Swollen lymph nodes, improper urination, weight lose

[arikkau]

Hi,
My cat has lost a significant amount of weight in the last few months from 8lbs down to 6.6. She's been drinking a lot of water, urinating a lot (inside and outside the litter box in very random places usually next to where she is sleeping) and she hasn't been up and moving around as much. She also has a skin yeast infection which has caused her to licked all the fur off her belly. The vet thinks the yeast infection is from food so we are starting a food trial. Got blood work done and all the bloodwork and urinalysis came back normal. No diabetes, hyperthyroid, kidneys are great, no bladder infection or crystals. She did have a swollen lymph node which the vet believes if from the inflammation and the yeast infection. The vet gave her an anti-biotic shot in case her skin also has a bacterial infection. The shot has seemed to help with some of the itchiness she has. The vet doesn't really know why she is losing weight. We gave her a de-wormer just in case it is that. If that doesn't work she said to bring her in for more testing to see if it's a malabsorption issue. If anyone has experienced something like this I would love to know what helped. I just want her to feel better soon. Any help with getting her to use the litter box again would be helpful as well.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Malabsorption usually results in some stool issues (also true of parasitic conditions) - are her stools normal? Is she using the litter box for pooping? How old is she? Is she eating normally? I would be suspicious of these swollen lymph nodes. Is the vet considering an abdominal ultrasound? As far as I know, yeast infections, which are fungal in nature, are generally treated with different medications than bacterial infections - so, is you vet treating both?

There is no easy answer about 'correcting' her litter box issues, especially if it is somehow tied to a medical condition that has yet to be identified.

Sorry that I have more questions than answers. Sometimes more information helps to formulate potential ideas/solutions. You would also do yourself a favor and get a copy of her blood work results and learn about each element - and, if you have had previous blood work done, get copies of those too to compare them all. Some vets don't do comparisons and if the results are all 'within range' - even though they have changed from previous results - they consider them to be 'fine'. But changes can identify possible problems brewing.

 

[arikkau]

Hi. Malabsorption usually results in some stool issues (also true of parasitic conditions) - are her stools normal? Is she using the litter box for pooping? How old is she? Is she eating normally? I would be suspicious of these swollen lymph nodes. Is the vet considering an abdominal ultrasound? As far as I know, yeast infections, which are fungal in nature, are generally treated with different medications than bacterial infections - so, is you vet treating both?

There is no easy answer about 'correcting' her litter box issues, especially if it is somehow tied to a medical condition that has yet to be identified.

Sorry that I have more questions than answers. Sometimes more information helps to formulate potential ideas/solutions. You would also do yourself a favor and get a copy of her blood work results and learn about each element - and, if you have had previous blood work done, get copies of those too to compare them all. Some vets don't do comparisons and if the results are all 'within range' - even though they have changed from previous results - they consider them to be 'fine'. But changes can identify possible problems brewing.

Thanks for the help. Her stool is normal and she is using the litter box for pooping. She is 8 years old. She is eating completely fine. No throwing up. She is on a medication for the yeast infection as well. The vet mentioned an ultrasound when she was having urinary issues but then with the weight loss and increased drinking I wanted to rule out diabetes and hyperthyroidism first. That will be my next step if she doesn't start gaining weight. What could the ultrasound tell me?
I actually do have a copy of her blood work. I attached the file

 

[arikkau]

Thanks for the help. Her stool is normal and she is using the litter box for pooping. She is 8 years old. She is eating completely fine. No throwing up. She is on a medication for the yeast infection as well. The vet mentioned an ultrasound when she was having urinary issues but then with the weight loss and increased drinking I wanted to rule out diabetes and hyperthyroidism first. That will be my next step if she doesn't start gaining weight. What could the ultrasound tell me?
I actually do have a copy of her blood work. I attached the file

She did poop one time outside of the box. That was a few days ago and she hasn't done it since.

 

[LTS3]

I would get a second opinion from another vet. Bring all copies of the most recent blood work and tests with you.

Did the vet check the teeth? Dental problems can result in a cat not eating very much. But lack of eating enough food wouldn't cause all the other issues.

What food were you feeding before? What are you feeding now for the food trial?

 

[FeebysOwner]

What could the ultrasound tell me? I actually do have a copy of her blood work. I attached the file

The ultrasound will look for organ abnormalities/issues, as well as inflammation, and any swollen lymph nodes in the entire area. It is used more of a 'rule out' problem than it is for definitively identifying one, in most cases. For example, if they were to see inflammation in an area, that could help to explain the high WBC and related counts. They might even be able to perform a fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology on one of these swollen lymph nodes to check for infections/cancer/etc. So, if you go through with an ultrasound, be sure to ask about the FNA so you can pre-approve it they deem it to be appropriate during the ultrasound. If you are not aware of what it is, it is simply a needle used to draw fluid/tissue from an area they want to analyze further. It is about the same as having a cystocentesis done when collecting urine straight from the bladder for a urinalysis.

The blood work you shared is only the CBC. Did you get a copy of the Chemistry Panel as well? That is the blood work that would have been done to check for diabetes, as well things like kidney and liver function. Most of the time the thyroid check (T-4) is an add-on to the rest of the blood work but is typically included in the Chemistry Panel results report.

 

[arikkau]

Thanks for the information. Getting the ultrasound and cytology will be my next step. Do I didn't get the Chemistry Panel but I will ask for that.

 

[arikkau]

I would get a second opinion from another vet. Bring all copies of the most recent blood work and tests with you.

Did the vet check the teeth? Dental problems can result in a cat not eating very much. But lack of eating enough food wouldn't cause all the other issues.

What food were you feeding before? What are you feeding now for the food trial?

Her teeth were ok. She is eating a lot so not eating isn't an issue. The vet thought originally she had hyperthyroidism because she is eating more than normal but still losing weight.

 

[arikkau]

Her teeth were ok. She is eating a lot so not eating isn't an issue. The vet thought originally she had hyperthyroidism because she is eating more than normal but still losing weight.

Also- was feeding raw food before now I'm feeding her ultimo hydrolyzed food for the food trail.