01/31 Molly AMPS 283

Not bad for no shot. Sometimes you just gotta skip. Not the end of the world. Wish I could help with blood test deciphering, hopefully all good things.
 
@Marje and Gracie tagging to see if you know how to understand the blood work? I have attached in this thread above.
The only thing I see to keep track of for now is the increase in creatinine. Her SDMA is really good and it’s typically the first indicator of CKD. None of her other values associated with renal issues are of concern. If you read what it states on the report regarding SDMA and creatinine, it gives some points on what might be going on besides CKD. You can take a home-collected urine test to the vet and see if she can run a urine specific gravity test in her office. Most can. Take the very first sample of the day and see if she is able to concentrate her urine. If she can, then the elevation in creatinine is not due to CKD. But remember it has to be the first time she pees in the morning because urine can become more dilute as the day goes on.

The other elevated values are not an issue and I wouldn’t be concerned. Most/many diabetic cats have higher cholesterol values but it can also relate to when she ate in relation to the test.

See what your vet thinks but perhaps just have the labs done again in six months.
 
The only thing I see to keep track of for now is the increase in creatinine. Her SDMA is really good and it’s typically the first indicator of CKD. None of her other values associated with renal issues are of concern. If you read what it states on the report regarding SDMA and creatinine, it gives some points on what might be going on besides CKD.

The other elevated values are not an issue and I wouldn’t be concerned. Most/many diabetic cats have higher cholesterol values but it can also relate to when she ate in relation to the test.

See what your vet thinks but perhaps just have the labs done again in six months.
So I worried for nothing? typical me I feel better now thank you for responding Marje
 
So I worried for nothing? typical me I feel better now thank you for responding Marje
You’re welcome. Whenever there is an unexpected elevation, if all else is normal, it just warrants watching. One set of labs is just a snapshot at that time. Unless all renal parameters point to CKD, you want to look for the trend. Don’t let it go a year but don’t panic or be worried right now.

I did add a sentence about checking her USG. That will give you a better idea. What does your vet say?
 
You’re welcome. Whenever there is an unexpected elevation, if all else is normal, it just warrants watching. One set of labs is just a snapshot at that time. Unless all renal parameters point to CKD, you want to look for the trend. Don’t let it go a year but don’t panic or be worried right now.

I did add a sentence about checking her USG. That will give you a better idea. What does your vet say?
He’s going to call me , when he gets out of surgery. Is there anything I can do for Molly? Does this mean she’s going to get kidney disease?
 
He’s going to call me , when he gets out of surgery. Is there anything I can do for Molly? Does this mean she’s going to get kidney disease?
Well……over 50% of cats over ten eventually get CKD but that doesn’t mean that’s where she’s headed at this point. And no, you don’t need to do anything right now except monitor. And while I don’t believe she’s even at early stages of CKD (altho I’m not a vet), even with her labs as they are, if it was early CKD, you still wouldn’t do anything at this point other than add extra water to her food.

I’d take a really deep breath, talk to your vet, let him run a USG, recheck her values in six months …or even three if you are really worried and he suggests it.

I’m just not seeing CKD here with one elevated test. I don’t know how large Molly is but larger cats with more muscle have higher creatinine levels.

But just to show you how creatinine can change in a non-CKD cat, my 11-yr old male was at 1.2, six months later 1.9, six months later 1.3. I know the values don’t mean anything to you but you can see the variation. BTW, I always have labs done every six months on my cats so it’s not because there was any concern about his creatinine.
 
What I found really helpful to do was to put the lab values on the LAB tabs of the spreadsheet. Then I could see trends over time. Then you could see if a number is out of whack, or just "Molly normal". I do the same for my other cats now. Also my vets were never concerned about one number out one time, but more an issue if it's repeatedly out.

If you do want to grab a urine sample for a urinalysis (as Marje suggested), I would suggest not doing any watering down of the food before hand. Out of sheer habit from having a diabetic, I add water to my cat's food, but found the urine specific gravity numbers were trending down. When I didn't add extra water for the latest test, it shot back up to a range showing kidneys are working fine to concentrate the urine.
 
What I found really helpful to do was to put the lab values on the LAB tabs of the spreadsheet. Then I could see trends over time. Then you could see if a number is out of whack, or just "Molly normal". I do the same for my other cats now. Also my vets were never concerned about one number out one time, but more an issue if it's repeatedly out.

If you do want to grab a urine sample for a urinalysis (as Marje suggested), I would suggest not doing any watering down of the food before hand. Out of sheer habit from having a diabetic, I add water to my cat's food, but found the urine specific gravity numbers were trending down. When I didn't add extra water for the latest test, it shot back up to a range showing kidneys are working fine to concentrate the urine.
Yes, I’ll put the labs in the spreadsheet when I get caught up at work. Busy Monday today :oops:
 
I don’t see anything to be overly concerned about in those labs. The reticulocyte count and MCH are only just barely out of range. That’s not significant. The creatinine is elevated but her SDMA is quite good. A lot of different factors can affect creatinine so it would be best to recheck kidney values over time and look for changes. So if it were my kitty, I would get a urinalysis done and look at the specific gravity to see how good of a job her kidneys are doing at concentrating urine. Another good thing I see in her labs is that her phosphorus level is good. This indicates to me that her kidneys are still doing a good job of processing phosphorus.
 
I'm glad you feel better now Adrienne, giving you big hugs and kisses for Molly :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::cat:
Adrienne take a look at Tyler's labs, it looks like on yours you don't have a range column like on Tyler's, Someone can probably add them for you that has access to your SS
 
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There is some of the blood work I don’t know where to put in the lab. He did put 2018 to compare til now.
The labs you have in now when are they from, I mean in your labs there is no reference range like on Tyler's, which were there from the start, I didn't put them there if there were any tests that weren't listed I added them myself , I put in the reference range
Look at Tyler's
 
The labs you have in now when are they from, I mean in your labs there is no reference range like on Tyler's, which were there from the start, I didn't put them there if there were any tests that weren't listed I added them myself , I put in the reference range
Look at Tyler's
They’re from Saturday, but I have the data from 2018. I went and looked at Tyler’s I could probably add the columns myself.
 
They’re from Saturday, but I have the data from 2018. I went and looked at Tyler’s I could probably add the columns myself.
You know better than me how to add the reference ranges lol, I needed to ask when you were supposed to put the latest ones first
Just don't forget to put the dates up top when the labs were done
 
There is some of the blood work I don’t know where to put in the lab. He did put 2018 to compare til now.
You can add whatever you need to and adjust the reference ranges. And yes, the newest would be first and the oldest to the right. Wendy had two great suggestions.....add as many of her labs as you have so you can look at trends. And hold off on the water if you are going to do a USG. I’m not suggesting you do a complete urinalysis. Ask your vet if he can just run a USG in house. Mine does and charges $15 although I bought a refractometer on Amazon and now I do them myself at home. It’s super easy as long as you keep it calibrated which is also easy.
 
You can add whatever you need to and adjust the reference ranges. And yes, the newest would be first and the oldest to the right. Wendy had two great suggestions.....add as many of her labs as you have so you can look at trends. And hold off on the water if you are going to do a USG. I’m not suggesting you do a complete urinalysis. Ask your vet if he can just run a USG in house. Mine does and charges $15 although I bought a refractometer on Amazon and now I do them myself at home. It’s super easy as long as you keep it calibrated which is also easy.
Okay when I have time, I’ll adjust the ranges. Add what needs to be added. I did put some in today. But once I have it finished, maybe you could look at it? Thanks for responding today. I appreciate it!
 
What I found really helpful to do was to put the lab values on the LAB tabs of the spreadsheet. Then I could see trends over time. Then you could see if a number is out of whack, or just "Molly normal". I do the same for my other cats now. Also my vets were never concerned about one number out one time, but more an issue if it's repeatedly out.

If you do want to grab a urine sample for a urinalysis (as Marje suggested), I would suggest not doing any watering down of the food before hand. Out of sheer habit from having a diabetic, I add water to my cat's food, but found the urine specific gravity numbers were trending down. When I didn't add extra water for the latest test, it shot back up to a range showing kidneys are working fine to concentrate the urine.
Okay I might do a urinalysis at home? But how do you catch the pee? Thanks for your help today!
 
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