Need info on surgery for cat

[stpalmer]

Beavis, our 14 year old male cat has had chronic bladder and urinary tract infections and stones. This last time, when the vet cathetarized him, they damaged his urethra so badly they had to perform surgery to remove his penis (he had stones embedded in the urethra). Meanwhile, they told us he's in early Kidney Failure. Now, almost 5,000 dollars later, I'm wondering how long he'll live and if the penis removal was the right thing to do.

Does anyone have experience with this?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I am so sorry you and Beavis had to go thru this...

I do not have any experience with this, but wish I could help.

I believe there is a DUer who is a vet. Try PMing them.
Their Id is KESTREL91316

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Many years ago I had a cat who had that surgery

because that's how they often treated feline urinary tract problems in the '70s. It didn't seem to do him any harm; he never had urinary problems again and he lived to be 21. There are ways to treat kidney problems, too, if caught early. Here's hoping Beavis will be fine for a very long time.

[tencats]

3. What are the tested values for his Bun and Creatinine?

Have you started with any therapy for his CRF? Was his urethrostomy surgery recently done? Was he previously on a prescription diet and is he now?

[stpalmer]

5. Yes, sort of

He's been on a prescription diet for the uti's for years, but the new vet/surgeon switched him to a new food with less protein after his surgery a few weeks ago. (About 10 years ago another vet allergy-tested him and found him to be allergic to all foods but venison and peas, but that special diet gave him stones even worse.) The poor cat has been hospitalized and close to death repeatedly, but bounces back after surgeries and procedures pretty quickly--except this time. I laugh shakily when I realize how many thousands of dollars we've poured into this guy--he is loved. He is the sweetest, calmest, most patient cat I've ever seen, and is the "big daddy" of all our many pets over the years, from ferrets to lizards to rats.

No suggestions from the vet for the CRF other than that I make him comfortable and try to keep him eating--even if I have to feed him canned tuna. They said it could be weeks or months until he needs to be put to sleep. He's 14, but an old, battle-worn 14 with chronic medical issues. I have to shave him due to a skin condition he's had most of his life. He looks pathetic. He's gone from 22 pounds down to 13.5 since his surgery. He has good days, and bad days. Good days are when he runs downstairs with the dogs in the morning to be fed, bad days are when I can't get him to get out of bed to eat, and he urinates where he lays. It's very confusing.

[kestrel91316]

4. My Boochi kitty had a perineal urethrostomy (the surgery you are discussing)

three years before I got him. Then he got a big bladder stone from debris they didn't remove at surgery time so he got donated to me when he needed the stone removed. He has a perineal hernia from the over three years of severe straining he did, poor baby, but does fine on proper diet and a little lactulose syrup as a stool softener.

PU is a LIFESAVING surgery so yes, you did the right thing. Cats with urinary obstructions can sustain permanent kidney damage if they are plugged long enough. And cats can have inherited kidney problems in addition to the run-of-the-mill old age kidney problems we see.

I have been managing moderate kidney failure in another of my cats for over two years now and she is very happy and almost 18. There are medications that can slow the development of complications, like benazepril/enalapril, calcitriol, and others depending on lab test results. Special food like Hill's K/D helps to ease the kidneys' workload. Also, as they worsen, outpatient or home-administered subcutaneous fluid supplementation can be done. My Dusty is on benazepril, calcitriol, k/d, fluids 3x a week, PLUS methimazole for her hyperthyroidism, and buspirone so she doesn't get scared to death by all the crap we have to give her (she is kind of nutty but a real dear, lol), AND a potassium supplement. I don't regret or mind at all doing all this - she is very happy in her little world (as clinic mascot). Yes, it's easier to do this when you are the vet and kitty lives at the hospital, lol, but I have had any number of clients over the years do as much at home and not mind.

Cats can live for YEARS with early kidney problems - I have some cats that do not seem to be progressing AT ALL, though most will worsen over time.

[stpalmer]

6. Buspirone?

One of Beavis' problems is that he hates medication, and actually goes to great length to avoid it--he's been on so many over the years. I think his trauma over the medication is keeping him from making better progress. Does Buspirone work like an antidepressent or antianxiety? How does it work? We've tried every other trick to get him to take meds, and we're all tricked out. I'm ready to drug him to complacency.

[stpalmer]

7. Beavis died today, Nov. 30th

He hadn't used his litterbox in days, he seemed in pain, then this morning he had a massive seizure that went on for almost three minutes. I thought he was dead at first, but then he twitched. I rushed him to the vet, and they said his kidneys had failed and the seizure was due to the fact that his kidneys weren't processing. He had barely moved since the seizure, and when they gave him the shot, he just quietly went. It hadn't been even two months since his surgery, or since they'd diagnosed him with kidney failure. The doc who put him to sleep was the same one who had performed the surgery. I wish I hadn't made him suffer over the last two months. I wish I'd never agreed to the surgery. He wasn't the same after that, and it didn't prolong his life in a good way. The last two months weren't good for him. I wish I knew then what I know now.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I'm very sorry. RIP. Beavis.

And don't beat yourself up for having the surgery done. You did what seemed like the best thing at the time, and often there's no way to know what the outcome will be. You gave him a good home and he must have known how much you loved him, and that's what matters the most.

[IndyOp]

9. I am sorry for your loss. You did the best you could for him and for yourself -

If you had let him go months ago and then met or read about a cat owner whose pet lived for happy years after the surgery then you would've regretted not having the surgery.

Nothing will feel right for a while... :cry: but, with time there will be peace.

:hug:

[undeterred]

10. I'm sorry.

:hug: