2/14 George amps 103 +2.5 75 / +4 81/ +5.5 87 / +10.5 93/93 pmps +2 142 RETESTED +2 84

[Gill & George]

Afternoon All,
Hugs and vines to all that need them

didn't get round to posting Georges Condo this morning so here it is, better late than never.

Yesterdays Surf

Recap
amps 102 +1 92 +2 72 +3 68 +8 77
pmps 81 +1.5 77 +2.5 82 +4.5 86

Yesterday more of the same with George, he is still liking this dose and today all the p's are in place. He is a happy kitty

Happy Valentines Day LL/L

 

[Andy & Pimp]

Happy Valentines Gill and George

 

[carfurby (GA)]

George looks great in all that green. Happy Valentine's Day.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Happy Valentine's Day!

From George's condo yesterday (sorry I didn't get back to it...was working)

George was eating well, but on a diet of Hills dry Metablolic for weight loss recommended by the vet(where's the icon for me kicking myself), with 13% fat.
At FD diagnosis George had lost approx 300g, think this might have happened quite quickly and there was definite muscle wastage, Vet said liver values didn't surprise her in light of his obesity and diabetes combined and that he might have mild fatty liver (I think that is what was said, was in a bit of shock at the time of the FD diagnosis)

His food now is lower in fat his PS meals are 2% and his current midcycle meals 4% (Until a couple of weeks ago he was just getting the 2% fat, but they are 1.9% LC and I have found that his cycles have flattened out more effectively with some food that is slightly higher in carb(4%) which is also higher in fat. I hope that helps with his cholesterol, he is certainly eating a healthier diet now.

I think from what she said that she felt the slightly elevated values were from the FD and she expected them to improve if we got regulated, but was a bit vague about the results when I questioned the fact that they were out of range, she didn't seem to feel that there was anything to worry about, it has been niggling at me, so I thought I would ask. I've been wanting to get George more stable before I took him in for another BW, he doesn't travel well at all, and its just under a hour and half round trip to the vets.

There has been no bilirubin so far in the urine, I check for that with the urine strips (DUS 10), and his urine is light coloured.

George is healthy other than the FD, and Obesity(he did get up to 9kg/20llb ideal weight 6.75kg/15lbs weight now 7.5 kg/16lbs), he has a mild heart murmur (my regular vets have never confirmed it when they have listened they can't hear it, but he was diagnosed with it at the rescue center in Battersea London some 10yrs ago he got an ultrasound there but it has given him no health problems)


Thanks for your response, that's a great help

What's GGT I feel like I should know?? but can't think now.

Poop question, would the colour of his poop be an indication of any problems?? Round about diagnosis of FD it was a bit paler and stickier consistency, now it seems darker and firmer, but not hard.

Is there anything in the BW that should be run that wasn't?

Thanks again

Thank you for the info. 300g weight loss is less than a pound (1 lb =454g) but if he lost it within a couple weeks, that is fast. As I indicated yesterday and it seems your vet also thought, it could have been indicative of some mild fatty liver disease that you got under control quickly. I don't agree with her that it was from the FD. I see a lot of labs from FD cats...regulated and unregulated and many have normal liver values. Gracie was pretty well regulated and still had ups and downs on the liver values.

GGT is gamma glutamyl transferase and it's an enzyme which indicates liver damage. It does not tend to be too elevated in cases of hepatic lipidosis but more so with potential bile issues.

The stool should be darker in color. There can be many causes for pale stools but one could potentially be that there is an issue getting bile. As you can see, there are so many things that could be related to the liver, elevated liver values, stool color, etc.

I always like to have what is called a "superchem/cbc" done on my kitties at least every six months. That is what Gracie's labs show to give you an idea of the tests involved. Also, if George has never had a baseline total T4, you ight consider it.

 

[Gill & George]

Just tested +2, got 142, was a bit seemed out of character, so retested and got 82

As I indicated yesterday and it seems your vet also thought, it could have been indicative of some mild fatty liver disease that you got under control quickly.

Hi Marje, thanks for the reply, as I said it's not urgent, so no worries there, I am just very grateful for your expertise.
The potential liver issues are what are worrying me and why I want to get some more BW done, TBH I thought he was getting a complete panel, but realised looking at labs on other ss, I am a self confessed sss (spreadsheet stalker), including Gracie's that some things were missing. I don't even know if some of the tests will be available here. Vet care is a bit behind the times, don't get me wrong, she is a caring person, and if I had an emergency she would be there at the drop of a hat, but her experience is limited, but she is willing to work with me, and is approachable and amenable to discussion.

Also, if George has never had a baseline total T4, you ight consider it.

The T4 baseline is for the thyroid? He probably had one done at Battersea London before we adopted him, they are very thorough, but I don't have access to the results so I will ask for that. Are you thinking thyroid, could be causing problems with liver, or just that thyroid problems are more common with FD so we should check?

The stool should be darker in color.

His stools are darker now , they were paler for a week or so just around diagnosis (he was on gliclaside for 2 weeks, which I then read was contraindicated with liver problems, but that was after the BW), it coincided with our dogs having a nasty bout of gastroenteritis, at the time when Georges stools became loose and pale I was worried that he was going to 'catch it' especially as the pups were off their food for 3-4 days, and with Georges obesity we certainly didn't want him to stop eating, that would have been worrying, fortunately it never came to that. And the two things may have just been coincidental.

I'll go armed with info now to the vet and see if I can get a complete BW done.

With the urine tests, did you usually just collect from LB at home and take sample in? I'd rather not have it collected at the vets unless absolutely necessary, not confident how that would go.

I'll try and get him booked in either this week or next.

thanks

 

[Marje and Gracie]

No I don't suspect any thyroid issues. I just think as cats are getting over that 10 year point, it doesn't hurt to have some baseline numbers. If you have any previous labs from when you adopted him, you might see what his liver values were then.

GI issues can also cause pale stools. One condition that is notorious for causing pale, really stinky soft poos is exocrine pancreatic insufficient (EPI) but that's just info....there's no way I would suspect that. It doesn't go away without treatment. And kitty is very sick, losing weight, looks unhealthy, etc.

I usually would do a free catch if I happened to be near the litter box when she had to pee or if I remembered to put her in it first thing in the morning on vetty visit days. She was always great about letting me catch urine. If I missed it and we really felt it was absolutely necessary to check her urine, our vet would do a cysto. I preferred not to but she was really good at it (and quick) and there were a few times we felt we needed to check urine and I hadn't brought any in. I think unless you have some reason to worry about a UTI, I'd just do a free catch and put it in the frig. Keep it cold on your way to the vet.