Recent Diagnosis Means Feeding My Cat Z/d Dry/wet Food....is There An Alternative?

[daftcat75]

We didn't test for it either. It's a fasting test, and I was concerned about putting an inappetant cat on a fast. Instead I discussed it with the vet, and she agreed that since Krista lost two pounds to IBD, it's fair to assume that she's got nutritional deficiencies including B-12, and that it would be safe to begin the treatment without testing for confirmation.

 

[SFGlam]

thank you all so much. I just sent an email to the vet inquiring about the B12 shots. out of curiosity, how often do you administer them?

 

[verna davies]

My vet suggested once a month.

 

[SFGlam]

ah ok....that's do-able!

 

[daftcat75]

thank you all so much. I just sent an email to the vet inquiring about the B12 shots. out of curiosity, how often do you administer them?

If he’s lost significant weight, I would think weekly for a month would be more appropriate but ask the vet.

 

[daftcat75]

If he’s lost significant weight, I would think weekly for a month would be more appropriate but ask the vet.

You can do these at home so it’s not a weekly vet visit. Just once to pick up the supplies and get a demo on how to do it. There are also videos on YouTube. I find it much easier than giving a pill.

 

[SFGlam]

I have a note in to the vet to discuss getting B12 shots on Monday. he has to fast in order to get the test? oh that's not going to work. that would mean his brother couldn't eat either!

The weight loss thing is hard to pin down....the last time I brought him into this vet in 2015 he weighed about 13.7 pounds. now he's about 10.4. During that period I did bring him to the ER once. it's possible that it's been a gradual decline and I just didn't really notice it until recently.

 

[mschauer]

the slight irritation I have with this vet office is they don't put any of this in writing - they discuss it all over the phone, so it's a lot of information to process and remember.

I have the same problem. If I'm getting a lot of information from my vet over the phone I jot down notes. They don't have to be complete notes while we are talking. Just enough so that after I hang up they remind me of what was discussed and I can write up more detailed notes. I'm sure if needed your vet would understand if while you are talking you asked for short pauses while you write.

 

[Jem]

I just came to this post and want to steer you back to what you mentioned about the possibility of kidney disease.
The symptoms you mention is exactly how my cat started to show he had kidney disease.

Not eating as much, not finishing his meals in one sitting. When the kidneys don't work as well, the toxins build up in the body and causes nausea, that will make them not want to eat. He may be eating well now with the new food simply because it is a different smell, therefore "not the cause of his nausea." Cats will associate their feeling of sick with their food, they think it's the food making them sick.

Also kidney cats are prone to mouth issues, if his teeth/mouth hurts from an abscess for example, he will not want to eat as much.

Weight loss, which included muscle loss, check if you find he's a bit more bony. If you find his spine or hips stick out more, he could be losing more muscle mass then fat. Muscle wasting is common in kidney disease, have you noticed if he seems weaker as well? More trouble jumping up on higher things?

He also had smelly runny poops most of the time, which is why we first thought IBD, the Z/D helped with the smell but his poops were still runny. Once we figured out it was kidney disease, and changed his food to the RX food for kidney disease, his poops are perfect. (Pro Plan NF, Hill's KD, RC A, P and S) I have so many to keep up with the picky eating patterns due to the nausea.

He took a lot of trips to the litter box, and drank more than usual. His kidneys weren't concentrating his urine as much so he peed more, but was prone to dehydration because he did not absorb and process water as well.

I'm not a vet, so I'm not saying he definitely has CKD, but I just wanted you to make sure you didn't rule it out completely yet. Mine is still going (although we are heading into failure at this time) at the ripe old age of 19, so it is a manageable disease.

Hope he feels better soon.

 

[SFGlam]

thank you so much for this info! he doesn't really feel too bony at all - but what clued me into something maybe up was when I rubbed my hand over his back his spine/back seemed skinnier.

the good news is that he's gained a little bit of weight - he's up to 11 pounds now (he was 10.4 on my last visit).

yes he drinks a lot and more trips to the litterbox - so I am keeping a sharp eye on that. my last cat died of kidney failure at only 9 years old - and it was a fast progression. (6 weeks between diagnosis and me having to put him down).

the vet just sent over all his lab work, so I'm looking over all that.

this showed up on one of the labs (Superchem? I think this is the blood work?). everything on that particular test came up normal.

Amylase 2246 100-1200 IU/L HIGH
PrecisionPSL 97 8-26 U/L HIGH
PrecisionPSL elevations correlate closely with abnormal PLI
concentrations. In cats with appropriate clinical signs, this
PrecisionPSL is supportive of, but not definitive, for a diagnosis of
pancreatitis. In cats without clinical signs of pancreatitis, a mild
elevation is an insignificant finding.

I just came to this post and want to steer you back to what you mentioned about the possibility of kidney disease.
The symptoms you mention is exactly how my cat started to show he had kidney disease.

Not eating as much, not finishing his meals in one sitting. When the kidneys don't work as well, the toxins build up in the body and causes nausea, that will make them not want to eat. He may be eating well now with the new food simply because it is a different smell, therefore "not the cause of his nausea." Cats will associate their feeling of sick with their food, they think it's the food making them sick.

Also kidney cats are prone to mouth issues, if his teeth/mouth hurts from an abscess for example, he will not want to eat as much.

Weight loss, which included muscle loss, check if you find he's a bit more bony. If you find his spine or hips stick out more, he could be losing more muscle mass then fat. Muscle wasting is common in kidney disease, have you noticed if he seems weaker as well? More trouble jumping up on higher things?

He also had smelly runny poops most of the time, which is why we first thought IBD, the Z/D helped with the smell but his poops were still runny. Once we figured out it was kidney disease, and changed his food to the RX food for kidney disease, his poops are perfect. (Pro Plan NF, Hill's KD, RC A, P and S) I have so many to keep up with the picky eating patterns due to the nausea.

He took a lot of trips to the litter box, and drank more than usual. His kidneys weren't concentrating his urine as much so he peed more, but was prone to dehydration because he did not absorb and process water as well.

I'm not a vet, so I'm not saying he definitely has CKD, but I just wanted you to make sure you didn't rule it out completely yet. Mine is still going (although we are heading into failure at this time) at the ripe old age of 19, so it is a manageable disease.

Hope he feels better soon.