OK, I'll *try* to be short. Most of you know, I'm not very good at that.
This has been a tough hairball season for my four oldest (siblings). They all turned 12 this year. Lazlo is 2.5 years into remission from large cell lymphoma that presented as a "massive" cancerous mass in this stomach, so no surprise his GI system is a bit messed up. So I break out my full arsenal of treatments, and we STILL have some hairballs. BUT... my kitties don't have IBD. Hairballs are an inconvenience for them - but doesn't normally make them act ill. Maybe nauseous here and there, but otherwise, they act normally. So Spooky starts acting "off" a few days ago. She's sleeping all the time, not coming at meal times, and is having trouble keeping food down.
I've been having to syringe feed her on a somewhat frequent basis as I'll only let my cats go 24 hours without the full requirement of calories. I chalked it up to hairballs at first. But then I realized - there were other subtle signs that she just wasn't OK, and they became more pronounced the past few days. We headed to the vet on Friday morning for an exam, blood work, and x-rays.
She's just ... a lump there (not normal!). The vet palpates her abdomen, and feels several small lumps: either poop, or swollen lymph nodes. I'd been thinking she hadn't been able to keep food down that morning due to a hairball. The x-rays indicate her system is empty, top-to-bottom. Her stomach is normally shaped - no hairball. Intestines, colon, empty. No poop in there. The x-ray also shows her intestines are thicker than they should be (and we have images to compare from 7 months ago). Weight? She's lost a pound in those 7 months - despite me syringe feeding her to ensure she gets her daily caloric requirement.
The vet called today. Her blood work values are all exactly the same as 7 months ago - except her T4. It is LOW. As cats do not get hypothyroid (there are some, but it is VERY rare), this is an indication there is something else going on. She is scheduled for the ultrasound on Thursday. Of course... she has other symptoms that seem to indicate there may be an underlying issue.
The most likely culprits given the symptoms (loss of weight despite being getting the same calories; likely swollen lymph nodes in intestinal area; thickened intestines on x-ray; inappetence; vomiting) are IBD, intestinal lymphoma, chronic pancreatitis, or triaditis (being a liver infection, not fatty liver).
I've never heard of this, but.... :dk: The vet says it is possible her intestines are thickened from fluid - as in water in her intestines, or moisture from food that did stay down being absorbed. The x-ray just "melds" everything together. Thus the ultrasound is the next diagnostic step, to get a better look.
We did not run spec fPLI at the time, nor the folate cobalamin test. We may do those Thursday, depending on what is found via ultrasound.
But your good thoughts, vibes, and/or prayers would be very appreciated. :heart2:
This has been a tough hairball season for my four oldest (siblings). They all turned 12 this year. Lazlo is 2.5 years into remission from large cell lymphoma that presented as a "massive" cancerous mass in this stomach, so no surprise his GI system is a bit messed up. So I break out my full arsenal of treatments, and we STILL have some hairballs. BUT... my kitties don't have IBD. Hairballs are an inconvenience for them - but doesn't normally make them act ill. Maybe nauseous here and there, but otherwise, they act normally. So Spooky starts acting "off" a few days ago. She's sleeping all the time, not coming at meal times, and is having trouble keeping food down.
I've been having to syringe feed her on a somewhat frequent basis as I'll only let my cats go 24 hours without the full requirement of calories. I chalked it up to hairballs at first. But then I realized - there were other subtle signs that she just wasn't OK, and they became more pronounced the past few days. We headed to the vet on Friday morning for an exam, blood work, and x-rays.
She's just ... a lump there (not normal!). The vet palpates her abdomen, and feels several small lumps: either poop, or swollen lymph nodes. I'd been thinking she hadn't been able to keep food down that morning due to a hairball. The x-rays indicate her system is empty, top-to-bottom. Her stomach is normally shaped - no hairball. Intestines, colon, empty. No poop in there. The x-ray also shows her intestines are thicker than they should be (and we have images to compare from 7 months ago). Weight? She's lost a pound in those 7 months - despite me syringe feeding her to ensure she gets her daily caloric requirement.
The vet called today. Her blood work values are all exactly the same as 7 months ago - except her T4. It is LOW. As cats do not get hypothyroid (there are some, but it is VERY rare), this is an indication there is something else going on. She is scheduled for the ultrasound on Thursday. Of course... she has other symptoms that seem to indicate there may be an underlying issue.
The most likely culprits given the symptoms (loss of weight despite being getting the same calories; likely swollen lymph nodes in intestinal area; thickened intestines on x-ray; inappetence; vomiting) are IBD, intestinal lymphoma, chronic pancreatitis, or triaditis (being a liver infection, not fatty liver).
I've never heard of this, but.... :dk: The vet says it is possible her intestines are thickened from fluid - as in water in her intestines, or moisture from food that did stay down being absorbed. The x-ray just "melds" everything together. Thus the ultrasound is the next diagnostic step, to get a better look.
We did not run spec fPLI at the time, nor the folate cobalamin test. We may do those Thursday, depending on what is found via ultrasound.
But your good thoughts, vibes, and/or prayers would be very appreciated. :heart2: