CHE Standards

Ross Said:

Kidney disease renal failure symptoms question!?

We Answered:

Some other syptoms include swelling of ankles (edema) and fatigue. But, the best indicator is through blood tests and uring analysis. Your doctor can check for protein (albumin) in the urine, and can test for creatininne levels in the blood. If you are diabetic, you should be followed closely by your physician, who should monitor for these signs periodically.

Jay Said:

How does kidney disease affect the immune system?

We Answered:

I just had my kidney transplant about 4 months ago and now that I am on tons of medicine to prevent rejection, my immune system is SO low. Before the transplant though I was never told my immune system was low, even while on dialysis. The only thing I had to watch was my diet, mostly sodium intake, but as for my immune system before the transplant, it was the same. Now though I have to be very careful around kids and anyone who even has a minor cold due to my medications effecting my immune system.

Linda Said:

Can you get renal kidney disease</strong> from masterbating or can you might it worst if you have renal disease ?

We Answered:

Yes! You'd better not ever masturbate again!

Kristen Said:

Has anyone administered fluid therapy at home to a cat with renal failure/kidney disease?

We Answered:

Yes! For about 2 or 2.5 years now I've been giving my CRF/Hypercalcemic cat fluids.

I buy the fluids (w/vet's authorization) from the Fosters & Smith website - MUCH cheaper. If you buy 4 or more 1000mg bags, shipping is free (they are heavy).

I buy my drip-sets (my favorite) from UPCO.com

I buy my "Monoject" needles, either 18x1A guage or 20x1A guage from Fosters & Smith, too. Just be sure to look to the right and don't get the 18x1-1/2 'cause those are very long (I accidentally ordered those once. I used to buy from another site 'cause they were cheaper, but when I moved and lost my old e-address in the process (on wireless now) I lost that site, they were a little cheaper.

First thing is to get all the bubbles out each time - even though it's just under the skin and not in a vein, it's still uncomfortable for them to feel the bubble. The fluids, even though they feel room temperature, are pretty cold going in, if you can warm them up (I boil water and lift the bag in and out for about 5 minutes and test the water - not too warm, but not cold), your cat will appreciate it.

If your cat is very mellow, you can place Bosco on your lap, hang the fluids as Highhhhhhhhhhhh as you possible can, lift a good piece of skin on the back or loose neck area, point the needle "scoop" up, pat your finger to where you're going to stick it in, then just do it - all the way in. (You can practice on an orange if you've never done this before - a hospice worker taught me that before I started giving IM Morphine injections to my boyfriend who had cancer years ago).

During the whole time, be talking to Bosco in nice low and happy tones. Once the needle is in, turn it all the way on with the blue thingy by rolling it all the way to the other end. Hold and pet Bosco with your one hand on the front of his chest and face, but always having a hold on the chest area in case he tries to bolt and just talk to him through the whole thing about what a good boy he is, how much you love him, things you are going to do that day, etc.

Make sure he is dehydrated before administering, though. Too many fluids can be toxic as well. To find out if he's dehydrated, lift some of the skin on the back and let it fall. If it goes right down, he's not dehydrated; if it goes down slow or not at all, he desperately needs fluids.

I know I'm forgetting something, so if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Oh, use a new needle every time, and make yourself a "Hazardous Waste" container. I use an empty Pringles can that I've taped the top down and made a tiny hole at the top for the needles to go in.

I'm sorry, Ken, I gave you a thumb's down because you did not answer her question in any aspect and you, again, simply pasted what you paste on everyone's questions asking about CRF. This is nothing personal. - Okay, so now you added a sentence at the beginnning to sort of answer her question.

Windi, you don't just "squeeze the bag until the right amount comes out". This is very bad advice and could cause harm to the cat. In fact, you don't even squeeze the bag at all except the very first time before sticking the needle in to fill the chamber about 1/2 full with fluids so you can keep better track.

Ashley Said:

Preventing Kidney disease/Renal failure?

We Answered:

You can't increase protein and reduce phosphorus - it doesn't work that way. What they usually do is reduce the quality of the protein (like to a plant source rather than from an animal source) to reduce the phosphorus, but this isn't good for a cat.

Cats require high quality protein. Wet food generally contains better quality protein than dry foods. But your best choice is a high quality canned food (like Wellness) that has a minimal amount of fillers, grains and additives. These substances are known to cause low level inflammation of the kidneys which results in damage to the kidneys over long periods of time. Since dry food is practically devoid of any water, it tends to keep a cat in a continual state of borderline dehydration, which causes the kidneys to work harder and accelerates damage.

You cannot reverse this kidney damage, but you can minimize any further damage by reducing or eliminating the ingestion of poor quality food ingredients and environmental toxins.

BTW, the feline distemper vaccine is suspected of contributing to kidney failure also.

Brad Said:

what exactly is renal kidney disease and what are the sypmtoms?

We Answered:

This question is really too general to answer completely.
Because there are many types of kidney diseases, there are many kinds of symptoms that people can experience. You should go to www.kidney.org (the national kidney foundation website) and take a look at the patient information.

To address a previous comment, urine output is often confused with kidney function. The amount of urine made does not tell you about your level of kidney function or whether your kidneys are sick. Please remember that depending on the cause of kidney disease/failure (chronic or acute), a person could experience low, normal or high amounts of urine output. The way kidney function is tested is by using laboratory values--the most common value used is called the serum (blood) creatinine level.

The laundry lists of signs and symptoms that are usually given for kidney failure are LATE symptoms of kidney failure. These generally occur when a person is at a point where their kidneys have failed completely and they require dialysis treatments. Most people with early/moderate kidney failure have NO symptoms at all.

So, the most common symptoms of kidney disease are no symptoms at all. Kidney disease is usually a SILENT disease that is more often then not picked up by checking routine laboratory tests. It is not ususally picked up by symptoms. Catching kidney disease early is the best way to prevent further kidney damage.

The best advice is to check with your doctor and make sure they have checked your level of kidney function. It is important to note that certain diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are major causes of kidney disease. If you have these and other predisposing diseases, you need to make sure your doctor checks for kidney problems on a regular basis. If there is a kidney problem, you may need to be referred to a specialist (nephrologist).

Julio Said:

What is the life expectancy of 22 year old with End Stage Renal/Kidney Disease?

We Answered:

if ur following all of the guide lines, taking ur meds, not gaining more than 2 kilos between treatments, following ur diet, u should be able to live a fairly long life, not doing any of the above mentioned things will decrease the expectancy considerably as the consequences don't show right away and when they do show up their life threatening and irreversible. Screw around enough with diet, weight, meds and you'll end up bed ridden in a nursing home if ur lucky and dead if ur not lucky