Sebastian`s life was hard from the very beginning.
For years my mom and I would watch him across the street and our hearts would break seeing him out in every form of inclement weather. Not wanting to start trouble with the neighbors we kept our mouths shut. Then his family moved away and left him in the care of the elderly couple next door. Finally things seemed to be looking up for him until the wife passed away and a caretaker moved in with the husband. Once again Sebastian was pushed outside and we feared shelter-bound, so little by little we started inviting him into our home.
It wasn't easy turning a cat who had practically never seen the inside of a house into a housecat but we did it and for three years he was a cherished member of our family.
Then during the summer of 1996 we started noticing he was spending more time by his water bowl and the litter pan needed to be cleaned more often. Naively we chalked it up to the summer heat but by late September there was no improvement. A visit to the vet confirmed our worst fears: Sebastian`s kidneys were failing and nothing could be done. We were sent home with instructions on how to administer sub-q fluids to prevent dehydration for what little time he had left.
On January 8, 1997, just over three months after diagnosis, Sebastian was gone.
Image courtesy of IDEXX
Tragically there's not a single thing about Sebastian's story that's uncommon. Kidney disease is a leading cause of death for cats, just as heart disease is for humans. Over 1 in 3 cats are likely to develop kidney disease in their lifetime, and as they age the likelihood of developing it increases. In fact, more than half of cats over 15 are afflicted. Since cats hide illness so well they typically show no symptoms (such as drinking and urinating more than normal) until their kidneys have lost most of their function - permanently.
Now IDEXX SDMA™, a breakthrough new test that screens for chronic kidney disease, can detect this serious disease months to years earlier, when there is still time to do something about it. This is great news for cats, as IDEXX SDMA™ can detect kidney disease when much of a pet's kidney function is still intact, giving you and your veterinarian the chance to take action and give your pet the best shot for a healthy, happy, long life - even with kidney disease.
The IDEXX SDMA test is available to all veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada. Even better, 2 in 5 veterinarians in the U.S. are already including IDEXX SDMA in their routine testing, almost always at no added cost. If your veterinary hospital is not doing so, just ask your veterinarian to send your pet’s samples to IDEXX’s Reference Laboratories.
YOU are your cat's best advocate. Ask your veterinarian for the IDEXX SDMA™ kidney screening test at your next appointment!
Follow the Pet Health Network on Facebook to learn more about IDEXX SDMA
Now IDEXX SDMA™, a breakthrough new test that screens for chronic kidney disease, can detect this serious disease months to years earlier, when there is still time to do something about it. This is great news for cats, as IDEXX SDMA™ can detect kidney disease when much of a pet's kidney function is still intact, giving you and your veterinarian the chance to take action and give your pet the best shot for a healthy, happy, long life - even with kidney disease.
The IDEXX SDMA test is available to all veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada. Even better, 2 in 5 veterinarians in the U.S. are already including IDEXX SDMA in their routine testing, almost always at no added cost. If your veterinary hospital is not doing so, just ask your veterinarian to send your pet’s samples to IDEXX’s Reference Laboratories.
YOU are your cat's best advocate. Ask your veterinarian for the IDEXX SDMA™ kidney screening test at your next appointment!
Follow the Pet Health Network on Facebook to learn more about IDEXX SDMA
Have you had experience with feline kidney disease?
16 comments:
So good of your mum to look after Sebastian.
Our Treasure has just shown the beginning of kidney disease.
He is 19 and doing well :)
Thanks for this information.
Purrs Georgia and Julie,
Treasure and JJ
I'm glad you were able to give Sebastian a final happy place to live. I wonder if the prevalence of kidney disease is a result of commercial cat food? Some Vet school should do a study about why it is so widespread. Thank you for spreading the word.
It was kind of you to give Sebastian a home when he lost his (twice!). And it's heartbreaking to watch a cat you love go through kidney disease. We're glad that you're helping raise awareness of early detection.
What a wonderful post. Feline kidney disease is so near to my heart, because my Angel Rosie had it for her last couple of years. She was a tough cookie, and with at-home care and frequent bloodwork, she lived a happy life even with kidney disease. When she passed last year, it was not from kidney disease, which was of some comfort to me. Still, I would have been happy to have had her screened earlier in life, and I am so happy that IDEXX has come up with this test. Thank you so much for sharing this, Mudpie and Melissa!
Great post, and an important topic. My Darya (OTRB 2006) had kidney issues and we had to give her fluids at home in her last couple of months. Glad to know there's a new test that can help others.
We passed this to our kitty friends
Snorts,
Lily & Edward
Very important topic thank you for sharing!
Very important info for cat owners. Thanks so much, Mudpie and Melissa. My cat is 18 years old and she was diagnosed with kidney disease about 18 months ago and with the K/D food from the vet she is doing pretty good. I treasure every day I have with her. Sebastian was very lucky to have you and your mom to take care of him.
Very important info for cat owners. Thanks so much, Mudpie and Melissa. My cat is 18 years old and she was diagnosed with kidney disease about 18 months ago and with the K/D food from the vet she is doing pretty good. I treasure every day I have with her. Sebastian was very lucky to have you and your mom to take care of him.
Such important information ! It's great to have a test now for early diagnosis. Purrs
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ two ewe sebastian ~~~~
N yes, trout towne haz seen CKD & we iz buzzed happee ta lurn bout thiz new test;
ya can bet de vet doodz gonna get asked bout it next time we R ther...thanx for sharin mudpie ~~~~~
we iz off line til twooz day sew heerz two a porbeagle shark kinda week oh end ♥♥♥♥
Such good info to know. Will definitely be asking my vet about this.
Me and Ernie both have had the SDMA test...and it showed I'm in the early stages of kidney disease. But now that we know it, we can deal with it. ~Wally
That was kind of you to adopt Sebastian, his story is so similar to our Spooky's . We even had him in our house just a few months short of 3 years. Kidney disease is awful, I am glad there is a way to detect it sooner. I wish there was a way to prevent it though.
As you know we are currently dealing with this with our precious Fiona. Mom plans to have this test done on all of us. We just pray it is not too expensive. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
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