Hello friends, 2021 has not been a good year for our pet cats. On 9/17/2021, Samantha underwent a colon biopsy that resulted in a resection that is still healing and an FGESF diagnosis. On 10/20/2021, her fur brother, Watson, was diagnosed with Conn's Syndrome / hyperaldosteronism.
Antonio65
, thank you for sharing so much information about your cat Lola's experience with this disease. What are the odds that both of my precious cats have such rare disorders? Perhaps its time to buy a lottery ticket given my knack with these long odds. But I digress...
Watson is a 13 year old, neutered DSH. The big man upstairs really broke the mold when He made Watson - Watson is truly a dog trapped in a cat's body. I've never met a cat who is so friendly, gentle and playful. He's been in the family since he was a kitten and had been fine until 2-3 years ago when his creatinine started creeping up. He's been on Hill's canned K/D kidney diet since then. His potassium levels were low, and we have been supplementing with potassium powder. We took him to an internal medicine vet at Gulf Coast Specialty Veterinary in Houston, TX. The vet offered to run and ultrasound for completeness to rule out urinary tract issues (Watson has been peeing outside the box).
the ultrasound revealed an adrenal mass on one side. It is growing against the vena cava. The vet ran an X-ray to check to spreading, thankfully it has not. The exam also revealed Watson has high blood pressure. The vet recommends surgery to remove the mass once the blood pressure is stable. He is now on spirolacatone and amlodipine.
the IM vets says adrenalectomy has a 20-40pct complication rate. I’ve read scary things about cats dying within the first 2 weeks of surgery.
Watson is a robust guy on the outside - no weakness, bright and alert. Inside he is showing his age: stage 2 ckd, high blood pressure, low potassium. I asked the vet if he is a good candidate for surgery. He didn’t answer my question directly. He recommends surgery because the gland will keep growing even with drugs to manage potassium and etc. the growing gland could rupture the vena cava and kill him. He didn’t handicap Watson’s likelihood of complication within the 20-40pct range.
after our experience with Samantha’s surgery, I’m more cautious and don’t want to rush into anything. what hospitals have deep experience with adrenal gland removal or vascular surgery? At gulf coast veterinary, the surgeon would be a soft tissue surgeon.
Thanks!
Watson is a 13 year old, neutered DSH. The big man upstairs really broke the mold when He made Watson - Watson is truly a dog trapped in a cat's body. I've never met a cat who is so friendly, gentle and playful. He's been in the family since he was a kitten and had been fine until 2-3 years ago when his creatinine started creeping up. He's been on Hill's canned K/D kidney diet since then. His potassium levels were low, and we have been supplementing with potassium powder. We took him to an internal medicine vet at Gulf Coast Specialty Veterinary in Houston, TX. The vet offered to run and ultrasound for completeness to rule out urinary tract issues (Watson has been peeing outside the box).
the ultrasound revealed an adrenal mass on one side. It is growing against the vena cava. The vet ran an X-ray to check to spreading, thankfully it has not. The exam also revealed Watson has high blood pressure. The vet recommends surgery to remove the mass once the blood pressure is stable. He is now on spirolacatone and amlodipine.
the IM vets says adrenalectomy has a 20-40pct complication rate. I’ve read scary things about cats dying within the first 2 weeks of surgery.
Watson is a robust guy on the outside - no weakness, bright and alert. Inside he is showing his age: stage 2 ckd, high blood pressure, low potassium. I asked the vet if he is a good candidate for surgery. He didn’t answer my question directly. He recommends surgery because the gland will keep growing even with drugs to manage potassium and etc. the growing gland could rupture the vena cava and kill him. He didn’t handicap Watson’s likelihood of complication within the 20-40pct range.
after our experience with Samantha’s surgery, I’m more cautious and don’t want to rush into anything. what hospitals have deep experience with adrenal gland removal or vascular surgery? At gulf coast veterinary, the surgeon would be a soft tissue surgeon.
Thanks!