Saturday, February 13, 2016

Renal Failure in FIV Cats

In November my cat's blood and urine tests indicated that he was in renal failure and I was told that this was an indication that the feline immunodeficiency virus had progressed.  That these FIV cats can live a long life but some cats will get sick when they are older.  Know that we rescued Sam in 2008, which was eight years ago and Sam is approximately 9 years old.  Everyone I know that has an FIV cat has told me that some cats will get sick in 5 to 6 years.

So when it came time for Sam's check-up to see how his kidneys were,  you bet I was worried.  Both my husband and I really love Sam our Siamese cat and feel sad that he is sick.   Sam went in for his wellness exam and lab work last Friday.  It took 4 days to get the results.

The veterinarian called for a urinalysis and blood evaluation.  Both tests came back with normal findings. Sam has been cleared of renal failure. In fact, at this time there is nothing wrong with him except that he has a diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus.   That is a virus he will have for the rest of his life.

I  had no idea that we could reverse the diagnosis of kidney failure but I think that before Sam was not getting enough water and now his KD canned cat food diet must be benefiting his health.  Going forward we will keep all of Sam's veterinarian appointments and will continue to feed him the KD prescription canned cat food.

Learn more about FIV by viewing the video.