- Joined
- Dec 10, 2024
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I could really use some support right now while my baby is at the clinic getting a FNA biopsy.
It’s a long story so I’ll try to omit some details. It started late summer with her suddenly expressing dissatisfaction with the food I’d been giving her for years. She was still hungry so I wasn’t worried; I thought maybe she was just sick of her food. After a while, she also started having litterbox issues and I noticed she was starting to look skinny. She was vomiting a bit more than usual too. Took her to the vet in early October. They found she needed her thyroid medication dosage adjusted and she had a UTI. The most concerning finding was her ALT was outrageously high (1080, about 10x higher than normal). All her liver values were elevated, but ALT was the only one significantly elevated. Vet said we would check again after she gets treated because inflammation from infection and her thyroid could both cause ALT elevations.
Her next checkup indicated her thyroid was actually worse and her liver values hadn’t changed. She did clear the UTI. By then she started vomiting frequently and would then get extremely dehydrated to where she needed supportive care. Her appetite was down so she was given Mirataz, which helped significantly. We switched to topical methimazole for her thyroid. But she was still vomiting explosively. Vet advised me to get an ultrasound, which I did. Her liver and spleen were enlarged, her abdominal lymph nodes were mildly enlarged, and her bile was described as “sludgy.” None of which was enough to get a diagnosis. They did more bloodwork. Her thyroid had normalized, her ALT decreased by about half but is still very high, as were her other liver values. Everything else was normal. They did a GI panel and tested for IBD and pancreatitis. Both tests came back normal. I scheduled a biopsy for her, which is today.
I was honestly putting my money on it being IBD, pancreatitis, or triaditis. In fact I was hoping for it, because the only other options are infection and cancer. At this point I feel like the strongest possibility is that it’s cancer. They did let me know there’s a possibility that the results from the FNA might be inconclusive. I don’t know if it’s worth continuing to pursue a diagnosis if that happens, but I’m trying to not get ahead of myself.
Despite everything she’s going through, she’s still the sweetest girl. She still purrs and plays and cuddles with me. Most days she is pretty much back to normal, but whenever she has one of those explosive vomiting spells, she becomes lethargic and miserable. It has been so up and down. There have been so many times I thought she finally seemed to be turning a corner, only for her to vomit again. The picture I’m sharing is from just a few days ago, when she was so content. Then Sunday night she vomited and started acting very strange and lethargic. I had to bring her to the emergency vet for fluids.
I don’t know exactly what my point is or what I’m even looking to get out of posting this. I’m just struggling with pre-grieving, I guess. I knew this time was coming sooner rather than later. She’s almost 17. But this process has been agonizing for both of us. I am financially and emotionally drained and my pet insurance is not helping me because she doesn’t have a diagnosis yet. I just want to be able to help her and despite everything I’ve tried so far, she isn’t getting better. I’m just so scared and sad and I feel completely helpless and defeated
It’s a long story so I’ll try to omit some details. It started late summer with her suddenly expressing dissatisfaction with the food I’d been giving her for years. She was still hungry so I wasn’t worried; I thought maybe she was just sick of her food. After a while, she also started having litterbox issues and I noticed she was starting to look skinny. She was vomiting a bit more than usual too. Took her to the vet in early October. They found she needed her thyroid medication dosage adjusted and she had a UTI. The most concerning finding was her ALT was outrageously high (1080, about 10x higher than normal). All her liver values were elevated, but ALT was the only one significantly elevated. Vet said we would check again after she gets treated because inflammation from infection and her thyroid could both cause ALT elevations.
Her next checkup indicated her thyroid was actually worse and her liver values hadn’t changed. She did clear the UTI. By then she started vomiting frequently and would then get extremely dehydrated to where she needed supportive care. Her appetite was down so she was given Mirataz, which helped significantly. We switched to topical methimazole for her thyroid. But she was still vomiting explosively. Vet advised me to get an ultrasound, which I did. Her liver and spleen were enlarged, her abdominal lymph nodes were mildly enlarged, and her bile was described as “sludgy.” None of which was enough to get a diagnosis. They did more bloodwork. Her thyroid had normalized, her ALT decreased by about half but is still very high, as were her other liver values. Everything else was normal. They did a GI panel and tested for IBD and pancreatitis. Both tests came back normal. I scheduled a biopsy for her, which is today.
I was honestly putting my money on it being IBD, pancreatitis, or triaditis. In fact I was hoping for it, because the only other options are infection and cancer. At this point I feel like the strongest possibility is that it’s cancer. They did let me know there’s a possibility that the results from the FNA might be inconclusive. I don’t know if it’s worth continuing to pursue a diagnosis if that happens, but I’m trying to not get ahead of myself.
Despite everything she’s going through, she’s still the sweetest girl. She still purrs and plays and cuddles with me. Most days she is pretty much back to normal, but whenever she has one of those explosive vomiting spells, she becomes lethargic and miserable. It has been so up and down. There have been so many times I thought she finally seemed to be turning a corner, only for her to vomit again. The picture I’m sharing is from just a few days ago, when she was so content. Then Sunday night she vomited and started acting very strange and lethargic. I had to bring her to the emergency vet for fluids.
I don’t know exactly what my point is or what I’m even looking to get out of posting this. I’m just struggling with pre-grieving, I guess. I knew this time was coming sooner rather than later. She’s almost 17. But this process has been agonizing for both of us. I am financially and emotionally drained and my pet insurance is not helping me because she doesn’t have a diagnosis yet. I just want to be able to help her and despite everything I’ve tried so far, she isn’t getting better. I’m just so scared and sad and I feel completely helpless and defeated
Try to stay in the here and now and work with what you know, and do your best to push away all the scary what-if's. (I've been there many times, and it's easier said than done I know!)
Yes, her name is Mini.
Lovely name for a beautiful cat.
While it doesn’t make the loss any less painful, I think it helps a lot to know you did all that you could. I’m still pretty traumatized by the loss of my last kitty because I never felt completely confident that I did the right thing at the right time by having her put to rest. She didn’t give any indication she was ready to go. I didn’t even have a diagnosis or any insight into what was making her so sick. I wish I did a lot of things differently with her, but it’s too late. It’s not too late for Mini, though. I want to make sure I don’t make the same mistakes with her.
