Sad day...pet advice needed...

[ISUFan22]

Our almost 6-year old cat has kidney failure. She's one of two cats we have, I've always heckled them.

Never did I think I'd get upset over a cat.

Our vet has informed us one of her kidneys is 3x the normal size. The other isn't functioning well either. Without treatment she has a couple weeks left. If we give her IV fluids, either one a day for a while or hospitalize her for 2 days with a continuous IV and then daily for a while after...she still only has 3-4 months tops.

We all know what the other alternative is.

I hate this. My wife is a mess over it. Poor Sadie looks at us like, "what's happening to me?". She's always had a ton of energy. Now she's lost 2-3 pounds in the span of a couple weeks, no energy and won't eat/drink much at all.

On one hand I don't want to see her suffer any more, because that's what she's doing. On the other, I want to do what we can to make her feel better and enjoy a few more months.

I'm just looking for some suggestions/advice here. No sympathy, no toss her in a river crap. Just some real advice.

 

[C.John]

If it was me, I would do what's best for the cat. Those 3 0r 4 months might be good for you and your wife, but putting the cat through continuous IV's for that time seems like you may be just prolonging Sadie's pain and struggle. Do what's best for the cat and ease her pain.

Just my opinion.

 

[brianhos]

Sorry bud...

It sounds like you pretty much know what you have to do. If she is not going to get any better, it is better to end it now before you end up making her suffer. I am not looking forward to it, but I think I may have to do that soon to my dog of 10 years.

 

[joepublic]

You have to put her down now. Anything else is just making her suffer. Putting down my collie just flat out sucked. The dog couldn't walk anymore and I WAITED TOO LONG to bring in the vet.

 

[benjay]

Pets rely on their owners to make the right choices for them. I think you already know what the right choice is.

 

[cycloneworld]

Tough situation. I would be pretty torn up if this happened to my cat and I've only had him for about a year.

Honestly, if there is nothing you can do I would spend some time with him/her over the next day or two and put hiim/her to sleep. You may be able to buy a few weeks or possibly a few months but the cat isn't going to feel good during that time...I wouldn't prolong the inevitable.

It would kill me to see my cat slowly die over the course of 2 weeks or 2 months and I just wouldn't want that to happen.

It sucks, but that's what I would do.

 

[cowboycurtis]

If it was me, I would do what's best for the cat. Those 3 0r 4 months might be good for you and your wife, but putting the cat through continuous IV's for that time seems like you may be just prolonging Sadie's pain and struggle. Do what's best for the cat and ease her pain.

Just my opinion.

I agree with john.

Is this from some of that bad food that was causing kidney failure? I thought the food was killing these animals alot quicker than 3-4 months. more like 3-4 days.

 

[HILLCYD]

I am with the other two responses. I remember when my dad had to make the decision about the dog I grew up with. He had to do it when I was away at college. Took him 2 days to call me up and tell me after it was done.

It ain't easy, but it is the right thing to do.

 

[mike4cy]

just keep in mind that the cat isn't going to tell you how much pain the it is in, you have to realize that on your own.

 

[mj4cy]

Hey pets are wonderful and thats why it is so tough to lay them to rest. I think you know the right answer. At least you can do it on your own terms peacefully. My cat died in front of my own eyes of a heart attack.

 

[tigershoops31]

Tough situation. I would be pretty torn up if this happened to my cat and I've only had him for about a year.

Honestly, if there is nothing you can do I would spend some time with him/her over the next day or two and put hiim/her to sleep. You may be able to buy a few weeks or possibly a few months but the cat isn't going to feel good during that time...I wouldn't prolong the inevitable.

It would kill me to see my cat slowly die over the course of 2 weeks or 2 months and I just wouldn't want that to happen.

It sucks, but that's what I would do.

Yeah I completely agree here. It is best to end your pet's suffering, and it'd be nice to spend a lot of time with it and give it some TLC for a couple of days before putting him/her to sleep. Either way it sucks for you, but at least you have a couple days to spend with and pamper your pet instead of something sudden. I balled like a little baby when our family dog died, even more than when my grandma passed away. I asked my brother why he thought that was, and he replied "Because the dog wasn't mean to us". That (kind of) joke at a sad time helped get me out of my funk.

 

[CloneFan65]

If it was me, I would do what's best for the cat. Those 3 0r 4 months might be good for you and your wife, but putting the cat through continuous IV's for that time seems like you may be just prolonging Sadie's pain and struggle. Do what's best for the cat and ease her pain.

Just my opinion.

It's a tough decision, but I agree with these sentiments 100%. And don't feel guilty for doing what's best for the cat.

Sorry to hear about this. Losing a pet is never easy.

 

[SlyCy]

I just had to put my hunting dog/pet down. I could have tried other things but for me it was a matter of my dog suffering that made the decision for me.

The process of euthinasia is pretty simple. They start out with a sedative to make the animal comfortable so you can say your goodbyes and then you can choose to stay or leave for the rest. They take care of everything after that.

It sucks, but it sounds like it's time...

 

[NEPatriotscy]

I feel really bad for you. Our cat was having liver failure about 4 years ago. We took him to a holistic vet and he told us that the reason for the liver failure was due to all the vaccinations that he had the first 9 years of his life. It was damaging the liver. I wonder if your cat is having kidney failure due to past vaccinations. Anyway, the holistic vet treated our cat with some of his own methods (including herbal medicine and accupuncture). After about 6-8 months of this treatment the liver had greatly improved and was almost normal. Our cat is now very healthy and about 14 years old. We continue to give the cat the liver medicine but at a much less frequent rate. I wonder if there would be any chance for survival at this late stage if you took your cat to a holistic vet (just a thought)? BTW, we stopped getting our cat vaccinated for the past 4 years. I think that some of these vets go crazy with vaccinations (could it be the money motive?).

My wife just informed me that your cat may be a victim of the recent poisoned cat food finding. There was some speculation that there could have been rat poison accidentally placed in some types of cat food several months ago. I know what you are going through. Good luck!

 

[clone52]

I agree with john.

Is this from some of that bad food that was causing kidney failure? I thought the food was killing these animals alot quicker than 3-4 months. more like 3-4 days.

Funny story about the bad food. My parents have 2 indoor cats, 1 fat and 1 extremely fat. I always make fun of the cats. I have a friend who has cats and the vet told him that they get overweight if you only feed them dry cat food and that you can supplement a little wet cat food so they don't overeat the dry stuff. Well, I told this to my parents who feed only dry cat food the day before the story broke about the bad cat food. Now they think I was trying to kill the cats.

 

[mfelske]

I had a cat go through something similar. We gave her fluids a few times a day at home and she seemed a little better for a few weeks. Not sure if I would do it again. Giving the fluids is stressful for the cat. Also, even though she got a little better she was still not her old self.

 

[chadm]

I just had to put my hunting dog/pet down. I could have tried other things but for me it was a matter of my dog suffering that made the decision for me.

The process of euthinasia is pretty simple. They start out with a sedative to make the animal comfortable so you can say your goodbyes and then you can choose to stay or leave for the rest. They take care of everything after that.

It sucks, but it sounds like it's time...

Went through this last year. My opinion is to stay in the room. It is a very hard thing to do, but in the long run you will feel better that your decision was the correct one and that you didn't leave your pet when they needed you the most.

 

[CTAClone]

I feel really bad for you. Our cat was having liver failure about 4 years ago. We took him to a holistic vet and he told us that the reason for the liver failure was due to all the vaccinations that he had the first 9 years of his life. It was damaging the liver. I Ownnder if your cat is having kidney failure due past vaccinations. Anyway, the holistic vet treated our cat with some of his own methods (including herbal medicine and accupuncture). After about 6-8 months of this treatment the liver had greatly improved and was almost normal. Our cat is now very healthy and about 14 years old. We continue to give the cat the liver medicine but at a much less frequent rate. I wonder if there would be any chance for survival at this late stage if you took your cat to a holistic vet (just a thought)? BTW, we stopped getting our cat vaccinated for the past 4 years. I think that some of these vets go crazy with vaccinations (could it be the money motive?).

My wife just informed me that your cat may be a victim of the recent poisoned cat food finding. There was some speculation that there could have been rat poison accidentally placed in some types of cat food several months ago. I know what you are going through. Good luck!

Not sure if I buy into accupuncture for the cat, but I do recommend getting a second opinion from another vet. Was told my dog had cancer and a ruptured spleen from a vet we didn't usually go to. Dog passed away a few hours later when we brought her home. The vet we usually take our dog too, took her away and performed an autopsy. There was no indication of Cancer or a Ruptured spleen. She had some internal bleeding that could've been fixed fairly easily. We didn't perform a surgery because we didn't want our dog to suffer only to die from cancer a month later. Get a second opinion, don't want to make a decision you can't take back.

 

[retzmountn]

ISU Fan -
I'm sorry to hear about your ailing cat. As a husband of an ISU Vet grad (1989) these times seem to be the most difficult. It is always a tough decision, but I believe you know what is best.

It's always tough weighing your options, but the additional pain & suffering she will deal with in order to give you a couple more nonquality months just isn't fair.

As for everyone prior to me, you know what the right decision is. Don't prolong her suffering. Remember her & the good times, don't confront yourself with more bad times.

My thoughts are with you and your family!

 

[cyclonenum1]

Condolences to you and your family. A lot of good posts here. I totally agree with getting a second opinion and with taking a course of action that minimizes the pet's pain and suffering.

I have a 17 year old miniature dachshund. She is my first pet and we got her not long after we were married. I am certainly not looking forward to the day when we have to make this sort of decision.