<2/3/99 From Noreen Re: Kidney/CRF>
Hi Jillian -- Too bad the friend does not have a computer, but we will try to help this way....
<<Kitty has a bladder infection - the blood test showed a high white cell count & "blood in the urine".>>
Sounds like two things going on here.....UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) and kidney failure...it could be acute (meaning the kidney function will return to normal after the antibiotics) or chronic (some degree of kidney function is lost).
<< The vet didn't say anything to her about chronic disease, so I'm hoping that means this isn't CRF.>>
Not necessarily true....I lost one cat last year to crf and have another now.....none of the three vets I've been to have used the term CRF......they just say failing kidneys or kidney trouble.
<< Here's the antibiotic history: they first tried Clavamox, which he threw up every time. Then Baytil pills.....when she did manage to get a pill down him he wouldn't eat afterwards, & then she just couldn't get him pilled. So now the vet gave her CFA Laxin liquid drops, which she hasn't tried yet, since he refused to eat the low protein diet the vet recommended.>>
The antibiotics are very imporant....I cannot stress this enough....if the infection migrates up to the kidneys from the bladder (which it will) it will cause massive damage. She needs to get that kitty on a 21-day plan of antibiotics....this is nothing to play around with.
<< BTW, she just went through a divorce & a move, (a GOOD thing for her, but stressful nonetheless, & kitty was with her since before the marriage).>>
Stress can bring on kidney failure in some kittys. I'm almost sure that is what has happened here. I lost Gumby last May. His brother started pulling his hair out and losing weight and losing his appetite. Before I could get him stabelized, he had lost some kidney function and is in early stage crf. They were siamese brothers that never left each other's side....it was very sad.....so stress does play a big part.....also stress is implied in all sorts of urinary problems like bladder stones and cystitis.
<<The diet is something else! He WAS eating human food, IAMS dry & KalKan. Since the kidney dx the vet recommended low protein dry & no wet, but kitty protested, so she's compromised with KD dry but adding Friskies & Whiskas wet, & still feeding him whatever he wants that she eats at dinner. :::sigh:::>>
ITs good kitty protested. Wet food is much better for a kitty with any kidney/urinary problem....
<< The good news is that my friend only eats plain food (rice, steamed vegies, meat, no seasonings) & kitty goes nuts when she opens packages of meats....he wants it!>>
This is very good....wish a couple of mine liked people food, then I might get them switched over to the raw diet. So far out of six, only one will eat it with gusto.....the others vary.
<< She's coming over on Sunday. It sounds like we need to figure out a way to get him on the antibiotics, & maybe come up with a clear list of questions for her vet to get some answers we can work with. Is there a site that lists the normal range of blood test & urinalysis readings? She doesn't have internet access, so I'll do what I can for her from here.>>
There just be norms and a blood panel or urinalysis printout.
<< I'll probly give her a bag of my ground chicken so she can see if he'll eat it. If he does, that'll be a giant step in the right direction!>>
This sounds like a good plan...
<<Noreen, Leah, Trish & other CRF raw feeders, I would really appreciate any recipe percentages/ingredients that are specific to kidney diets that you can share.>>
From "Home-Prepared Dog & Cat diets", by Dr. Donald R. Strombeck - Iowa State Univ. Press - ISBN 0813821495
Here's a couple low protein recipes:
The following are low protein recipes minus any rice, turkey or soy.
EGG DIET: (Low protein, low-phosphorus, normal potassium, normal sodium diet providing 54.2 grams protein/1000 kilocalories)
BEEF AND POTATO DIET (Low protein, low-phosphorus, normal potassium, normal sodium diet providing 46.7 grams protein/1000 kilocalories)
EGGS & RICE DIET(Low protein, low phosphorus, normal potassium, normal sodium providing 45.7 grams protein/1000 kilocalories)
BEEF DIET: (Low protein, low phosphorus, normal potassium, normal sodium diet providing 55.3 grams protein/1000 kilocalories)
Hi there,
Your comments are interesting - here's my experience w/ protein levels. I would be very interested to hear what info you get on this subject.
My kitty was diagnosed w/ CRF 2 1/2 years ago. At that time I changed her to a homemade diet and we've done some herbal, homeopathic type things with her. For the entire 2 1/2 years, her CREA stayed in the mid 2 range (2.5, 2.6) Her diet was 50% protein and 50% other (vegie, grain, etc.) At the recommendation of 2 holistic vets, 60 days ago, I increased her to 75% protein, and at her next CREA check 30 days later, it had jumped to 3.3.
Needless to say, I'm back to the lower protein diet. She will have her CREA checked again in a week, so will be interested to find out where she is at.
I don't know if this is coincidence or if they are related - that's why any feedback would be appreciated!
Melody
email: melody@
-----Original Message-----
From: Sandy <arora@>
katseven@wrote:
<<causing that elevation with too much protein, so I think I'm
going to start upping the veggies and add some grains>>
arora@wrote:
<<That's a good idea, Susan. I've read in lots of places
that a hi protein diet during a cat's ealry yrs does not cause CRF, but
u just never know. This way if his values come down, U'll know one way
or the other. Do let us know what happens after some time w/ lowered
protein cuz I'm curious.
Melody B wrote:
<<At the recommendation of 2 holistic vets, 60 days ago, I increased
her to 75% protein, and at her next CREA check 30 days later, it
had jumped to 3.3. >>
Melody, my experience is different. My CRF cat ate regular protein food (mostly dry like Nutro Optichoice cuz that's all he's eat on his own) for 1 yr, w/ no change in BUN and Creat. Neither # was all that hi. His main problem was HCM I see now in retrospect.
Anyway, then we started giving him slightly higher protein one week, and reg protein the other week. Again, not much change in BUN and Creat.
He ultimately passed away of a heart attack. Alls I know is that he did better on reg or higher protein cuz the muscle wasting wasn't as bad. His breath didn't smell bad either. And w/ raw, he had more energy plus his coat was all soft and fluffy.
But Judy's experience is more like yours - her cats #s went up when she increased the protein %.
FWIW, here's an abstract I had sent to the list a little less than a
yr ago.
_________________________
Am J Vet Res 1998 May;59(5):575-82
Protein and calorie effects on progression of induced chronic renal failure in cats.
Finco DR, Brown SA, Brown CA, Crowell WA, Sunvold G, Cooper TL
Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of dietary protein and calories on progression of induced chronic renal failure in cats.
ANIMALS: 28 young adult female cats.
PROCEDURE: Renal mass was reduced surgically, and glomerular filtration
rate (GFR) was determined. Cats were alloted to 4
groups of 7 with similar mean GFR (1.52 to 1.55 ml/min/kg of body weight).
Diets were formulated to provide: low protein and calorie (diet A), low
protein and high calorie (diet B), high protein and low calorie (diet C),
and high protein and calorie (diet D) intakes. Cats were fed their prescribed
diet for 12 months, then blood and urine biochemical variables were measured,
after which kidney specimens were examined microscopically.
RESULTS: Protein intake by cats of groups C and D (9.0 g/d/kg) was substantially
greater than that by cats of groups A and
B (5.3 and 5.2 g/d/kg, respectively). Caloric intake by cats
of groups B and D (73 and 71 calories/d/kg, respectively) was greater than
that by cats of groups A and C (58 and 55 calories/d/kg, respectively).
Renal glomerular lesions were mild and not affected by protein, calories
or their interactions.
Nonglomerular lesions, though mild, were significantly influenced by calorie intake, but not by protein or calorie-protein interactions. The GFR did not decrease in any group. Urine protein-to-creatinine ratio increased significantly in all groups after reduction of renal mass, but values from all groups remained within the reference range (0 to 0.3).
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Diets replete in protein were not associated with increased severity of glomerular or nonglomerular renal lesions, increased proteinuria, or decreased GFR. Diets replete in calories were not associated with increased severity of glomerular lesions, but were associated with mild increase of nonglomerular lesions. Factors other than protein and calorie intake must be considered potential causes of progression of renal failure in cats. Results raise questions about the practice of restricting quantity of protein in the diet of cats with chronic renal failure, with the intention of ameliorating development of further renal damage.
Per: Finco DR, Brown SA, Brown CA, Crowell WA, Sunvold G, Cooper TL
Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University
<< Factors other than protein and calorie intake must be considered potential causes of progression of renal failure in cats.>>
Hi Kidz,
Wouldn't this 'factor' be phosphorus? Too bad the study didn't state what the protein or calcium source was, cuz IMO that would play an important role. Different meats and even parts of particular meats have different phosphorus levels. Grains and veggies also.
On Sun, 25 Apr 1999, Judy wrote:
<< I was just about to whip up one of Strombeck's crf recipes
and while picking one out I noticed that in all his crf recipes,
he gives a breakdown of how much potassium, sodium and phosphorus.
Every single one of his crf recipes states that the sodium percent
of a cat's daily needs is in excess of 100! There's one recipe
that the sodium is "603 percent of a cat's daily needs">>
Are mice hi in sodium? And birds, rabbits, etc.? Even if they are, I doubt a kitty needs much sodium in their diet. Yikes - 603%! Did he have that same 1/2 hr lecture on nutrition in vet school, from Hills one keeps hearing about? <g>
<<phosphorus. So why does he use clams at all??? I presume it's for the taurine, but wouldn't a supplement suffice?>>
I just checked the "Nutrition Almanac" and clams are hi in trace minerals, very hi in Phos and Potassium as well. Sodium wasn't hi cuz I assumed they were cooking it fresh. Personally I wouldn't feed canned clams cuz u can give something else hi in taurine (or add a supp like u said) and the other stuff it's hi in. Does Dr. S have email? Maybe u could ask him why he loves clams so much for kitties.
<<So if I do decide to whip up one of his recipes, do you suppose if I rinsed the canned clams off in water, it would get rid of all that sodium?>>
Yes, it should take a lot of it out.
<<Why does he say to use the juice from the can?>>
B/c he seems to view sodium as benign for some reason.
<<Why does a fresh, cooked clam, have more phosphorus than a canned clam? Man, this B/c lots of stuff is lost in the cooking process, including Phos??? Ha, what else did ya think I'd say?! LOL>>
Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats
Hi Kidz,
I looked into clams a bit further. The canned clams not only have added sodium in there, but several other ingredients that I don't have a clue what they are! Perhaps some forms of preservatives. One brand even had added sugar!
At the fresh seafood counter, I read that fresh clams are still alive, and can be eaten raw. But there was a caution that people with chronic illnesses should not eat raw clams. I wonder why? And why would a fresh clam have *more* phosphorus than a canned clam? Could all that sodium somehow effect phosphorus content?
Sodium is monitored and reduced with crf kitty's. I thought the reasoning would be that salt makes them retain water, and cuz the kidneys aren't working properly, ya want to keep stuff moving along, not staying about. That's why cornsilk and dandelion are great herbs for crf kitty's cuz they act like a diuretic, among other good stuff!
Back to Strombeck's recipe: He calls even the recipe that provides "sodium at 603 percent of a cat's daily needs" a "...normal sodium diet..." I *just* don't get it! I cannot figure out the logic in Strombeck's crf recipes! Before I even got the Strombeck book, I wanted to make a fish foodie for variety. I came up with grouper, milkfish or clams as being preferred, but did not check sodium content at that time. I dismissed clams cuz somewhere I remembered something about shellfish being a no-no for kitty's (any truth to that?). I was able to find Milkfish, but it was at an Asian market, and it was a whole fish, and I wouldn't know what to do with that -- fins, scales, inners and head! Ack!
OT: So you guyz know, my mail server is messed up. Appears I can send messages, but I'm not receiving properly.
Day 11 off of fluids (per cardiologist's order).
Baranof's skin has not only NOT had additional breakouts - but it is getting BETTER.
The only thing that changed between the time of good skin and skin problems was FLUIDS. The skin problems came before all the drugs and other treatments.
When he started having irritated skin and fur falling out at the injection sites, my intuition kicked into high gear. It gnawed at me - this is not good....it's something about the fluids.
I still do not know for sure if he is allergic to the ringers or to chemicals leaching from the plastic bags/tubing into the solution.
I offer this to you, however. His skin lesions were bilateral. The same each side of the body or in the middle. I don't think it was contact dermatitis because he head wasn't touching anything where it broke out on his head. Bilateral indicates to me a systemic type of problem.
My additional inquiries about the Baxter/Abbott bags and tubing provide this information:
In addition, I spoke with a tech in our kidney dialysis department at the hospital where I work. He said he had heard of one case in the hospital where a patient got a rash and said it was the IV tubing. They changed the tubing to another brand (yellow-ish in color, he said but didn't know the brand name) and the problem went away.
While no vet I've spoken with has ever heard of an allergic reaction
to LRS, it doesn't mean it's impossible. And because
no one has seen documented evidence of chemicals leaching into the
solution and causing problems it doesn't mean it
doesn't happen.
Baranof has suffered three months with this, got infections from the
scratching, got ringworm after that, and had to wear
e-collars.
Now, he is not itching. His fur is growing back.
What can I say? It took fluid in the lungs to get him off the
fluids - even though my intuition was telling me there was a
problem.
While you may think it's coincidental - that there was some allergen
present in January or some other explanation,
(believe me I went through all of them myself), I firmly believe
that the plastic and/or fluids contributed to and/or
caused the problem.
So, our message to all of you is:
1. Follow your intuitive nudgings, especially if you have been
praying for guidance.
2. Keep an open mind.
3.Be as careful as you can with the bags and tubing. Don't
get them really hot, use smaller bags, try the B.Braun/McGaw bags and tubing.
Baranof may have been the canary in the coal mine. At least consider the possibility.
If anyone comes across any articles or documented cases, I would like to know.
Kaylen and Baranof WITHOUT his e-collar!
josephdevney wrote:
<< It's rather remote that Baranoff would be allergic to Ringers.
>>
Hi Kidz,
Maybe not an allergic reaction, but some type of reaction! My
Sammy gets LR's too, and normally I would warm them up so not to give him
a system shock. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why after
each and every sub-q treatment Sammy would throw up during the nite.
Then I read in the newspaper that EPA found that there was a chemical called
DEHP that was leaching into the fluids from the plastic. I phoned
the pharmaceutical company and was told that warming the fluids was not
recommended. She didn't say this, but I think warming the bag
makes the chemical leach out faster or more. Since then I have not
warmed the fluids, but Sammy is fidgety now, whereas he wasn't before --
but he isn't throwing up in the nite any longer. Next time I'm gonna
try to warm the tubing, keeping it in a heating pad while administering
the fluids.
Hi all
<<Someone posted a very interesting article on the CRF list about how T.R. has been used in China for kidney failure.>>
<I'd love to read the article on Turkey Rhubarb. Maybe I should make it part of Pete's regimen.>
Here's Tricia's post from October '98
<begin quote>
The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by CJ Puotinen
Essiac
There are many Essiac blends, recipes and products on the market today,
but most follow the original formula Rene Caisse used in her Bracebridge
clinic, which contained sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), a wild
perennial relative of garden sorrel and a blood tonic said to be beneficial
to the heart and used to treat ulcers and kidney disorders; burdock root
(Arctium lappa), a well-known blood purifier and kidney cleanser;
slippery elm bark (Ulmus julva), a demulcent, nutritive, tonic herb
with many traditional uses; and Turkey rhubarb root (Rbeum palmatum),
a plant native to China and Tibet which is a liver tonic, appetite stimulant,
headache reliever and digestive aid.
Essiac tea has a long history of use in people of all ages, and holistic veterinarians recommend it for use in dogs, cats and other animals. Testimonials about Essiac refer to its effectiveness in treating tumors, cancer, thyroid disorders, skin conditions and its use as a general health tonic. It is said to have alleviated and in some cases cured many chronic and degenerative conditions.
Medical herbalists suggest that Essiac not be used by those with kidney
ailments or arthritis because of the oxalic acid in two of its ingredients,
although it has sometimes helped dogs and cats with these disorders. Some
caution against using Turkey rhubarb root during pregnancy. The formula
has no documented side effects. The same precautions apply to Essiac as
to any
herbal blend: if disease symptoms worsen without quickly improving,
or if the animal experiences an allergic reaction (rapid pulse, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, a skin rash, violent itching or any other obvious symptoms),
discontinue use.
Beverly Cappel-King recommends Essiac tea as a support therapy for cancer. "I give it to every animal I treat because it's not going to hurt and it flushes them out," she explains. "Some reports say that it kills cancer. It does not kill cancer, it just cleans the body out. You're opening up the kidneys and the liver, you're helping to purify the blood and you're soothing the gastrointestinal tract. It just flushes junk out of the body and it makes the body healthier so that it can fight cancer.
"For conditions like skin tumors, it works well on its own. I used it myself for a melanoma and it disappeared in three weeks. I went on a modified fast, took Essiac every day for three weeks and did a lot of visualization, and it was gone. We've had the same success with animals that have melanomas, suspicious looking basal cell tumors or even mast cell tumors of the skin. We put them on Essiac once or twice a day, and the tumors shrivel up within a couple of weeks."
Essiac can be purchased as a brewed tea in bottles or made at home from dry herbs. The recommended dosage is about I teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. Cats receive 1/2 to I teaspoon daily; dogs up to 30 pounds receive I tablespoon and larger dogs receive I tablespoon for every 30 pounds of body weight.
The only side effects I could find listed for the individual ingredients are as follows: (from Herbal Remedies for D*gs and Cats by Tilford & Tilford) Burdock root - safe in long term use. Beware of herbicides on wild plants. Slippery elm - none listed. Turkey rhubarb - not to be used in pregnancy, lactation, newborns, or kidney problems. Use in small doses to aid digestive functions, not to replace them. Continuous use of this and other herbal laxatives may cause systemic dependency.
I couldn't find any info on sheep sorrel. Hope this helps!
Tricia
<end quote>
--Jean, Saski Brighteyes & That-Sweetie-Amber
wordlady@
<< Now, she is borderline anemic. She's very lethargic and just lays around. The anemia caused by chronic renal failure typically does not respond to steroids or iron, as the cause is the lack of the hormone, erythropoetin.>>
Betty, what is Aldonza's PCV #? U're right; the problem is the kidneys aren't producing enough erythropoetin:(
I think supplementing w/ the B-complex like u are currently doing is good. Both B6 and B12 are good for anemia too. Iron pills might be a good idea too, just make sure u give Vits A (u already are as part of the glandular anyway if i remember correctly) and trace minerals to help her body utilize the iron.
Just checked Balch's book and he sez that zinc and Vit E can interfere w/ iron absorption.
In addition to this, my top recommendations would be homeopathic remedies. I got something for Boo called "Homeo Ferrum" by Hyland's. It was around $5 for a pretty big bottle. Booey passed away before I could really give him enough to make a difference. But I'm taking it myself now b/c I'm anemic, and it seems to be helping.
There are also other fantastic homeo remedies for anemia - Calc Phos, Ferr Phos, and so many others. Check out the homeoapthic MM and Reps online at http://www.homeoint.org so u can base it on Aldonza's symptoms. Be aggressive w/ treatment of anemia. U can give both iron pills and homeo remedies. I wish I had been more aggressive. Feel so sad thinking how rough it must have been for Boo *sniff*
Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats
mailto:arora@
Hi everyone!
I have an 8 year old cat with chronic renal failure. She was diagnosed 2+ years ago and she remains in early stages of this disease. I attribute most of this to a homemade diet, a few natural remedies and the fact that she is young and we caught it early.
During her exam and blood test last week, her phosphorus levels came back LOW. Most CRF kitties have elevated phosphorus, so this was a surprise. I wonder if this could be caused by an imbalance in the homemade diet I feed. I follow the diet by Anitra Frazier specifically for kidney cats, which is a 50% protein diet with vegetables (no grains) and various supplements (not specific to Frazier's diet). It is a raw diet.
I would appreciate any feedback from those of you who are familiar with a raw diet. Should I be concerned? When I increase the protein levels in her diet, her kidney values increase, which is not good! What can I add to the diet, other than protein, that would improve the phosphorus level? I prefer to do this through diet or natural supplements if possible, rather than through medication.
Thanks so much.
Melody and Puffin (who says she feels just fine and I shouldn't worry!)
Hi Dianne,
I'm so sorry about your kitty Boca! This is such a difficult disease. My cat, Puffin, was diagnosed at age 6. She will be 9 in August. She had eaten a Hill's Prescription Diet her entire life. Do you know what type of kidney stone your cat has? Puffin has an oxalate kidney stone - depending on what type your kitty has, the supplements in a fresh diet may be different than what I use or you may want to do modifications temporarily to the diet to modify urine pH (if the stones are struvite, you can dissolve them by changing the urine pH). *This is important to consider!*
When she was initially diagnosed with CRF, she also suffered from chronic
urinary tract infections. I decided to start home cooking for all
my cats - and my vet was supportive and even gave me Pat McKay's book to
read. My first diets followed McKay's diet except I cooked them,
so they were not RAW diets. It was just something I had to ease into.
I steamed the food,
keeping the veggies a bit crunchy and the chicken a bit red inside,
and then used the water from steaming to mix into the food.
Gradually, I became more comfortable and moved to a raw diet. My cats health improved tremendously with this transition.
Here is what I do...
1. Buy a good processor of some sort. It will save you tons of time and effort. I have a tiny Krups model that has a base and a small container on top where you grind the food. It will cut up about a cup at a time. This one cost me about $30, and will turn even raw meat into tiny particles. I've had it for almost 3 years and it's still going strong (knock on wood!)
2. Read and gather as much information as you can. Ask your vet if you think he/she will be supportive. You can make mistakes when creating your own diets so you have to be careful. I still have a ton to learn and pray that what I'm doing is right.
3. I chose to do a reduced protein diet. There is much conflicting information on protein amounts and CRF kitties. Some say that you should reduce protein to reduce the work the kidneys are required to do and some say that this makes no difference. I have tried both reduced and normal protein diets with Puffin, when I do normal protein diets, her CREA increases - so I still with reduced protein.
4. Consider your ingredients. I prefer "natural" meats w/ no added dyes, preservatives, steroids, etc. I can find these at the grocery store. I also prefer vegetables that haven't been chemically treated, but those can be more difficult to find in my area, especially in the winter months. If I buy veggies that are just regular veggies, I soak them in the sink in water with some grapefruit seed extract mixed in for about 15 minutes before processing them. This helps remove some of the residues and pesticides. I always buy fresh veggies, never canned or frozen. The meat I use is always chicken, as that seems to be all they will eat.
5. Consider what amounts you want to combine. I feed 50% protein and 50% vegetables. This is a low protein diet, normal is 75% protein. For protein, the chicken is muscle meat, plus I mix in just a bit of organ meat (hearts and gizzards as that is all I can stand to touch!). I would say it is 4 or 5 parts muscle meat to 1 part organ meat. I typically mix 3 different vegetables at a time. Carrots seem to be a staple as they always eat the food when I add carrots. Then I rotate cauliflower, sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, parsley, celery (rarely), apples (rarely), kale, asparagus (they like asparagus!), and whatever else you can think of. So if the chicken totals 1 cup (with gizzards included), then I use 1 cup mixed veggies.
6. Blend it all up in your grinder - it should have soft consistency and the pieces should be tiny, pencil tip sized. Then I mix in a bit of purified water until it has the consistency of thick applesauce. I often mix up a big batch, then divide it into freezer baggies with each having enough to last for 2 days. Then I freeze it all and just pull the individual baggies out of the freezer as needed.
7. At each feeding, I mix in the vitamins and supplements for the kitties. You don't want to do this in advance, since they will lose potency when you freeze them. I use lethicin, ground egg shells, Vit C, Vit A (once a week), Vit E (once a week), blue green algae, kelp, kombu tea (occasionally), Vit B (once a week), aloe vera juice and probably a couple of other things that I'm forgetting!
I provide only purified water for them to drink.
This whole process sounds overwhelming I know. My first few attempts left me spending 2 hours or more in the kitchen. But a little practice goes a long way - and I can put out a few weeks worth of food in 20-30 minutes. No big deal. And mixing up their daily rations with supplements included is quick too, if I remember to get a new batch out of the freezer!
When I introduced the homecooked diet, I started with just plain chicken and nothing else. Then I added tiny, tiny amounts of one vegetable at a time and gradually increased amounts. I've found that if you can get the texture more creamy, they are more accepting. Also try adding some baby food - buy something like Nature's Best which is one with no preservatives etc. and mix in a teaspoon to the homemade food. My cats LOVE this. We endured through the "how dare you feed me this #@*" stares and the "I'm going to turn my back to you until you feed me what I want" days. I was very careful not to let them go too long without eating as that can cause liver damage after 36+- hours. If you feed a "wet" food currently, try mixing homemade in with it a little at a time. That often will get them over the hump. This is a slow process and be prepared to take your time and be patient. It will come eventually and your kitty will love the food like mine do.
Puffin has remained in early stage renal failure for almost 3 years now. I do not have to give sub-Q's for which I am so thankful. She is still concentrating urine (although somewhat diminished) and doesn't dehydrate. She is playful and happy and doesn't get urinary infections anymore. She stalks my other kitties and tucks my 7 year old daughter into bed every night. She is so wonderful and I am so grateful to have learned from her - she has been a tremendous teacher and I hope this continues for a long time to come. I know not every story has a happy ending, nor will this help every kitty, but this has helped all of mine immensely and my cats are better off because of it. I strongly feel that she has stayed as healthy as she is because of this diet.
We will be monitoring her phosphorus level again in 60 days and see what changes have occurred. My vet is not overly concerned, but wants to keep an eye on it.
I hope this has helped, sorry it is so long. I strongly urge you do make your own decisions and read as much as you can lay your hands on. Books I have read are The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier, Reigning Cats & Dogs, Natural Remedies for Cats & Dogs, Dr. Pitcairn's book and a few others whose names escape me.
If you have questions now or later, I'm always happy to help.
Melody
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: Dianne <haigh642@
<<I don't have suggestions about the phosphorous but I too have had a cat diagnosed with chronic renal failure. He is only 4 years old and happens to be very finicky about what he eats. I would welcome any suggestions about a homemade diet and how to switch over to it so that he will eat it. I have tried this before- about a year ago and he would not eat it. He will eat plain chicken but he does not like the other stuff mixed in. Also, would like info about the raw kidney diet and anything you have learned about preparing it. My Boca is on a Chinese herbal blend to help with the kidney function and we are looking at adding one to dissolve two kidney stones that were found. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! :-)>>
Asparagus root is a natural herb that is high in phosphorus and it also has a mild diuretic effect and is also a blood cleanser. I have not used it with cats but it could be a possibility???
Dianne, Boca & Mokey
|
|
|
|