Oh dear, I didn't expect that.
Discussion
Edward is 11years old, has been losing weight for a while and getting more finicky about his food recently, so yesterday I took him for a checkup. The vet says it's likely to be kidney failure, spoke about euthanasia, and gave him a shot of steroids more in hope than expectation, and saying to see what happens over the next few weeks.
We are a bit shocked, to be honest.
Today Edward has eaten a bit, some treats, kibbles, ham, smoked salmon (!), so our fingers and toes are crossed. We will get him to another vet in a few days for a second opinion and maybe get bloods done.
Anyone with, hopefully positive, experience of this sort of thing, maybe types of food that might be good for his recovery?
Thanks.
Sorry to hear about Edward.
If he does have kidney problems, then he needs to be on a specialist diet which is low in protein and phosphorus. You can buy renal foods both wet and dry from a few different brands.
I am amazed the vet didn't do bloods, as this would tell you whether he has indicators of kidney disease/failure and therefore the steps can be taken accordingly.
Keep an eye on him, especially for strange behaviour. Our cat started licking the slabs in our garden, which we thought was just "strangeness" but is in fact an indication of iron deficiency, which is a side effect of kidney disease.
Also make sure he was plenty of fresh water, as kidney disease can also cause dehydration.
Kidney disease is quite common in cats. The key is to know how severe it is so you can take appropriate actions.
If he does have kidney problems, then he needs to be on a specialist diet which is low in protein and phosphorus. You can buy renal foods both wet and dry from a few different brands.
I am amazed the vet didn't do bloods, as this would tell you whether he has indicators of kidney disease/failure and therefore the steps can be taken accordingly.
Keep an eye on him, especially for strange behaviour. Our cat started licking the slabs in our garden, which we thought was just "strangeness" but is in fact an indication of iron deficiency, which is a side effect of kidney disease.
Also make sure he was plenty of fresh water, as kidney disease can also cause dehydration.
Kidney disease is quite common in cats. The key is to know how severe it is so you can take appropriate actions.
Yes, the TNR programme, adding insult to injury I sometimes say. Not really, it's a great system. Edward was feral in his youth, near Cambridge, and was adopted by some of our grandkids there who were fans of the series Twilight, hence his name. Some years ago I was informed that we were inheriting a blind cat, (hmm) and so he came to live here in the south-east of Ireland. I was happy to find that his eyes, though not working very well, were rather beautiful.
Ok, I better go see if I can tempt him with some more smoked salmon. Caviar, perhaps? Lark's tongue?
Ok, I better go see if I can tempt him with some more smoked salmon. Caviar, perhaps? Lark's tongue?
A month ago Toby started being funny with food - he was due in for his annual checkup and booster anyway so had him weighed as part of the consultation. He’d lost half a kilo since last year - full bloods and a wallet bashing later, all came back clear with no issues.
Told to bring him back in 2 weeks for another weighing.
In that time, discovered he had worms.
Back again, queried the weight loss and worm issue - hoping he’s gonna be ok. He is now eating properly again so looking positive.
Is your cat wormed regularly?
Vet should have done bloods straight away.
Told to bring him back in 2 weeks for another weighing.
In that time, discovered he had worms.
Back again, queried the weight loss and worm issue - hoping he’s gonna be ok. He is now eating properly again so looking positive.
Is your cat wormed regularly?
Vet should have done bloods straight away.
Edward was last dewormed 30th June.
This morning he was sent off to the very well regarded vet in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary who says he (the cat, not the vet) is too dehydrated to take bloods yet so he's been kept in for a day or so to rehydrate first. It's unlikely to be leukemia, anyway. I don't know why he's so dehydrated, I know it's a cat thing, but he has lots of water available both indoor and out. Anyway, we shall see what we shall see, fingers crossed.
This morning he was sent off to the very well regarded vet in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary who says he (the cat, not the vet) is too dehydrated to take bloods yet so he's been kept in for a day or so to rehydrate first. It's unlikely to be leukemia, anyway. I don't know why he's so dehydrated, I know it's a cat thing, but he has lots of water available both indoor and out. Anyway, we shall see what we shall see, fingers crossed.
So, he's back home after two days. He was too dehydrated to have bloods taken so he's been on a drip to get fluids into him. All the tests came back ok for kidney and liver function and what ever else they ran, I will get more in-depth info later. We were given a bottle of Oralade electrolyte stuff with instructions to syringe it into his mouth, but luckily he's lapping it up. I've just weighed him, 5.1 Kg versus 4 Kg a few days ago, that's a huge change.
A big recommendation for SuirSide Vets in Carrick, if you are anywhere near.
Thanks everyone for the interest and support!
A big recommendation for SuirSide Vets in Carrick, if you are anywhere near.
Thanks everyone for the interest and support!
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