Cat Losing Weight Blood Ok Cause?

Jojo&Tutu

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My 16 year old Siamese Tutu is losing weight. She has chronic pancreatitis, one liver enzyme elevated , stage 2 CKD and chronic IBD. Her blood work otherwise is stable. She is eating pretty good. She gets 60 ml sub q fluids every other day. She looks dehydrated a little time after she gets them. Her potassium was a little low so we switched her renal k powder to the gel. I am waiting on a pancreatic enzyme evaluation and gi evaluation: PLI and TLI. Her thyroid is low normal. I am worried about gi lymphoma but she eats well with no vomiting and no diarrhea if anything she tends towards constipation. Any suggestions of what this can be caused by. She went from 6 lb 8 oz to 5 lb 9.5oz in a couple months. She is small but really looks thin. It is scary. She is on budesonide, amlodipine, zofran, Pepsid ac, renal k Gel, sub q fluids and cobaliquin.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Is your cat taking B12? Many IBD cats take B12 injections. Not enough B12 can result in weight loss. Here's info: The Importance of B12 – IBDKitties
The cobalamin (b12) is being rechecked and she is just starting to take cobalequin a b12 supplement. Texas A&M has studied cobalequin compared to b12 shots and it is equally effective and doesn’t upset the cat’s tummy. The b12 shots add aluminum. I myself take b12 shots due to having pernicious anemia with intrinsic factor antibodies so I cannot absorb b12 in my stomach. It is good to know it can cause weight loss so thank you. I heard her low potassium might also affect weight so we switched to renal k gel as the powder added to food wasn’t working as well. Fingers crossed that it is not serious. Her appetite is good as today she comes yelling for food even more than before. Thanks for the info!!
 

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She's got a lot going on. If it's all being well-managed (no flare ups), then feed her more often. Get her B-12. And also get her on a probiotic if she isn't already. It will help with secondary digestion of and absorption of nutrients.
This is my favorite probiotic:
Pet Flora, Cat Probiotics Supplement | Vitality Science

My Krista has IBD and had a couple of pancreatic flares. She's 15 and on a maintenance schedule of B-12 every other week. She takes 1/4 capsule of that probiotic mixed in her food a couple of times a day. Other than that, I am simply feeding her six times a day because I have figured out through trial and error how big her stomach is. Then I've been slowly growing her portions back up to that value after a rough start to this year. She came home from 10 days in the hospital at 7 lbs. She's now nearly 9 lbs. But it's taken a long time to get her calories back up. I never thought she would eat this much food or that it would take her this much food to get her body condition back. But it seems to be working. For her, she eats a little more than 8 oz a day of Rawz Turkey for nearly 300 calories (286.)

I'd start yours on four meals a day if she's not already eating that often. Two breakfasts and two dinners. She doesn't need a lunch if she's sleeping. The meals don't have to be evenly spaced apart but you should try to offer them the same time each day. If you don't have to feed her six times a day like my Krista, don't immediately sign up for that. I hope to one day return to a more sane 4 a day.
 

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How is Tutu's breath, is Tutu eating as much as usual? My boy with CKD was prone to dental issues (common with CKD) and often needed antibiotics for mouth infections. Our boy was not a candidate for dental surgery, as he was not healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Also, with CKD, kitties are prone to feeling nauseated, and associate their feeling of nausea with their food, and will even refuse to eat something they just ate that morning. If your cat is not eating enough try rotating multiple different food flavors and textures to encourage more eating.
I wonder if it she may need an increase of sub-q fluids?
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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How is Tutu's breath, is Tutu eating as much as usual? My boy with CKD was prone to dental issues (common with CKD) and often needed antibiotics for mouth infections. Our boy was not a candidate for dental surgery, as he was not healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Also, with CKD, kitties are prone to feeling nauseated, and associate their feeling of nausea with their food, and will even refuse to eat something they just ate that morning. If your cat is not eating enough try rotating multiple different food flavors and textures to encourage more eating.
I wonder if it she may need an increase of sub-q fluids?
Tutu is currently eating four to five times a day. The only hard part is staying up late enough at night for her late night feeding otherwise I have been not having trouble. She used to only eat two or three times a day but she needs more now. She is taking ondansetron (zofran) in the morning for nausea and it also helps relax her muscles for her bowels as she tend to be constipated. I have noticed with the sub q fluids that an hour or two after her sub q (60ml every other day) she looks very dehydrated and looks better only many hours later. I don’t think she can take more. She is only in stage 2 CKD. Thank you for responding and I will ask about probiotics but years ago they did not do much. She has started cobaliquin once a day and postassium gel. Her potassium was low. Since she started these her appetite is stronger as she is hollaring for food four times a day. I am awaiting her test results on cobalamin, folate and pancreatic enzymes. She had 7 teeth removed a few months prior to her weight loss. She has pancreatic hyperplasia and pancreatitis for a few years now. She had a rare benign liver tumor removed in 2016 and I131 treatment for a thyroid tumor last spring. Will know soon if her weight begins to improve - if not she’ll get an ultrasound and if that shows nothing endoscopy ugh. It’s a lot for my sweet baby to go through.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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How is Tutu's breath, is Tutu eating as much as usual? My boy with CKD was prone to dental issues (common with CKD) and often needed antibiotics for mouth infections. Our boy was not a candidate for dental surgery, as he was not healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Also, with CKD, kitties are prone to feeling nauseated, and associate their feeling of nausea with their food, and will even refuse to eat something they just ate that morning. If your cat is not eating enough try rotating multiple different food flavors and textures to encourage more eating.
I wonder if it she may need an increase of sub-q fluids?
Thank you for responding. I am now feeding her four to five times a day and hoping it will help. Her appetite has grown so maybe she will. I worry about finding enough food. She is eating Lotus Just Juicy Venison but in the past many cans were dented or rusty and these cans I won’t feed her for risk of bacteria. Having chosen only the good cans locally they have too many of the dented ones and are not ordering in more. I may have to drive an hour and a half to LA to get her more food. Her vet recommended a little dry food but I cannot find venison without sweet potatoe or green pea or other proteins in it that she would be allergic to. Hoping the extra late night meal will help her because I am tired and just want to sleep!!! Oh well she is much more important to me than a little shut eye. I just have to match her sleep schedule.
 

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I have noticed with the sub q fluids that an hour or two after her sub q (60ml every other day) she looks very dehydrated and looks better only many hours later.
She probably looks dehydrated because she is (until it starts to absorb a few hours later). With sub-Q fluids, I'm sure you noticed that the fluids can form a "sack" or "pouch", wherever fluid pooled. The weight of the pouch could be pulling on the skin in a way that it makes her dehydration more noticeable. I wonder if giving a lower amount of fluids daily would be more beneficial to keep her hydration level stable. Like 40mls a day instead of 60mls every other day? When our boy had CKD (although he was further along than your girl I think) we were giving 100mls everyday.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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She hates getting the sub q fluid and she really looks worse on her back legs and in general about a half hour to an hour later. I don’t know why. I think I’ll stick to every other day and mention it to her vet next time I see her next week. I left a message. She does seem to have a greatly increased appetite since we switched her potassium to the gel and added in cobaliquin tablets. She comes hollering for food in a insistent way that she hadn’t before. She got me up at 4:45 am wanting breakfast, fed her, and again came hollering at 8:00 am to finish breakfast. I checked her weight this am and it was 5 lb 11 oz but my scale typically reads 1 oz higher than my vets so I think she gained a half ounce. If I feed her a second late night meal I can get her weight up so I hope it builds enough for her vet to say ok no need for another ultrasound since she just had one a few months ago. Her vet just got a new more detailed imaging ultrasound and she probably wants to check her out on it but she gains maybe she can wait. Her office is pricy but she is the best internal medicine vet in the county (I’ve been to most all) and Tutu has been with her since age one. I have disagreed with her on a couple of ocassions and was right but I really trust in the two of us figuring Tutu out. She says I am a great cat mom and have kept Tutu going and I told her only with her help and we both together have kept Tutu going. Tutu is very very smart, very sweet and very pretty and everyone there loves her so I want to keep her around, comfortable and happy. This is a picture of her a few years ago, one of my favorites as you can sense her personality.
 
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Jem

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Tutu is beautiful! And yes, you are a great cat mom. You know your kitty best and are the best advocate for her. Keep up the great work, Tutu is lucky to have you!
I only mention the daily subQ fluids based on my own experience with my CKD kitty, but like I said, I think he was further along in his CKD than your Tutu is at the moment. When diagnosed, he was already in stage three. He was very thin as well, and being an already lean Siamese body type (he was not purebred), it did not take long for any weight loss to be noticeable. The combination of weight loss and the muscle wasting did make for a unsteady boy after we gave him his fluids until they absorbed a bit, so I just wanted to let you know.

This is my boy, Toby, before he got too sick, he was still in stage three, about 18 at the time. He passed in November 2018, at 20 years old.

 
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Jojo&Tutu

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What a sweet boy!!!! How wonderful that he lived till 20!!! You must be a caring loving cat mom and he was lucky to have you. I’m sorry for his passing must be gut wrenchingly hard. I hope you might love another some day. Do you have any other kitties? I will be broken hearted when Tutu is gone. I have no children, never married am old now and somewhat broken having been injured and harassed by military illegal research many years ago. My home has been a torture chamber for harmonics, radiofrequency and infrasound (low frequency vibrations). I’m sure Tutu has been affected by this environment. I got her right after I found out my immune system was failing in some ways - it was such a scary time. I really needed to hold onto her then and so I am doubly attached. I know it will be a heartbreak to lose her. My Facebook is full of her photos and videos and my gripes about electromagnetic fields. I am a retired professor of photography and design. You can look me up on FB: I’ll message you my full name. There are videos links of Tutu talking saying english words “bath” and “no”. She knows what no means and says it appropriately though the no video isn’t her best vocalization of it. The bath one is really cute. She didn’t want lunch today. She saw me dressed as I have a friend coming over and she got scared and went to hide. She thought I was taking her back to the vet.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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What a sweet boy!!!! How wonderful that he lived till 20!!! You must be a caring loving cat mom and he was lucky to have you. I’m sorry for his passing must be gut wrenchingly hard. I hope you might love another some day. Do you have any other kitties? I will be broken hearted when Tutu is gone. I have no children, never married am old now and somewhat broken having been injured and harassed by military illegal research many years ago. My home has been a torture chamber for harmonics, radiofrequency and infrasound (low frequency vibrations). I’m sure Tutu has been affected by this environment. I got her right after I found out my immune system was failing in some ways - it was such a scary time. I really needed to hold onto her then and so I am doubly attached. I know it will be a heartbreak to lose her. My Facebook is full of her photos and videos and my gripes about electromagnetic fields. I am a retired professor of photography and design. You can look me up on FB: I’ll message you my full name. There are videos links of Tutu talking saying english words “bath” and “no”. She knows what no means and says it appropriately though the no video isn’t her best vocalization of it. The bath one is really cute. She didn’t want lunch today. She saw me dressed as I have a friend coming over and she got scared and went to hide. She thought I was taking her back to the vet.
What a sweet boy!!!! How wonderful that he lived till 20!!! You must be a caring loving cat mom and he was lucky to have you. I’m sorry for his passing must be gut wrenchingly hard. I hope you might love another some day. Do you have any other kitties? I will be broken hearted when Tutu is gone. I have no children, never married am old now and somewhat broken having been injured and harassed by military illegal research many years ago. My home has been a torture chamber for harmonics, radiofrequency and infrasound (low frequency vibrations). I’m sure Tutu has been affected by this environment. I got her right after I found out my immune system was failing in some ways - it was such a scary time. I really needed to hold onto her then and so I am doubly attached. I know it will be a heartbreak to lose her. My Facebook is full of her photos and videos and my gripes about electromagnetic fields. I am a retired professor of photography and design. You can look me up on FB: I’ll message you my full name. There are videos links of Tutu talking saying english words “bath” and “no”. She knows what no means and says it appropriately though the no video isn’t her best vocalization of it. The bath one is really cute. She didn’t want lunch today. She saw me dressed as I have a friend coming over and she got scared and went to hide. She thought I was taking her back to the vet.
I can’t quite figure out how to private message it would not let me. Oh well you can look up my Tutu videos in YouTube: Tutu my Siamese kitty Jojo S
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Rest of bloodwork is back and there is nothing -it looks better than in a long time. I am worried because she looks so skinny and no reason stands out. Thyroid and B12 cobalamin are ok. I am scared that it could be cancer or something else that we haven’t found. I just wish her weight would go up. Might have to change her food or something. I am wondering if it has to do with giving her sub q fluids. She looks so skinny on the day she gets them. About an hour after she gets the sub q she looks dehydrated - the opposite of what you’d think they would do. In the meantime I have a water problem at my home. Tutu likes to eat straight out of her can but I still have to boil water to clean utensils and for her water bowls. I’m glad that Ive always used bottled water boiled for her water bowls. It’s been a month of this problem at my home not being solved, causing me stress and I’m trying not to show it. Tutu also won’t sleep with me and I’m not sure if this is related to her condition or my home environmental problems but she still does like to hang out lounging and being petted.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Rest of bloodwork is back and there is nothing -it looks better than in a long time. I am worried because she looks so skinny and no reason stands out. Thyroid and B12 cobalamin are ok. I am scared that it could be something else that we haven’t found. I just wish her weight would go up. Might have to change her food or something. I am wondering if it has to do with giving her sub q fluids. She looks so skinny on the day she gets them. About an hour after she gets the sub q she looks dehydrated - the opposite of what you’d think they would do. She finally slept with me last night. Maybe she will turn around and feel better. Her only problem has been low potassium and maybe that’s all there is wrong.
 
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