DAGWOOD'S STORY

Unfortunately Dagwood lost his battle against CRF on 16 October 2004.

In October 2002 Dagwood was diagnosed with CRF or Chronic Renal Failure.

During September 2002, I noticed that Dag had been coughing a lot. This continued for a number of days and then stopped. A week later I was aware that Dag didn't seem himself, there was nothing specific, but I was not happy with him. I duly took him to the vets the next morning, where his blood was taken and tested. I recieved a telephone call later that moring to say that the blood tests confirmed that Dag had CRF.

See What is CRF for more details.

Dagwood's blood test results put him at the renal insufficiency stage with his Creatinine level being 246. Dagwood then started undergoing the usual treatment pescribed by vets in the UK - anabolic steroid injections. The steroids are supposed to help maintain body mass and improve appetite. His weight was also monitored - he weighed 6.1 Kilos at this stage.

Dagwood received the injections weekly and had blood tests done every 4 weeks. Unfortunately his levels kept on rising and his weight kept on falling. He suffered long spells of poor appetite which didn't help. I subsequently decided that the steroids were upsetting Dagwood's system more than doing their job of maintaining body mass. By the end of December 2002 Dagwood had lost 1 Kilo in 13 weeks (he would lose between 150g and 400 g a month) and now weighed only 5.1 Kilos. I felt that at this rate he would soon fade away altogether, so I made the decision to stop the steroid injections.

Dag continued to see the vet regularly and received vitamin injections and some fluid therapy. During January a renewed Dagwood appeared - he ate for England, he played and wanted to be around you a lot more than usual. At the beginning of February 2003 I took Dagwood to the vets for his blood tests. I also weighed him - during the previous 5 weeks of having no steroid injections he had only lost 200g. I was very happy that we seemed to have slowed down Dag's weight loss and hopefully the progression of his CRF. However, the blood test results that came back later that day were shocking. Dagwood's creatinine level had shot up by nearly 200 points - his level was now 502. His previous levels although rising had only increased by small amounts - started at 246, then 57, 289 and 305. What was I to do ? The vet recommended that Dagwood have another steroid injection immediately and then go back onto weekly injections. So Dagwood went to the vet and had his injection.

The change in him was almost imediate, gone was the happy bright cat who ate little and often. In came a sad, quiet cat who wouldn't eat. It was at this point that I decided that he would not have another steroid injection again and that his final time with us would be as a happy contented cat.

19 February 2003: I took Dagwood to the vets today. Dagwood's weight had dropped again - this time by 150 g, in only 2 weeks. I spoke to the vet and explained that I was no longer prepared to give Dagwood the steroid injections. She fully understood my reasonings. After having felt Dagwood's kidneys, she said that they were now very small. As it is unlikely that Dag will die of natural causes, we also discussed the matter of him being put to sleep. So until that time Dag will not be visiting the vet again. I can only hope that his last memories are happy ones. As long as he is eating and has a sparkle in his eyes, I know that he is happy to keep going.

8 June 2003: Dagwood is 8 next Sunday, and so far he is holding on by the skin of his teeth. He has had some further weight loss, but is eating very well and managing to maintain his weight. He seems happy to keep going and has even managed to catch a bird or two to prove this !!!

16 January 2004: Well Dagwood is still with us. He saw his 8th birthday albeit still looking rather thin. In October 2003 he passed his next milestone - it had been 1 year since he had been diagnosed with CRF. Dagwood has also seen and enjoyed another Christmas. He has started to show some signs of coat development, in that he is getting a ruff. His appetite is still good and he is still as awkward as ever over what he will and won't eat. This has resulted in some weight gain and him not looking as bad as he has. Dagwood seems very happy to stay with us for the time being, and I am happy about this too. I do not despair quite as much now as I did in the early days, and if he does choose to leave us, we have at least had an extra 15 months together. Thankyou Dagwood.

17 June 2004: Dagwood sees his 9th birthday. Dagwood seems to be holding his own, even though the house has been in turmoil with a house move being iminent.

31 August/1 September 2004: Dagwood, Marit and I drove approximately 250 miles to our new home in Scotland. Not a peep was heard from Dagwood during the whole car journey. When he arrived at his new home he had a good look around and settled down to eat his supper and find a cosy spot to sleep.

16 October 2004: Despite having settled into his new home and quickly developing a new routine Dagwood lost his battle with CRF.

Goodbye my darling one.