Hi - I am just looking for peace of mind.
I have an amazing vet, with endless patience and commitment, but I really don't want to trouble her any more. She says she just doesn't know - and I believe her - this is my neurosis/grief talking...
My 10 year old male neutered tabby cat was put down on 7 October. The chronology is as follows:
Day 1 - Thursday - vomited "sausage" like emission - lots of water.
Day 2 - Friday - Fine - normal behaviour and appetite
Day 3 - Saturday day - normal - Saturday night - 2 x frothy vomit - lethargic and off food - licking lips
Day 4 - Sunday am - 1 x vomit - white frothy - took to vets
Day 4 - Sunday pm - Creatine levels off the internal vet scale - check on toxins (anti-freeze/lilys) - no exposure
Day 5 (Monday) - 9 (Friday) - Severe deterioration - creatine 1700. Some blood in urine, but white cell count normal - Scan revealed one kidney shrunken (long-term) - other kidney enlarged to compensate. Good response to fluid (and every other type of) therapy - Creatine down to stage 3. Some eating, copious urine (but no concenatration) - No evidence of infection. Scan/ultrasound for stones - negative
Day 10 (Saturday) - Home after being weaned off fluids slowly. Mid afternoon - no urine production. Not eating or drinking. Harrowing deterioration. Couldn't administer medicines.
Day 11 - Further deterioration - overwhelming ammonia smell, sunken eyes, poor leg control, no food/toilet, no grooming - euthanasia at 1630.
My questions are:
1 Why would one kidney fail in the first place, so long ago?
2 What caused the previosuly undiagnosed chronic kidney disease to become acute?
3 Was I right to euthanise then - the lack of urine production was the "killer" feature for my vet - and wishes all owners acted so quickly.
I went from healthy beloved cat, to dead one in a week.
How?
Please help.
Many thanks,
Ruth