Savannah slight update....

[dd & savannah]

Hi

I am reposting part of an old post with some updated information. If anyone can please help, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Hope everyone is doing well. Savannah is still OTJ, almost two years later!!! I am writing to ask for any advice because it seems as though we may have another health crisis for my little girl. Savannah seems to have lost weight over the course of the past two years. She's currently about 9lbs, probably normal in most cases, but two years ago she was 12lbs. I thought maybe it was due to the fact that her diabetes was under control and she appeared at a healthy weight. Over the past few months she's had some soft stool here and there and diarrhea. It took me a while to bring her to the doctor only b/c I kept thinking it was a change in her diet, she keeps eating anything my baby throws on the floor and/or finds it in strange places. I was being meticulous about cleaning and it was still happening once in a while so we brought her to the vet. She's also started drinking water over the course of the months something she NEVER used to do b/c we only feed her wet food.After her first visit she was given flomax?? an antibiotic to help with the diarrhea, she seemed to want to eat HER food more than my baby's and ended up gaining 10oz in over a week and a half!

Anyways, here is some info that I have...
Based on a couple of tests, it looks like she may have CRF.
Her Creatinine was 2.0(a little high) on 8/14 and then 2.5 on 8/22.
Her BUN was 38 (nomal) on 8/14 and then 53(high!!) on 8/22.
Also,the test we took on 8/14 registered her Eosinophil at 580/ul and then on 8/22 read at 2760/ul. Not sure what this is yet but there's big difference here too.

Her urine also appreared diluted but her doctor still is not convinced it's CRF because of the weight loss and wants to do an ultrasound. Part of me feels like this is about the money. She did also mention that this could be an infection and we could try antibiotics (her last round was only for 5 days) in addition to sub-q fluids and a slightly different diet, which many of you have already suggested too and we are in the process of slowly intergrating some new food. I think I am leaning toward the antibiotics only b/c she seemed to do so well on them the last time and then wait on the ultrasound.

Any questions I should ask the vet, or advice is much appreciated!
Thanks all!
dd

 

[Marje and Gracie]

I'm not sure I understand your vet's reasoning about it not being CRF because of weight loss? Cats with CRF...which is now called chronic kidney disease (CKD), present with a lot of the clinical signs Savannah does....weight loss, polydypsia, dilute urine. Is she also polyuric (peeing a lot)?

Your vet is correct that kidney infection can cause the creat and BUN to rise and they can come back down to normal with antibiotic treatment. If kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is the issue, then a 4-6 week course of baytril is the standard treatment. The best way to tell if it is kidney infection is via ultrasound by a board certified veterinary radiologist.
A urinnalysis ...even a culture and sensitivity by cystocentesis may not find bacteria that could be harbors in the kidneys. Five days on an AB? Typical course is at least 7-10 days but if there is a kidney infection, it should be much longer.

Did your vet check her thyroid levels? Hyperthyroidism can cause PU/PD and eight loss even if they eat well but you would not also typically see dilute urine unless there is CKD. And since her renal values are elevated, if she is hyperT, the renal values might be even higher than is reported on the bloodwork because hyperT cats perfume more blood through the kidneys causing them to work better for a bit.

I think if she has dilute urine and her creat/BUN are elevated and she has lost weight, you are probably looking at CKD. If you have the money, I'd do the U/S. do you know her phosphorus and potassium levels? What about her HCT or PCV and/ or HGB? Those will tell you if she is becoming anemic. Also, you can collect a urine sample at home and have them check the protein:creatinine ratio. If it is elevated, that is a certain sign of CKD.

Eosinophils usually indicate allergies. Regarding the diarrhea...are you sure the med isn't flagyl (aka metronidazole)? Did your vet check her stool before prescribing it? There could be alot of reasons why a cat develops diarrhea.