Toro Update - Ultra Sound Findings

Toro grooming last night...

The docs found stones in both of his kidneys. There were about 8 or 9 stones lining each of his kidneys !! The smallest was 2.2mm and the biggest 6 mm. I was horrified when I heard this news. Dr T said they could not confirm if his kidney issues were chronic or not. If chronic, there could be no reversal of this status. He warned that Toro may have to have life-long kidney management which included medication and subq. He also said it would be unlikely that his subq fluids could be lessened with time and told me to expect to give him sub-q everyday for life. He also said that his creatinine, which was 2.9 (0.3-2.1) at the last blood test was higher than normal but it was the best that he could manage and if we get these numbers in a week we would be lucky. His BUN was 32 (10-30) last Tuesday. I asked him if his indicators would ever be normal again and Dr T said that would be unlikely.

He suspected melamine poisoning because I had given Totoro Nutro when it happened and Nutro was part of the brand that was contaminated by melamine. Bujang seemed unaffected and Ms Akira had vomitted several times throughout these years but the vet suspected that she was a nervous cat and the food might not agree with her. The vet did not take a blood test though when I brought her in for vomitting. That was a few years ago and now I wonder if I should bring her in too. :(

Totoro at home - 2nd Day

Toro looking rather grumpy after his oral meds yesterday afternoon

I made sure I came home early to give him his meds - his Azodyl, kidney activator capsule, Apo-K. I tried to put him on my lap but he continued to squirm to get away. He was not the perfect patient the nurses at the hospital were led to believe :) So I decided to bundle him up in a towel so I can get a firmer grip and gave him his oral meds using the pill popper. To mu surprise he took them all well and was indeed 'very good with his orals', like the hosipital nurse said. Once he was finished, he got away as fast as his short legs could carry him and would only eat the treat that I offered once he was sure I was not about to catch him again.

He fell asleep in his basket after the ordeal...

Here, you could see the bald patch (and it was a very big patch) that he got as a result of his ultra-sound. Grandma was rather disturbed by the patch and asked me to explain why they had to shave her Totoro that way. I told her that I had already made an appointment with his groomer on to cut his fur close next Tuesday so he would not look so strange.

Toro relaxing in bed...

He very readily sprawled on his pillow-blanket as usual. before he went to the hospital, he would not sleep on the bed but rather hide away in the bathroom, near his litter. He actually slept right in the middle of the bed which meant a little space for me and not much place for Tanaka.

zzz on Wednesday night...

His SubQ was not so successul so he would go to the vet today until Sunday for his SubQ training sessions. At the hospital, he had a catheter and so he wa son 24-hr drip but now he had to be restrained to sit for at least 10 minutes max for the SubQ. He squirmed his way throughout the whole process and managed to escape after 100ml of fluid! AIYAH! The hospital nurse taught me to put the needle at his scruff as she said it was the space with the most loose skin. I think I was not used to giving SubQs at the scruff so that added to the fiasco. He escaped and hid under the bed for a long period. He would only get out after Cousin R left and I was able to give him his Alutab and antibiotic then.

This morning, I made sure I had his Alutab and Apo-K close at hand and when he came up to wake me up, I held him gently and wrapped him up with towel and then gave him his 1/4 Alutab for the morning. The doc said I should make sure he gets 1/4 twice a day before or after his food. So THAT is one done already. The doc would give the SubQ, the Azodyl, the kidney activator and Apo-K later and I would just have to give him his 1/4 Alutab and antibiotic later at night.

Megat's SubQ went without a hitch :) I just have to see how to give 2 cats meds everyday and when FatBoy comes back, the schedule would have to change again. I wonder how other people do this!

Toro Update - Hospitalisation Day 5

Dr T said that the reason his creatinine and BUN indicators were lower on Sunday was because of the dopamine that they had introduced into his system. This allowed more blood to go to his kidneys. However this would not be possible to do at home so his protocol would be the following per day:

-250 ml of fluids

-1 capsule Azodyl (to be swallowed whole and would dissolve in his intestines)

- 1/2 Apo-K for potassium per day

- 1/4 Alutab 2X a day

The hospital nurse, a professional, said that Toro is very good with his orals! This has not been my experience with him at all. I foresee troubling clouds in the future. Alternatively I can send him to the vet at T for several days to train him to accept his meds gracefully and myself on how to give the orals meds confidently. Of course we would get the pill popper for this as I had given my pill popper to R for Fatboy.

He was very perky as the nurse said and Dr L told me that he was also very chatty. When I came to see him, he was already on his 2nd bowl of kibble and he was eager to show me that he was good at eating them by eating more in my presence. After every several brush strokes, he would eat some kibble :) Then I had to go out as Dr L was helping another cat to breathe. When came back he allowed me to carry him while the nurse changed is pad but he was not as docile as the last time. Toro really does not like to be carried at all and so I knew he was on the mend.

Dr T told me that 3/4 of his kidneys are not in working order and indeed it was precisely because of this, that we managed to find out his troubles. If kidneys were not damaged to that extent, we would not even have known about his low creatinine and BUN levels as they would not appear in the reading. The irony of that dumbfounded me!

Dr T warned that he would be on medication all his life and asked me if I wanted them to do a last blood test for him today. He said blood tests are expensive and Crit C costs $175.00 per. I told him to go ahead as I do not want it to be because of one blood test not done that would unravel all the good that his hospitalisation had done for him.

He would have one ultra sound done at 3.30 pm and Dr T was confident that he could go home. The ultra sound would confirm the type of kidney disease he has, whether chronic or not.

Question:
I read online that cats on Azodyl do so much better when it is combined with Epakitin. Would anyone know where I can get Epakitin?

Your cat is perky and eating well :)

The hospital nurse called me this morning to give me an update about Toro. I was glad to know that he is 'perky' and eating well. The news about his clear pee also made my day :)) I think when your pet is in hospital (or even people in hospital) it is all in the details.

Toro would not have any blood tests today and he would have a relatively stress-free day for today. Tomorrow is his last blood test and his ultra-sound. They are quite confident that he would be allowed home tomorrow, barring any catastrophes in the ultra-sound.

I would be seeing him later with some treats since he has been very good the whole time he is in hospital.

Toro at the hospital on Sunday

Toro grooming himself quite calmly in his ICU

FatBoy and Community Cat Visit

This is one of R's long term boarders. He is a community cat and his name is David . He won for himself 3rd place for Best cat at the cat show last Sunday. 30 cats actually competed for the prize. He is very friendly and would sit with you at a drop of a hat,

This kitty is also a community cat. He simply loves people and sat on mine and Cousin R's lap without any invite. he just walked up to us and sat on our laps :) He is all white and heavy and very beautiful.

FatBoy is looking much better. He is given only the renal kibble and R said he always gets excited when he sees wet food. We decided that probably it would be ok to give him a little wet food as a treat so he would be happier. he is cleaner and a little heavier but still thin. He pees a lot and drinks a lot like all kidney cats. R gave him his potassium pills neat. WOW!

PD is also very friendly and has learnt to socialise with others. R carried him about like a baby and he insisted on sitting on Cousin R's feet so we could take his pics :) He is very beautiful and R said if we bring him to the cat show, he could also win some medals as he is very friendly and calm :)

We tried to call the auntie t tell her of our visit but she could not be contacted. The auntie is very worried about FatBoy and one of her friends had frightened her telling her that R may not be feeding FatBoy a lot of food. We tried to tell the auntie that Fatboy would not eat a lot of kibble as it is more filling than wet food but she doesn't believe us. She thinks that R has been ill-treating FatBoy and the place may not be good. But I think if the cats look healthy and they are clean, friendly and happy, FatBoy and PD are in good hands!

Goodnight sunday

We R Glad

We are glad that Toro is feeling better and will be home soon. I was looking fur him this morning and yesterday too. I called and called but he disn;t answer. San says he is at the hospital but now I know we will see him soon. Fanks to effuryone who helped us with purrayers.

Toro Update - Hospitalisation Day 4

Toro inviting me for another round of brushing. He woke up very quickly when he heard me thorough the glass

We went for a walk around the lounge as it was quiet. He was nervous at first but then he got used to it. He quite enjoyed himself. One of the staff members recorded his meow for a ring tone :)

He was a good patient and followed the doctor's orders :)

This Sunday's test is so much better. I am comforted by the fact that he would be able to come home in a few days. His creatinine is now 5.2 from yesterday's 15 and his BUN is now 61 from 172. Dr S introduced potassium into his fluids so that is also stable. I saw the armoury of meds that he would have to take - an exact replica of Fatboy's. I also got a bottle of Bach 7 -Purification and ut some in his water bowl.

In the evening, he settled down to groom himself. I am glad to see this as I know he is no more afraid of the place and is quite comfortable where he is.

Kitty at home

zzzz...its exhausting just lying about...

Whampoa Market Kitty

A very pretty kitty resting under the shade. I think it must be hard work selling fruit at the market.