Project Description
Susan’s three-year old cat Lucky was having kidney issues. His kidneys weren’t performing well which is also known as Kidney Insufficiency. Susan brought him to Good Shepherd Veterinary Hospital (GSVH) where we treated him with a first line of defense of fluid therapy, a prescription diet, and a renal support supplement. However, kidney treatments have their limitations in cats older than 1.5 years because their values (numbers) don’t respond well to treatments. At the time, the best option for a permanent solution was a kidney transplant.
GSVH researched all the options available for Lucky. Only six veterinary schools provided transplant services at that time. University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was the most appropriate place that offered feline kidney transplants.
A dedicated pet owner, Susan left her house at midnight to get to the school in Philadelphia for the transplan that started early the next morning. In addition to the transplant cost, part of the deal is that the owner also has to adopt the donor cat.
It was a risky surgery but both cats came out healthy. Good Shepherd Vet Hospital conducted proper follow up exams to monitor for possible rejection and toxicity. To this day, Susan is very happy with her two special cats.
SIDEBAR: “Did you know that donor cats for kidney transplant are always male?”
Disclaimer on all case studies:
*Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals and their pets.
