My cat has kidney disease. Is vaccination safe? What about water?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jimmy. I do recommend that he is current on all his vaccines before bringing a new kitten into the home. Personally, I have not seen vaccines cause kidney problems in cats. So I do not believe this is a reason not to vaccinate him. However, his veterinarian will know his complete medical history and can give you more detailed advice. I hope this information helps!

Kidney disease in cats, in most cases, is caused simply by a loss of function overtime. I think we see this more in cats because they tend to live longer than dogs, sometimes on the upward end of 15 to 20 years. As the pet ages, so do the cells that make up the kidneys, and this results in a loss of function (kidney insufficiency). In theory, yes we can preserve kidney function by adding more water to their diet. But I think that at some point the kidneys will still lose function because that is what happens naturally as the pet ages. With all that said, I still encourage owners to feed their cats wet food and use kitty water fountains whenever possible, to preserve kidney function for as long as physically possible.

I would not recommend re-using it. Once the ampule is broken, the contents are no longer considered sterile, so using them in an infection the next day, with an unsealed container, increases risk for an abscess (bacterial infection ) at the injection site). If the injections aren't helping much, talk to your vet about whether or not its worth it to continue doing them. Your vet may recommend rechecking bloodwork to see where those kidney values are at; there may be improvement that you can't appreciate on the outside, but the values may be better which would indicate that continuing the injections is wise. You can feed the royal canin indefinitely. It is safe long term. However it is ok to give some other food occasionally as well, especially if he's not wanting to eat the renal diet. Some cats prefer canned food so you may try the canned version if you haven't tried that yet. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Wow, 23 is very old. You must take very good care of him. I am sorry to hear about his diagnosis. Renal disease as you probably already know is a chronic condition. Dietary change can be a major factor in extending the length and quality of cat's live who have it. However, in a 23 year old cat I would usually recommend just feeding whatever makes him happy. Nutritional intake in general is very important right now, so having to fight with him to get him to eat will end up being quite stressful and maybe counterproductive. If you are dedicated to a kidney friendly diet and the commercial stuff isn't working, you can certainly start thinking about home made diets. This is a link to a website that will guide you into making diets that are good for patients with kidney disease. I believe it is free for the first 14 days. Most of the diets they suggest do require supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals, however, and without them other problems may arise. Hope this helps and best of luck with PJ.

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.

Unfortunately kidney disease in an older cat is generally a progressive disease. The treatments you are giving Mesi now are probably helping her feel better but the disease process is still continuing. Her kidneys will continue to shut down over time. I would recommend continuing the treatments for now if it is helping her feel better, eat, etc. You can also try to space out the treatments (like giving them every other day) instead of daily and see if that is still beneficial for Mesi. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Sorry to hear about your kitty. It sounds like he is in the advanced stages of kidney failure. Unfortunately kidney damage can not be reversed once it occurs - only managed. Once cats get to this stage of kidney disease, most treatments are focused on trying to make cats feel as good as possible for as long as possible. Sometimes treatments that are prescribed include SQ fluids (water given as an injection under the skin to increase hydration), anti-nausea medications, blood pressure medications, antacids, and other therapies to manage complications associated with kidney failure. It is hard to give a prognosis without knowing the specific details of your cat's bloodwork and history, but if he is not eating or drinking, he may be suffering and can quickly decline. If you are concerned about your kitty's quality of life, have a discussion with your veterinarian.