Semintra long term?

[cocoa3c]

Hello all,
I'm a newbie from Canada to this group which I found while trying to research for some answers. A dear cat firend Tamar (15) who I basically co-parent as my neighbour who she belongs to is away a lot, has hyperthyroid (she is on Tapazole) and recently developed kidney disease. The vet put her on Semintra and it basically saved her life. She has regained a lot of muscle and strength. It's been about three months and her urine output has slowed some; most of the liquids were pouring out of her before the meds and her litter box would be full. I'm just wondering for how long can a cat safely take Semintra? I guess she hasn't a choice as kidney disease won't reverse. I just wondered how long it might help her. Perhaps not a question anyone can really answer definitively, but just in your experience. She has a vet appt in three weeks. She eats pretty well. I give her a good variety of canned foods, and she drinks a lot of lactose free milk and some water. There are days when she won't want to eat right away and needs to eat some grass. Then she will vomit and seem to feel better and eat her food.
Thanks for any advice you have to offer.
God bless,
Arlette

[Antonio]

Hi,
My cat had been on Fortekor for years, because she had no other options for her CKD.
Of course the med is not the definitive help, there are other measures you have to consinder, like a change in her diet and the possibility to give her some sub-Qs acording to the vet's plan.

My cat would eat "renal" wet and dry food, would get 120 ml sub-Q every second day, was taking half pill of Fortekor daily (I forgot sometimes, but it isn't a life saver), and I would give her probiotics and vitamin Bs supplement daily.
She lived nearly 11 years with this condition, and didn't die for this.

So, yes, Semintra can be given for life, but it doesn't work alone if you do not support the liver functions with other actions.

[My Girls]

Hi My 17 year old cat. Has hypothyroidism, high blood pressure because of it. As well as stage 2 kidney disease
And now a heart murmur! She just got put on Semintra almost a month ago. And is a Zombie! I have to Chase her around to Now Eat! HELP!!

[fjm]

Mygirls, I assume hypothyroid is a typo - that would be the opposite problem. It sounds as if your cat may need the dosage adjusting, or possibly a different formulation - I would talk to your vet. There are alternatives to medication, including diet, surgery and radio-iodine treatment, but with CKD and heart issues in the background these may not be advisable.

[Mollycat]

Hi My 17 year old cat. Has hypothyroidism, high blood pressure because of it. As well as stage 2 kidney disease
And now a heart murmur! She just got put on Semintra almost a month ago. And is a Zombie! I have to Chase her around to Now Eat! HELP!!

Has your vet explained how all these conditions are often connected? As you say hypERthyroidism causes high blood pressure, and that can cause the heart murmur. On the other hand the high blood pressure tends to protect the kidneys to some extent by improving blood flow. So the balancing act is to keep the thyroid under control to prevent too much muscle wastage, heart failure and blindness, without sacrificing too much kidney function.

Semintra is a protein binder to stop too much protein being lost through the kidneys into the urine.
Fortekor slows down the progression of renal failure by boosting blood flow to the kidneys (as high blood pressure would) - it was originally a heart drug for dogs and was licenced some time in the early 90s as a kidney drug for cats. In some cats it may even help reverse some of the damage already done to the kidneys but it's by no means a cure, as Antonio says. I would guess it wouldn't be advisable with hyperthyroidism though.

Unfortunately you're juggling conditions that need conflicting treatments, which is where I was with my boy earlier this year with some serious gut inflammation on top that meant he couldn't tolerate renal food and he ended up on steroids to manage the gut inflammation and we had to let the other health problems go and keep him as comfortable as we could for as long as we could.

[fjm]

There again, if your cat is hyPOthyroid, sorting out the low thyroid may help the kidneys. It is all connected, as Mollycat says, and finding the balance point can be difficult.

[My Girls]

Thanks all. Balancing Sick older Cats is Soo Difficult.
She’s our baby and has been with her since day 1