What More Can I Do For a Cat with Stage 4 CKD?

Meet Today's Cat

  • Name: Lovie
  • Age: 10
  • Sex: Female
  • Weight: 3.0 kg (down from 3.8 kg)
  • Blood Test Results: 5.5 (CREA), 28 (BUN)
  • Notes: Suffers from severe anemia and metabolic acidosis.

Caregiver
Hello, my cat Lovie has stage 4 CKD, and I’ve been taking care of her for a year now.
I first met Lovie when I found her wandering the streets.
She was suffering from canker sores, so I took her in and started caring for her.
But after rescuing her, I took her in for a health checkup and we found out that she was already struggling with CKD.
I’ve tried everything I could these past 1.5 years, and it keeps feeling like nothing will work.
I learned about Greycoat Research while looking up ways to help Lovie.
Is there any way you can help?
Can your supplements save Lovie?

Greycoat Research
We’ve given Lovie’s blood test results a thorough inspection, and we feel for Lovie.
Does Lovie have any other symptoms or complications?
For instance, is Lovie vomiting or suffering from inflammation?

Caregiver
Thankfully, there’s been no vomiting.
As for inflammation, I honestly can’t tell.
I do know that she isn’t able to eat very well.

Greycoat Research
What supplements and medications are you currently giving Lovie?

Caregiver
I’m giving her Azodyl and Ipakitine.

Greycoat Research
Regrettably, Greycoat Research’s supplements alone will not be enough to improve Lovie’s current condition.
I believe the time has come for you to make a choice about Lovie’s future.
As painful as it may be, you will have to decide whether to continue to try and treat Lovie, or accept what’s coming and make Lovie as comfortable as possible before she passes.

Caregiver
Lovie is the first cat I’ve ever raised.
I’ve been able to meet so many other cats thanks to her.
So I want to do whatever I can to help her if possible.

Greycoat Research
In that case, we will do our utmost to help ensure that both you and Lovie have no regrets.
Before anything, we’d like to send you a link to our own CEO’s experiences taking care of a cat with stage 4 CKD.
Additionally, we’ll also create a list of things you’ll need for a cat like Lovie based on her blood test results.

(The following article was provided to the caregiver.)
General's Story

Greycoat Research
For now, we’ll do our best to provide you with a list of easily-accessible ways to help Lovie as soon as possible.

  1. Subcutaneous (SubQ) Fluids
    Given Lovie’s current condition and weight, Lovie requires approximately 100 to 120 ml of subQ fluids a day. Ideally, this should be spread throughout the day in doses of 50 to 60 ml per session.
  2. Greycoat Research Supplements
    In addition to Ipakitine, which Lovie is already taking, we recommend giving Lovie all 3 of our supplement products (AIM Dr. Toru Protocol, Intensive Protocol, Probiotics Protocol). Please contact us once you have received the supplements so we can work with you to find the best feeding schedule for Lovie and you.
  3. Hematopoietic Injections and Vitamin B12 Injections
    You can request hematopoietic injections from an animal clinic to manage Lovie’s anemia. Generally, these injections are administered every other week. If you are able to get hematopoietic injections for Lovie, we also advise you to ask for Vitamin B12 injections as well.
  4. Iron and Omega-3
    We encourage you to purchase iron supplements and omega-3 meant for cats as well. These products can be found easily online. If you have concerns about what product to choose, please choose those in price ranges that you can manage, and link them to us for further consultations. We’ll analyze the products and inform you whether they are safe for Lovie.
  5. Weight Management
    You’ve mentioned that Lovie isn’t eating, and that she’s gone from 3.8 kg to 3 kg. If you have to force her to eat, then you may try reaching out to a veterinarian and asking them to prescribe Lovie an appetite stimulant.  If this is not possible, then please ensure that she can consume at least 1.5 to 2 pouches of cat food a day. It is vital that you keep her from losing more weight. Additionally, if Lovie is vomiting frequently, please ask your veterinarian to prescribe her with antiemetic medication.
  6. Renal Food and MCT Oil
    We advise you to try switching Lovie’s diet to a product like Royal Canin’s Renal Support Liquid Cat Food, or, if that’s not possible, giving her MCT oil. Mix in a bit of MCT oil into Lovie’s food - start with 1 g a day, and you can slowly increase the amount up to 3 g a day.
  7. Melatonin
    Some melatonin products are made for cats and dogs. Melatonin can help treat anemia in cats by helping blood production. You may give Lovie up to 1 g of melatonin a day.

If possible, we also encourage you to give Lovie exosome shots, as well as IV therapy every other week. 
If you find yourself unable to secure or purchase any of the above, please contact us again for further details.
We will help you with Lovie’s supplement feeding schedule once the supplements that you have ordered arrive.
 
Caregiver
Thank you so much.
I’ll do my best for her.

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Unfortunately, Greycoat Research was informed by Lovie’s caregiver that Lovie had passed away a week after the last conversation.

We at Greycoat Research provide consultations on CKD care for a wide number of cats and their humans. However, that doesn’t mean that we can save every cat that ends up relying on us for help. For some cats, there just may not be enough time to give them the care they need.

According to internal data, based on our consultations with many cat caregivers around the world, Greycoat Research has noticed a tendency that sets veterinarians in Korea and Japan apart from those in the US. Namely, US veterinarians are much more likely to recommend euthanasia, and at earlier stages as well. While animal clinics in Korea and Japan encourage fighting it out till the end, those in the US prioritize ending an animal’s suffering.

It is not Greycoat Research’s place to determine which method is right or wrong. And, as noted, our internal data may not paint the full picture of the veterinary health system of the respective nations. Regardless, Greycoat Research will unflinchingly support caregivers if they choose to care for their cats until the end.

We cannot choose who lives and who dies. We merely strive to ensure that cats and their humans have no regrets while they are alive, so they can do everything that’s in their power to do. We believe that is what it means to live.

Some people believe that cats know when their time has come. They point out that when cats feel their end approaching, they muster all their remaining strength to crawl away somewhere cold and wet and dark so they can pass away in peace.

If that is the case, Greycoat Research vows to extend feline lives, to alleviate their pain and suffering, and to help cats find meaning in every remaining day, hour, or second of their lives until the end.

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The advice given throughout the consultation was tailored to Lovie and her caregiver’s personal circumstances. Greycoat Research’s advice is customized for each cat, taking into account factors such as the cat’s current health and condition, the caregiver’s financial burden, and proximity to a veterinarian.

Greycoat Research offers free, expert consultation services for cat caregivers with questions about our supplements and their administration to ensure that every cat can receive the customized care they need.

In order to make important information more readily available to all cat caregivers seeking help with their cat’s CKD, we at Greycoat Research are compiling our consultation cases and making them publicly available*.

*Any personal information that could be used to identify our customers and their cats have been removed to protect their privacy.