With a long lifespan comes complications that are a normal part of life. Things break down. For some, things break more than for others. This is true for people just as much as it is for cats. A dislocated hip, pancreatitis, dental disease, kidney disease, arthritis, basal cell cancer, anemia, ataxia... etc...
For Mr. Mau with CKD, one of the things that has eased the complications and given him resilience is our giving him subcutaneous fluids 100 mL every other days. He hates the needles but he's a good kitty and he knew that I am helping him.
Fluid therapy is one of the most common medical treatments cats receive. The purposes of fluid therapy are to increase blood volume (dehydration or hypovolemia), change the content of the blood (such as electrolyte, metabolic and acid disorders), change the distribution, increase excretion. The body keeps water levels in check by homeostasis. If there is an excess of water, the kidneys flush it out of the body via the urine, if there is too little water in the body, the kidneys concentrate the urine and the brain sends a signal to drink more water.
Subcutaneously
This involves lifting a tent of loose skin at the back of the neck and injecting the fluid into the area. It may be necessary for pet owners to give a cat subcutaneous fluids at home. A lump of fluid may occur after administration, but this will gradually spread throughout the body. If your veterinarian has recommended giving your cat subcutaneous fluids at
home, he or a veterinary nurse will demonstrate how to safely do this.
My heart hurts for all of you going through this. Hang in there...
No comments:
Post a Comment