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My cat, Nala, has kidney disease and her levels are going up. She is currently getting fluids 3x a week. She’s not eating much and has tried two appetite stimulants and was allergic to both. I have a new medicine to try this week but was wondering if there are more natural ways to stimulate her appetite? Also, does anyone have experience with kidney support gold? It’s a supplement from pet wellbeing.
Creatinine-5.7
BUN-81
IDEXX SDMA-31
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
My 19 y/o dog has kidney disease. He is on a rx low protein kidney diet food & has started to experience discomfort. Wondering if hemp product w/ 23% protein (Canna-Pet) would be better or worse on his kidneys than Tramadol rx’d by vet.
Normally, Cookie needs minimum of 3 hours of high activity (running through the bush, chasing critters, playing …) daily, otherwise she climbs the walls (pretty much literally). Ortho suggesting a month or more of rest. I voice that it is impossible unless Cookie sedated. (Because the more energy she stores up the more she’s likely to go crazy regardless of environment, confinement and situation. As I mention, literally bouncing off the walls. Plus the frustration and feeling unhappy that would come with that I’m sure does not facilitate healing either.
So we discussed it and ortho prescribed the Trazodone as effective and safe. What is your experience with this products? Side effects? Interestingly I specifically asked about side effects and was told there were none. However, when one looks it up there are side effects listed. Of course, side effects such as sedation are desirable. Others, such as vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, hyperactivity, panting, shaking and restlessness are NOT.
Ortho vet also said drug doesn’t not affect either kidneys or liver but infor says should be used with caution if liver, kidney or heart disease present. Cookie does not have those but if it doesn’t affect those organs, why the precaution?
I am not a fan of drugs but I feel that in order for Cookie to be able to undergo the period of restricted activity some chemical management to help her feel more aloof is necessary. Thoughts?
Thank you, would you? Because the other tranquilize options aren’t all that attractive either, particularly Acepromazine … *sigh
First do no harm, right? But I feel that without some chemical help she will be very miserable and a danger to herself …
Hi, I definitely understand your worry. I have personal experience with trazodone and it’s actually been extremely positive. I worked with a board certified veterinary surgeon who used it on pretty much all of his patients post-op if he was worried about activity level. For my dog, I’ve used it for anxiety in the car (as recommended by a board certified veterinary behaviorist). In my opinion it’s a lot better than other sedatives post-op because it really is fairly safe and also reduces anxiety (a lot better than something like Acepromazine). One of the main things you will read about is serotonin syndrome when it is used with other drugs. However, the surgeon I worked with used it with pain meds like tramadol, and just used the lower end of the dose range because he was aware of that risk (I’m sure if your vet uses it frequently they are as well). Most of side effects you listed, while I know they are concerning, are pretty easy to recognize and are side effects of many other medications too…and if you recognize them after starting, you can always just stop the medication. I think that the minor risks of this medication greatly out weigh the alternative risk of her high energy level after a orthopedic surgery, in order to prevent the risk of her needing a repeat surgery.
Since your baby is healthy and I’m sure they will be doing bloodwork pre-op, I don’t see any reason to be overly concerned about the organ adverse effects. My own dog had a history of acute renal injury after use of NSAIDs and is very sensitive to a lot of drugs (he’s MDR1 positive) and it was safe enough to use for him. It’s a medication that was actually developed for people with insomnia and is newer for use in vet-med but I don’t know of anyone who has experience with it that would say bad things. I think it’s great that you care so much to ask.
Thank you, Lindsey, I’m very happy to hear about such good experience(s)!
How would kidney disease lead to peeing accidents and leakage?
How is Nala doing? Did the new medicine help and if yes what was it? My cat Gino has kidney disease, too. He is a picky eater. He may eat soemthign now, but not the next time. Since April this year I offer him dry food, too (he didn’t eat anything back then, so I was happy he was eating that). He is back to wet food now, but on bad days still prefers dry food.
When he absolutely doesn’t like to eat, medication against nausea sometimes helpes him. When he was so sick in April he would only eat cooked chicken breast and only small amounts. I had to feed him with a syringe and he hated that. But he pulled through. By now he also gets something to keep his stomach acid down, that helps, too.
Otherwise I can’t give him much supplements. I tried various things, but when I do something in his food he won’t eat it. So I can’t help much with my experience here.
She’s doing OK, numbers all went up 😞 but she’s acting fine and eating here and there. At this point she’s just eating treats and people food (Turkey, chicken, ham, lunchmeat). The new appetite stimulant (oxazepam) didn’t do anything for her. I started her on the kidney support gold, hoping that helps. How did you know Gino needed the stomach acid medicine? Thanks for the reply!