New here-cat advice please

[js124]

Hi
My cat was having issues with not eating last month. He went to vet was there for four days on iv blood work fine, X-ray fine. Came home still not eating. Had ultrasound done. Ultrasound showed gall bladder sludge, defective kidney (just one), lympomthy (mild it said) and slight bile. The Doctor said that I should get an endoscopy surgery to see.
My car has a heart condition so it's not a route I really want to take.He is on antenolol and has been ok. I knew about the kidney ready from his last ultrasound. They have him meds for the sludge and he was fine for about a month. He is acting weird again. He is eating but hesitates at first, circles and meows. If I put some dry on top of wet, he will eat. Bathroom drinking same. Does seem to be sleeping more. He is also smacks his lips sometimes(not constantly) so I know he is naseus too(he is on pepcid) my question is anymore have experence with sludge? has anyone had the surgery? I don't know what to do. I love my cat but alreadt spent about 2000 with zero answers. I like my vet office but I feel that haven't really helped. Any suggestions

 

[zoneout]

You are heading down a very frustrating road.   You have to ramp up your learning curve to get on top of this and not be at the mercy of others.   You are going to have to put the time in.   Thankfully the info is at our fingertips nowadays.

Some questions:

1)  How old is your cat

2)  Does he vomit and frequency?

3?  Hairballs?

4) Diahrea?

5)  Has he been a picky eater his whole life.

6) Is he losing weight?

7)  What was the IV for?   

While you are answering those, here are some tips:

1)  Put the dry food in a sealed air-tight container or keep it down in the basement where he cannot smell it.   Obviously he eats fine when you bring out the kibble toppers - so he is holding out for it knowing that you will eventually cave.   

2)  Get a copy of the blood test.  You have a right to have it.   You will need it for comparisons and to formulate questions.

3)  Start reading about giving Subcutaneous (Sub-Q) fluids.  Chances are you will need to know how to do this one day maybe sooner than you think.

4)  Read about B-12 injections.

 

[arthursmommy]

Look into another vet. If there is a vet school nearby, they may have a clinic. They are often cheaper and because it is a teaching clinic they are sometimes more thorough and responsive to your questions. Do not be afraid to demand answers or ask questions, and do look up whatever you can.

 

[js124]

He is ten.
I have copies of everything. His bloodwork is normal and so is his urine.
He does get hairballs, he takes pepcid, he doesn't vomit a lot, maybe once a month

hairball

His poop is fine

The iv was for him not eating for four days and vomiting.

He can't get fluids or b-12 like that because he has a heart condition.

I am not even sure what your first part was implying at all.
His bloodwork is not in the range for kidney disease as of now. His kidney was deformed, vet said could have been from birth

 

[denice]

Many of us here with kitties that have chronic digestive issues have made the decision about endoscopy or surgery.   It is usually done for a biopsy and I chose not to get it done.  My kitty is on a steroid to control inflammation but I don't know about doing that with a kitty that has a heart condition.  Did the ultrasound show signs of inflammation any where in his digestive system?  Often that inflammation is the root cause.  My kitty would have flares starting at 18 months with vomiting and anorexia.  Initially he was always checked for swallowing a foreign object turned out he has IBD.  

 

[js124]

: A very scant amount of peritoneal fluid adjacent to the gb/along the diaphragm (insufficient to sample).  The liver is normal in size but has a mild diffusely hyperechoic appearance to the parenchyma.  The gb is not overly distended but does contain organized echogenic material filling nearly 90% of the lumen.  The stomach and bowel are diffusely normal in appearance and wall thickness.  The caudal pole of the right kidney is deformed and irregular but no pelvic dilation is present; the left kidney is normal.  Both adrenal glands are normal.  The spleen is normal.  No pancreatic lesions are noted.  The bladder is normal.  Mild ileocolic lymphadenopathy is present (largest measures 1.3x0.6 cm

this is the results.