Cat Needs Kidney Transplant - Would you?

Gisellerina · May 2013

Thank you everyone. In some ways, I guess it's easier that the decision is made. I'll just focus on giving her the best pallative care available for as long as she's not suffering. And like some of you pointed out, it might not have been a very good decision for her anyway. >^..^<

lyndausvi · May 2013

MairePoppy said:

My sweet 2 1/2 year old basset hound was diagnosed with lymphoma and leukemia three weeks ago. We're devastated. We took her to a veterinary cancer center to start chemo. Although we know she can't be cured, we're hoping for a 1-2 year or more remission. She's had some really great days since then and a few truly awful days. Today is not good. The vet has told us that we will be deciding next week if the chemo is worth it. I don't think we're going to get the news that we're hoping for. I don't think my pup has long to live.

We decided to try chemo because of her age and because the treatments are done as an outpatient, she likes to ride in the care and she's not afraid of the vet. We take her to the center, she gets her shots and Rxs, we bring her home within an hour. If we had to leave her there, or put her through risky surgery, or if she was fearful,we wouldn't do it.I wouldn't put a 13 year old cat or dog through surgery and follow up treatments. I'd do whatever it took to keep my pet comfortable and happy at home. And when that's no longer possible, I'd have her euthanized.

I'm sorry about your cat.

I'm sorry.

harper0813 · May 2013

Maire and Giselle, I'm sorry to hear about your cat and dog, respectively. I hope you're able to make your babies comfortable and enjoy your time with them.

At the vet today, I heard the doctor tell a man that his basset hound had intestinal cancer that couldn't be treated with chemo. I felt like an ass sitting around with a dog who had a bacterial ear infection.

Pets, man. They don't stick around long enough.

arrippa · May 2013

I am so sorry for what you are going through. If this was my Mac, I would be a nervous wreck.

kaos16 · May 2013

Ahh, the donor colony is such a bizarre concept to me. I picture a creepy man in a lab coat telling these cats, "You can go to a good home with nice humans and all it will cost you is a kidney. . . . . I can guarantee treats every single day if you give up a toe too." It just seems like a strange concept to me

As for whether to do the surgery, based on what you are saying, I wouldn't. I had an amazing dachshund, Killer. He suffered a back problem while with my parents when I was on vacation 2 years ago. When I came home he would trip, and his back end would give out. He was lethargic. I took him to the vet who indicated that he had herniated discs. The surgery would be thousands of dollars and MAY help. There was also a good chance that within 6 months or so he would need another surgery on other discs. We took him home, gave him morphine shots and other meds, keeping him confined to give the injury a chance to heal on its own. It didn't. I had to put him to sleep at 6 years old. It was devastating, and still upsets me, but what the decision came down to for me was what would his quality of life be like? I realized that putting him through that surgery on the off chance that he would have some miracle recovery would be an extremely selfish thing for me to do because I didn't want to lose him. It would NOT be the best thing for him, as he would almost certainly live out his life in pain and discomfort.

Gisellerina · May 2013

CMGr - sorry to hear about your loss - five years is so young! Glad to hear you have been blessed with Mumford - you are right - sometimes another cat needs you at the right time.

Ella & Moemac - Thank you.

Zoberg - you are right; pets don't stay around long enough. Hope your dog is feeling better soon - ear infections are not fun!

Kaos - it does sound strange. A lot of medical technology kind of gives me the creeps in the abstract. But, apparently when it's my own pet or family member, I feel differently. Since there are apparently no donor cats available, I didn't have to weigh the morals and ethics. So, I also can't answer any questions about where they come from, how they're selected, etc. Sorry to hear about the loss of your dachshund.

Gisellerina · May 2013

Soup - I am sorry to hear about your loss. It is really hard to know what the best decision is - especially since pets, unlike people, can't give us medical directives!

MuppetFan · May 2013

I would have to consider whether I could afford it, the age of the animal, how much the animal means to me, and whether it would significantly improve it's quality of life.

My dog is getting older. He's the single most important thing in the world to me, he's my baby. I would invest a considerable amount of money (over $10k) if I could afford it. I can now, I may not be able to in a year or more if I have kids. I have a CareCredit card just in case something catastrophic happens to him. I probably would not invest that amount on any other animal I've ever had.

kks4471 · May 2013

Sorry I'm getting to this thread so late (long, busy work day)... I read through it, sounds like you've made a very hard decision. I just wanted to say that my own Dad had a kidney transplant, and recovery from it was very difficult. He is doing wonderful now, but still takes anti-rejection pills every day. I just can't imagine doing this extensive of a surgery to your cat, who doesn't understand why you're doing it. I'm sorry you had to consider it though, best of luck to you and your cat!

Gisellerina · May 2013

Muppet & kks - Thank you both for the kind replies. And kks, glad to hear your dad is doing wonderful now. From what I've learned (today!), it's a really hard surgery for people!

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

HoorayForSoup said:

Frankly I think a "donor colony" is tantamount to animal abuse. That notion alone would keep me from pursuing the option.

I don't understand why everyone hates the donor colony. I assume the alternative is that these cats are sent to a shelter and killed because there's no room for them. So why is having a kidney surgery and a promise of a forever home so bad?

ETA: I am assuming these are strays and rescues, not cats bred specifically for the colony.

Gisellerina · May 2013

Moonlight - My regular veterinarian believes they are healthy, genetically compatible stray cats living on the university property (all the transplant doctors are affiliated with Veterinary Schools), but he could not confirm that - it's been a few years since he's had a patient undergo the procedure. I did not ask the Surgeon's office where the donor cats come from, so I do not know for sure. I think the unease with the donor colony is that healthy animals are undergoing a surgery unneccessary for them and that they cannot consent to undergo the surgery to save a sick animal (unlike human organ transplants).

P.S. I love LOVE love your wedding picture - did you have your ceremony at an aquarium?!?!

winelover123 · May 2013

CMGr said:

Don't put your cat through the surgery, and yourself through the expense. Animals don't fear death. They do fear pain and suffering. Keep your baby comfortable for as long as possible, and make sure he isn't being kept alive just to please you. When you have mourned (or maybe sooner) there will be a different cat who needs your love.

This is so true. Animals know when it's their time to go - it's the humans that have a difficult time letting go of them. Last weekend we decided to put my dog down - she was really old and just not happy. She wouldn't eat and couldn't get up. It was heartbreaking and I cried for hours. She died the day before we were supposed to take her in. It's easier when the decision is taken out of your hands, but no less painful.

OP, I'm sorry to hear that no donors are available.

JennaMichelle88 · May 2013

Linger, are you talking about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult? Great book, squicky story.

d2va · May 2013

I have two cats and one dog, and I feel for your situation.

I voted that I would have to check my budget. If I was "rich" and could just throw the money away, then yes... without a blink of the eye.

Your baby is an old lady. I would see if theres any holistic treatments ( like above poster suggested chiro, and/or acupuncture). I would also ask the vet if theres anything that will comfort her? Is she in pain, give her pain meds.

If she were my cat, and were 13 years old, I would try to make her feel as comfortable as possible, and love her to the very end.

JennaMichelle88 · May 2013

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought of when I read "donor colony."

ranzzo · May 2013

OP, while I am so sorry you are going through this, this thread has given me some help as well. We have been treating my cat, Peanut, for what we thought was hairballs since last summer, though she rarely coughed up any hairballs, just had the cough. The vet told us to have her take the hairball gel you buy at the pet store. Last month the cough became a lot worse. Very hoarse and it seems to affect her entire body. Though, it's a dry cough and after it passes she goes back to her normal self. We feared asthma so we took her to the vet on Saturday. The vet agreed that he thought she had asthma but they did not have the equipment for a chest x - ray to confirm, so we took her to another location on Tuesday. That vet said her x - rays were very cloudy and wanted to rule out an infection as the steroid treatment for asthma would make any infection worse.

She also stated she wanted to do a bronchial lavage ($1800) and blood work to test for other infections. She called me Wednesday asking to run a heart worm test on the blood work. We adopted Peanut 2 years ago from a rescue organization. Her previous owners adopted her from the same agency as a kitten and surrendered her when they lost their job. Despite the rescue's rules about not letting your cat outdoors, Peanut was an inside/outside cat. She has never been outside the two years we have had her (save for vet visits) so if she has heart worms, she has had it for at least two years. Apparently it has only become recently known that cats can get them, so there currently is no cat specific treatment. I asked if she would live if she has it, and the vet said she didn't know, though in her opinion Peanut does not seem to be suffering at this point. There has been no weight loss, she eats, plays, etc... We are praying it is asthma as we know she can still live a relatively normal life and we are familiar with the treatment (my best friend's cat has asthma). We do worry about the steroids as they can cause kidney failure but it is closely monitored by the vet.

We are still awaiting the results for the heart worm test and will proceed from there. I feel so guilty for thinking she just had hair balls. I feel like I failed her. She and my other cat are my kids and it is my job to protect her. I will pay for any necessary treatment so long as it improves her quality of life. We also just opened a Care Credit card and we are willing to use our savings. I have been praying every day that she will be okay because I don't think it's fair that I've only had two years with her. It's hard to convey that sentiment to others as they view her as "just a cat." But she is so much more than that to me and my husband.

Gisellerina · May 2013

@d2va, she is not in pain, but she is very nauseous. So, I am working on following up with some alternative medicine veterinarians to see if there's anything herbal for cats that might help her.

@ranzzo, so sorry to hear about Peanut. Please don't feel guilty or like you failed her. It can be really hard to know when there's something wrong with a pet - so many of them try to hide their symptoms from us and then there's the whole language barrier! It sounds like you're doing everything you can for her. It is definitely hard to hear the "just a cat" statement. Some people really need to learn to think before they speak.

kmmssg · May 2013

Gisella, we adopted twin boys, Newton and Einstein from Petsmart 4ish years ago. They were 4 months old and incredibly cool cats. Big cats as they are part Maine Coon. Huge paws, awesome personalities.

When Newton was 2 he started to lose weight and then boom, he lost a bunch of weight. Took him to the vet and he had kidney disease. We would not have considered transplant.

Our vet taught us how to hydrate him sub-q each night. He tolerated it incredibly well. Dh would insert the IV needle just under his skin each night and allow the proper amount of saline solution to flow and then it was done til the next night.

We had him for an extra 7 months. During that time he rough-housed with his brother as well as our other cat, Nermal. He acted 90% like himself. We decided when he quit wanting to interact with the others and quit wanting to be social we would know it was time to put him down. We bought a lovely 7 months of time with him and his quality of life was very good. Maybe this is something you can discuss with your vet.

So sorry your furbaby is sick

Maire - so very sorry about your puppy.

Gisellerina · May 2013

@kmmssg, we are giving Frogalina iv fluids twice a day as well as an anti-nausea injection once a day - like Newton, she tolerates it very well too. Thank you for sharing how long you had him - how advanced was his kidney disease when he was diagnosed? I'm so afraid that I'm going to come back from my honeymoon and Froggy won't be here.

P.S. I love that you have a cat named Nermal.

kmmssg · May 2013

Gisellerina - thanks, and I love that your cat's name is Frogalina. Love that!

When Newton was diagnosed he had lost a lot of weight suddenly after losing a bit slowly. Since he was a big Maine Coon we didn't think much of the first couple of pounds. Then it went quickly.

He was DH's main buddy. DH took him to the vet and his kidney function numbers were really bad. They said with those numbers we could expect to have him for maybe another 2 weeks with no intervention. We started hydrating him 100 ml every night. His appetite was sketchy so we started buying wet cat food and we just kept a variety on hand so we could find what he would eat. His preferences would change on a dime. Imagine that with a cat!

He bounced back decently for several months. Played with Einstein and Nermal though a bit less rambunctiously. Kitty play time in our house sounds like a herd of buffalo running through. Of course, you can't have kitty play time til Mom and Dad turn out their bedroom light and want to go to sleep. I think it is in the kitty bylaws.

We did have to board him once when we were going out of town. I tried dozens of hotels in the Chicago area and NO one would let me bring a cat. Dog? No problem. Cat? No way.

I hope that helps some. We live close to Michigan State University which has a well regarded vet school and small and large animal vet clinics. We were told a transplant would be in the 5 grand range. We decided we couldn't do that. To be honest, I really didn't even think about where the donor would come from, but it just wasn't something we could do anyway.

Best of luck to you and Frogalina. Give her lots of loving and just be mindful of when her quality of life diminishes.

Gisellerina · May 2013

@kmmssg - Frogalina had been losing weight slowly too - suddenly, she lost a pound in a month! (And she's small to begin with). One of her fellow kidney patient friends is a Maine Coon - his human said the same thing as you - first couple of pounds lost, they didn't think too much of it either. Froggy is getting 75 ml of iv fluids morning and night, but we're having the same problems with food - we'll find something and she'll be excited about it for a few days and then turns her nose up at it - all kinds of dry and wet cat food, duck appetizers (meant for people), Chick Fil A chicken nuggets, baby food, kitten milk replacer, etc. - we've been trying all sorts of foods. This week-end's experimental menu includes Boston Market turkey and gravy as well as some sort of liver pate appetizer (also meant for people). My parents will be cat-sitting during our honeymoon, but I'm really worried.

And I'm really relieved to hear I'm not the only one who wasn't thinking about where the donor would come from! I was just so shocked - in March, her numbers put her only in the first phase of kidney failure, so I just wasn't expecting her to decline so drastically.

Thank you for the well wishes - it really does help to hear from others who have gone through the same thing.

kmmssg · May 2013

Gisellerina - I'm sure you have already thought of this, but just want to toss out there to make sure your parents get comfortable with hydrating Froggy. DH ALWAYS did it and then he had to be out of town for 10 days and it was my turn. I'm not a squeamish sissy, but it took me 3 or 4 times with DH right there before I felt comfortable with the whole thing.

lyndausvi · May 2013

StageManager14 said:

@RetreadBride, @Hoorayforsoup You guys do realize that while the novel was fiction, the practice of creating "savior siblings" does, in fact exist, right? Not only that, but it is legal in the US and the novel was inspired at least in part by the first known US case appearing back in 2000. So, while yes, everyone should realize that particular story is fiction, it does not make them a MORON if they don't, since the situation is a reality.

I swear I've seen a Dateline, 20/20 or one of those other shows do an article on having a child to save another child. I think in those cases they just used the cord blood. If people have done that I think it's possible people have taken it to the next level.

Gisellerina · May 2013

kmmssg - I still live with my parents, so my mom helps me with Froggy everyday - but that is still really good advice! I'm actually more worried about what happens after the honeymoon, when I move in with FI - he is not good with anything medical! Although we've both agreed that if Froggy continues to worsen, we'll delay me moving in so that she can be comfortable and happy her last few months. (He's got a dog and joint custody of his kids, so that might be too much to expect her to adapt to if she only has a few months left.)

Which I guess really makes me sound like a crazy cat lady. (delaying living with my husband for my cat). Oh well. If I am, I am.

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

Gisellerina said:

Moonlight - My regular veterinarian believes they are healthy, genetically compatible stray cats living on the university property (all the transplant doctors are affiliated with Veterinary Schools), but he could not confirm that - it's been a few years since he's had a patient undergo the procedure. I did not ask the Surgeon's office where the donor cats come from, so I do not know for sure. I think the unease with the donor colony is that healthy animals are undergoing a surgery unneccessary for them and that they cannot consent to undergo the surgery to save a sick animal (unlike human organ transplants).
P.S. I love LOVE love your wedding picture - did you have your ceremony at an aquarium?!?!

@Gisellerina Thanks! I did have my ceremony and my reception at an Aquarium. I have more pictures in my Married Bio, linked in my signature.

@Everyone else - My assumptions could be wrong. And I agree that it's not nice to put a cat through a kidney donation when they can't understand what's going on. But I still think surgery and a forever home is better than going to a kill shelter and being gassed.

QueerFemme · May 2013

I have nothing further to add to the discussion... but I'm wondering what "abuse" was in some of these posts that would require an "abuse" flag.

Peledreamsofrain · May 2013

I know I am late to the game, but the phenomenon in "Sister's Keeper" is in fact a real life issue that happens for bone marrow transplants.

I watch "Mystery Diagnosis", which is where I first heard of a family in England who did this (have a baby specifically to save their existing child).

It's happened in America too. I don't know how I feel about it. Repulsed at first, then wondering if I wouldn't do anything, anything at all to save my children. Hard to say without being in the position.

http://www.today.com/id/43265160/ns/today-today_news/t/born-save-sisters-life-shes-glad-i-am-family/

cece84 · May 2013

StageManager14 said:

Yeah you're right, Stage
About Retread or the "colonies" being cruel? Wait, it's me. I'm right about everything.

@stagemanager14 - I accidently flagged you just now. I then went to "love it" to see if I could un-do it, but no such luck. What a wonky system. My apologies!

cece84 · May 2013

StageManager14 said:

@cece84, no worries! Thanks for letting me know though!

No problem! I was reading that other thread about the flagging and hidden posts and I was trying to see if everyone had access to see who reported it or just the original poster and I felt awful. Figured I should let you know. :-)

Cat Needs Kidney Transplant - Would you?

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