Hello Again (previous thread reached 100 posts)
- Thread starter Jelltex
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Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I see some possible signs of infection, including a borderline high white cell count and borderline high neutrophils along with the elevated globulins. Of course it also could simply be inflammation, including the suspected IBD.
Her Creatinine is still within normal limits, although trending toward the upper limit. Her urea is elevated. Many things can affect urea, including the hydration status of the cat at the time the blood was drawn. The less hydrated, the higher the urea. Her SDMA value has gone down significantly. Since SDMA is supposed to be a marker for kidney disease, make what that you will. I’ve never really trusted that test to be a very good indicator of future kidney disease. In my own cats, it fluctuates around and I haven’t had a cat with kidney disease for four years now. Admittedly, it does rise after they’ve been diagnosed with kidney disease. It’s worth just keeping an eye on it at this point and making sure she stays well hydrated. You’ve already taken a positive step in that direction by feeding her wet food and eliminating the dry food. It makes quite a difference.
Of course, Scully would choose to go quite low in her glucose on a day she was going to the vet! It’s no wonder they are alarmed. Just make sure they know you have reduced the dose and are monitoring her cycles closely.
I know the vet had raised concern about elevated protein last time. Dietary protein does not raise blood total protein or globulin concentrations in healthy cats. Blood total protein (albumin + globulins) reflects liver production, immune proteins, and loss or gain from disease processes — not dietary intake of protein.
An elevated total protein driven by high globulins points to increased immune/inflammatory proteins (chronic infection, inflammation, immune-mediated disease, or certain cancers). Dietary change is not a cause.
She doesn’t seem really anemic because her Hematocrit is adequate. Her Mean Cell Hemoglobin Concentration is low but her reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) are adequate so she is producing enough. There are many reasons for reduced hemoglobin in the cells. It can be as simple as needing to supplement iron.
Was a urinalysis done? That is really the most straightforward way to check kidney function (and for infection). If her Urine Specific Gravity is adequate then her kidney function is not impaired.
Her Creatinine is still within normal limits, although trending toward the upper limit. Her urea is elevated. Many things can affect urea, including the hydration status of the cat at the time the blood was drawn. The less hydrated, the higher the urea. Her SDMA value has gone down significantly. Since SDMA is supposed to be a marker for kidney disease, make what that you will. I’ve never really trusted that test to be a very good indicator of future kidney disease. In my own cats, it fluctuates around and I haven’t had a cat with kidney disease for four years now. Admittedly, it does rise after they’ve been diagnosed with kidney disease. It’s worth just keeping an eye on it at this point and making sure she stays well hydrated. You’ve already taken a positive step in that direction by feeding her wet food and eliminating the dry food. It makes quite a difference.
Of course, Scully would choose to go quite low in her glucose on a day she was going to the vet! It’s no wonder they are alarmed. Just make sure they know you have reduced the dose and are monitoring her cycles closely.
I know the vet had raised concern about elevated protein last time. Dietary protein does not raise blood total protein or globulin concentrations in healthy cats. Blood total protein (albumin + globulins) reflects liver production, immune proteins, and loss or gain from disease processes — not dietary intake of protein.
An elevated total protein driven by high globulins points to increased immune/inflammatory proteins (chronic infection, inflammation, immune-mediated disease, or certain cancers). Dietary change is not a cause.
She doesn’t seem really anemic because her Hematocrit is adequate. Her Mean Cell Hemoglobin Concentration is low but her reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) are adequate so she is producing enough. There are many reasons for reduced hemoglobin in the cells. It can be as simple as needing to supplement iron.
Was a urinalysis done? That is really the most straightforward way to check kidney function (and for infection). If her Urine Specific Gravity is adequate then her kidney function is not impaired.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I noticed she did have pancreatitis the last time her bloodwork was done. Since that is an inflammatory condition, I would expect it possibly explains the some of the blood results.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
And finally…. Oh my…. She is starting out the evening cycle with a rather low PMPS reading. I am afraid you will need to monitor the cycle tonight as well. Please check her at +2 to see if it’s quite a bit lower than her PMPS. I wish I knew what time that would be so I could check back in here. Let me think… are you on London time? That would be 6:33 p.m. right now.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Good. perfect. Our messages to the same effect just crossed paths. I was trying to calculate your local time so I would know when the +2 test would be. We may want to do some strategic feeding. I was so busy examining your bloodwork that I hadn’t had time to check her spreadsheet recently.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I’m not sure at this point it’s worth putting her under all that stress to do a urinalysis then. I never heard of it taking such a long time to get a sample via cystocentesis (needle in the bladder.). Although you said she doesn’t have a litter tray indoors? She goes outside? So you may not have the opportunity to observe litter habits that could indicate a urinary tract infection. Not that I am suspecting one at this point. Like I said, it’s probably not worth stressing her that much.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Okay. Just make sure she’s really going to stay up before bed. I wonder if she’s starting a bounce?
Jelltex
Member
I will check her again at +4 and +5 if needed.
Thanks for your reply to the blood work. What I remember the vet saying is slightly different to what Jools remembers. I am pretty sure of my memory, because I wrote it down at the time. We were advised against any more wet food due to protein. As I have said time and time again, the vet was pushing against stopping dried food.
Anyway, we are here now, and that is a good place. With thanks to you for your clear language, explaining things.
Scully is sleeping now, but looks up when we walk about, so she is doing OK.
Thanks for your reply to the blood work. What I remember the vet saying is slightly different to what Jools remembers. I am pretty sure of my memory, because I wrote it down at the time. We were advised against any more wet food due to protein. As I have said time and time again, the vet was pushing against stopping dried food.
Anyway, we are here now, and that is a good place. With thanks to you for your clear language, explaining things.
Scully is sleeping now, but looks up when we walk about, so she is doing OK.