Civie with elevated BUN and Calcium.

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Charliemeow

Charliemeow

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Darla, my civie, was at the vet on Saturday. The vet found that she had stomatitis, enlarged kidneys, and excitatory arrhythmia. Darla has always had a plaque sensitivity. Unfortunately, some bad reactions to anesthesia made us stop doing dentals on her. The vet ran some blood work, which came back today. Everything was within normal ranges except her BUN (42, should be 15-34) and calcium (12.3, should be 8.2-11.8). The BUN level indicates dehydration and kidney change. The vet called Dr. Clements at IDEXX internal medicine consultants to discuss Darla's case. From what she was saying, it seems like these two levels together with her recent weight loss (1.5# lower than her last vet visit 2 years ago) indicate absorption issues, possibly resulting from IBD or even lymphoma. I now need to get a urine sample (not easy- she's a secretive pee-er with long butt fur) so she can test the specific gravity of her urine. Apparently a lower s.g. indicates a kidney change and she will need at the very least a special low-protein, low-sodium diet. A more concentrated s.g. will require further testing. They feel that the stomatitis should take a back seat for now while they figure out why her bun and ca levels are off. I asked her the extent of the inflammation in her mouth- apparently it has not reached the throat, but it is in the far back reaches of her mouth. She is not currently a good candidate for anesthesia, anyway, with her kidneys and excitatory arrhythmia. I asked if she should be on a broad-spectrum ab, vet said not until they get the results of the urine sample in case it shows indicators of an infection. So now I sit by the litterbox and wait.... Anyone have any experience in these areas?
 
What was the creatinine? If only the BUN was mildly elevated, it can be due to a high-protein diet such as the one that most diabetic cats eat. As for the calcium, the best way to measure calcium is by measuring ionized calcium. This has to be done with a special blood draw and special handling to avoid exposure to oxygen to the blood, but anyone can do it if they follow directions. There are a few in-house machines which measure calcium such as the i-Stat and NOVA.

I can only speak personally, and personally I'd just re-do a blood test before worrying about the calcium, and I'd do an ionized calcium next. Catching the urine is a good idea as a urinalysis should be part of a senior workup for every cat.
 
Her creatnine was 1.7, so within the normal range. The vet said that we'll draw for the ionized calcium test after we check the specific gravity of the urine. Her diet, while it is wet, isn't a low-carb/high-protein. It was all I could do to get her to eat wet food. Finally I think the stomatitis gave her no choice. But she only eats the gravy foods. She hates pates. I hope the calcium level was just a fluke. I've been having a heck of a time trying to catch her pee. She crouches very low and is super secretive. I made an appointment for a cysto on Monday in case I don't catch a sample by then. Thanks for helping a nervous bean out!
 
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