An 18-year-old Cat’s Struggle with Stage 4 CKD: The Story of General

An 18-year-old Cat’s Struggle with Stage 4 CKD: The Story of General

An 18 year old cat with stage 4 kidney disease gets well enough
to feed himself and even use the scratcher!

 

| Profile

  • Name: General
  • Birth: Mar, 2006 (Age: 18)

  • Breed: Siamese
  • Sex: Neutered Male
  • Diagnosis: Diagnosed with Stage 4 CKD in Jan. 2024
  • Treatment: Jan. 2024 ~ Present
  • Treatment Protocol: Dr. Toru Protocol AIM and medicine, stem cell therapy

  

 

| General's Crea

 

 

 | TREATMENT

 

[Stage 4 CKD Diagnosis]

  • General is an elderly (18+ years old) male cat.
    In January of 2024, General suddenly started refusing to eat, necessitating a visit to the local animal hospital.
    There, General was given 3 to 4 days to live at most due to his failing health.

    Many cats tend to hide their pain, which prevents their owners from realizing their cats are sick.
    By the time the owners are alerted to the disease, their cats may already be in critical conditions, especially in case of kidney disease.
    General was one such case.


  • General was then taken to an animal hospital affiliated with  Greycoat Research - one specializing in the care of cats - to see if treatment was available for his health including his CKD.
    Even so, he was given 1 week to live at most.

    His blood test results revealed that his creatinine levels were at 5.5, and he was diagnosed with Stage 4 CKD, metabolic acidosis, anemia, and dehydration.
    General was also incapable of feeding himself, resulting in sharp weight loss that left him at 3.3 kg.
    In addition, his eyes became cloudy, rendering him unable to see anything in front of him.

 

 

[Treatment Process] Jan. 2024 ~ Present 

General’s First Step Towards Recovery

Despite this, General was unwilling to give up on life.
He retained a keen sense of curiosity even during his time in the animal hospital, and showed an interest in engaging with his veterinarian.
Seeing this, his temporary caretaker became determined to help him fight.
As such, General was admitted into a cat hospital and began receiving treatment in the form of medicine, supplements, and stem cell therapy.

 

 

Treatment Begins with Feeding

As General was only able to consume small amounts of food, the decision was made to insert nasogastric tubes through his nose to avoid causing him intense stress through forced feeding.
Stress is one of the leading factors in causing a cat’s condition to worsen.

 


Fighting Against CKD

Within 2 days of hospitalization, General’s creatinine levels fell from 5.5 to 4.6, and General was allowed to leave the hospital. Within 3 days of outpatient treatment, his creatinine levels dropped even further to 3.7, and his weight increased to 3.58 kg.

 


The Journey Begins

Within 2 weeks of treatment, General was able to muster up the energy to eat food by himself once more.
Though the nasogastric tubes prevented General from grooming himself, he was still able to eat all the food offered to him and would eagerly wait for more the next morning.
By this point, his creatinine levels were at 2.7, and his weight had increased to 3.83 kg due to his restored appetite.

 


Miraculous Transformation

Within 3 weeks of treatment, General was able to have his nastogastric tubes removed, and his eyes became less cloudy.
Prior to this point, General had difficulties walking around, but now, he was able to jump on top of tables and even groom himself.
Within 4 ~ 5 weeks of treatment, General’s eyes had cleared up completely, allowing him to explore his surroundings and even use the scratcher.
By the end of 5 weeks of treatment, General’s creatinine levels were 2.3, and he weighed 3.94 kg, a miraculous transformation from his original condition.

 


Ensuring Health and Happiness During CKD Treatment

General still has high phosphate levels as well as high pancreatitis levels, which necessitates constant care and treatment.
That said, General still retains his strong desire to live, and has proved receptive to his temporary caretaker’s efforts to treat him, so expectations for his future are high.
It is our wish that the case of General’s recovery can bring comfort and hope to those taking care of elderly cats suffering from CKD.
As such, we are willing to share the process of General’s CKD treatment protocol as it was carried out over the course of 6 weeks.

 

[Treatment Protocol]

Hospital Care
Stem cell therapy (1 session every 2 weeks for a total of 3 sessions), fluid administrations (1 session every 2 weeks for a total of 3 sessions)

Supplements and Medicines

  • Dr. Toru Protocol AIM : 1 capsule at a time, 2 times a day
  • Dr. Toru Protocol Intensive : 1 capsule a day
  • Kremezin (an oral carbonaceous adsorbent to absorb uremic toxin) : 1 capsule at a time, 2 times a day
  • Fosrenol (a phosphate binder to lower phosphate levels) : 1 capsule at a time, 2 times a day
  • Digestive Enzymes : 1 capsule at a time, 2 times a day:
  • Probiotics
  • Omega-3 fatty acids (250 mg of EPA+DHA)

 

Food

  • Royal Canin Fenile Renal Support Liquid Cat Food : 1 bottle a day for the first 3 weeks through nasogastric tube
  • Royal Canin Aging 12+ Wet Cat Food

 

Note
Dr. Toru Protocol Intensive is still under development, and is scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2024. Given the urgency of the situation and General’s advanced age, the decision was made by GreyCoat Research to administer the product for research purposes.


* All shared datas above are analyzed by IDXX blood test results.

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