I’m writing this article to share with you the medicines my vet and I decided to treat Jordie with when she developed Renal Failure. I believe this course of treatment  both helped her feel better, giving her a better quality of life, and helped her live longer.

If you have been following my blog then you probably know that I started this Pet Loss site after we lost Jordie due to Renal Failure.  The term “Renal Failure” or “Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)” in part refers to “persistent azotemia accompanied by an inability to concentrate urine”.  Or the way I understand it in layman terms means toxins build up in the blood as a result of the kidneys’ inability to filter and eliminate waste from the body.

Jordie was first diagnosed in July 2008 and the vet gave her approximately 6 months to live.  After I started crying, she said maybe Jordie had 12 months.  I’m not sure if Dr. Teague really believed that or if she just felt sorry for me and was trying to give me comfort.

We started Jordie on 100ml subcutaneous Lactated Ringers Solution daily. This was a crude form of dialysis to help flush her kidneys.  We also gave her 5mg of Prednisone daily (I’m not exactly sure but I think this was to help her intestines which had become doughy) and ¼ tablet Mirtazapine every third day for appetite.  These 3 things were a good start and she improved greatly.

One of the things that happens with Renal Failure is that they don’t feel good and quit eating, or what they do eat they vomit up.  The vet wanted her on Purina Feline NF Renal pet food, but unfortunately she would not eat it.  At this point she had lost so much weight (down to just 6 lbs and at one time she was 17 lbs) that we just needed to get calories in her or she was going to die anyway. Dr. Teague said to feed her whatever she’ll eat.

This was all so new to us and to Jordie and I felt like we were just doing so much “medical” stuff that I was reluctant to add any new medicines (in the  end she was on a total of 9).  This is really the point of this article.  The vet suggested we try two more things: Azodyl and Epakitin which she said had shown some good results in the treatment for CKD.  She gave me print outs that explained how they worked but I still put off the idea for several months until things started going down hill fast.  At this point I was willing to try just about anything and in hind sight wish I had taken her advice sooner.

I am not a vet or doctor so I want to put in this disclaimer now, and if you do have medical knowledge you probably are saying I didn’t properly explain how or why certain medicines work.  I know and please cut me some slack. I’m just here to share with you what treatment we did and that in Jordie’s case, I think Azodyl and Epakitin really helped.  It seemed to make her feel better very quickly and I personally believe it extended her life.  I am not sure how it works, but I believe they “helped” absorb and flush the “toxins” from her body (check with your vet).

Since CKD on average affect approximately 10% of cats and 5% of dogs and is one of the leading causes of deaths in cats and dogs, I just wanted to share with you my personal thoughts so that you could discuss them with your vet to help you determine the best course of treatment for your loved one.

In the end, we were able to enjoy Jordie for 13 months and she died August 29, 2009.  Dr. Teague said we did a good job taking care of her and she had a good quality of life until the end.  I miss her so very much.  If you are tending to a sick pet, I know this is a hard time and I wish you the very best of luck in whatever path you and your vet take in the treatment of your furry friend.♥