shrinking kitty
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redstarr
shrinking kitty
My Weazel is a 10 year old male who has always hed a bit of a weight problem, however in the last 2 months, not only has he seemed to drop about 10 pounds, he also looks like he shrunk in body mass completely. I am very scared, and will be taking him to the vet very soon. he has always thrown up here and there, (he is very floofy) a hairball or two, but lately he doesnt seem to be eating or going to the bathroom much. at the same time he skin elasticity doesnt support that he is dehydrated. i am confused. he also seems more depressed than usual. Any ideas for first aid, til i get him to the vet tomorrow? or any ideas what it could be?
Re: shrinking kitty
Hi,
You are doing the right thing in getting your baby to the vet ASAP. Be sure that the vet does a urinalysis to rule out urinary tract infections or crystals, and your cat also needs to have blood work to rule out kidney disease, diabetes and thyroid problems. Also, your vet can give you special food that may help you to entice Weasel to eat. It is imperative that he eat, or he could develop hepatic lipidosis, which is very dangerous for cats. Please come back to let us know what the vet says.
((hugs)), kk
You are doing the right thing in getting your baby to the vet ASAP. Be sure that the vet does a urinalysis to rule out urinary tract infections or crystals, and your cat also needs to have blood work to rule out kidney disease, diabetes and thyroid problems. Also, your vet can give you special food that may help you to entice Weasel to eat. It is imperative that he eat, or he could develop hepatic lipidosis, which is very dangerous for cats. Please come back to let us know what the vet says.
((hugs)), kk
Re: shrinking kitty
KK is correct, your kitty needs to see your vet NOW. Drastic weight loss in cats can fast lead to kidney, liver, heart disease, and you need to get him examined IMMEDIATELY, I wouldn't wait another minute, period. You need to get a full blood profile done, including thyroid function testing and urinalysis, only your vet can tell you the underlying condition and how to treat it.
Don't wait, get your kitty to the nearest vet NOW.
Don't wait, get your kitty to the nearest vet NOW.
..........Traci
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redstarr
Re: shrinking kitty
well i took weazel to the vet and the first thing they ruled out was fiv and leukemia however the lipidosis wasnt ruled out yet. they did blood, urine and chem panel which wont be back til tomorrow as well as an exray and subcutaneous fluids. The vet freaked me out from the very beginning telling me weazel is jaundice and since he was 10 years old i might have to make a decision, but after the lukemia and fiv test was negative he sounded more positive, even said he wouldnt have to be hospitalized and suggested baby food and water through syringe or bottle feeding, which i was already doing. then he said to call him for the results and he might then have me come in for some medication once he knows what it is. I am so very confused. doesnt jaundiced mean its fatal? and if not what could it be. he seemed sure it wasnt kidney related. he said his kidneys would have already failed by now if they were gonna. he also said weazel's bladder was full but he didnt have the strength to go. That scares me too. This vet is not very helpful and very confusing. what is going on?? is my weazel gonna die? by the way he lost exactly 10 pounds in under a month. please give me any ideas to help him i dont know if i trust this vet..
Re: shrinking kitty
Redstarr, since I don't know the exact exchange between you and your vet, I hesitate to say, but based only on your post, I would make sure those results are at the clinic no later than noon tomorrow. If they aren't, and if your vet hasn't formed a treatment plan by then, get your kitty to the nearest ER vet immediately for aggressive treatment. (no way of knowing your vet's dedication to this case)
Jaundice is usually the first sign of a liver condition, but there are several liver conditions that need to be ruled out, such as hepatic lipidosis, vs cholangiohepatitis vs hepatic encephalopathy vs bile duct obstruction, etc. Due to the drastic weight loss in such a short amount of time, I would suspect this is hepatic lipidosis, but your vet needs to review the bloodwork results in order to determine the specific type of liver disease. If the bloodwork doesn't indicate HL, then the next step is a possible ultrasound with guided-needle-biopsy to confirm the type of liver disease (in which to treat most appropriately). I'm surprised he didn't comment to you anything about the x-ray, since the degree of liver degeneration would probably have shown up clearly (i.e., size and shape of liver, odd edges, inflammation)
In any event, force feeding baby food is not what I would recommend. Instead, your vet should have sent home with you a proper veterinary prescribed recovery diet that is high in calories and protein. (example: Hill's A/D or Eukanuba Recovery). He should also have thoroughly discussed with you a feeding schedule including amounts and times to feed, and prescribed antibiotics for you at home, and discussed sub-q fluid admiistration at home. Prednisone is usually another protocol in treatment, but since he has yet to determine the type of liver problem, he probably held off on that for now.
If your vet never mentioned any of the above to you, or failed to give you specific instructions other than feeding baby food and to call him, then I strongly suggest you get your kitty to an ER vet IMMEDIATELY. The drastic weight loss and jaundice should have alerted him your kitty needs direct, prompt and agressive care (forced feeding and sub-q fluids aren't enough)....most kitties in liver failure require hospitalization plus a gastrostomy or esophageal feeding tube placed to ensure more rapid nutritional support and recovery. If caught early on, the survival rate is greater, but what concerns me is your kitty lost 10 lbs in less than a month, this would put him in an acute liver failure category, and he needs agressive treatment ASAP.
Trust your instincts, if you don't feel your vet was expressing concern, and if you're uncomfortable with his wait and see attitude, trust your instincts and get kitty to another vet NOW (tonite). Liver disease can be fatal very quickly if not properly addressed and treated VERY agressively.
There's too much at risk here, and without the lab results, time is wasting. Your kitty needs vital and agressive fluids/nutritional/antibiotic support right NOW.....and ER vet could have made the liver disease type/diagnosis in less than a day, you shouldn't have to wait 24 hours for lab results in such a critical case.
Jaundice is usually the first sign of a liver condition, but there are several liver conditions that need to be ruled out, such as hepatic lipidosis, vs cholangiohepatitis vs hepatic encephalopathy vs bile duct obstruction, etc. Due to the drastic weight loss in such a short amount of time, I would suspect this is hepatic lipidosis, but your vet needs to review the bloodwork results in order to determine the specific type of liver disease. If the bloodwork doesn't indicate HL, then the next step is a possible ultrasound with guided-needle-biopsy to confirm the type of liver disease (in which to treat most appropriately). I'm surprised he didn't comment to you anything about the x-ray, since the degree of liver degeneration would probably have shown up clearly (i.e., size and shape of liver, odd edges, inflammation)
In any event, force feeding baby food is not what I would recommend. Instead, your vet should have sent home with you a proper veterinary prescribed recovery diet that is high in calories and protein. (example: Hill's A/D or Eukanuba Recovery). He should also have thoroughly discussed with you a feeding schedule including amounts and times to feed, and prescribed antibiotics for you at home, and discussed sub-q fluid admiistration at home. Prednisone is usually another protocol in treatment, but since he has yet to determine the type of liver problem, he probably held off on that for now.
If your vet never mentioned any of the above to you, or failed to give you specific instructions other than feeding baby food and to call him, then I strongly suggest you get your kitty to an ER vet IMMEDIATELY. The drastic weight loss and jaundice should have alerted him your kitty needs direct, prompt and agressive care (forced feeding and sub-q fluids aren't enough)....most kitties in liver failure require hospitalization plus a gastrostomy or esophageal feeding tube placed to ensure more rapid nutritional support and recovery. If caught early on, the survival rate is greater, but what concerns me is your kitty lost 10 lbs in less than a month, this would put him in an acute liver failure category, and he needs agressive treatment ASAP.
Trust your instincts, if you don't feel your vet was expressing concern, and if you're uncomfortable with his wait and see attitude, trust your instincts and get kitty to another vet NOW (tonite). Liver disease can be fatal very quickly if not properly addressed and treated VERY agressively.
There's too much at risk here, and without the lab results, time is wasting. Your kitty needs vital and agressive fluids/nutritional/antibiotic support right NOW.....and ER vet could have made the liver disease type/diagnosis in less than a day, you shouldn't have to wait 24 hours for lab results in such a critical case.
..........Traci
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Guest
Re: shrinking kitty
traci, the vet sd he needed the test results first before he could decide on antibiotics and treatment he did say we didnt have much time and suggested hospitalization, but also sd he needed the test results first. are all these conditions fatal?
Re: shrinking kitty
Well, I must caution you, given the age of your kitty and the drastic sudden weight loss (and not knowing his general health status other than this primary condition)...it depends on the liver's ability to regenerate itself at this point in time. The vet needs to determine the extent of damage IMMEDIATELY. I am assuming the jaundice is acute, I am assuming that he was and still is severely dehydrated (in which IV fluids would benefit greatly), and I am assuming that the damage to the liver is significant. What I am most concerned about is encephalopathy or end-stage liver failure, given the time span here since the weight loss. Once the liver reaches this stage, it is nearly impossible to regenerate. THAT is what your vet should be trying to determine, and this is why I suggest an ER vet to care for and treat your kitty....you would have every available option in treatment at an ER facility, 24-hour monitorization, IV catheter placement, continuous nutritional support, and an in-clinic lab to monitor liver enzymes, hydration deficit, secondary infection status, etc. An ER vet can utilize bloodwork analysis immediately and can determine the need for prednisone, and other emergency care medications to help regenerate that liver.
Again, I don't know the level of experience or care your vet is capable of, but it does concern me he didn't hospitalize your kitty immediately upon exam and x-ray findings, along with determining dehydration as a critical factor. I'm also assuming his clinic operates during normal business hours and this leaves you no recourse for an emergency situation.
If this were me, I would get kitty transferred to the nearest ER vet...you could call your primary vet, and if he has an answering service available, ask him to return your call, and express your concern that you feel your kitty needs agressive care.
If the following are signs and symptoms, I wouldn't wait another minute: lethargy, seeking to hide, depression, unable to eat or drink or no interest in food and water, vomiting, wretching, drooling, weak, not wanting to be touched or handled, and unable to produce urine or stools, fighting you when you force feed, etc....to ER immediately.
Again, I don't know the level of experience or care your vet is capable of, but it does concern me he didn't hospitalize your kitty immediately upon exam and x-ray findings, along with determining dehydration as a critical factor. I'm also assuming his clinic operates during normal business hours and this leaves you no recourse for an emergency situation.
If this were me, I would get kitty transferred to the nearest ER vet...you could call your primary vet, and if he has an answering service available, ask him to return your call, and express your concern that you feel your kitty needs agressive care.
If the following are signs and symptoms, I wouldn't wait another minute: lethargy, seeking to hide, depression, unable to eat or drink or no interest in food and water, vomiting, wretching, drooling, weak, not wanting to be touched or handled, and unable to produce urine or stools, fighting you when you force feed, etc....to ER immediately.
..........Traci
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redstarr
Re: shrinking kitty
thank u traci i am calling the er vet now and see what she says hopefully i can treat weazel at home just long enought to find out what she says to do and go from there.
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redstarr
Re: shrinking kitty
i really didnt want to post this for all to see as it is very sad, but i wanted Traci to know as she was very helpful during all this.. My Weezie passed away Tuesday morning. his condition was far too advanced for anything to be done, and i know it was my fault for not taking quicker action. i feel like absolute crap and i am having an impossible time dealing with this. I wanted to let you know, because you were so kind with all the advice.. i would like to post a picture of him, but i am still not sure how to do that. thanx to everyone for your kind thoughts and time.. i will miss Weezal forever.