.  I appreciate that, ’cause we’re so upset and we don’t want to feel like it was our fault. kili — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Question:

Then her face fell,quite literally….She let out a strange cry then got off the wardrobe and hid.

This is also such a sad story.

Response:

Hugs and purrs, this really is so hard! — Polonca & Soncek

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Awwww, how very sad.  I’m so sorry for your loss.  I wish I knew what to tell you to make Bear feel better. Jill

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now.

Under the circumstances you’re doing the right thing. Bear is going through abandonment depression–a regular, loved member of the household is no longer around, and he’s distressed by it. Keep giving him as much affection as he wants. Chances are he’ll eventually come to live with the fact that Jasper isn’t coming back. When my cat Simba died years ago, my other cat Bijou was quite distraught. He’d look all over for Simba, and wait for hours in Simba’s favorite spots, terribly unhappy that he could still smell Simba but couldn’t find him. Things were different when our cat Christian passed away last fall of chronic renal failure. Bijou saw his friend’s remains, pined for a few days, then came out of his funk soon afterward. The point is that, in my experience, it might be helpful for a cat to see that its friend has passed on. Cats, being hunters, understand death, at least in terms of it happening to other creatures. Others have told me how viewing the body of a deceased love one has helped their cats come to terms with the passing of their friends much more quickly than if the beloved person or animal had simply disappeared, leaving only its scent behind. As with humans, it seems better for cats to know what happened than not to know.

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that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

That’s all you can do. Purrs to your entire family. It’s so hard

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now.

So sorry for your loss. Poor Jasper. Many purrs for him and you to heal soon. I know this isn’t always feasible, but I’ve read that the best thing to do when an animal dies is to let the remaining animal see the dead animal and check him/her out thoroughly. I’ve never tried this, though. — Marina, Frank, Nikki, and Mere marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

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So sorry for your loss. Poor Jasper.

And of course I meant poor Bear. Jasper will not be suffering any more. — Marina, Frank, Nikki, and Mere marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

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that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

"Rise up slowly, Angel.  It’s hard to let you go…" Sincere condolences in the loss of Jasper and purrs and kitty kisses for Bear.   MLB

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles,

What a sad story.  My condolences on the loss of Jasper and purrs of comfort for your family.  May Jasper find a peaceful path to walk. Regards and Purrs, O J

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

That’s so sad.  I don’t know what to tell you.  When one d*g died and the other looked for their friend, we just would explain over and over.  It took time for them. So sorry about your loss. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.

<snip Awwww…sorry for your loss.  I recently had to euth my old dog as well.  My kitties still haven’t recovered – especially Mimi who used to sleep with her. -L.

Response:

Patti Sorry to hear about Jasper. Cats do miss their friends. I’ve told this tale before but it’s worth telling again When we lost Fugazi, the first night Isis (her sister) didn’t seem too worried. Fugazi was an Olympic sleeper so even when she did not appear at the feeding dish, Isis didn’t appear too worried. The next morning was different. She wandered through the flat, making a calling noise and searching every place Fugazi was known to sleep in (and some we never knew about). She even went off her food and this was the cat who licked her bowl clean 15 minutes before she crossed the bridge herself some 4 years later. Three days she searched and cried and called. On the third night, we heard an enormous crash from the bedroom. Basically, Fugazi’s most treasured sleeping place was in a box on top of the wardrobe, as the box contained old jumpers, it was warm and soft and it was the highest vantage point of the flat, Best of all, Isis was no great shakes as a climber so she couldn’t get onto the wardrobe thus guaranteeing that Fugazi could indulge in her favourite pastime of intense napping without being disturbed. And here was Isis, struggling to get onto the wardrobe, she’d managed to get her front paws onto it and was scrabbling to get up, the crash being where things had been knocked over. As we watched, she made it and she trotted towards the box with what can only be described as a grin. She looked into the box, triumphantly as if she were saying "I’ve worked out where you must be! You must be here!" Then her face fell,quite literally….She let out a strange cry then got off the wardrobe and hid. The next morning she was fine Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Patti Sorry to hear about Jasper. Cats do miss their friends. I’ve told this tale before but it’s worth telling again When we lost Fugazi, the first night Isis (her sister) didn’t seem too worried. Fugazi was an Olympic sleeper so even when she did not appear at the feeding dish, Isis didn’t appear too worried. The next morning was different. She wandered through the flat, making a calling noise and searching every place Fugazi was known to sleep in (and some we never knew about). She even went off her food and this was the cat who licked her bowl clean 15 minutes before she crossed the bridge herself some 4 years later. Three days she searched and cried and called. On the third night, we heard an enormous crash from the bedroom. Basically, Fugazi’s most treasured sleeping place was in a box on top of the wardrobe, as the box contained old jumpers, it was warm and soft and it was the highest vantage point of the flat, Best of all, Isis was no great shakes as a climber so she couldn’t get onto the wardrobe thus guaranteeing that Fugazi could indulge in her favourite pastime of intense napping without being disturbed. And here was Isis, struggling to get onto the wardrobe, she’d managed to get her front paws onto it and was scrabbling to get up, the crash being where things had been knocked over. As we watched, she made it and she trotted towards the box with what can only be described as a grin. She looked into the box, triumphantly as if she were saying "I’ve worked out where you must be! You must be here!" Then her face fell,quite literally….She let out a strange cry then got off the wardrobe and hid. The next morning she was fine Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

That is so very sad.  Purrs for your loss as well. Jill

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That is so very sad.  Purrs for your loss as well. Jill

Went thru a similar thing with our previous cats, Scruffy and CC a few years ago. They were brothers and we had them from the time they were weaned from Cardi-cat, their mom. They were great playmates and everything went okay until Sruffy was hit by a car when they were 7 months old. It was awful. Scruffy didn’t turn up for his breakfast one morning around 6am (September 11th, I recall – should have known it was a bad omen). At first I didn’t worry too much, cos he was a great hunter and sometimes caught his own breakfast. Anyway, I didn’t go to work that day, cos when he hadn’t turned up two hours later, I really started to worry. I went all around the grounds where we lived, calling him and calling him. CC came with me and he was also "calling". Eventually we found him….. Anyway, my husband was away on business, so I asked the gardiner if he would help me bury Scruffy. I just couldn’t face it alone. He agreed. Found a nice spot where Scruff used to hang out…. CC spent the next few days calling and calling,looking in all Scruffy’s favourite spots, to no avail. I tried to explain to him that Scruffy was gone, but it took about a week before he gave up… CC died about a year later, he had feline leukemia. So all I can say is, hang in there and hopefully it will work out. Very sorry. Cathy

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We will light a candle for Jasper’s safe journey to the RB. Please give hugs and skritches to Bear for us and lots of cuddles. Condolences to all of you for the loss of your good boy. Jazz & his mama — Irulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Under the circumstances you’re doing the right thing. Bear is going through abandonment depression–a regular, loved member of the household is no longer around, and he’s distressed by it. Keep giving him as much affection as he wants. Chances are he’ll eventually come to live with the fact that Jasper isn’t coming back. When my cat Simba died years ago, my other cat Bijou was quite distraught. He’d look all over for Simba, and wait for hours in Simba’s favorite spots, terribly unhappy that he could still smell Simba but couldn’t find him. Things were different when our cat Christian passed away last fall of chronic renal failure. Bijou saw his friend’s remains, pined for a few days, then came out of his funk soon afterward. The point is that, in my experience, it might be helpful for a cat to see that its friend has passed on. Cats, being hunters, understand death, at least in terms of it happening to other creatures. Others have told me how viewing the body of a deceased love one has helped their cats come to terms with the passing of their friends much more quickly than if the beloved person or animal had simply disappeared, leaving only its scent behind. As with humans, it seems better for cats to know what happened than not to know.

I agree, when it’s possible.  We own a home and our poor Percy actually "moved in" before we did.  When he went to the RB we were still in our leased house but had already signed the papers on our own home, so we asked the people still living there if it was OK to bury Percy in the back yard under a tree.  It was a couple who are both pastors in their church.  The husband was away on business, but the wife came outside after we’d buried Percy and held hands with us and said a prayer over his grave.  Anyway, we brought Percy home from the vet and it was very strange that all our girls came over one by one to sniff at his body and then stand by his side for a few moments. However, not everyone can take their pets home after they are euthanized, some have to leave the body with the vet.  In those cases, all you can do is give extra emotional support to your remaining furbabies to help them get over the grief. Hugs, CatNipped

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss Patti.  A candle will be burned tonight to help light Jasper’s way to the bridge, and purrs are being sent to help heal his family’s broken hearts. Hugs, CatNipped

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

You don’t; just wait it out. When Freddie & Killer went over the RB, Chaos looked for each of them for a long time. Now though, she doesn’t. It’s just like with us two-legs; I can’t count the number of times after Mother died that I started to go to her room to show her something amusing. — Cliologist, Philanthropologist, Prothonotary Wibbler, Paleoconservative, Surface Warrior Squid

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I’m so sorry for this sad time for your family and for Bear.  I’m glad that you have each other to comfort. Susan M Otis and Chester

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

My condolences for Jasper and for your and Bear’s loss. I just had an idea for Bear. Why not thoroughly clean Jasper’s crate from his smell and put it away? And bury his bedding with Bear in attendance, like a little funeral. — CATherine

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My dad had a cat named Stalker who was best friends with Emma, a Lab/collie mix.  When Emma died, Stalker began to wander in search of her–first to the forest, then to the neighbours’, then up and down the breadth of the county up to 5 miles away.  Some times he would vanish for months, almost a year once, and he’d only check in 3 or 4 times a year to show us he was still alive–not coming near enough to be caught.  In his old age he returned home, though he still dragged himself from barn to yard to house and slept in Emma’s old sleeping spot.  When he passed away–in our barn–he was buried with his friend. My condolences on your loss. –Fil

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Purrs for your loss and for all your hearts to heal — Elise (supervised by Gossamer & Jeeves)

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that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now. Sad kitty cuddles, Patti

Poor Bear, lots of comforting purrs. I will light a candle for Jasper. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

that his best friend is no more? We had to put our elderly boston terrier, Jasper to sleep today, and his kitty Bear is looking for him.  We have cuddled him and told him that Jas wasn’t coming home again, but he still comes over to us and cries.  He got up in my hubby’s face and looked into his eyes, then came over to me and did the same. He then gave us both head bumps and went off to see if Jas was in his crate. He is very upset. I am making sure that he gets plenty of cuddles and reassurance, and maybe one day he will have another puppy to cuddle. Just not now.

Poor Jasper and Bear.

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Question:

In article <Nc2dnefnWYsa7rPfRVn…@comcast.com>,  "rick" <gorwell1…@comcast.net> wrote: >  "many in the US have trouble > affording even ‘cheap’ drugs like ACE inhibitors". > You can buy the generic Zestril from online pharmacies for 44 cents per > pill!!! (lisinopril). > I’ve bought them from internet pharmacies for less than my co-pay insurance > charges me (insurance copay is $15. per month). > Same exact meds I get from Walmart pharmacy.

Not everyone has medical insurance or insurance that covers prescriptions. For older diabetics – a group at highest risk for renal failure – on Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security, even an extra $15 a month can be a big bite out of their budgets. — "Did Father shoot him? I will eat Grandfather for dinner." – Helen Keller, on learning of the death of her grandfather

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In article <e4db8a47.0502180320.2703c…@posting.google.com>,  ski-1…@t-email.de (Billy the Kid ney) wrote: > Hello, > I’m sending this as general information as I think it may help some of > you out there. > In several centers doctors are now prescribing a small dosage of Ace > inhibitors (a blood pressure drug) in order to delay the onset of ESRD > in children.

It’s standard in the US for diabetics to be put on ACE inhibitors or ARBs to protect the kidneys, as well as those with proteinuria over 1 g/day and other adults at risk of developing significant kidney disease. At least, it’s the standard recommendation; many in the US have trouble affording even ‘cheap’ drugs like ACE inhibitors. — "Did Father shoot him? I will eat Grandfather for dinner." – Helen Keller, on learning of the death of her grandfather

Response:

 "many in the US have trouble affording even ‘cheap’ drugs like ACE inhibitors". You can buy the generic Zestril from online pharmacies for 44 cents per pill!!! (lisinopril). I’ve bought them from internet pharmacies for less than my co-pay insurance charges me (insurance copay is $15. per month). Same exact meds I get from Walmart pharmacy. "REP" <r…@inanna.com> wrote in message

news:37m5jkF5frcuhU1@individual.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In article <e4db8a47.0502180320.2703c…@posting.google.com>, > ski-1…@t-email.de (Billy the Kid ney) wrote: >> Hello, >> I’m sending this as general information as I think it may help some of >> you out there. >> In several centers doctors are now prescribing a small dosage of Ace >> inhibitors (a blood pressure drug) in order to delay the onset of ESRD >> in children. > It’s standard in the US for diabetics to be put on ACE inhibitors or > ARBs to protect the kidneys, as well as those with proteinuria over 1 > g/day and other adults at risk of developing significant kidney disease. > At least, it’s the standard recommendation; many in the US have trouble > affording even ‘cheap’ drugs like ACE inhibitors. > — > "Did Father shoot him? I will eat Grandfather for dinner." > – Helen Keller, on learning of the death of her grandfather

Response:

Hi Judanne, Sorry about the misunderstanding. I am referring to the Ace Inhibitors as "it" below. My doctors have prescribed Ace inhititors.  Regarding the omega fish oil and vitamin E, I cannot get a prescriptions for these in Germany, but as my docs recommend them I buy them myself. Fish Oil (I take about 500 to 1000 mg/day) is cheap at big discounters (e.g. Costcos).  Vitamin E I get from a good multivitamin taken most days (I think my multivitamin contains about 400IU). Fish Oil helps blood pressure and also protects the heart. Regarding the cost: I see it as an investment; but I admit that I may not take the fish oil and multivitamins every day in order to save some costs or I just forget. Regards, Bill in Germany Kidney Transplant, Ohio State University, 1987. _________________ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -"Homefinders" <juda…@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message <news:inURd.167971$K7.84219@news-server.bigpond.net.au>… > Hi Billy, > You said, "Additionally, my doctors have prescribed it to me in order to > help protect my transplanted kidney of 18 years". > Unfortunately, you didn’t say what "it" is.  Is it the Ace inhibitor, the > Vitamin E or the Omega Fish Oil?  They were all mentioned in the same > paragraph.

Response:

Hi Billy, You said, "Additionally, my doctors have prescribed it to me in order to help protect my transplanted kidney of 18 years". Unfortunately, you didn’t say what "it" is.  Is it the Ace inhibitor, the Vitamin E or the Omega Fish Oil?  They were all mentioned in the same paragraph. Judanne "Billy the Kid ney" <ski-1…@t-email.de> wrote in message news:e4db8a47.0502180320.2703cf77@posting.google.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello, > I’m sending this as general information as I think it may help some of > you out there. > In several centers doctors are now prescribing a small dosage of Ace > inhibitors (a blood pressure drug) in order to delay the onset of ESRD > in children. Studies on mice with Alport’s Syndrome show a > "significant" > prolonging of kidney function when treatment is started early. > Apparently, scaring from proteinuria is dramatically reduced.  My > kids take just one small pill a day (2.5mg) and the insurance company > pays.  The treatment should benefit many types of kidney diseases. > My center, in Cologne, Germany (Merheim Medical Center), is one of the > top centers for Alport Syndrome. They believe the treatment can delay > ESRD in children by 10 to 15 years!! This is especially important in > Alport Syndrome boys, who usually progress to ESRD by about age 20. > For girls the benefits are expected to last a lifetime!! In addition, > some centers are now prescribing Omega Fish Oil and Vitamin E for > additional protection.  Unfortunately, I do not know of any sites in > other countries working with this treatment. But, most doctors should > already know about it. > Additionally, my doctors have prescribed it to me in order to help > protect my transplanted kidney of 18 years. > STUDY: "Pre-emptive Ramipril Therapy Delays Renal Failure and Reduces > Renal Fibrosis in … Mice with Alport Syndrome", Dr. Oliver Gross, > Cologne Merheim Medical Center > LINK: > www.alport.de/english/Paper%20Ramipril.pdf > Regards, > Bill in Germany > Kidney Transplant, Ohio State University, 1987.

Response:

Hello, I’m sending this as general information as I think it may help some of you out there. In several centers doctors are now prescribing a small dosage of Ace inhibitors (a blood pressure drug) in order to delay the onset of ESRD in children. Studies on mice with Alport’s Syndrome show a "significant" prolonging of kidney function when treatment is started early. Apparently, scaring from proteinuria is dramatically reduced.  My kids take just one small pill a day (2.5mg) and the insurance company pays.  The treatment should benefit many types of kidney diseases. My center, in Cologne, Germany (Merheim Medical Center), is one of the top centers for Alport Syndrome. They believe the treatment can delay ESRD in children by 10 to 15 years!! This is especially important in Alport Syndrome boys, who usually progress to ESRD by about age 20. For girls the benefits are expected to last a lifetime!! In addition, some centers are now prescribing Omega Fish Oil and Vitamin E for additional protection.  Unfortunately, I do not know of any sites in other countries working with this treatment. But, most doctors should already know about it. Additionally, my doctors have prescribed it to me in order to help protect my transplanted kidney of 18 years. STUDY: "Pre-emptive Ramipril Therapy Delays Renal Failure and Reduces Renal Fibrosis in … Mice with Alport Syndrome", Dr. Oliver Gross, Cologne Merheim Medical Center LINK: www.alport.de/english/Paper%20Ramipril.pdf Regards, Bill in Germany Kidney Transplant, Ohio State University, 1987.

Response:

Question:

Manufacturer Disclaimers The fine print on the information provided with HIV test kits can be very revealing for its warnings about limitations of the tests.

An interesting set of abstracts. If one reads them closely, one sees that there are a number of distortioons, as usual, in what the original paper says. I’d be curious to know who wrote all that commentary. But suffice it to say–as has never been disputed–all tests have limitations! As has been demonstrated, the tests for HIV infection are comparatively pretty damn good. False positives and false negatives happen with ANY test. (yes, false negatives, although they are rarer.) That doesn’t render the tests worthless. If it does, then ALL diagnostic tests for ALL diseases are worthless because they all have the potential–some far more so than HIV tests–to render a false positive or false negative result. It is an illogical argument. A more cogent argument has ALWAYS been, how can tests’ sensitivity and specificty be improved upon?                 George M. Carter

Response:

"one sees that there are a number of distortioons" How can the manufacturers disclaimers be called distortions. You make no sense. " A more cogent argument has ALWAYS been, how can tests’ sensitivity and specificty be improved upon?" By testing for something REAL not a myth.

Response:

Manufacturer Disclaimers The fine print on the information provided with HIV test kits can be very revealing for its warnings about limitations of the tests.

Question:

"John D. Bartles"  wrote : As many of you know, my father has been ill for many years with chronic renal failure. He passed last night after a long fight.

        I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing, John.  May he rest in peace.   Dennis — The charter is available at:

Question:

Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. Very inclined! Sending purrs for you and Sabra Lesley Slave of the Fabulous (and madly purring) Furballs

Response:

Many purrs for Sabra and you, Ginger-lyn.  You’re doing the best you can. Christine

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

This is the *third* time I have tried to post this.  The city has decided to turn our water off today.  Ever have one of those days? I’m having one now. Took Sabra to the vet on Monday.  He is an old cat, they agreed.  He has cataracts and some other old-cat eye problem.  His lungs and heart were good, believe it or not.  TED wanted to re-run bloodwork, since the last was six months ago, except for the thyroid and diabetes, which was just a month ago.  Poor Sabra’s veins are so tiny and fragile, it took them three times to get all the blood they needed. And then the poor baby, being dehydrated, had to get fluids on top of it all. Got the bloodwork yesterday.  It is not good.  His bilirubin is elevated, so some liver problems are showing up.  He is very anemic, and all his blood counts are pretty much off.  There are only two real possibilities:  a systemic infection or cancer, likely lymphoma.  I took him back in yesterday to get hydrated and some penicillin in the fluids.  I have an appetite stimulant (which is not working so far), and more antibiotics to give him starting today. It’s hot here, and the air quality is bad.  Sabra is an asthmatic cat, and he is having problems.  We are putting him the carrier and taking him into the one air-conditioned room every so often to make him comfortable.  We can’t let him run around in the room because if he gets under the bed, we will not be able to get him out. I force-fed him some last night.  I hate doing that, but if there is any chance the antibiotics will do anything, he *has* to have food in his stomach to take them, and to stop his liver from dying. After I brought him home yesterday, he suddenly had problems with first one back leg, and then the other.  We thought maybe he threw a clot, but his legs were warm.  I think he is just getting very, very weak.  He is down to 7.44 lbs.  He used to be a hefty 11-12 pound cat, and it is so sad watching him fade away before my eyes. I am going to try fluids, a round of meds, and force-feeding today. But if he is not better by tomorrow, I am afraid that it may be time to let him go.  This is breaking my heart. Any purrs are appreciated. In tears, Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against                                              Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn

PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, I’m sorry Ginger-lyn.  WIth the year you’re having, you sure didn’t need this on top of everything else.  Poor Sabra! But you’re right, surgery is very hard and stressful, especially on old kitties. Melissa

Response:

SNIP After I brought him home tonight, he was walking and started crying and suddenly couldn’t walk right.  His legs were warm, so it doesn’t appear he threw a clot, but I have no idea what is wrong.  He still won’t eat, at this point, at all.  I don’t think he has much longer left with us, even though I am hoping against hope that somehow, it really is just an infection and the antibiotics will clear it up. Purrs, please, if you can spare any, for my baby Sabra. In tears, Ginger-lyn

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, And hugs to you, from Melissa Panther Francesca and Nina

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined.

Purrs on the way — Steve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy and Little Bit Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

Response:

Purrs!!! Elisabet and Hugo Katt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:  http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/  http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)  http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

Lots of purrs and best wishes for Sabra to recover and hugs for you, Ginger-lyn, — Polonca & Soncek

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  <snip

Response:

It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds.////

{{{{{HUGS GINGER_LYN}}}}} Many purrs and prayers winging your way. Helen M — Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server – http://www.Mailgate.ORG

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined.

Purrs for Sabra and yourself on the way — Elise (supervised by Gossamer & Jeeves)

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It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds.

Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined.

Purrs for Sabra, lots of them and purrs for his worried kitty-meowmie as well. — Regards and Purrs, O J

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The news is not good. Took him to the vet yesterday for bloodwork.  He was dehydrated and got fluids.  He has cataracts and some other eye problem of old age. His weight is down to 7.44 pounds.  They had a difficult time drawing blood from him, because his veins are so thin and fragile. Got the bloodwork back today.  One of his liver enzymes is elevated, he is anemic, and his blood counts are way off.  I took him back in for some fluids and penicillin.  We’re trying an appetite stimulant, Nutri-Cal, Laxatone, and antibiotics on the off chance he has a systemic infection, but both the vets and I suspect he has cancer. The one vet suspects, because of the bloodwork, that it is a lymphoma. After I brought him home tonight, he was walking and started crying and suddenly couldn’t walk right.  His legs were warm, so it doesn’t appear he threw a clot, but I have no idea what is wrong.  He still won’t eat, at this point, at all.  I don’t think he has much longer left with us, even though I am hoping against hope that somehow, it really is just an infection and the antibiotics will clear it up. Purrs, please, if you can spare any, for my baby Sabra. In tears, Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against                                              Animals in Movies Website)

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Purrs are on the way. Joy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

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Oh bugger. I’m sorry. Purrs that Sabra gets well quickly – or at least, you and he enjoy the rest of his days, however many they may be. Yowie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

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The news is not good. <snipped Purrs, please, if you can spare any, for my baby Sabra. In tears, Ginger-lyn

Of course, Ginger-lyn.  Purrs on the way. Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that.

Again, I am so sorry. I had a scare of lymphoma with Clifford (RB), but that turned out to be a warning, and he had several more healthy years. I’ve done some research into feline lymphoma, and, you are quite right that the sicker the cat when starting, the less likely there is for remission.  On the other hand, there are chemotherapy regimens that have a reasonable chance of giving remissions of months to even a year or more. If he’s having trouble eating and is weak, you might want to discuss with your vet if prednisone might make him more comfortable.  It’s not a good drug to give if intensive therapy is planned, but, among other things, it is an appetite stimulant. The next step up in treatment might be adding chlorambucil, rather than the stronger combined chemotherapy regimens.   Again, it’s a hard choice to see if he is strong enough. I still wonder if I did the right thing when Clifford developed bladder cancer — we tried an initial regimen of the steroid prednisone and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).  I’m not naming the specific NSAID, as there’s been greater success recently with other drugs, and I am not current. It did strengthen him for a while, but he never was ready for aggressive chemotherapy. I know it’s a difficult choice.

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Me too. Sam

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. I’m so sorry to hear that. Purrs on the way for Sabra. more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does Can you post your vet’s phone number? I would like to make a donation for Sabra’s treatments. — Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

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Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined.

{{{Ginger-lyn}}} Lots of purrs coming over for Sabra to be comfortable. Poor old boy. Give him a few scritches and hugs from me, too. — Marina, Frank, Nikki, and Mere marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

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Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined.

Purrs incoming, both for Sabra and your financial situation. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

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You have all the purrs I can send for your boy. Tweed

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:  http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/  http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)  http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The news is not good. Took him to the vet yesterday for bloodwork.  He was dehydrated and got fluids.  He has cataracts and some other eye problem of old age. His weight is down to 7.44 pounds.  They had a difficult time drawing blood from him, because his veins are so thin and fragile. Got the bloodwork back today.  One of his liver enzymes is elevated, he is anemic, and his blood counts are way off.  I took him back in for some fluids and penicillin.  We’re trying an appetite stimulant, Nutri-Cal, Laxatone, and antibiotics on the off chance he has a systemic infection, but both the vets and I suspect he has cancer. The one vet suspects, because of the bloodwork, that it is a lymphoma. After I brought him home tonight, he was walking and started crying and suddenly couldn’t walk right.  His legs were warm, so it doesn’t appear he threw a clot, but I have no idea what is wrong.  He still won’t eat, at this point, at all.  I don’t think he has much longer left with us, even though I am hoping against hope that somehow, it really is just an infection and the antibiotics will clear it up. Purrs, please, if you can spare any, for my baby Sabra. In tears,

{{{{{Ginger-Lynn}}}}} purrs to Sabra from Mr. Clark, Rhonda, and Ding. I know Mr. Clark, on sensing anyone in distress, would put a paw on each shoulder in a kitty hug, thoroughly wash your nose, and then curl his 17+ pounds around Sabra. The big guy is a born nurse.

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Purrs and hugs Ginger-lyn. Purrs and hugs.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against      Animals in Movies Website)

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It isn’t good news.

I’m so sorry to hear that. Purrs on the way for Sabra. more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does

Can you post your vet’s phone number? I would like to make a donation for Sabra’s treatments. — Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

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It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn Home Pages:   http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/   http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)   http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against                                              Animals in Movies Website)

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It isn’t good news. Took Sabra to the vet yesterday.  He was dehydrated and got fluids. He has cataracts and other eye problems.  She thought she felt a small mass in his stomach area, and he is constipated.  He is down to 7.5 pounds. She ran bloodwork, which took three tries to get, as his veins are so small and tend to collapse.  The results show anemia and an elevated level of one of the liver enzymes.  He still isn’t eating hardly at all, either.  I am going to run him back in today to get more fluids in him with penicillin, just in case it is a systemic infection that can be treated and not cancer, which I think is what both the vet and I suspect.  We’re going to give him an appetite stimulant, and I am going to force-feed him if I have to, which I hate to do.  But this is the last possibility that he may be all right, so I have to try.  If it is not an infection, then it is probably cancer, and there is nothing I can do about it.  He is too fragile for surgery or treatment of any kind, and I don’t want to put my tough ol’ bird through that. I had to spend $140 yesterday out of my dental fund, and it will be more today.  We have our backs to the wall financially right now, but I have to try to help Sabra if there is any chance.  And if this does not do it, then I will have to accept the inevitable. Please send purrs our way if you are so inclined. A very sad Ginger-lyn

Hugs and purrs (and of course, birdie chirps) heading yours and Sabra’s way. Jill

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

I find this interesting.  TuTu always likes to eat, but she really gets excited over people tuna and Friskies.  I normally feed her Iams but occasionally buy a box of Friskies for a  before-bed treat.  MLB

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Lots of purrs for Sabra to be healthy again, — Polonca & Soncek

Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods.

<snip

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

When your animal is sick and won’t eat, you have to make that decision, shall I give her/him something that they *ought" to eat, or something that they *will* eat. I had a whippet called Minnie who I could not have loved more if she had been my child.  As she reached 18 or so, her appetite got bad, and I knew she had CRF.  For a while, she would eat the kidney diet, but towards the end of her life she was very difficult to feed, to find something she would like. My vet said to me  "It doesn’t matter now what’s good for her or not, or what might rot her teeth. Give her anything she might want."  So I did.  She lived for a few days after her 19th birthday and I still miss her terribly. <Confession  When she got frail I used to take her up to bed with me, and woe betide me if the electric blanket wasn’t on!  Then I used to put her under the duvet and we would snuggle up together until morning, like spoons. I will never stop missing her. Tweed Sometimes you have one dog in your life that is very special.  I have had two, but owned 12 .

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

Most sane people agree that eating is the most important thing. Especially at that age. I would do exactly the same thing. My vet even said that she used to be in the "you must eat THIS" camp for renal cats, but finally came to the realization that it was more important that they eat than what they eat. SHe WANTS them to eat what is good for them, but if they won’t, she’d be the first to say try something else. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

I’m with you – feed him what he’ll eat.  My vet agrees with you.  When Nanki-Poo wasn’t eating, and when he just started eating again, she said, "That he eats is much more important than what he eats." Joy

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Where I listed or rather pasted all the Friskies’ info under "Low-Protein" this was definitely not referring to Friskies which appears to be not at all low protein or low phosphorus. The Low-Protein referred to special foods or premium foods or sometimes regular foods which are indeed low-protein. I snipped those out just to show Friskies which you had mentioned. So again, Friskies is NOT low-protein. VETERINARY LOW-PROTEIN DIETS         %Protein        % Phosphorus

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn Most sane people agree that eating is the most important thing. Especially at that age. I would do exactly the same thing. My vet even said that she used to be in the "you must eat THIS" camp for renal cats, but finally came to the realization that it was more important that they eat than what they eat. SHe WANTS them to eat what is good for them, but if they won’t, she’d be the first to say try something else.

Terry, my childhood d*g, was diagnosed with renal failure, given six weeks to live, and put on a prescription kidney diet. He hated it.   Eventually, my mother took out the bag of Gravy Train.   He inhaled it, and lived another three years — dying of heart, not kidney, disease.

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Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. <snip So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

Continuing purrs for Sabra. I was just looking at your card, which arrived today. Which one is Sabra? — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

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Continuing purrs for Sabra. I was just looking at your card, which arrived today. Which one is Sabra? — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Thanks, Adrian and everyone. Sabra is the one in the back on the left (I know, how do you tell three black cats apart?  lol!).  Merlyn is right of Sabra, and Trill right of Merlyn.  Arthur is sort of between Sabra and Merlyn, and Cosmo is right to and slightly below Trill.  Internet is in the middle, with Brando to his right, and Wolfie is in the front.  And that’s the crew Ginger-lyn

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Purrs that he’ll continue to eat and you can figure out what he needs — pardon me if you mentioned this already, does he have kidney disease and/or dental trouble? Those conditions affected 2 of my RB cats and we definitely had the vomiting with the kidney disease (sub-q fluids helped this a lot) and the one cat had both kidney disease and a bad tooth which also caused him to not want to eat. Christine

Hi, Christine, No kidney disease; bloodwork was run and showed everything normal in terms of kidneys, liver, and diabetes.  His teeth are definitely bad, and the vet and we suspect that is a part of all this, but with his age and condition (asthma), putting him under anesthesia for a dental cleaning is considered too risky.  I’ve switched him to canned food only, added water, mushed it up really well, and heated it in the microwave so it’s slightly warm. What he *was* on was a combination of dry c/d and wet w/d; he showed some signs of tending to kidney blockage, but his weight was at a good place and c/d tends to add weight, so the vet thought that combination was a good one.  It seemed to me the dry food definitely was a problem, and he refused the wet w/d, too.  I think he associated both of those with his vomiting.  So I’ve been trying wet c/d, and occasionally, he will eat that, but usually holds out for Friskies. Stubborn cat! Ginger-lyn

Response:

Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better.

Purrs that Sabra continues to improve. Yes, I agree that eating something is more important than not eating at all. Give him his Friskes, and maybe when he is feeling better, you could slowly switch to some more senior-cat-friendly food? — Marina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

When DD first developed CRF, the vet told us to feed her a prescription food. We tried, but she completely refused to eat it. We couldn’t figure out what do to get her to eat. We tried offering her everything – baby food, yogurt, soups, hamburger, turkey. Finally, in desperation, I brought my bag of feral food in from the truck – Meow Mix. Now the kind of food I would want to feed regularly to my own kitties, but it was what I could afford at the time to feed those stray kitties I would see around. DD decided that Meow Mix was the greatest stuff she had ever tasted! So from then on, that’s waht we fed her. We’d sneak in some of the good stuff mixed in with it, and eventually got her to eat mostly the good stuff with just enough Meow Mix to give it the flavor she liked. We fed her that stuff for the three more years she was with us. Better to feed her something that isn’t quite what the vet ordered, than only offer the prescription stuff and see her starve. Dan

Response:

Purrs that he’ll continue to eat and you can figure out what he needs — pardon me if you mentioned this already, does he have kidney disease and/or dental trouble? Those conditions affected 2 of my RB cats and we definitely had the vomiting with the kidney disease (sub-q fluids helped this a lot) and the one cat had both kidney disease and a bad tooth which also caused him to not want to eat. Christine

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

Response:

Well, I still don’t know what is going on BUT — he seems to be doing better. Right after my first post, he started eating again!  And no vomiting, either.  This went on for almost two weeks, and we thought maybe it was a temporary thing and he was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies! I had a friend once who had a sick cat who was supposed to eat a special diet.  He would stare at the plate and refuse to eat the "good" food.  But bring out the Friskies, and he’d chomp it down.  She always imagined him saying "Freeeeskies!  I want my Freeeeskies!" So if that’s what Sabra will eat, that’s what he gets. Boy I’m glad on not posting this on h+b.  I’d be flamebroiled! Ginger-lyn

Response:

Unfortunately, the past few days have brought some vomiting and reluctance to eat on occasion.  But at least he *is* eating.  I keep trying to get him to eat c/d (which he *should* be on), but he is being picky and will only sometimes eat that.  And you know, he is a 15-year-old cat (or maybe 16; we don’t really know for sure); quite frankly, if he wants to eat Friskies, I’m gonna feed him Friskies!

Ginger-lyn

You might want to give this some more analysis to crack your dilemma. Can you find out what it is about Science Diet c/d that your cat needs? 1. Is it its low pH, acidic, around 6.2 to 6.4 for this particular item. 2. Does your cat need a higher water intake? 3. Is it low phosphorus with calcium proporionate, usually 1.0 to 1.1/1.2. 4. Is it low ash that is the goal? 5. How about low protein along with low phosphorus and acidic too? See? There are many possibilities. Different companies, different brands. It’s tedious to look this up. There are some old web sites which have a listing. One lady for her two beloved cats made a list up. It’s old but still good listing just about all known wet and dry foods sorted by protein, phosphorus, sat and fat. It’s a great web site. Here are her selections for Friskies for wet or canned food. You can also mix 1/2 and 1/2 which I am sure you have tried? Friskies used to have a vet on their staff. Maybe you could call and explain your dilemma. Generally Friskies is very high in protein and phosphorus but they are not all created equal. Try to see if Friskies can come up with an equivalent for c/d or what they say. Did you see their show with the trained cats? Strange, cute, but a little stressful. Trained cats seems inappropriate although teaching a few tricks can be like playing with the cat. This is Noreen Boles, the one I talked about above, in regards to renal failure but the analyses are helpful for all and the items below, also dry food analysis is available here, are from this URL: http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm Some additional urls which lists simply some important items: http://www.felinediabetes.com/cat_food_nutrition_dry.htm http://www.felinediabetes.com/cat_food_nutrition_canned.htm VETERINARY LOW-PROTEIN DIETS    %Protein        % Phosphorus    % Sodium        % FAT Friskies Beef Stew*     45.11   1.11    0.47    37.45 Friskies Carved Chicken & Tuna*     50.24   1.00    1.47    16.59 Friskies Carved With Beef*      49.77   1.08    1.46    16.43 Friskies Classic Seafood Entr

Question:

willbill writes at night as previously used. Over the next 14 days having reverted to my previous regime I experienced more hypos than ever before in my life ( Female age 57! diabetic 49 years some renal failure) looks like a T1 to me  From age 9 when did the renal failure happen? 5 years ago but no medication necessary at the moment

that’s good.  :) most meds have side effects, and the more side-effect meds you take the worse the side effect whirlpool gets.  :( fwiw, i have two chronic diseases (diabetes/thyroid), and i take only insulin (a pork heavy mix of beef/pork) and a mix of Armour (natural: T4:T3 4:1) and Synthroid (pure synthetic T4) afaik, the "two" meds that i’m taking have few, if any, side effects whereas it’s my hunch that the "latest/greatest" analog insulins (lispro/aspart/glargine) do have side effects fwiw, i used synthetic insulin via insulin pump for 8 years and hindsight shows me that it sucked. , regular blood tests now

it’s likely that it was "micro" leakage and not yet full blown renal failure fwiw, kidney protein leakage (even "macro") is one of the few diabetic complications that can either be "reversed" or significantly reduced and what it takes is getting (and keeping) *much* better control of one’s blood sugar levels home HbA1c test kits are now amazingly good and surprisingly cheap.  i’ve used 4 or 5 of them at this point and paid $15-to-$18 (USA) per device since you appear to be in the UK (i.e. your headers), i’m assuming that she is too, so i’ve cross posted to alt.support.diabetes.uk (iow, i suspect that these units would be OTC (Over The Counter) in the UK, but have no idea of where you’d get them in the UK (i’m in the USA)) even if she can get a few of them thru your NHS, imo, it’s likely worth buying some out of pocket too (the UK diabetics will have a better sense of this than i do) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – , these hypos were replicas of the  hypo I experienced under Lantus. Now (day 21) I am still experiencing after effects primarily symptoms of Neuropathy (finger curl on right hand) . once a T1 makes a change to a working insulin routine, it can be like opening Pandora’s box I feel I was ill-advised to commence Lantus. true, expecially given that your old routine was working AOK problem is that the docs almost always go with the newest meds it takes a few years for the problems to show up with these new meds (like Lantus)  Has anyone had a similar experience? Should the medical profession advised against using Lantus? i haven’t used Lantus and have no plans of ever using it.  fwiw, oldal has also never used Lantus kindly state what this 57 y.o. female T1 is currently using as their *current* insulin routine 4 untis of Humulog 3 times a day at mealtimes. 4 units of Humulin I before sleeping.

"Humulin I" is Insulatard? (which is also known as isophane or NPH   (in the USA, we call it NPH)) btw, are you yourself diabetic?  coz if you’re not a lot gets lost in the translation from you to her (unless she’s reading these replies and telling you what to post in response) anyhow i see at least 3 issues here: 1. the new hypos with Lantus.  you’ve mentioned two:     "On day 5 at 2pm I experienced a hypo,      with no free will to react."    and     "If I had attempted to reduce my sugar down from 17      in the evening then it would have been even lower      than my hypo 3 in the morning ,"   there is no pattern there   the 2nd quote suggests that she did not take any   extra meal insulin in the evening to correct the 17 high   and yet went from the high 17 (evening) to 3 (monrning)??!!   any chance that she screwed up and took extra Humalog   insulin that night?  (believe me, that happens) 2. 1x of "human" NPH (which is what Insulatard is),   is an inadequate background insulin within a basal/bolus   type of routine (which is what she appears to be doing,   and which is also known as MDI/DAFNE)), for the simple   reason that "human" NPH has it’s highest level of activity   in the 2-to-8-hour period and then the action falls off   dramatically.  there is no period of flat action after   8 hours (it might be somewhat flat in the 2-to-8 hour period) 3. in general, a T1 doing a basal/bolus routine should be   using close to 50% slow insulin for their basal (aka backgroud)   yet she is only using 25% taken 1x at bedtime, so that means that   during the day her meal insulin is in fact serving two purposes:   1) to cover her daytime basal shortfall and 2) to cover the meal   the problem for her is that since she takes such small amounts   of insulin it is next to impossible to take two background shots   per day (i’m close enough to her with my insulin amounts that   i *do* have a clue) my one best suggestion is her to consider moving her background insulin to CP’s beef-Lente insulin and to take it 1x upson rising CP is in Wales; see: http://cppharma.co.uk i suggest starting with 6u of beef-Lente upon rising (and REDUCE her daytime Humalog when it’s clearly appropriate) Lente is 70% UL (UltraLente) (and 30% SL (SemiLente)) beef-UL, taken 1x/day, is the only background insulin that i know of that provides nearly flat action throughout the full 24 hour day so taking 6u of beef-Lente upon rising has 1.5u of SL in it which is above her basal needs (the 4.5u of UL is likely to be close to her basal needs), so the action of the 1.5u of SL mainly shows up 2-to-12 hours after the shot of Lente.  so she will have to eat something for that excess 1.5u SL (i.e. above her basal needs) the healiest thing i can think of is for her to carry a piece of fruit (banana, apple, orange, etc.) to "feed" that excess SL, but only when her b.s. is clearly low bill t1 since ‘57, ex 8-yr pumper, pork/beef-L 1x, simple MDI/DAFNE

Response:

willbill writes at night as previously used. Over the next 14 days having reverted to my previous regime I experienced more hypos than ever before in my life ( Female age 57! diabetic 49 years some renal failure) looks like a T1 to me

<snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – , these hypos were replicas of the  hypo I experienced under Lantus. Now (day 21) I am still experiencing after effects primarily symptoms of Neuropathy (finger curl on right hand) . once a T1 makes a change to a working insulin routine, it can be like opening Pandora’s box I feel I was ill-advised to commence Lantus. true, expecially given that your old routine was working AOK problem is that the docs almost always go with the newest meds it takes a few years for the problems to show up with these new meds (like Lantus)  Has anyone had a similar experience? Should the medical profession advised against using Lantus? i haven’t used Lantus and have no plans of ever using it.  fwiw, oldal has also never used Lantus kindly state what this 57 y.o. female T1 is currently using as their *current* insulin routine 4 untis of Humulog 3 times a day at mealtimes. 4 units of Humulin I before sleeping. "Humulin I" is Insulatard? (which is also known as isophane or NPH  (in the USA, we call it NPH)) btw, are you yourself diabetic?  coz if you’re not a lot gets lost in the translation from you to her (unless she’s reading these replies and telling you what to post in response) anyhow i see at least 3 issues here: 1. the new hypos with Lantus.  you’ve mentioned two:    "On day 5 at 2pm I experienced a hypo,     with no free will to react."   and    "If I had attempted to reduce my sugar down from 17     in the evening then it would have been even lower     than my hypo 3 in the morning ,"  there is no pattern there  the 2nd quote suggests that she did not take any  extra meal insulin in the evening to correct the 17 high  and yet went from the high 17 (evening) to 3 (monrning)??!!  any chance that she screwed up and took extra Humalog  insulin that night?  (believe me, that happens) 2. 1x of "human" NPH (which is what Insulatard is),  is an inadequate background insulin within a basal/bolus  type of routine (which is what she appears to be doing,  and which is also known as MDI/DAFNE)), for the simple  reason that "human" NPH has it’s highest level of activity  in the 2-to-8-hour period and then the action falls off  dramatically.  there is no period of flat action after  8 hours (it might be somewhat flat in the 2-to-8 hour period) 3. in general, a T1 doing a basal/bolus routine should be  using close to 50% slow insulin for their basal (aka backgroud)  yet she is only using 25% taken 1x at bedtime, so that means that  during the day her meal insulin is in fact serving two purposes:  1) to cover her daytime basal shortfall and 2) to cover the meal  the problem for her is that since she takes such small amounts  of insulin it is next to impossible to take two background shots  per day (i’m close enough to her with my insulin amounts that  i *do* have a clue) my one best suggestion is her to consider moving her background insulin to CP’s beef-Lente insulin and to take it 1x upson rising CP is in Wales; see: http://cppharma.co.uk i suggest starting with 6u of beef-Lente upon rising (and REDUCE her daytime Humalog when it’s clearly appropriate)

i’d like to correct this and say that 6u of beef-Lente is imo likely to be the least she’d need.  she might in fact need as much as 11u of beef-Lente (with 1x dosing). it’s best to start on the low side and slowly adjust upwards as one gets experience Lente is 70% UL (UltraLente) (and 30% SL (SemiLente)) beef-UL, taken 1x/day, is the only background insulin that i know of that provides nearly flat action throughout the full 24 hour day so taking 6u of beef-Lente upon rising has 1.5u of SL in it which is above her basal needs (the 4.5u of UL is likely to be close to her basal needs), so the action of the 1.5u of SL mainly shows up 2-to-12 hours after the shot of Lente.  so she will have to eat something for that excess 1.5u SL (i.e. above her basal needs)

this is an error on my part.  :( 6u of Lente has 4.2u of UL, and 1.8u of SL the healiest thing i can think of is for her to carry a piece of fruit (banana, apple, orange, etc.) to "feed" that excess SL, but only when her b.s. is clearly low

since you didn’t respond, i’m guessing that you/she discounted my suggestion.  if that’s so i suggest you give a read of: http://health.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2004/11/0… fwiw, when i went back to "animal" insulin after 8 years of synthetic insulin via pump, (100% pure pork for the 1st 3 weeks), i didn’t get any "hunger" (which is mentioned in the above ref when i then moved to 50/50 beef/pork, i got hunger! so much that if i’d had wallpaper on the walls i’d have eaten it! the key thing that i got with animal insulin is that i feel better.  a *lot* better but it took roughly 3 months to show up i’m presently overall using about 85/15 pork/beef my Lente is 95/5 pork/beef afaik, pork Lente is no longer available on the world market, but beef-Lente still is (and it’s better too) in both the UK and India. interestingly, India has beef-Lente in U40 (like her, i’d prefer U40) bill t1 since ‘57, ex 8-yr pumper, pork/beef-L 1x, simple MDI/DAFNE

Response:

Question:

That is *so* amazing!   He looks exactly like Kitty FC, up to and including the white mark between his eyes.  Just a slighter larger size version. I think he’s beautiful, Helen.  He looks so well with his lovely shiny coat. Long may it continue. Tweed Hey Francis!  Good wishes from one beautiful tuxedo to another. See Boyfriend and me here http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/Tweed/ Kitty FC

Response:

That is *so* amazing!   He looks exactly like Kitty FC, up to and including the white mark between his eyes.  Just a slighter larger size version. I think he’s beautiful, Helen.  He looks so well with his lovely shiny coat. Long may it continue. Tweed

Thanks Tweed. Francis is perking up no end on his daily beta-blocker and renal diet. He really is *himself*. I’m thrilled it looks like he’s going to be around for a long while yet. I’m also increasingly angry that the stupid twit of a young vet would have had Francis euthanised by now if Vernon & I had not been assertive enough to stick up for ourselves & Francis. With the renal food, I’ve discovered the beef flavour goes down better than the chicken flavour. Mixed half & half with "normal" food, Francis is eating well and looking well. Cheers, helen s Hey Francis!  Good wishes from one beautiful tuxedo to another. See Boyfriend and me here http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/Tweed/ Kitty FC

Greetings Kitty FC – your white bit between your eyes is bigger than mine. Besides which, you are beautiful whilst I am handsome :- Purrs, Francis –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – That is *so* amazing!   He looks exactly like Kitty FC, up to and including the white mark between his eyes.  Just a slighter larger size version. I think he’s beautiful, Helen.  He looks so well with his lovely shiny coat. Long may it continue. Tweed Thanks Tweed. Francis is perking up no end on his daily beta-blocker and renal diet. He really is *himself*. I’m thrilled it looks like he’s going to be around for a long while yet. I’m also increasingly angry that the stupid twit of a young vet would have had Francis euthanised by now if Vernon & I had not been assertive enough to stick up for ourselves & Francis.

Can I offer you some advice?  <doesn’t wait for a yes  You now have another vet treating Francis, I’m sure the other one will have got a real ear-bashing from his boss after your complaint, and things seem to be going well now. So, do not get increasing angry, anger is bad for you.  You made your complaint, and I’m sure the young vet will take to heart being told off, and will be much more careful now.  He now knows he now has to take owners into consideration too, yes? Just celebrate every day with Francis and put bad thoughts about the silly vet completely out of your mind, you’ll feel much better if you do. With the renal food, I’ve discovered the beef flavour goes down better than the chicken flavour. Mixed half & half with "normal" food, Francis is eating well and looking well.

The cats I have at the moment absolute hate beef flavoured food of any kind, I might just as well throw it away, unlike Francis who I hope continues to enjoy his renal food. I had dogs on renal food before. (wow, isn’t it expensive?)  As animals with renal failure often have poor appetites, it’s supposed to be extra yummy to encourage them to eat it.  My dogs said not so. If Francis decides he doesn’t like it, chicken and rice blended into a pate might tempt him.  I’ve been down the CRF route too many times Tweed Hey Francis!  Good wishes from one beautiful tuxedo to another. See Boyfriend and me here http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/Tweed/ Kitty FC Greetings Kitty FC – your white bit between your eyes is bigger than mine. Besides which, you are beautiful whilst I am handsome :- Purrs, Francis

Oh, yes, forgot you were a boy!  Okay, you’re extremely handsome.  You could be my boyfriend if you’d like to.  The one called Boyfriend here is *not* my boyfriend.  How stupid of meowmie to think that in the first place.  He was just a stupid overgrown kitten that needed me to show him how to hunt.  My boyfriend?   Pshaw!!  Not likely.  I’m too much woman for him! Gentle seductive purrs Kitty FC

Response:

Purrs and best wishes for Francis to continue feeling better, — Polonca & Soncek – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks Tweed. Francis is perking up no end on his daily beta-blocker and renal diet. He really is *himself*. I’m thrilled it looks like he’s going to be around for a long while yet. <snip

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Question:

That’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you all! Best wishes and purrs, — Polonca & Soncek Took Francis to see TED <snip

making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost.

Every time I read about a good checkup or about him doing some cat thing it gives my day a lift. Regards and Purrs, O J

Response:

Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s

I can’t think of a better xmas present, than knowing Francis is healthy and happy. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

This is so gratifying to read.  Bless Francis’s little heart, and all his other organs!

Heh – he’s in a softie mood today – rolling about on the floor a lot, being a tart and begging for his tummy to be rubbed. What a tart he is Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

That’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you all! Best wishes and purrs, — Polonca & Soncek

Thanks guys helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

Thanks for the update.  I’m glad to hear he’s doing well . JB

Most welcome. He’s a happy feline soul and long may it continue. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

That’s good news.  I hope that the kidney tests come back with good numbers.

Thanks – results not back yet. Doesn’t seem to bother Francis though Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

Every time I read about a good checkup or about him doing some cat thing it gives my day a lift. Regards and Purrs, O J

Francis is glad to be of service Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

I can’t think of a better xmas present, than knowing Francis is healthy and happy.

He’s certainly happy and his health seems to be under control which I’m glad of. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Response:

very good to hear, Helen!  Purrs and scritches to Francis from us. Christine – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

YAY!  You go Francis – prove that shtoopid newbie vet just how wrong he was!!! Hugs, CatNipped

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Glad to hear Francis is doing well. — Victor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s

Yaaaaaay! Francis! Suz  Macmoosette =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=  =^..^=  =^..^=      "People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life."      –Faith Resnick |__/| (=’:'=) (")_(")

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very good to hear, Helen!  Purrs and scritches to Francis from us. Christine

Will do. Francis appreciates his chin being scritched. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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YAY!  You go Francis – prove that shtoopid newbie vet just how wrong he was!!! Hugs, CatNipped

Thanks CatNipped. Francis is currently curled up asleep on the cahir next to my desk… all that eating is tiring. He’s putting on weight & I’ve lost 8lbs this week Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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So nice to hear he is doing so well. We will purr for a good test result. Nikki sends special TED purrs, as she had a meeting with one today, complete with blood-drawing and rough palpitating, which she was very unhappy and growly about. They’ll check her thyroid levels and I will also have to start her on Prednisone again. I thought I could gradually stop giving it now that summer’s over, but when I had ended the course, she started coughing again. So it’s back to asthma meds as well as hyperthyroidism meds.

Thanks to all, especially Nikki. Francis did a small amount of growling today, but nothing serious, just to state his displeasure at having some of his blood *stolen* by TED She’s very happy to be back home, and even Frank seemed relieved to see us back. Now to nurse my neck where she climbed up to get away from the needles and prodding hands.

Thankfully Francis didn’t use any grappling hooks on me to escape Mr K. Hope your war wounds heal soon Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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Yaaaaaay! Francis! Suz

Why, Fangu. Purrs, Francis –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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Glad to hear Francis is doing well.

Thanks Victor – much appreciated. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost.

That’s good news.  I hope that the kidney tests come back with good numbers.

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(dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers) yodeled: Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak.

This is so gratifying to read.  Bless Francis’s little heart, and all his other organs! Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s

That’s excellent news. Good old Francis! Jeanette

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dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers skrev i meddelandet Thanks CatNipped. Francis is currently curled up asleep on the cahir next to my desk… all that eating is tiring. He’s putting on weight & I’ve lost 8lbs this week Cheers, helen s

You’ve lost 8lbs in one week! Wow, that is a lot. What did you do, let Francis have your food? Elisabet

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak. Cheers, helen s

Thanks for the update.  I’m glad to hear he’s doing well . JB

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Took Francis to see TED (Mr Kennedy – the good vet) this morning. Mr K is pleased with Francis. In the last week Francis’s appetite has increased noticeably and he’s put back on a bit of the weight he lost. Awaiting results of a blood test to see what current kidney function is, but as Mr K said, even if the numbers are bad, Francis is good in himself and seems as if he’s going to be around for a good while yet. So it’s keeping Francis on his daily tablet, and just making sure we keep an eye on him, give him TLC and as long as he’s happy being a cat doing cattish things and has a good quality of life, he’s here to stay, so to speak.

So nice to hear he is doing so well. We will purr for a good test result. Nikki sends special TED purrs, as she had a meeting with one today, complete with blood-drawing and rough palpitating, which she was very unhappy and growly about. They’ll check her thyroid levels and I will also have to start her on Prednisone again. I thought I could gradually stop giving it now that summer’s over, but when I had ended the course, she started coughing again. So it’s back to asthma meds as well as hyperthyroidism meds. She’s very happy to be back home, and even Frank seemed relieved to see us back. Now to nurse my neck where she climbed up to get away from the needles and prodding hands. — Marina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

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Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible…

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you’re getting good help now. Purrs for Francis to be comfortable and happy for the longest time possible. Headbutts for you all! Lena — :: lewe lewemi at yahoo dot se || cat pics: photos.yahoo.com/lewemi

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I’m very glad to hear Francis is feeling better. So, what was the long-term prognosis? — Victor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

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Helen, I’m really glad you got help from this other vet!  I’ve had 2 CRF kitties– to be honest, I didn’t worry about the food part it was more important that they eat something then that they got the "renal" food, which mine wouldn’t eat eitiher.  I think what really made a difference was that I gave both of them 100 ml of lactated ringer fluids daily, which also helped them feel much better.  My cat, Frodo, lived to be 20, and had CRF for 5 years prior to that (I know the fluids extended his life); he, too, got prednisone daily and I think it helped, too; he also had liver problems.  Shetra had CRF the last 2 years of his life (and got fluids duirng this time, too) and lived to be 17. hth, Christine – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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I’m very glad to hear Francis is feeling better. So, what was the long-term prognosis?

Long-term prognosis is that he’s going to die sooner than I would want; his kidneys are on the way out. I may have him a few days, a few weeks, a few months or a a few years. But he is a very sick cat, and I’ll be taking each day as it comes. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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Purrs continuing that Francis will have lots of quality time left with his loving family. Hugs, CatNipped – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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Purrs continuing that Francis will have lots of quality time left with his loving family. Hugs, CatNipped

Thanks CatNipped. I hope I do too. Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

Thanks for the update, Helen.  I’m glad that you complained about the twit who wanted to send Francis to the Bridge.  I hope that this causes him to have a little more compassion for his patients and his patients families. Francis will let you know when it’s time to let him go. — Nan and the furkids A wise man talks because he has something to say; a fool talks because he has to say something.

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You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch.

Maybe here you will find some helpful info: http://www.felinecrf.org/diet_and_nutrition.htm BTW, IMO,  this website is one of the best for info on CRF in cats: ATB Sheenah

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Good luck with him, I hope you have lots of quality time left with him. Jeanette

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http://www.felinecrf.org/diet_and_nutrition.htm

Thanks Sheenah – greatly appreciated. helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

They can be fussy about the low-protein food, for sure.  There should be other low-protein foods available in Britain, I’m sure.  If Francis won’t eat the one, ask the vet about alternatives.  For Cosmo, he got to the point of not eating the usual Hill’s k/d, and I read the Hill’s manual and found g/d, which seemed appropriate for him, and the vet agreed.  He eats that one much better.  There are also other manufacturers, so keep trying.  I have also heard sprinkling a little oregano on the food may help (no kidding!), or a little plain chicken broth (tuna, also, but chicken is preferable).  Check with your good vet, of course, but that’s what I’ve heard in my journey with CRF. Best of luck, and still purring for Francis. Ginger-lyn

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months or a a few years. But he is a very sick cat, and I’ll be taking each day as it comes.

And we’ll be purring each day for you and him. — Victor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

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Despite what differences you and I have, the cats are what matter here. I urge you to go to http://www.felinecrf.org and learn as much as you can ASAP. 8 is a very young age for a cat to develop renal failure and it’s very possible that Francis could have a good quality of life for some time if he is managed well and sub-q fluid therapy is implemented. I also know that a lot of vets in the UK are not up to speed on fluid therapy, and considering the position the first vet took I’m assuming he’s one of them. I’m *very* concerned that your vet would send a cat with numbers "off the scale" home with nothing but prescription food and a pill (and why an ACE inhibitor?) If your cat is that ill with numbers through the roof he likely has "crashed" and if he has crashed you’re guaranteeing him an early death if he doesn’t get treatment. If he has crashed he can be brought back and have some good quality time left, but he needs to be hospitalized on IV fluids for a few days to get the toxins out of his bloodstream, then put on a regular regimen of at-home sub-q fluid therapy to try to maintain him and keep his numbers down. Now is the time to go for broke, learn as much as you can, and advocate for your cat. You are going to have to do a crash course in CRF and push for what your cat needs because, even though your vet may be a nice guy, it doesn’t sound like he is at all up to speed on the latest treatments for CRF. The http://www.felinecrf.org site exists exactly because Helen the site owner had such a problem dealing with UK vets and getting them to even consider sub-q fluid therapy (something that is done here in the US as a *life-saving*normal course of treatment), and felt it was extremely important for UK owners of CRF cats to have the information the vets weren’t giving them or even aware of. Unfortunately AFAIK the majority of vets in the UK are still in the dark ages when it comes to treating CRF and it becomes the responsibility of the owner to push for what needs to be done. The felinecrf.org site is the best and most informative site on the net dealing with this health issue and I hope it helps you to help get Francis feeling better. Good luck. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu’s Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." – W.H. Murray

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months or a a few years. But he is a very sick cat, and I’ll be taking each day as it comes. And we’ll be purring each day for you and him. — Victor Martinez

Absolutely.  Kitty’s purrs are the best, she can do really loud ones. Boyfriend’s…well.. let’s just say he hasn’t quite found out quite how to do them.  He did it once and scared himself. So big purrs for Francis from Kitty FC, anyway, and Boyfriend is looking on and saying "I want to do that, how do you do that?!!" Tweed

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s

Luckily, both my cats loved the dry food that was prescribed for Skeeter.  However, my vet told me that the important thing is that they eat.  She suggested that I go to the pet food section and "buy one of everything".  Baby meat is also okay, if it doesn’t have onion in it. Good luck with finding something Francis will like. Joy

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They can be fussy about the low-protein food, for sure.  

Yup, cats can be fussy Currently Francis is having equal quantites of the wet renal food, and a relatively low-protein normal tinned food – I’m pureeing them together. Francis will take this. He eats a little at a time, so I’m putting at least 5ml in a syringe and giving him it every hour or so to get some calories into him. I put a little at the side of his mouth and he licks it down – he doesn’t refuse it or spit it out. He seems content with that at the moment. I tried putting some ‘nip in the renal food on it’s own, but he wasn’t fooled by that :-/ Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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And we’ll be purring each day for you and him.

Thanks Victor. That means a lot. helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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So big purrs for Francis from Kitty FC, anyway, and Boyfriend is looking on and saying "I want to do that, how do you do that?!!" Tweed

Thanks Tweed, Kitty FC and Boyfriend helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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 Dear Helen, The site mentioned below on feline crf  is an excellent one!  I know that with both my CRF cats that fluid therapy made a huge difference in both their quality and quantity of life — they felt sooo much better after getting the fluids, too — Frodo, in particular, was a really smart cat and he "knew" that he would feel better after the fluids and he always held still for them; he was diagnosed with CRF at 15 and with the fluids lived a good quality of life for 5 more years till the month or so before he went to the RB. Shetra had to be rehydrated at the vet the first time we realized he had developed renal disease; I then carried on with him like I had with Frodo. I know at least from having to have my daughter admitted to the hospital because of dehydration from illness (!) that there comes a point at which whatever you drink yourself cannot catch you up and IV therapy is the key. For your furkid I’d sincerely suggest asking the vet to give him fluids, particularly if his bloodwork was that bad; it could only help and would dilute whatever cellular toxins are in his system at this point. Purrs for both of you, regards, Christine

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Despite what differences you and I have, the cats are what matter here. I urge you to go to http://www.felinecrf.org and learn as much as you can ASAP. 8 is a very young age for a cat to develop renal failure and it’s very possible that Francis could have a good quality of life for some time if he is managed well and sub-q fluid therapy is implemented. I also know that a lot of vets in the UK are not up to speed on fluid therapy, and considering the position the first vet took I’m assuming he’s one of them. I’m *very* concerned that your vet would send a cat with numbers "off the scale" home with nothing but prescription food and a pill (and why an ACE inhibitor?) If your cat is that ill with numbers through the roof he likely has "crashed" and if he has crashed you’re guaranteeing him an early death if he doesn’t get treatment. If he has crashed he can be brought back and have some good quality time left, but he needs to be hospitalized on IV fluids for a few days to get the toxins out of his bloodstream, then put on a regular regimen of at-home sub-q fluid therapy to try to maintain him and keep his numbers down. Now is the time to go for broke, learn as much as you can, and advocate for your cat. You are going to have to do a crash course in CRF and push for what your cat needs because, even though your vet may be a nice guy, it doesn’t sound like he is at all up to speed on the latest treatments for CRF. The http://www.felinecrf.org site exists exactly because Helen the site owner had such a problem dealing with UK vets and getting them to even consider sub-q fluid therapy (something that is done here in the US as a *life-saving*normal course of treatment), and felt it was extremely important for UK owners of CRF cats to have the information the vets weren’t giving them or even aware of. Unfortunately AFAIK the majority of vets in the UK are still in the dark ages when it comes to treating CRF and it becomes the responsibility of the owner to push for what needs to be done. The felinecrf.org site is the best and most informative site on the net dealing with this health issue and I hope it helps you to help get Francis feeling better. Good luck. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu’s Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." – W.H. Murray

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  Long-term prognosis is that he’s going to die sooner than I would   want; his kidneys are on the way out. I may have him a few days, a   few weeks, a few months or a a few years. That’s the thing with CRF… you just don’t know. I really hope he is able to survive for a significant amount of time more, but only if he’s comfortable! It’s a tough thing to deal with, and I’ve got my guys purring for Francis. Joyce

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Purrs for Francis, that he might have many good-quality months left. –Fil

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  it’s very possible that Francis could have a good quality of life for   some time if he is managed well and sub-q fluid therapy is implemented. I very strongly agree with this – as I stated before, I had a cat with CRF and she lived for 5 years with the condition (from age 16-21) getting sub-q fluids as needed (sometimes more frequently, sometimes less so). It’s really an amazing treatment, sometimes referred to as "kitty dialysis". Did wonders for Tika, who’d perk up within an hour or so of getting the fluids every time. I didn’t realize it wasn’t a common treatment in the UK. Helen, I think it would be a really good idea to try to find a vet who will prescribe the fluids. It might make a very big difference in his overall prognosis as well as the quality of his everyday life, however long he has. Joyce

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it’s very possible that Francis could have a good quality of life for some time if he is managed well and sub-q fluid therapy is implemented. I very strongly agree with this – as I stated before, I had a cat with CRF and she lived for 5 years with the condition (from age 16-21) getting sub-q fluids as needed (sometimes more frequently, sometimes less so).

   I, too, agree wholeheartedly.  Our Philip lived from 16 to 20 on Sub-Q fluids.  I do sincerely hope you can find someone, if not your own vet, who can do this for you and Francis.  We care.    Jeanne Jeanne Hajos spamguard:( u is i, and not is net) === "Anger improves nothing except the arch of a cat’s back."                                           — Coleman Cox My SETI team: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_125874.html

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Big, loud kitty purrs heading across the way for you and Francis both. I’ve dealt with renal failure in my dear Fritzie. The stubborn boy held out almost two years. Never give up the faith and hope. Francis can feel it if you do. As to that jackass who so callously suggested immediate euthanasia without your presence? I hope you have a good pair of Army boots because if it were me, I’d strap them on and give him a good swift kick where the sun don’t shine! Talk to your vet about spiking the prescription food with a bit of fat-free beef or chicken broth. Fritzie was diabetic and we were taking steps to stave off renal failure, and boy did he detest that food! The vet suggested mixing a shotglass worth of broth in the canned food, and putting enough into the dry to moisten it and give it flavor. Francis might also appreciate it if you got two different kinds and blended them. Often that was the only way to get Fritzie fed, because he was pricky and demanded variety. That was my fault, because Mama spoils her babies! Blessed be, Baha – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Firstly a *huge* thank you to everyone who has posted good wishes for Francis. I *really* appreciate this so much. Saw the *good* vet yesterday morning. I read the results of Francis’s blood test and the levels of the various things they test for are off the scale… One item suggests the renal failure may be the result of an auto-immune disease (not HIV) which I can’t remember the name of. Francis was a completely different cat with Mr Kennedy, who is an incredibly humane and compassionate vet. I have made a formal complaint (in writing) about the twit who was pressurizing me into euthanising Francis the day before and saying Francis was dangerous and I could not be with him when he was euthanised… Up shot – Francis has had a steroid injection (which has perked him up noticeably in 24 hrs). He can have these again when needed. I’ve also got pills to give Francis one a day, which are for heart conditions in dogs & renal failure in cats – ACE inhibitors. Vernon used to be on ACE inhibitors, so he & Francis have a special bond these days I’ve also got the low-protein cat food for renal patients to give Francis. He loathes it. I shall be speaking with the vet again on this. You guys who have cats with CRF, if they won’t eat the prescription food, what do you give them? Would something like fresh chicken meat minced up with plain boiled rice be suitable??? I do not mind if I have to prepare food myself from scratch. Oh, Marble *loves* the low-protein food, he scarfed it down after Francis had turned his nose up at it… Marble is of the school of thought that if it remains still in a dish for more than 30 seconds, it is edible… Cheers, helen s –This is an invalid email address to avoid spam– to get correct one remove fame & fortune –Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off–

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  So, once the shock wears off and you’re seeing a vet you trust, do what   is best for Francis. Fluids help a LOT in how the cat feels. You can   learn to give sub-q fluids at home, so Francis isn’t stressed out to   badly. I was able to sustain a cat with CRF on sub-q fluids for *five years*. She was diagnosed at age 16, lived to age 21. And we didn’t need to give her fluids constantly over those 5 years, either – sometimes she could go months without them, and then other times, she needed them daily or every other day. There’s a lot of hope for Francis to have quite a bit more life! Purrs, Joyce

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Helen,         I don’t know what Francis’ kidney values were, but a very high creatinine value is common when cats are first seen with chronic renal failure. Usually, after treatment with IV fluids or sub-q fluids, the values come down from the "system shock" level to the "real" level. A good site for CRF is http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm. A good support group is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/         Tigger (RB) was very high (creatinine of 12) when he was diagnosed. He didn’t allow the vet to do IV fluids, so we did sub-q and his numbers started coming down. Unfortunately, they bottomed out at 9 – which is still major renal failure. Tigger made it three months, until he was going down hill too fast and we let him go. Sigh. We still miss our brainless tabby.         So, once the shock wears off and you’re seeing a vet you trust, do what is best for Francis. Fluids help a LOT in how the cat feels. You can learn to give sub-q fluids at home, so Francis isn’t stressed out to badly. Obviously, love him each day, for as many days as you have. Be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster.         {{{{hugs}}}} from someone who has been there. Education helps, so you can be a partner with the vet in treating Francis. You’ll know when it is time – Francis will tell you. May it be many months, even years, from now.                         Kalynnda

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