Starving Kitty Needs Help
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FrankieB
Starving Kitty Needs Help
My 11 yr. old has not been eating like he used to for the last month. His coat is shappy, and he's been drinking more water lately. His behavior has also greatly changed (sleeps in different places, quieter, listless) However, we took him to the vet, only to spend $400 to be told there was nothing wrong with him. Only his white blood cell count was a little elevated, but not so they were very worried. We were given a week's worth of antibiotics and Nutri-Cal. The medicine did nothing, and he's even refusing to take the Nutri-Cal now. What can/should we do?
Re: Starving Kitty Needs Help
What tests were done, was a full blood profile done that included both the CBC and a chemistry profile? If a chem profile wasn't done, see another vet immediately and ask for a geriatric panel that includes liver, kidney and thyroid testing.
Also, if the vet didn't perform a full oral exam, ask a new vet to do so. Your kitty could have oral health problems that may be preventing him from eating, or could be associated with a primary disease, such as renal failure.
If you're feeding him dry food, switch to canned only, in the event he has diseased teeth, sore gums, oral ulcers, etc. The important thing to do is not wait on this and not hesitate to get a second opinion ASAP. Kitties who don't eat sufficiently can suffer severe and fatal liver and kidney disease, not to mention severe dehydration that puts an extra load on vital organs.
Also, if the vet didn't perform a full oral exam, ask a new vet to do so. Your kitty could have oral health problems that may be preventing him from eating, or could be associated with a primary disease, such as renal failure.
If you're feeding him dry food, switch to canned only, in the event he has diseased teeth, sore gums, oral ulcers, etc. The important thing to do is not wait on this and not hesitate to get a second opinion ASAP. Kitties who don't eat sufficiently can suffer severe and fatal liver and kidney disease, not to mention severe dehydration that puts an extra load on vital organs.
..........Traci
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FrankieB
Re: Starving Kitty Needs Help
Traci -
Thank you for your help. We did ask for all of those test (kidney, liver, intestines, thyroid) and checked his gums and teeth. A few years ago, Leo lost 5 teeth because of infection, and lost some weight then, but never as bad as this.
I'm glad to report that he did eat a few Thanksgiving leftovers, but now enough. We will definitely get him back to our vet (or a new one for a second opinion) this Monday.
Thank you for your help. We did ask for all of those test (kidney, liver, intestines, thyroid) and checked his gums and teeth. A few years ago, Leo lost 5 teeth because of infection, and lost some weight then, but never as bad as this.
I'm glad to report that he did eat a few Thanksgiving leftovers, but now enough. We will definitely get him back to our vet (or a new one for a second opinion) this Monday.
Depending on when the last vet visit and that bloodwork was done, depends on the urgency of this situation. You mentioned you've seen drastic changes in appetite, drinking more water, behavior and routine in the last month. If it's been a month since the last vet check up, and if your kitty is suffering severe signs of illness now, I wouldn't wait for Monday, try to get him seen by an ER vet ASAP.
I'm concerned about the excess water consumption and the decreased appetite (eating only left-overs, table scrap food)....he needs sufficient nutrition, like a quality canned cat food at least until a new vet can reassess. If you have a vet office or ER vet that is open, they can recommend a temporary veterinary diet to pick up to tempt him to eat (I would suggest Hill's Rx A/D).
In older kitties, the first things to address are kidney function, liver function, heart function and thyroid function. Other rule outs can be done through the chemical profiles used to test the above. Anytime such drastic changes have occured in so little time, your vet should be addressing this further to get to the source of the problem. Again, depending on when the bloodwork was done....sudden changes can affect bloodwork and you might get some revealing results if you recheck them.
Do seek a second opinion, but if your kitty worsens within the next 12 hours or any other signs of illness, lethargy, etc develop, don't wait....see an ER vet promptly. If by chance he is weak and severely dehydrated, he could probably benefit from sub-q fluids, but only a vet assessment can tell you anything more.
I'm concerned about the excess water consumption and the decreased appetite (eating only left-overs, table scrap food)....he needs sufficient nutrition, like a quality canned cat food at least until a new vet can reassess. If you have a vet office or ER vet that is open, they can recommend a temporary veterinary diet to pick up to tempt him to eat (I would suggest Hill's Rx A/D).
In older kitties, the first things to address are kidney function, liver function, heart function and thyroid function. Other rule outs can be done through the chemical profiles used to test the above. Anytime such drastic changes have occured in so little time, your vet should be addressing this further to get to the source of the problem. Again, depending on when the bloodwork was done....sudden changes can affect bloodwork and you might get some revealing results if you recheck them.
Do seek a second opinion, but if your kitty worsens within the next 12 hours or any other signs of illness, lethargy, etc develop, don't wait....see an ER vet promptly. If by chance he is weak and severely dehydrated, he could probably benefit from sub-q fluids, but only a vet assessment can tell you anything more.
..........Traci
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AzOzGirl
Re: Starving Kitty Needs Help
I would try and have the vet give him a sugar test for diebietes. Try feeding him some tuna juice.
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Deborah L.
Re: Starving Kitty Needs Help
This sounds very similar to a problem my cat, Sassy had. She was always a large jolly cat, but became very thin from not eating. It got so bad that the vet feared she wouldn't make it. He gave me vitamins for her, which we liquidated along with her food and squirted it down her throat about twenty times a day. Needless to say, it was a nightmare. She recovered, but then became obssessed with food. (Thyroid problem) It was all very strange.
Anyway, the vet described it to me (in layman terms) as a kind of cat anorexia. Sassy also became "allergic to her own blood." I know this sounds odd, but perhaps if you mentioned those things to your vet, he/she would understand what you were talking about. Good luck! Sounds like you caught the problem quicker than I did. (Although, Sassy did recover and lived another five years.)
Anyway, the vet described it to me (in layman terms) as a kind of cat anorexia. Sassy also became "allergic to her own blood." I know this sounds odd, but perhaps if you mentioned those things to your vet, he/she would understand what you were talking about. Good luck! Sounds like you caught the problem quicker than I did. (Although, Sassy did recover and lived another five years.)