Fluid Treatment for Cats with Kidney Disease

When people have severe kidney problems, they often receive dialysis treatment. Dialysis is a medical process by which a person's blood is cleansed of toxins that would normally be flushed out by the kidneys. It generally requires sophisticated equipment, and is often done at the hospital.

While giving a cat kidney dialysis isn't unheard of, we can all appreciate that the expense and trauma of doing this on an ongoing basis make this difficult, if not impossible for most pet owners.

There is, however, a form of "mini dialysis" you can learn to do at home that is both easy and affordable. And that's to give your cat extra fluids (sterile, saline solution) "subcutaneously" – which means just under the skin and not into a vein).

Fluid therapy can be very beneficial to dehydrated pets with limited kidney function. Cats with kidney failure drink a lot of water. But they can't drink enough water to compensate for the reduced filtering function of their kidneys. But by adding even more fluid (water) to their system, you can help them flush out more toxins from their body and help them feel better.

Chances are your vet may have given your cat subcutaneous fluids shortly after your cat was diagnosed with kidney failure. The staff at your vet's office can show you how to do it, and provide all the equipment you need, which is:

 A 1000 cc bag of sterile fluid (a Lactated Ringer).
 A supply of disposable needles (probably 18 gauge with a pink plastic base)
 A sterile tube that connects the needle to the bag of saline fluid

You can use a wire coat hanger and a string or shoelace to attach the bag of fluid to the hanger. You then hang the whole thing from a door or any other secure, high object. It looks like the "mash" unit you see on TV medical shows.

Administering the Fluids

There are two important tricks to giving your cat fluids:

1) Inserting the needle well. Your vet's staff will show you how to make a little "tent" of the loose skin on the scruff of your cat's neck or upper back. You then poke the needle parallel to your cat's back, into this little pouch of skin you've created by "tenting" it. In other words, the needle goes sideways and flush with your cat's back. NOT straight into your cat!

It's interesting to note that you can tell how dehydrated you cat is by how easily you can make this tent of skin. If the skin pulls up easily, your cat is still fairly hydrated. If there is very little elasticity in the skin, it could be a sign that your cat is somewhat dehydrated.

2) Stay on schedule. Shortly after diagnosis, you may be on a very frequent hydration schedule, say, every two days (or even every day), to help flush toxins out of your cat and bring her blood levels back to normal.

As time goes on and she appears to respond to the treatment, you may dial back to every two or three days. By mistake, we have gone four days between treatments. Michou seemed to be a little out of sorts after waiting that long. Now, we stick to every two-and-a-half days. I use an "appointment alert" in my Outlook calendar, on my computer's desktop.

I also keep a paper diary of her treatments. I record the date, time of treatment, level of fluids left in the bag, and whether or not I used a new needle last time.

Our vet recommended changing the needle each time, and changing the "line" – the plastic tubing – every week. We felt that was an unnecessary expense. Instead, we use a sterile needle for two treatments, and then throw it a way. We use the sterile plastic tubing for weeks, if not months at a time, before getting a new one. We have not seen any detrimental results.

Since you're dripping 200 ml of fluid with each treatment, each 1,000 ml bag will last for 5 treatments or roughly 10 days to two weeks.

The Feline CRF Foundation website has a handy step-by-step illustrated guide for administering fluids to your cat, which you may find helpful.

You can also get more information about administering subcutaneous fluids in cats at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Although you will probably learn everything you need to know from your vet's office.