Dinky
After all these months of steady improvement, I am allowing myself to relax just a tiny bit regarding Dinky's chronic kidney failure. I can't quite make myself believe that she will "get over it" but she is doing well and looks as good as she ever has, so maybe we can coax a few good years out of her. Keeping in mind that she could "crash" at any time, we live-- for now--in what William Carlos Williams described as the enlightened period between the explosion and the shockwave.
And what guarentees do we ever have, anyway? There is always only just today, so I greet each new day that we have our spunky little calico with gratitude.
When Dink was first diagnosed with chrionic renal failure, I was very upset. I searched the internet for information and joined a large mailing list for support. I found people in silimar straits who were dosing their cats with a variety of medications and supplements. One site offered twelve different treatments to help their cat limp along. You can find a lot of information on the internet, but I have learned to use my own best judgement. Each case is different and there are some opinionated folk who will insist that the treatment they have devised for their cat is the only way to go, and some will even attack you (verbally) if you don't follow their advice--accusing you of not caring for your cat. Cat-folk can be a hard-headed and passionate lot.
I guess I am lucky in that Dinky is fairly young (12 years) and very healthy. In time, I came to see that the single most important thing I could do for her was administer her daily fluids. That and a daily vitamin supplement is what her daily treatment consists of. I feed the dry science Diet k/d in the bowls upstairs--where she does most of her eating--but opinion is divided as to the value of a low protein diet. She gets her wet food (Friskies) with everyone else in the evening, anyway. As I said, her numbers have been steadily improving since Spring. Sure, there is more I could do in treating her--but I am not convinced it would be an improvement. "Treat the cat--not the numbers" was the best advice I picked up on-line about treating cat illness. The cat is looking and feeling good. There may be a time to bring in the heavy guns later, but I'm not going to mess with success at this point.
And what guarentees do we ever have, anyway? There is always only just today, so I greet each new day that we have our spunky little calico with gratitude.
When Dink was first diagnosed with chrionic renal failure, I was very upset. I searched the internet for information and joined a large mailing list for support. I found people in silimar straits who were dosing their cats with a variety of medications and supplements. One site offered twelve different treatments to help their cat limp along. You can find a lot of information on the internet, but I have learned to use my own best judgement. Each case is different and there are some opinionated folk who will insist that the treatment they have devised for their cat is the only way to go, and some will even attack you (verbally) if you don't follow their advice--accusing you of not caring for your cat. Cat-folk can be a hard-headed and passionate lot.
I guess I am lucky in that Dinky is fairly young (12 years) and very healthy. In time, I came to see that the single most important thing I could do for her was administer her daily fluids. That and a daily vitamin supplement is what her daily treatment consists of. I feed the dry science Diet k/d in the bowls upstairs--where she does most of her eating--but opinion is divided as to the value of a low protein diet. She gets her wet food (Friskies) with everyone else in the evening, anyway. As I said, her numbers have been steadily improving since Spring. Sure, there is more I could do in treating her--but I am not convinced it would be an improvement. "Treat the cat--not the numbers" was the best advice I picked up on-line about treating cat illness. The cat is looking and feeling good. There may be a time to bring in the heavy guns later, but I'm not going to mess with success at this point.
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