Our poor Neo, only about 3 years old, has been in and out of the vet over the last week. Initially he was treated for an infection as both his kidneys are very swollen - as the vet says, they are both 4 times the size of what they should be. We had tests done on his kidneys and the results (which I have with me if you have any questions) are apparently not good at all. His white blood cell count is also very low. His only option is to be put on a drip to flush his kidneys but I believe this will only alleviate the problem for a while and then the same problem will return. He has been tested for feline aids and leukemia but both tests came back negative. He had a cortisone injection this afternoon and he is now back with us, but is looking very very poorly. Drinking lots of water and he is now just sitting around. WE NEED YOUR INPUT PLEASE. I FEEL WE NEED A SECOND OPINION AS WE DO NOT WANT TO PUT HIM DOWN IF THERE IS ANY OTHER OPTION AVAILABLE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE DO NOT WANT HIM TO SUFFER.
His temperature is normal, but the vet reckons it is some sort of viral infection...
Please help!
Tracey

This is a question for a second Vet, a feline specialist. I would make an appointment and take the lab tests with me.

Good luck.

I agree that you need that second opinion. This might be some type of acute kidney problem, possibly caused by something toxic or parasites or some sort. The fluids are a treatment for it, and if you get the problem solved, it won't be just temporary. ARF (acute renal failure) either is solved or it is not. (Though it can leave the cat with longer-lasting problems but that's a different story.) If he is still feeling that bad, whatever it was has not been solved. It may mean a longer stay at the vet's, or that something else is wrong. A low white blood count can be infection... it might be something they are having a hard time clearing up.

That is young for "typical" renal problems, so generally something is causing it, like stated above, or some genetic thing he was born with, etc. What breed is he?

I'm very familiar with CRF (chronic renal failure), the kind they usually get when they are older, but not too familiar with acute problems or the genetic issues that can cause problems at a younger age.

Did the vet just do blood work, or also urinalysis, ultrasound, etc? If it hasn't gone away, I think you need to have more tests run until a problem is figured out. Some types of things (like being born with a smaller kidney) isn't something that can be cured, but other things can be diagnosed and solved. So it sounds like more needs done and that they gave up fairly quickly.