I've had an update from the specialist vet hospital. This afternoon the verdict comes in and a decision will have to be made...
They're likely going to suggest fitting a SUB (Subcutaneous Ureteral Bypass) for Lola, my 12-year-old cat. She has kidney stones and hydronephrosis in her right kidney... the left one is fine for the time being. She’s been passing blood in her urine for two months now. The first vets I saw thought it was a UTI at first, but she isn't in any pain when she goes to the toilet. So, the blood might be coming from somewhere else... She’s currently being treated at the specialist hospital to try and help her pass the stones, but they might suggest a SUB procedure. Please, has anyone else been through this? Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Translated from French
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Hi everyone, My Lola has had a SUB device since July 2021, which was fitted at the specialist referral hospital in Montpellier. This came after two months of struggling in Narbonne where she was misdiagnosed with a simple UTI... with blood in her wee... A second opinion sent us to the specialist centre and, despite her being only a year old, they suggested the SUB because her kidney and blood levels were actually quite good... Once I was reassured that it wouldn't hold her back... I didn't hesitate... she's my baby...
At first, she struggled to get her appetite back... but everything is much better now... she's absolutely scoffing her food... on the other hand, she’s having these choking or coughing fits... she drinks loads... and has a UTI that is proving really hard to clear... Tomorrow we’re heading back to Montpellier for a flush and a check-up... As for the surgeons, they always reply to my emails or phone me if needed... she’s also being seen by a local vet in Narbonne at the same time.
It’s been so much worry, even though she is slowly getting her life back... she’s lively at times... but gets exhausted quickly... she doesn't play as much... she gets scared when I’m getting ready in the morning... she's well and truly fed up with the vets and the carrier!
She’s gone back to being cuddly again... we’re usually inseparable, but for a while there... she was distancing herself...
I’m dropping her off at 11am tomorrow and picking her up later... I really hope they can find a solution for this infection... what a nightmare... I can't even imagine losing her... it's heartbreaking to leave her there.... I’m looking for any stories or experiences regarding life expectancy... best of luck to you all.
Hi there, did you end up going ahead with the surgery and having the SUB fitted? My cat is suffering from the same issue, but he's 15... I don't know anything about the success rates or possible complications, and I don't want to put him through an operation just for him to suffer even more afterwards...
Hi there, did you end up going ahead with the surgery and having the SUB fitted? My cat is suffering from the same issue, but he's 15... I don't know anything about the success rates or possible complications, and I don't want to put him through an operation just for him to suffer even more afterwards...
Thanks for your reply... her kidneys are actually spot on and the blood tests were perfect, but she has a stone blocking the right ureter between the kidney and the bladder, as well as others, so her kidney is massive...
The left kidney is working but it has stones too... which are likely to cause a blockage sooner or later.
To be honest, I’m all over the place... I'm glad there's a solution... because my little girl was in a really bad way... I was praying for a way out... with my best friend... and when the proposal came... wow, my mind just went blank... it's a solution, sure, but a very major one... the fear that I might lose her during the surgery... being scared for her... her pain... what her life will be like afterwards... her life expectancy and what state she'll be in... whether it's the right thing to do or if I'm just putting her through too much... all of that...
Tomorrow I’m going to agree to the operation... I just hope I'm not going to ruin her life... diminish her quality of life and make her suffer with this SUB... all these thoughts... she's my absolute world... since I don't have children of my own, she's very much my baby.
Hi there,
My little black panther, Tina, has had this procedure. I’ll try to keep it brief. When she was 7, we did some blood work which didn’t show anything; everything was normal (including her SDMA). By the time she turned 8, she started showing some very vague symptoms. She was eating less, but it was summer so I just put it down to the heat. After 24 hours of her not eating or drinking, I took her to the vet, where tests showed her creatinine levels were seven times the normal range. An ultrasound revealed one kidney was failing and stones were blocking the ureter (not the urethra) of the other one. We went to a specialist university vet hospital (I’m based in Switzerland) where they suggested the SUB system.
Not knowing anything about the system and thinking we were going to lose her, we agreed to the surgery. It is a major and expensive procedure (around £4,500—I’ve seen it mentioned as being about £3,400 on other forums). However, everything went well. You should also know that the system needs "maintenance" every 3 months. There is a small port under the skin on her tummy that the vets can access with a needle to take urine samples and flush the system through.
She’s had the system for a year now and her blood results are very good (no CKD). I’ve just been a bit worried about her appetite lately, despite a visit to the clinic last week.
Essentially, if an IV drip doesn’t work within 48 hours, there’s very little chance the stones will pass naturally. If this is the only treatment option for your girl, I can’t recommend it enough, even if, like all operations, it does come with risks.
There’s a lot to take in, so please feel free to ask me any questions.
Best regards
Two of my cats have had kidney stones rather than bladder stones, which is actually much more complicated to treat, but with a SUB system—which has been well-proven for several years now—these problems should clear up. It’s a bypass that is apparently very well tolerated with very few side effects. If it were my cat and my vet suggested this operation, I’d have it done straight away; their quality of life would be massively improved.
Best of luck to this lovely little black panther with the gorgeous eyes.
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