Rowdy (1985-2007)
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:31 pm
My cat Rowdy died Thursday, January 11, 2007. She was 21-1/2 years old. I adopted her October 15, 1985 when she was not quite full grown. She had hyperthyroidism, kidney failure, non-regenerative anemia, something that was causing a high white blood cell count, and difficulty with her hind legs. She had strong pulses in her hind legs, but they were wobbly. Sometimes she walked and her hips fell to one side, then she dragged them. She was on tapazole for her hyperthyroidism, but it was stopped because of the kidney failure. She had been on clavamox antibiotic which caused some gastrointestinal bleeding and was on sucralfate for that for a while to fix that. The results of her latest blood test on January 9th were terrible (the normal ranges are in parentheses on the right):
BUN 102 (14-36)
CREATININE 4.9 (0.6-2.4)
PHOSPHORUS 14.1 (2.4-8.2)
WBC 42.4 (3.5-16)
RBC 2.8 (5.92-9.93)
HCT 14 (29-48)
She went downhill suddenly and rapidly. Just a month prior her HCT was 22. We had planned to start her on epogen when the HCT reached 16, but she died before a prescription could even be filled. She was receiving reglan anti-nausea syrup, subcutaneous lactated ringers solution, B12, aluminum hydroxide phosphorus binder, cosequin, baytril antibiotic, and pepcid antacid. I also had carpeted pet ramps, so that she could get to and from the couch more easily and special litter boxes with low entry points. I tried to coax her to eat Science Diet K/D canned cat food, but mostly she ate the Iam's canned and dry and canned Fancy Feast, in order to get her to eat something. She weighed only 4 pounds. I was also adding a little canned pumpkin to everybody's food. In the end, I was syringe feeding her several times per day. She had good quality of life almost to the end. She was still purring the morning of the day she died. As a younger cat she liked to climb a lot. As an older cat, her favorite thing was curling up on the couch next to me. I think she must have had a sudden heart attack or stroke.
I keep wondering what I might have done differently that might have been better. Did she die because we stopped the tapazole too late? Did she die because we stopped the tapazole? Would she have lived longer if she hadn't had the last blood test done when she didn't have much blood to spare? If we had tested her sooner, would we have been able to get her epogen and another course of atibiotics in time to help? Is there anything else that could have been done? I realize the answers to these questions won't help her, but it might help another cat with a similar problem. I lost another cat to hyperthyroidism and kidney failure two days later and still have another cat with kidney failure and highly regenerative anemia. I find myself looking at the others and wondering who is next.
BUN 102 (14-36)
CREATININE 4.9 (0.6-2.4)
PHOSPHORUS 14.1 (2.4-8.2)
WBC 42.4 (3.5-16)
RBC 2.8 (5.92-9.93)
HCT 14 (29-48)
She went downhill suddenly and rapidly. Just a month prior her HCT was 22. We had planned to start her on epogen when the HCT reached 16, but she died before a prescription could even be filled. She was receiving reglan anti-nausea syrup, subcutaneous lactated ringers solution, B12, aluminum hydroxide phosphorus binder, cosequin, baytril antibiotic, and pepcid antacid. I also had carpeted pet ramps, so that she could get to and from the couch more easily and special litter boxes with low entry points. I tried to coax her to eat Science Diet K/D canned cat food, but mostly she ate the Iam's canned and dry and canned Fancy Feast, in order to get her to eat something. She weighed only 4 pounds. I was also adding a little canned pumpkin to everybody's food. In the end, I was syringe feeding her several times per day. She had good quality of life almost to the end. She was still purring the morning of the day she died. As a younger cat she liked to climb a lot. As an older cat, her favorite thing was curling up on the couch next to me. I think she must have had a sudden heart attack or stroke.
I keep wondering what I might have done differently that might have been better. Did she die because we stopped the tapazole too late? Did she die because we stopped the tapazole? Would she have lived longer if she hadn't had the last blood test done when she didn't have much blood to spare? If we had tested her sooner, would we have been able to get her epogen and another course of atibiotics in time to help? Is there anything else that could have been done? I realize the answers to these questions won't help her, but it might help another cat with a similar problem. I lost another cat to hyperthyroidism and kidney failure two days later and still have another cat with kidney failure and highly regenerative anemia. I find myself looking at the others and wondering who is next.