Really bad muscle weakness... any ideas?

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SusanandOwen

SusanandOwen

Member Since 2013
As many of you know, my beloved cat Owen has been battling a whole host of issues for the past week or so. He is fighting hard and his bloodwork is really improving - his BUN is down to the 80s (from over 200) and his creatinine is down to just over 3, which is awesome progress. We are feeding him around the clock to encourage his phosphorus to continue to improve... it was down to around 19 yesterday.

But one thing that is getting worse is his muscle weakness, particularly in his hind end. This time last week, he was a bit wobbly walking but now he is having a much harder time. Today he really can't walk at all. I am panic stricken at this because it's definitely going in the wrong direction and it seems to be worsening fast. We have come SO far this week and Owen's attitude is great - he is looking back at me with interest, and he is tolerating all the treatments really well. The vets assure me he is pretty comfortable and not in any pain - in fact they've cut his pain meds a lot and he is remaining comfortable and relaxed - so we are going to march on.

I know you guys on this board have seen it all... is there anything you can suggest? He is getting B12 in his drip now (started the day before yesterday when this became an issue) but that doesn't seem to be getting the job done.

As always, we are very, very grateful for all the help, support and kind prayers for our sweet Owen.

Susan
 
He's been through quite a bit, at this point I'd think about checking his potassium levels. They can drop quickly without even knowing it. SubQs, IV fluids, kidney issues, even giving insulin can cause potassium loss. Low potassium can cause muscle waisting and weakness.

You can google low potassium in cats, but just quickly I found this link.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_low_potassium#.UREtT1rvywI

I had a kitty that suffered from low potassium, that's the only reason I'm suggesting this. I'm not a vet or an expert, but I don't think it would hurt to ask your vet to check the electrolytes since they can change quickly.
 
tuckers mom said:
He's been through quite a bit, at this point I'd think about checking his potassium levels. They can drop quickly without even knowing it. SubQs, IV fluids, kidney issues, even giving insulin can cause potassium loss. Low potassium can cause muscle waisting and weakness.

You can google low potassium in cats, but just quickly I found this link.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_low_potassium#.UREtT1rvywI

I had a kitty that suffered from low potassium, that's the only reason I'm suggesting this. I'm not a vet or an expert, but I don't think it would hurt to ask your vet to check the electrolytes since they can change quickly.
Click to expand...


Thank you Jennifer, he's been on fluids for many days now, so that would make sense. I will check the link (thank you SO much) in a minute but do you happen to know what a normal potassium level might be? They do extensive blood work on Owen daily so I can ask if they have been monitoring his potassium.

Thank you so much, this board is a Godsend
 
Just spoke to the vet clinic... they have been monitoring his potassium (and it's been added to his drip.) It's currently at 5.5 which they tell me is in the high normal range. The associate vet, who is the one caring for him today, thinks the muscle issues are related to his high phosphorus count. It has been coming down, but slowly. We are continuing to feed him a LOT - he ate more than three big cans of food yesterday, which is a challenge for sure - in the hopes that it will continue to improve more quickly.

I could not bear to ask her over the phone what the outlook is for turning this around, but I am going to see/feed Owen shortly, and will ask then.

Thank you all again for the kindness and support. It makes such a difference.
 
I responded on your other post - it could be diabetic neuropathy and the treatment for that is vitamin B12 - methylcobalamin and it must be this type of B12 for it to work.

3-5 mg (3000-5000 mcg) once a day will help. This is the one I used and mixed with wet food. There are others available as well.

http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitami ... 0-capsules
 
Thank you Hillary,

I know he is getting B12 in his IV drip. Not sure if it is the type you mention but I will ask as I am heading over there now to visit him for lunch.

Please keep Owie in your prayers. He is trying really hard to get well and it's tearing me apart to see him struggling so much to get around.
 
I was not able to see the vet personally when I visited Owen this afternoon, as he was in surgery (the vet, not Owen!)

I left a print out of the B12 info with a note asking him to call me about it. The tech did not know whether the B12 that is going into that drip was this particular kind or not.

I did take Owen outside for a few minutes and he brightened up a little, but other than that he is looking pretty lethargic. He seems pretty tired which is certainly understandable, but hard to watch. The tech also said she is having a harder time feeding him which is a bummer.

They are running labs on him again at 2. Hopefully we will continue to see improvement... without that, I am not sure that it would be fair to continue. Trying to put that thought off until we have the labs later this afternoon.

Thanks again to everyone who is sending thoughts and prayers.
 
what kind of food. some foods are higher in phos than others. can add phosphate binders also to help bring down
usually the B12 in an Iv is cyanocobolamin (red liquid). not the methylcobalamin
 
It is with a very heavy heart that I have logged on to say that my beloved Owen is gone. He was worse tonight when I got to the vet's and it was clear to me that it was time to let him go. I held him in my arms and saw just the quickest flash of him for a second as I petted him, and I knew. He was tired and his body was failing.

Run free my amazing O-O. We will always love you so much.
 
Oh no! I am so so sorry to hear that. Fly free little kitty. Sorry for your loss.

When tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here in your heart.
 
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss of Owen....but even the mightest warriors get tired. Owen hit the jackpot when he picked you and your husband for parents, he couldn't have asked for more love that was so apparent in your posts of him.

I've been checking your posts several times a day and praying to see that he had improved enough to come home...

Fly Free Owen and visit your mom and dad's dreams often.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
I'm so sorry Susan. This is so heartbreaking. So many people were praying for Owen. Fly free baby bay. Tears from my heart.

Hugs Sandy
 
I am struggling to find the words to express how grateful I am for everyone's support here. Thank you just doesn't sound adequate.

I know in my heart that it was time. I just had this awful feeling today; he wasn't as perky when I picked him up this morning at the e-clinic, and when I went to see him at lunchtime, the tech told me he was fighting being fed for the first time. You'd have to know Owen to know what a big deal that was. It was a nice day here today so I took him outside for a few minutes. He perked up a little for a minute or two, but then kind of wanted to just curl back up and snooze.

When I got there tonight, I knew right away he was worse, even before they told me the labs had increased. I got him out and was holding him and petting him and we were talking to my husband on speakerphone, because he is traveling right now and couldn't be there in person. As I said, I got that one little flash of Owen as I looked in his eyes and then his pupils changed. The vet thinks it is possible that he might have had some sort of lesion in his brain possibly, as that was a sign of neurological issues. If so, it would explain the rapid decline in his mobility and the reason we were not able to improve his hydration.

I knew when I saw that that it was time to let him go. We went to a quiet room and I snuggled him against my chest, and he kind of bowed his head and told me he wanted to go. My husband Kevin and I talked to him and told him what a great boy he was, how proud we were of him and what a great job he'd done. And how much we loved him. We will miss him more than words can possibly express. I pray that I will see him again one day.
 
I responded to your other post but just read this and am sitting here in tears. We love them so much and sometimes, no matter how hard we try.......no matter what we do.........we cannot keep them with us. Thankful you were with him and you knew in your heart it was time and he left in the arms of your love.

Lord if there should come a day when all he has is pain.
And I see that all our medicine won’t give him a life again.
Then let me hold him one last time, let him be with me.
Let me kiss his little head, and help me set him free.”
 
Thank you, all. So many of you have supported us and have prayed for Owen and it made such a huge difference, more than I could ever explain.

Today is hard. On my way home last night I stopped at the e-clinic, as it just seemed like the right thing to do to let them know, and to thank them for all that they have done for us over the last ten days. It was clear that Owen touched them, too - he was just that way. I stopped there again this morning because I wanted to personally thank Jennifer, the overnight tech who had been so kind and took such wonderful care of Owen. She was the one who fed him by hand instead of the syringe because she "got" that he liked it better. She was the one who he "talked to" all night several times - and who liked that. She told me she believes that we will someday be reunited with our pets, and that Owen is one of the ones she expects to see when the time comes. We were really blessed to have so many wonderful people surrounding Owen, and us.

I still have Owen's brother Mac, and I am grateful for that. I know he misses his brother. These last few days when Owen was hospitalized, Mac would get up at exactly six in the morning, have a little snack and then cry to go outside - very unusual for him. He would come back in for breakfast 15-20 minutes later. Today he got up for his snack, but although he walked to the door he did not go outside. He knows his brother is gone now, but we will hug his furry neck a lot and together we will start to heal.

Words are failing me but I wanted to come back this morning and thank you all again. We were very lucky to have Owen, and I am glad that I got to share a little bit of him with all of you. Hug your furry kids a little extra today, and say one more little prayer for Owen, that he is out in the sunshine chasing something, having a bit of fun while he waits to see us again.

Susan
 
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