Blood test results, questions.

[andrya]

l'm really trying not to freak out, but l had Rhys at the vet today to get his baselines for moving forward.

X-rays were great as far as his bones and joints are concerned. However, it also showed that he has undigested bone in his system!!

l remember reading that someone else's kitty had the same thing show up on their x-ray and that they also feed raw.

Here's the thing, l use bonemeal, and have used ONLY bonemeal since very early into starting raw a little over a year ago. l feed canned cat food and freeze dried raw as well as my homemade. I don't give him wings or anything with bones in as he wouldn't eat them.

l'm shocked at seeing the mass of white and the vet telling me what it is. l told her he wrestles with our toilet rolls daily, tears them apart and does swallow some - could it be toilet paper? Nope, it's undigested bone. (This was a stand-in vet while my own vet is away - l'll ask my vet what she thinks when l go back).

Secondly, l had a baseline bloodwork drawn and she called me after l got home to say that his potassium is low at 3.5

Now l'm worried. Actually l'm freaking out, and upset. l'm trying to do the best l can for these cats that l love so much and it seems like l'm hurting them instead. l'm feeling awfully guilty right now at inflicting this diet on them when they could have been perfectly healthy on canned cat food. l don't know what's going wrong. Why would my 18 month old cat who has never vomited have low potassium, slightly low platelets, and a bunch of undigested bone? l only fed them ground homemade with bone for the first month, and also commercial bone-in raw which they didn't enjoy. lt's only been bonemeal for over a year. Would bonemeal build up like that? And why? Please, if anyone has experience or suggestions, please offer them.

l'm taking him back in 2 weeks to repeat the bloodwork with my own vet. 

 

[ldg]

Big, deep breath.

The freeze dried raw has ground bone in it if you're using NV, S&C or Vital Essentials. I don't know about Primal, though I think that does too. My cats have had lots of x-rays over the past almost 2-years on raw now, and I feed four meals of ground food with bone a week. Depending on when the x-ray is taken in relation to that meal, the bone will be from tummy to colon. Carolina's kitty also had an x-ray early in her transition, when she was feeding raw with ground bone in it, and that also had bone through the GI tract. This is normal, and it's most likely from the freeze dried food. :rub:

Low potassium is most common in CRF, but if her kidney levels were all normal, then it isn't the kidneys. Were her sodium levels normal? These electrolytes tend to work in tandem.

Does the vet think the low potassium is due to her diet? It's very easy to correct via supplementation if she doesn't think this is due to some underlying problem. She's not Burmese or Sphynx, right? (Sorry, I feel like I should know. :anon: ). These breeds are prone to muscle disease, which can cause low potassium levels.

If the vet is sure it's not due to an underlying problem, hopefully she'll be able to give you guidance on how much to supplement. But you're using the Catnutrition.org diet, correct? If so, the problem shouldn't be the diet. :dk:

What I'd do in your shoes is talk to the vet about how much to supplement, and how long to supplement before having the blood work done again to see.


I have no idea if the low platelets is related. I do know platelets contain a lot of potassium IN them.



ETA: I see another blood work is scheduled for two weeks from now. I guess at that point, if the potassium and platelets are still low, then discuss how to proceed. But potassium supplementation shouldn't be difficult.

 

[andrya]

Whew, l'm not dealing well, lol. When l learned my poor dog had a bladder full of stones, l took it all in stride. He's almost 10 years old and ate crappy kibble for most of his life, so it was what it was. 

This is different. Rhys, the Foldie, is barely out of kittenhood. He seems healthy but this has thrown me and l'm scared there's something underlying that's causing this result.

He did eat Primal freeze-dried for breakfast this morning Laurie, and you're right...l just checked the Primal bag and it has "finely ground turkey necks" or something like that. I haven't seen the numbers yet, but she said on the phone that everything else was normal, and so it "could" be diet related. And right again (you're good 

) l follow the catnutrition.org diet anally. l wonder if my other cats have the same deficiency now. l may take Tanner in next and have him checked since he's the eldest.

l just read that potassium can be excreted by vomiting (never), diarrhea (has had, but long ago when he first came here), or urination. My three cats pee a lot since they're raw fed. ls there such a thing as them being too  well hydrated and he's maybe losing his potassium from that? Okay, l'm grasping at straws now. She said Dr. L will likely talk about supplementation if the second test comes back the same.

l'll be getting a copy of these x-rays when Dr. L gets back too. l'll post one to show the undigested bone.

 

[peaches08]

Isn't 3.5 the low end of the normal range for potassium?

 

[andrya]

Yes, that's what she said. She said it was surprising to her because he's young, healthy, and normal in everything else so the number stands out as low. l think that's why she suggested a retest rather than action.

 

[ldg]

Yeah, the bone thing was freaky the first time. But after the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, it was old hat. We took Flowerbelle to one of our other vets, and he came running in with her X-ray all freaked out, wondering if I had ANY idea what she might have gotten into that would cause ALL those white spots through her whole system. I said, "Oh, she had ground for breakfast, that's just the ground bone." "OOOOOOOOOH!" :lol3: So now he'll know.

I hope it was just something in relation to his (sorry for referring to him as "her") level of hydration at the time the test was taken. :cross:

 

[andrya]

Thanks Laurie View media item 187590

 

[ldg]

Sorry, no clue on the RDW. No idea what it would mean or be the cause.

I see what you're talking about in the x-ray. I should ask Stan if he can send over Flowerbelle's. I really had to search on yours to see it. Obviously the ground bone we feed is MUCH larger. :lol3:

 

[peaches08]

RDW tells us about the size and distribution of the red blood cells. Usually a smear is observed under a microscope to better determine a cause.

The potassium levels can usually be fixed easily...you are using Lite salt and not regular salt in the recipe, correct?

The platelets issue I have no clue.

 

[andrya]

Thanks, peaches. Does anything come to mind where that would affect those 3 things? l've tried Googling all kinds of things but l'm coming up empty.

l use half-salt, by Windsor. lt is a lite iodized salt and does contain potassium, whew.

 

[peaches08]

Honestly, it could be a lot of things. Has he had any illness, injury, etc recently?

 

[andrya]

No, nothing at all, he hasn't even thrown up.

The one thing l ran across was intestinal obstruction, but l can't see one on the x-ray. Maybe he'll get an ultrasound.

l just checked on the freeze dried Primal raw label that they've been eating lately, and it doesn't say AAFCO anywhere on it. lt doesn't say Potassium or K, but gives a list of ingredients, some of which may contain it. l don't know enough about it to know. We're only on the second bag anyway, l think this is something that would develop over more time.

 

[peaches08]

When will your other vet be back? I know you said that you were going to have more blood work done in a couple of weeks but I didn't know if you meant that was when your vet would be returning from vacation or something.

 

[andrya]

She's back and we've booked a double slot do another blood draw, to talk about results and x-rays,etc, and to go over their homecooked recipe (which l haven't seen yet). l don't think the locum vet was supposed to show me anything knowing my vet would be back the next day, but l saw the x-rays right in the office. And then got the dreaded phone call the same day when l got home. 

 

[peaches08]

I guess you could call her and ask if there's anything you should do until that appointment. Maybe a phone call would give you some peace of mind?

 

[andrya]

lt would definitely give me peace of mind to know l'm doing something. l was talking to her via email about the appointment and getting the files. l didn't ask anything, ugh.

l'll call on Monday morning and see what she recommends, and if l should be doing the same for all 3 - and the dog! He had bloodwork a couple of months ago, and didn't get this result. Hmmm, hadn't considered that yet.

 

[mschauer]

 
Thanks, peaches. Does anything come to mind where that would affect those 3 things? l've tried Googling all kinds of things but l'm coming up empty.

l use half-salt, by Windsor. lt is a lite iodized salt and does contain potassium, whew.

As far as the RDW, B12, folic acid and iron deficiencies seem to be  possibilities:

http://www.2ndchance.info/dxme-RDW.htm