I Don't Know What To Do - 15+yo Cat

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FeebysOwner

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How are you and Feeby doing?
Feeby is hanging in there, no issues - so far - with H-T meds after about 5 1/2 weeks.

It is still a 'crap shoot' with some of her food - especially with the Sheba Perfect Portions for some reason. She likes the Nutro version a little bit better - of course, it is more expensive! I feed her a 3 oz can of pate (mostly FF) in the AM, and the rest of the day is followed up by the perfect portion foods (1.32 oz each), given I never know what she will end up eating. She has pretty much restricted herself to chicken or chicken & liver, although I am throwing in a fish & chicken a couple of times a week now. I am still tossing out some of the food by the end of the day because if she hasn't eaten any or much of it shortly after it is set out for her, I know she isn't going to eat it. And, yet I have managed to find a way to get her to eat about 260 calories per day (on average, that is). She still is into all the lickable treats that I give to her with her meds, and absolutely refuses to eat her Glyco Flex without it being smashed up into baby food meats! (Spoiled brat!! LOL!!)

Haven't weighed her today, but last Monday she weighed 13.1 pounds, so an ounce more than 2 weeks ago. I would guess she is still in that range.

Thanks for asking.
 

verna davies

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Glad she is holding her weight and no issues so far with the meds. Do our cats not realise how much cat food costs. How are you coping?
 
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Glad she is holding her weight and no issues so far with the meds. Do our cats not realise how much cat food costs. How are you coping?
Our dear beloved cats could care less about the cost of their food!!!! They just want whatever it is that they want, when they want it. :redtongue:

Coping, in terms of Feeby? Hey, things could be a lot worse, you know? She is still squawking, a lot - mostly during the earlier hours of the day. I am kind of leaning toward renaming it to 'screeching'!
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Update for the past week

Status quo mostly. Feeby weighed 13.2 pounds this AM, so a 2oz gain since starting the H-T meds - on about the same average caloric intake per day (268).

Waiting to hear from vet to ensure he has included orders in her file for another blood test, and then I will reluctantly take her in again for a blood draw this week. She's always pretty good, but I just dread making her go through it all again after having been in there in August, October & November :ohwell:.

Put up some X-mas decorations, but haven't finished. One of the reasons for not finishing is Feeby. I brought out a box containing a mantel-top ceramic X-mas, but Feeby has decided she would prefer to enjoy the top of the box - so, tree is still in it while she sleeps on top of it. After a week, I think her love affair with it is beginning to wane!
 

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verna davies

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Just when the fur starts to grow back from the previous blood test, it's shaved again for the next one, poor Feeby. Hopefully this test will show her on the correct level of meds and she can have a break for 6 months
 
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Just when the fur starts to grow back from the previous blood test, it's shaved again for the next one, poor Feeby. Hopefully this test will show her on the correct level of meds and she can have a break for 6 months
They don't even shave the area, believe it or not. Alcohol swabs and separating the hair, that is how they do it! Vet wanted to go 3 months vs. 1 month, so not sure when he will want to do it after this one. It might be February if he wants to keep her on the 6 month check up schedule.
 
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FeebysOwner

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So lucky not being shaved, that alone is unpleasant for them. Do you see any changes in her?
Changes resulting from the H-T meds? Not sure. She seems to be a bit more 'mischievous' than she was awhile back. Trying to get near (spider) plants that she has always liked, but had stopped pursuing. They are kept out of her reach, but as of late that hasn't stopped her from trying to s-t-r-e-t-c-h her way to them. She even got one the other day! So, maybe a bit more energy?
 
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This is strictly a 'vent' session - no actual update. :yelling:

Took Feeby back into the vet for a follow up blood test, which the order for it seems to have been 'lost in the shuffle'. Fortunately, I called earlier today to make sure it was OK to bring her in and they said they would take care of the 'missing' order and to bring her in at my leisure. They drew her blood, and I went to pay for it at the front desk. It was a lot less expensive than the cost last month. Why? Because the jerks only did a blood draw for T4 - nothing else. :doh:
So, what do you suppose happened next? They had to do ANOTHER blood draw on Feeby. For crying out loud! :gaah:

They discounted the second blood test costs by 50% - I told them that was no consolation for Feeby.
I also asked to have a note put in her file for the results to be emailed to me, since last time it took 3 requests to get it. We'll see if they can manage to properly follow through with at least that part.
I hope for her sake, and mine, she doesn't need to be seen again until her next 6 mo check up which I believe will be Feb-Mar. :cloudy:
 
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Update (and Confusion)

Feeby's blood work results are back. Things seem to be going in the wrong direction. She has a number of high readings now. However, her Creatinine level (which I understood to be the most accurate indicator of kidney disease) is in the normal range and did not change from the last blood test on 11/13. Her BUN is still high, but lower than last time. Unfortunately, her T4 went from 2.6 to 2.9. The vet is OK with this increase, but I wonder if it means we have her Methimazole dose too low.

Now for the rest of the befuddling numbers:
- Sodium is high which could indicate dehydration, but also can be elevated with hyperventilation (panting) - which might be the result of her having been poked two different times during this last blood testing.
- Triglycerides are still high but lower than last time - still no real understanding how this relates to anything.
- Cholesterol is now high as well - but the odd part about this one is that it is commonly tied to hyPOthyroidism, diabetes, or liver disease. Nothing in her other results point to these conditions, as far as I can tell.

And now for the horrific grand finale:
- Calcium is high. While this can simply be part of hyperthyroidism, it can also mean tumors, hyperparathyroidism, or kidney disease. I am guessing it is one of the two former conditions...but who knows. Vet wants to wait 3 months for another blood work up and see if the calcium level stays high - if so, more testing to see if the reason behind this can be better isolated. I think he suspects cancer - probably of the thyroid or para-thyroid glands. .

Will talk with the H-T forum group about all of this and see if they can shed any light on anything.

Short of all that - for some normalcy: Her weight is stable at 13.1 pounds with caloric intake about the same as it has been for a while now.

I don't have a good feeling about the blood test results though.
 

fionasmom

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I do not have a lot to add either. My dogs who have been hypothyridic have had high cholesterol and triglycerides but I was told that in dogs it is not the same caution as it would be with a human. My diabetic cats did not have high cholesterol; one was very heavy and one was not. Sodium might be the result of the test itself, as you mentioned dehydration.

If your vet suspects cancer, can he do any imaging for tumors while you wait for the next blood test?
 
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I do not have a lot to add either. My dogs who have been hypothyridic have had high cholesterol and triglycerides but I was told that in dogs it is not the same caution as it would be with a human. My diabetic cats did not have high cholesterol; one was very heavy and one was not. Sodium might be the result of the test itself, as you mentioned dehydration. If your vet suspects cancer, can he do any imaging for tumors while you wait for the next blood test?
It would appear that triglycerides nor cholesterol have the same impact on cats (or dogs) as they do humans. So, that - for now - "is what it is". If Feeby's calcium is still high in another 3 months, the vet said he will start more testing. He didn't want to do it yet, as he is pretty conservative about going 'gang busters' with testing. I think he wants to see another high calcium reading first. Then, more testing to try to narrow down what might be behind the high calcium. From what he said, that will entail specialized blood work before going down the path of imaging. Apparently, some specific kind of chemical testing can focus in/rule out certain sources.

As discouraging as it is, I think he is kind of leaning toward the fact that she is 16+ and maybe there should be a limit on how much we do. He didn't exactly say that, but has mentioned the last couple of times that we talked that 'something is going to get her, eventually'. It may sound rude/callous for him to say that, but I just think he is being honestly frank. It is not pleasant, but better than painting a rosy picture that turns out not to be the case. He typically is very upbeat, so for him to 'suggest' we might be looking at cancer tells me he has some inclination toward that direction. :sigh:
 

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I can see your reasoning and that of the vet exactly and would have reservations about doing anything drastic to a 16+ cat who could live out the rest of her days in comfort and peace. My cat vet is of the same mind and actually refuses to do anything extreme to old or very sick animals.
 
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Today was Feeby's weigh in day, and she is holding at 13.1 pounds, with about the same amount of daily caloric intake that she has been eating for some time now - 263 per day this past week. I am surprised at the amount of calories, as she seems to be getting picky again about her food. I never know for sure if what I give her will be eaten or rejected! :hmmm:

Since I haven't found much information that would tell me to be too worried over her last blood test results, we are going to put that aside for now and just wait for her semi-annual check up in Feb-Mar.

Her twice a day 'squawking' sessions have awarded her a new nickname: 'Scream-y Mimi'. :crazy: Still have no idea what is really behind this.

I don't think the ceramic X-mas tree will be put up this year - she is still using the top of the box as a napping spot! I probably didn't help matters any because I turned it on its side to make for easier access and more surface space for her! Then, my husband got out a box of X-mas cards, and she immediately took advantage of the box top to lay in. Not wanting to keep that out for her, I made her a bed from another box top that she has been using as well. But, she still gravitates to the top of that one box! Now, it is just a matter of how long after the holidays will she still want to hang out on that box top - one day, it will HAVE to be put back in storage!!
 

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