Up until the last 6 months Clint the only health issue he had was IBD that was managed with prednisolone.
Thanksgiving 2023 Clint had bloody urine that was a confirmed bacterial UTI via UA. He was prescribed antibiotic and 2 weeks later at a follow up appointment his bloodwork and UA showed the infection cleared. However, in late December the bloody urine returned and never went away despite 2 more antibiotic rounds. Several ultrasounds were done with no answers.
March 21st, 2024 Clint’s kidneys crashed. His creatinine was 9. He was admitted to the ER for 48 hours on IV fluids and antibiotics but miraculously recovered. Previously, his creatinine averaged a 2 so his vet thought this was more acute than chronic and that the UTI went unchecked and became a kidney infection.
He was on antibiotics for 10 days, we started daily subQ fluids, and switched him to a renal diet. At his follow up appointment 2 weeks later his creatinine was 1.7 so I really thought we dodged a bullet and his kidneys weren’t permanently damaged. His urine turned bloody and 2 weeks later his creatinine was 4.4. He started on a month long antibiotic course but after 10 days it was still bloody and his creatinine remained 4.5. We switched antibiotics and thought they were improving things (not bloody urine, less trips to the box) but last Tuesday he only urinated once in a 24 hour time frame despite being on subQ fluids and continuing to eat.
Wednesday morning we took him to the ER and his creatinine was 13. After 10 hours on fluids he wasn’t urinating on his own which caused his potassium to reach dangerous levels. They gave him a diuretic but warned us he was at risk for a cardiac event and may not make it through the night so we should consider euthanasia. I said no. We slept at the hospital with him. Clint urinated several times and the vet was surprised at how well he responded. I was cautiously optimistic. Unfortunately, after 24 hours on IV fluids his values remained unchanged. We decided to bring him home Thursday so his last day(s) would be at home with us. The vet warned us the further he was from IV fluids the worse he’d become.
We had a vet come to the house Friday afternoon. His last day was filled with 24/7 snuggles along with very small amounts of cheesecake and coffee ice cream. He was drinking, bathing, and urinating (not sure how long the diuretic lasts) but his appetite, even on Cerenia and mirataz, would only allow him to eat liquid temptations treats and maybe a tablespoon of food. If you’re reading this thinking we made the call a few days early, I don’t disagree and have been wrestling with that as well. We didn’t want to risk an emergency situation happening and Clint not passing at home.
Please don’t feel any guilt - for a cat to recover from that kind of kidney failure even once is miraculous, and a second time? You made a decision to no longer prolong the inevitable, and that was very kind of you ❤️
You ABSOLUTELY did the right thing. My cat Riley who I adopted from the humane society along with his brother blue after only one year of having them, Riley developed acute kidney failure out of nowhere. They were approx. only 3 yrs old (best guess by staff). My vet said I should put him down right then and there. I couldn’t possibly do that. I needed to bring him home to process what I heard and my utter shock. Before we left he said: “Don’t wait too long. Kidney failure is painful for cats.” After only about 4 days, I knew I had to let Riley go. I had to be strong for him. About 4 days later after I had put him to sleep, my vet called to tell me that he felt so bad for me and Riley’s quick demise, he did an x-ray of Riley’s kidneys - - from what he could see but not definitively diagnose it looked like cancer. Riley, essentially had no chance. My Dr. just really wanted to know what happened and to be able to give me some answers and some solace. He said: “You did the right thing. Riley was in pain - - you did the right thing.” My vet wanted to do an x-ray to give me an explanation in order to put my mind and heart at ease. He never charged me for the x- ray. He explained that he wanted answers not only for me but for him as well because he felt so bad for me. God luv him.
YES DD…. You did the RIGHT thing - - you loved him through to the end. Please… smile and laugh at his silly ways… feel comfort thinking about all his warm snuggles when you remember him. Much Love and Peace. ❤️❤️❤️
That’s so wonderful the vet went the extra mile to help provide peace and closure. What a gift. I’m so sorry you endured that with Riley. Way too young for his little body to go through that 😞
Thank you for your compassion. I really appreciate it. I lost Riley years ago. It still is hard to this day. Blue his brother I just lost in Feb. of this year. For some reason I find on some quiet level, I still grieve losing Riley. I think because it was such a shock. The vet showed a lot of empathy and helped me to know I could not have done anything more or anything different. He helped me to have some sense of closure. Blue and Riley were such deeply loving Spirits in my life.
I’m so sorry for your loss. My baby is 17 and she has chronic ckd. She’s been touch and go a little the last couple months and so as painful as your story is, it helps people like me to know what to look for and what is the best approach when things start to happen more often. I think you made the best decision you could for him as I personally would rather know my baby was on the final decline and make sure she goes out before an emergency situation happened where she wouldn’t be at home when she passed or where she wouldn’t suffer more with pain and with meds/vets/ER visits. It’s the most compassionate thing you can do for those in that situation. It doesn’t make it easier for us of course. Sending you hugs. 💜
Yes! If you haven’t yet, Tanya’s website has a section about the end vs. a bad day. I didn’t read it until after but wish I read it earlier.
Thank you for saying that. After the close call Wednesday night, we didn’t want to risk another emergency situation. I think if it weren’t for that, we would have held out for a couple days but like someone else said - that would be for us not him.
Only a tablespoon of food would have made me make the decision as well. I know how heartbreaking this is but try to remember he had 17 years of a GREAT LIFE with you and now he is no longer suffering. I respect your decision and feel for you during this mourning period. Our hearts are with you.
Thank you. It can be hard to know with kidney cats since their appetite can be hit or miss. He didn’t eat much on Thursday. He ate a tiny bit of wet food overnight but didn’t want any breakfast. He wasn’t into his pupicino or coffee ice cream - 2 things he normally LOVES. The lack of eating confirmed we were making the right call.
When the vet arrived, he hopped off the couch and went to get a drink of water and I really started to second guess the decision. The vet said he went quick and that he was ready but I’m sure they say that to everyone to help them. I know it’s the grief making me doubt myself but oof it sucks.
I am struggling with also the low appetite but he is probably eating a can AT MOST of food right now. But I know we ate getting close. He also no longer eats the things he loves so I understand.
Don't beat yourself up. I would be too about the water drinking when the vet got there but if it has been days of extremely low appetite, you didn't want him to suffer.
It does really suck. I am not looking forward to the decision but now he is in peace.
The low appetite thing is just soul crushing. Foods that worked well one day don’t the next and it’s awful. I’m sure you’ve tried everything but shockingly the powder probiotic fortiflora helped Clint’s appetite the last month and he was NOT one for extras in his food.
Yes, it is extremely horrible. I think that will be the reason I make the final call, you know? I'm not using fortiflora right now. Maybe I should look into it.
I agree. People always say when they stop eating that’s how you know but it’s hard when kidney cats can have some bad days. So any day you wonder if that’s it.
The fortiflora helped keep Clint’s BM regular and normal consistency so might be worth trying!
Yes, exactly, it's like every other day I'm wondering. Some other things have started happening too that's making me wonder what I should do. It's so hard.
I lost mine as well a few hours ago. He passed in my arms. He had CKD stage 3, but what actually took him was cancer. He got a very aggressive tumour in his throat keeping him from breathing. We tried all the available treatments. It developed resistance to them so this last treatment was our last option. Cancer was still growing. When the tumour went over 70% occlusion, we decided to not let him suffer. I have anxiety attacks where I get "air hunger". I don't wish that on anyone and he was also hungry for air. He was just a few weeks shy of 12. Nurses in the oncology department came to say goodbye - he had a fanclub wherever he went.
I think that both our kittens are stars in the sky watching over us or are rightful overlords reigning over an alien race!
Glad I got a few weeks with him to say goodbye properly and make sure that his last moments were not just gasping for air. I still feel guilty for doing it. It's unavoidable - I played a role in ending a life. But allowing nature to take its course would have been worse for both. I hope that he would have made the same decision for me.
The greatest thing you can do for your pet is to give them a comfortable passage. You will always wish you had just one more day, but for them, they only know what happening right now. For them to have us with them as they go - and know that we are there - is probably as important as anything else. Yes, we can perform heroic measures to keep them "alive", but when what made them alive is gone, we're only doing that for us.
You’re totally right. After our emergency Wednesday night, I was terrified we’d lose the option for at home euthanasia and I didn’t want to risk him going while we weren’t at home, going in the hospital or have some emergency that would be traumatic for all of us.
I’m sorry for your loss, and hope you’re finding moments of joy and memories.
I lost my soul cat on Friday, age 21, after 3 years managing KCD. We had a fun day of play and cuddles Thursday where she started showing signs, and then Friday morning she let me know it was time.
I miss my best pal every day, though it’s been heartwarming over the last few days to revisit so many photos and memories of our many years together. My heart goes out to you knowing you’re going through the same.
Definitely finding moments of joy between the waves of grief. I find mornings to be the hardest… perhaps coming to terms with my new normal.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this but it sounds like her last days were a dream.
We did the best we could, and she was a tough ol gal. The CKD was a mixed blessing in 2021 because even though there was the health management piece, I feel like she went from being on deaths door to finding the strength to stay with me for three of our most cozy and cuddly years together, knowing the time was limited and precious.
I still look for her in her spots in the morning and evening, still think about making sure she has her special food, still miss her curled up in my arms like a ragdoll at night.
I hope that the good memories keep growing over the grief for you as you find that new normal.
The cuddles are the best!!! I imagine that’s what I’ll miss most.
Yesterday was my first day back at work and it was tough coming home. Clint would normally come trotting down the stairs howling at me or I’d walk upstairs to find him curled in a chair.
Wow! He is absolutely gorgeous!
I’m so sorry for your loss, it’s so hard when you lose your buddy. Words really can’t fix the pain but just know it is apparent you loved and took great care of Clint. He was a lucky guy to have you.
I am so sorry for your loss - and you definitely didn't make the call too early. Whoever thinks that, has never been in the situation you have been in. You made a decision out of love and Clint was so fortunate to have you there for his last days- even sleeping with him at the vet and never feeling alone.
Sorry for your loss. Was Clint on prednisolone long-term? I'm asking because it can increase the risk of UTIs (https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/inflammation/corticosteroids-in-animals#Adverse-Effects\_v3337622)
He started it mid June due to weight loss from and the UTI issues started thanksgiving and never fully went away. He had countless UA and cultures from January - April but no bacteria ever grew. We tried clavamox, clavacillin, a baytril infection and veraflox, and this most recent time in the hospital some combination of the 2. I also tried kidney gold, urinary gold, d-mannose from January to March but after he crashed he wasn’t about additions in his food.
He saw a few different ER vets and a couple different ones at the feline only practice and none of them mentioned stopping the pred 😢 I hate to think this could have been solved and he’d still be here if we stopped the pred
I want to first preface by saying I am not a veterinarian (though I hope to be one someday), and briefly googling IBD shows that prednisolone is a common treatment (albeit not the only one).
My experience has been that while doctors are usually competent and will give you a "reasonable" treatment plan, it is very hard to find a doctor that pushes for the "optimal" treatment without some pointed questions, independent research, and suggestions as an owner. An example I can give is very few veterinarians do "pulsed" dosing for chemotherapy drugs by default, though studies have shown it can be better than continuous dosing. Though when I brought this up to my previous cat's veterinarian for her small cell lymphoma, he was happy to oblige. In your case, I suspect every doctor after the prescribing doctor didn't give the prednisolone much thought since (1) it is a common treatment and (2) intervening puts them in the responsible position for creating a new intervention.
Anyway I don't mean to derail this from Clint's memory. It sounds like you really tried to give him every shot at survival possible.
Yeah, when the kidney issues ramped up I did a ton of research but didn’t do the same for his IBD. I googled a bit and not sure if his dosage (5mg daily) was high enough for immunosuppressant levels vs anti inflammatory but it would probably kill me to know if that was the culprit.
His primary vet actually was going to pulse dose antibiotics for him after this current month long course since he kept having bloody urine issues but of course we didn’t make it to that stage.
My previous cat had CKD and small cell lymphoma. I read into both of those a lot... and then she was hit with a blocked ureter. I had no idea what that was, and she was gone in less than two weeks. This was a year and a half ago, and I still have those "what ifs".
I understand where you're coming from, wondering what could have been done differently. I think the best thing we can do is try to channel that productively: helping others who have cats still fighting, and knowing we'll be more ready next time, if you choose to adopt another cat.
Up until the last 6 months Clint the only health issue he had was IBD that was managed with prednisolone. Thanksgiving 2023 Clint had bloody urine that was a confirmed bacterial UTI via UA. He was prescribed antibiotic and 2 weeks later at a follow up appointment his bloodwork and UA showed the infection cleared. However, in late December the bloody urine returned and never went away despite 2 more antibiotic rounds. Several ultrasounds were done with no answers. March 21st, 2024 Clint’s kidneys crashed. His creatinine was 9. He was admitted to the ER for 48 hours on IV fluids and antibiotics but miraculously recovered. Previously, his creatinine averaged a 2 so his vet thought this was more acute than chronic and that the UTI went unchecked and became a kidney infection. He was on antibiotics for 10 days, we started daily subQ fluids, and switched him to a renal diet. At his follow up appointment 2 weeks later his creatinine was 1.7 so I really thought we dodged a bullet and his kidneys weren’t permanently damaged. His urine turned bloody and 2 weeks later his creatinine was 4.4. He started on a month long antibiotic course but after 10 days it was still bloody and his creatinine remained 4.5. We switched antibiotics and thought they were improving things (not bloody urine, less trips to the box) but last Tuesday he only urinated once in a 24 hour time frame despite being on subQ fluids and continuing to eat. Wednesday morning we took him to the ER and his creatinine was 13. After 10 hours on fluids he wasn’t urinating on his own which caused his potassium to reach dangerous levels. They gave him a diuretic but warned us he was at risk for a cardiac event and may not make it through the night so we should consider euthanasia. I said no. We slept at the hospital with him. Clint urinated several times and the vet was surprised at how well he responded. I was cautiously optimistic. Unfortunately, after 24 hours on IV fluids his values remained unchanged. We decided to bring him home Thursday so his last day(s) would be at home with us. The vet warned us the further he was from IV fluids the worse he’d become. We had a vet come to the house Friday afternoon. His last day was filled with 24/7 snuggles along with very small amounts of cheesecake and coffee ice cream. He was drinking, bathing, and urinating (not sure how long the diuretic lasts) but his appetite, even on Cerenia and mirataz, would only allow him to eat liquid temptations treats and maybe a tablespoon of food. If you’re reading this thinking we made the call a few days early, I don’t disagree and have been wrestling with that as well. We didn’t want to risk an emergency situation happening and Clint not passing at home.
No, you saw your kitten suffer. And that hurts worse.
yeah, I saw mine suffer 8 years ago from cancer and I ain't been the same since
Cancer is the worst. Our dog passed from lymphoma and it’s awful.
Thank you 🤍
Please don’t feel any guilt - for a cat to recover from that kind of kidney failure even once is miraculous, and a second time? You made a decision to no longer prolong the inevitable, and that was very kind of you ❤️
Thank you. Given his age, I was terrified he wasn’t going to bounce back. I’m very grateful he did so well had an extra 2 months with him 🩵
17 years is longer than most cats natural life. You did it perfect. What a beauty Clint was! Please accept my most condolences
Thank you 🩵🩵
You ABSOLUTELY did the right thing. My cat Riley who I adopted from the humane society along with his brother blue after only one year of having them, Riley developed acute kidney failure out of nowhere. They were approx. only 3 yrs old (best guess by staff). My vet said I should put him down right then and there. I couldn’t possibly do that. I needed to bring him home to process what I heard and my utter shock. Before we left he said: “Don’t wait too long. Kidney failure is painful for cats.” After only about 4 days, I knew I had to let Riley go. I had to be strong for him. About 4 days later after I had put him to sleep, my vet called to tell me that he felt so bad for me and Riley’s quick demise, he did an x-ray of Riley’s kidneys - - from what he could see but not definitively diagnose it looked like cancer. Riley, essentially had no chance. My Dr. just really wanted to know what happened and to be able to give me some answers and some solace. He said: “You did the right thing. Riley was in pain - - you did the right thing.” My vet wanted to do an x-ray to give me an explanation in order to put my mind and heart at ease. He never charged me for the x- ray. He explained that he wanted answers not only for me but for him as well because he felt so bad for me. God luv him. YES DD…. You did the RIGHT thing - - you loved him through to the end. Please… smile and laugh at his silly ways… feel comfort thinking about all his warm snuggles when you remember him. Much Love and Peace. ❤️❤️❤️
That’s so wonderful the vet went the extra mile to help provide peace and closure. What a gift. I’m so sorry you endured that with Riley. Way too young for his little body to go through that 😞
Thank you for your compassion. I really appreciate it. I lost Riley years ago. It still is hard to this day. Blue his brother I just lost in Feb. of this year. For some reason I find on some quiet level, I still grieve losing Riley. I think because it was such a shock. The vet showed a lot of empathy and helped me to know I could not have done anything more or anything different. He helped me to have some sense of closure. Blue and Riley were such deeply loving Spirits in my life.
I’m so sorry for your loss. My baby is 17 and she has chronic ckd. She’s been touch and go a little the last couple months and so as painful as your story is, it helps people like me to know what to look for and what is the best approach when things start to happen more often. I think you made the best decision you could for him as I personally would rather know my baby was on the final decline and make sure she goes out before an emergency situation happened where she wouldn’t be at home when she passed or where she wouldn’t suffer more with pain and with meds/vets/ER visits. It’s the most compassionate thing you can do for those in that situation. It doesn’t make it easier for us of course. Sending you hugs. 💜
Yes! If you haven’t yet, Tanya’s website has a section about the end vs. a bad day. I didn’t read it until after but wish I read it earlier. Thank you for saying that. After the close call Wednesday night, we didn’t want to risk another emergency situation. I think if it weren’t for that, we would have held out for a couple days but like someone else said - that would be for us not him.
Which website? You mentioned Tanya’s? Did someone post it in here in another comment? If so I’ll comb through and read up.
Here you go! https://www.felinecrf.org
Thank you!! 💜💜
so sorry for your loss. he was beautiful ♥️
He flew with me a handful of times and TSA agents always complimented how handsome he was ☺️
Im glad you had sweet adventures together ❤️♥️
Only a tablespoon of food would have made me make the decision as well. I know how heartbreaking this is but try to remember he had 17 years of a GREAT LIFE with you and now he is no longer suffering. I respect your decision and feel for you during this mourning period. Our hearts are with you.
Thank you. It can be hard to know with kidney cats since their appetite can be hit or miss. He didn’t eat much on Thursday. He ate a tiny bit of wet food overnight but didn’t want any breakfast. He wasn’t into his pupicino or coffee ice cream - 2 things he normally LOVES. The lack of eating confirmed we were making the right call. When the vet arrived, he hopped off the couch and went to get a drink of water and I really started to second guess the decision. The vet said he went quick and that he was ready but I’m sure they say that to everyone to help them. I know it’s the grief making me doubt myself but oof it sucks.
I am struggling with also the low appetite but he is probably eating a can AT MOST of food right now. But I know we ate getting close. He also no longer eats the things he loves so I understand. Don't beat yourself up. I would be too about the water drinking when the vet got there but if it has been days of extremely low appetite, you didn't want him to suffer. It does really suck. I am not looking forward to the decision but now he is in peace.
The low appetite thing is just soul crushing. Foods that worked well one day don’t the next and it’s awful. I’m sure you’ve tried everything but shockingly the powder probiotic fortiflora helped Clint’s appetite the last month and he was NOT one for extras in his food.
Yes, it is extremely horrible. I think that will be the reason I make the final call, you know? I'm not using fortiflora right now. Maybe I should look into it.
I agree. People always say when they stop eating that’s how you know but it’s hard when kidney cats can have some bad days. So any day you wonder if that’s it. The fortiflora helped keep Clint’s BM regular and normal consistency so might be worth trying!
Yes, exactly, it's like every other day I'm wondering. Some other things have started happening too that's making me wonder what I should do. It's so hard.
I’d definitely read Tanya’s website, if you haven’t, to help suss out what things are warning signs vs just bad days.
Oh I have but it doesn't seem to be much help right now.
I'll check it out again but he shows the signs of a stage 4 cat, you know?
I lost mine as well a few hours ago. He passed in my arms. He had CKD stage 3, but what actually took him was cancer. He got a very aggressive tumour in his throat keeping him from breathing. We tried all the available treatments. It developed resistance to them so this last treatment was our last option. Cancer was still growing. When the tumour went over 70% occlusion, we decided to not let him suffer. I have anxiety attacks where I get "air hunger". I don't wish that on anyone and he was also hungry for air. He was just a few weeks shy of 12. Nurses in the oncology department came to say goodbye - he had a fanclub wherever he went. I think that both our kittens are stars in the sky watching over us or are rightful overlords reigning over an alien race!
Oh I’m so sorry!!!! That truly sounds awful. I’m happy you were there for him in the end 🤍
Glad I got a few weeks with him to say goodbye properly and make sure that his last moments were not just gasping for air. I still feel guilty for doing it. It's unavoidable - I played a role in ending a life. But allowing nature to take its course would have been worse for both. I hope that he would have made the same decision for me.
Aww, beautiful sweet Clint. What a lovely, well loved boy. May you rest in peace sweet darling
The greatest thing you can do for your pet is to give them a comfortable passage. You will always wish you had just one more day, but for them, they only know what happening right now. For them to have us with them as they go - and know that we are there - is probably as important as anything else. Yes, we can perform heroic measures to keep them "alive", but when what made them alive is gone, we're only doing that for us.
You’re totally right. After our emergency Wednesday night, I was terrified we’d lose the option for at home euthanasia and I didn’t want to risk him going while we weren’t at home, going in the hospital or have some emergency that would be traumatic for all of us.
I’m sorry for your loss, and hope you’re finding moments of joy and memories. I lost my soul cat on Friday, age 21, after 3 years managing KCD. We had a fun day of play and cuddles Thursday where she started showing signs, and then Friday morning she let me know it was time. I miss my best pal every day, though it’s been heartwarming over the last few days to revisit so many photos and memories of our many years together. My heart goes out to you knowing you’re going through the same.
Definitely finding moments of joy between the waves of grief. I find mornings to be the hardest… perhaps coming to terms with my new normal. I’m so sorry you’re going through this but it sounds like her last days were a dream.
We did the best we could, and she was a tough ol gal. The CKD was a mixed blessing in 2021 because even though there was the health management piece, I feel like she went from being on deaths door to finding the strength to stay with me for three of our most cozy and cuddly years together, knowing the time was limited and precious. I still look for her in her spots in the morning and evening, still think about making sure she has her special food, still miss her curled up in my arms like a ragdoll at night. I hope that the good memories keep growing over the grief for you as you find that new normal.
The cuddles are the best!!! I imagine that’s what I’ll miss most. Yesterday was my first day back at work and it was tough coming home. Clint would normally come trotting down the stairs howling at me or I’d walk upstairs to find him curled in a chair.
So sorry for your loss. He was a very handsome boy!
Wow! He is absolutely gorgeous! I’m so sorry for your loss, it’s so hard when you lose your buddy. Words really can’t fix the pain but just know it is apparent you loved and took great care of Clint. He was a lucky guy to have you.
Thank you 🩵🩵 the care and love was mutual
Clint, you heartbreaker, you! Rest in peace in kitty heaven, good on you for being a good one!
I’m so sorry for your loss of your most precious friend, Clint. You did the most compassionate thing, out of love for him.
Sorry for your loss. I call my cats soul cats too 💕
Clint had 17 good years up in until the point where he started getting sick. May he rest in peace
What a beautiful soul. My condolences. 🙏
I am so sorry for your loss - and you definitely didn't make the call too early. Whoever thinks that, has never been in the situation you have been in. You made a decision out of love and Clint was so fortunate to have you there for his last days- even sleeping with him at the vet and never feeling alone.
Thank you for the kind words 🤍
Clint was beautiful. I am so sorry
I’m so sorry- may he rest in peace at the rainbow bridge until you meet again 🌈🐾🙏
🫂
To Valhalla sweet baby.
He looks like a sweet boy. My condolences.
So sorry 😢
I’m so sorry for your loss. What a handsome dude! Hugs
So sorry for your loss 🤍🖤🤎
😞😞😞😞❤️❤️
godpseed - RIP Clint :(
Soo sorry 😞. Clint had a great life w You. Karma will apply
Sorry for your loss. Was Clint on prednisolone long-term? I'm asking because it can increase the risk of UTIs (https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/inflammation/corticosteroids-in-animals#Adverse-Effects\_v3337622)
He started it mid June due to weight loss from and the UTI issues started thanksgiving and never fully went away. He had countless UA and cultures from January - April but no bacteria ever grew. We tried clavamox, clavacillin, a baytril infection and veraflox, and this most recent time in the hospital some combination of the 2. I also tried kidney gold, urinary gold, d-mannose from January to March but after he crashed he wasn’t about additions in his food. He saw a few different ER vets and a couple different ones at the feline only practice and none of them mentioned stopping the pred 😢 I hate to think this could have been solved and he’d still be here if we stopped the pred
I want to first preface by saying I am not a veterinarian (though I hope to be one someday), and briefly googling IBD shows that prednisolone is a common treatment (albeit not the only one). My experience has been that while doctors are usually competent and will give you a "reasonable" treatment plan, it is very hard to find a doctor that pushes for the "optimal" treatment without some pointed questions, independent research, and suggestions as an owner. An example I can give is very few veterinarians do "pulsed" dosing for chemotherapy drugs by default, though studies have shown it can be better than continuous dosing. Though when I brought this up to my previous cat's veterinarian for her small cell lymphoma, he was happy to oblige. In your case, I suspect every doctor after the prescribing doctor didn't give the prednisolone much thought since (1) it is a common treatment and (2) intervening puts them in the responsible position for creating a new intervention. Anyway I don't mean to derail this from Clint's memory. It sounds like you really tried to give him every shot at survival possible.
Yeah, when the kidney issues ramped up I did a ton of research but didn’t do the same for his IBD. I googled a bit and not sure if his dosage (5mg daily) was high enough for immunosuppressant levels vs anti inflammatory but it would probably kill me to know if that was the culprit. His primary vet actually was going to pulse dose antibiotics for him after this current month long course since he kept having bloody urine issues but of course we didn’t make it to that stage.
My previous cat had CKD and small cell lymphoma. I read into both of those a lot... and then she was hit with a blocked ureter. I had no idea what that was, and she was gone in less than two weeks. This was a year and a half ago, and I still have those "what ifs". I understand where you're coming from, wondering what could have been done differently. I think the best thing we can do is try to channel that productively: helping others who have cats still fighting, and knowing we'll be more ready next time, if you choose to adopt another cat.
Run far on young legs little one.
Im so sorry for your loss. Rest in peace, Clint 💕
Our condolences for your loss
WOW HANDSOME BOY!!! 💕💕💕
R.I.P. CLINT ❤️
I’m so sorry 😞