My cat has kidney disease. Would medication help his condition?

It should not have a significant impact on his blood pressure. Obviously eating the renal diet is best but with kidney disease studies have shown that it is actually the phosphorus restriction that is the most effective. Since he is on a phosphate binder you don't have to worry about that too much. At this stage it is best to just make sure he is eating so give him whatever he will eat. Sounds like you are doing a great job!

Hi and thanks for your request. Cat's on chronic kidney disease are rarely experiencing pain. Controlling hypertension, decreasing urinary protein loss, and addressing anemia are important therapeutic goals in cats that develop this condition. Only hypertension might be vaguely related to discomfort, but this has not been proven in cats.

It sounds like you and you vet have a good plan for your kitty. Depending on any symptoms other than weight loss and his most recent blood work, adding on a phosphate binder and antacid may help. The antacid would be helpful if his appetite is low. If he has high blood pressure, then medications for that may be needed, especially if your vet suspects it could be leading to protein loss in the urine (a cause for weight loss in cats with CKD).

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! CKD when diagnosed early can absolutely be managed medically. Daily SQ fluid therapy, blood pressure medications, as well as supplemental vitamins and phosphorus binders (if the phosphorus is high) can be given. Also a Rx diet that is kidney friends can also be very helpful. A lot can be done when caught early! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope this has helped.

Renal failure often causes cats to lose weight. The waste products that build up in the blood because the kidneys can't properly eliminate them cause nausea and gastritis (inflammation in the stomach) and sometimes even ulcers in the mouth. Talk to your vet about trying some medications to manage these conditions - either omeprazole or famotadine are often helpful, as well as the anti-nausea drug Cerenia. Also the drug mirtazipine can be used to help stimulate his appetite. Unfortunately it sounds like he has multiple problems that may be difficult to manage concurrently. I'd also consider running a bacterial culture of the nasal discharge to try to focus the antibiotic therapy and ensure that an effective drug is being used.

Part of this decision should be based upon how Squeakers is doing clinically and how bad or not bad his values are. In general, if kidney disease is caught early on, it responds very well to treatment. Most of the time, treatment is simply a diet change to a kidney friendly, prescription diet. Pet’s where the disease is more advanced, may need to take a pill to decrease protein loss through the kidneys and they may need subcutaneous fluids on a daily or weekly basis. For cats with more advanced disease, they may need hospitalization and IV fluids to see if they will recover. Again it all depends on the blood values and how the pet is doing clinically. Most cats with kidney disease, if caught in time, will live an average of 2 to 3 years of quality life after diagnosis. This is variable though. Some pets progress quickly and others live longer than 3 years. You don’t know until you try. I hope this helps to guide your decision making. You can also find a fair amount of information about kidney disease on this website. Use the search feature. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is a lot of misconception when it comes to pet food. Grains are not bad for pets as long as they are the right kind, high-quality and easy to digest. They provide many essential amino acids that are not found in animal products. Royal Canin and Science Diet are both high quality brands with lots of research, data and good quality control. Switching to the recommended diet is the best thing you can do for Mercy. The diet contains controlled protein, controlled phosphorus, controlled potassium and additional omega three fatty acid supplements as well as antioxidants. You can certainly supplement her as it is not likely to hurt but the main control for kidney disease will be found with the protein and phosphorus. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.