questions about results of long term starvation

Question
I feel so horrible. We rescued a starving cat about 2 weeks ago. We got great vet care and he did not have any parasites or diseases. For the past 2 weeks he ate and drank a lot of water but didn't put on any weight, stayed extremely dehydrated, and continued to have painful diarrhea. The vet put him down this morning...saying his internal organs were most likely ruined and he was too far gone by the time I found him. In retrospect, I feel so bad and wish I had done more, researched more, and waited longer...but he was a skeleton with only skin and no muscle and I didn't want him to suffer through more and more. Is it possible to starve an animal beyond the point of recovery? What could have happened internally?

Answer
Beverly,

Please don't beat yourself up!!!  I know it's so hard to put an animal down, especially when you're rescuing and trying to help it out.  But this cat sounds like he was beyond help.  If he was truly starved beyond hope, then the vet was right---his organs would have started shutting down one by one, and putting him to sleep was the most humane thing you could have done.  It doesn't make it easier, but it was the most humane thing you could have done.

When an animal is starved or hasn't eaten in a long time (to the point of starvation), then eventually their internal organs will shut down because there is simply nothing coming in in which to "feed" the organs.  All major organs need to have nourishment in order to do their job, and when they don't get any, they do shut down, one by one.  Usually the kidneys are one of the first ones to go, and when kidneys shut down, that alone can be tough.  Once you've got kidney failure, everything else will follow quickly because without the kidneys to filter out toxins and "clean" the body, they will just build up and create a bad environment in the body.  

So, no matter how difficult it is, you really did the right thing.  You put him out of his suffering, and didn't prolong it, which likely was very uncomfortable.  He can now be free of pain and discomfort and is in a much better place, thanks to your care, commitment,and concern.  

Savannah