Fluid build up and weight loss

[toadflaxbex]

We noticed on Tuesday that Toadflax wasn't behaving like he should, being very lethargic and off his food but BG was normal (for him), called vet he said to monitor him and call later, then we noticed his belly looked BIG. Called vet he said to take him in. Vet was a bit surprised his belly was so big and his breathing was a bit wheezy. Vet kept him in over night on a diuretic and gave him an x ray and he was just full of fluid and nothing could be seen. Next morning fluid had gone down, he'd wee'd and was eating again and breathing seemed better, although now fluid had gone, he is very thin, we were monitoring his weight and it was steady, but seems that the fluid was contributing to that so I'm not sure how long it was building up. We were in process of switching him to prozinc so vet wanted to keep him in to get that stabalised. BG was up in the 20s. So he is being constantly monitored checking his BG all day etc. Vet wants to keep him in till the weekend.

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced this before? Please no scare stories, I don't think I can take any bad news now things are starting to look a more positive than they did on Tuesday.

 

[Dale]

Your next step in helping Toadflax is to have an ultrasound of his heart and abdomen. Could be his heart is weak and not pumping the fluids around or there could be a tumor somewhere in the abdomen. Sorry...I know you don't want any "scary" stories, but further testing is necessary to see what is causing the fluid which is not a normal occurance. There are meds that should be given (lasix, spironolactone) to help keep the fluids off, heart meds (if necessary), further xrays to see if there is more fluid buidup or how fast it is building up. This is all necessary to give Toadflax the best possible quality of life. IMHO right now determining why the fluid buildup is a bit more important that insulin. When my cat had abdominal fluid buildup it was very difficult to keep the bgs in a good range.

Time to face the facts...scary or not. First step, get an ultrasound. Then we'll all help you go from there.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Agree with Dale. Oliver suddenly developed a lot of fluid, after a year off insulin. They drained the fluid several times but it just came back. It turned out to be a heart condition - cardiomyopathy. Many kitties here have it and do well for years. Unfortunately, Oliver's condition did not respond to medications. Time for some more research by the vet.

 

[Hope + (((Baby)))GA]

Your vet should be looking for the reason for the fluid build up and not worrying about the bg right now. As Dale and Sue posted....it could be heart, it could be a cancer, it could be kidneys. Your boy needs abdominal ultrasound, an echocardiogram of the heart, an EKG of the heart, and full bloodwork up. The fluid build up goes beyond and trumps the diabetes right now.

 

[toadflaxbex]

Full bloods have already been done and sent off to check for any heart condition. Checked all other organs too and they are all fine. BG being sorted while we wait for bloods. He wasn't prepared to do a further scan because when he did the first Toadflax was so lethargic he stayed still now he wont and he doesn't want to risk any type of sedation until we know about the heart condition. His BG needed sorting his weight is decreasing because he just isn't processing the food and we don't want him wasting away. So I think BG IS important atm as he needs that insulin stabalised so that his food and water intake also stabalise. He was drinking way too much, and now his insulin has changed and hes been at the vet his drinking has rapidly decreased, still drinking of course but no where near what he was, which is a plus imo.
Thanks for the replies and ppl taking the time to read. I trust my vet completely, I just wanted to know if his condition sounded familiar to anyone while we waited on results of the bloods before further testing is done.