# Sick cat + lab results



## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

The vet seems somewhat stumped by the sounds of it saying most things look ok... from what I gathered at any rate. If there isn't further improvement today the cat (Zoey) will be back at the vets tomorrow for further testing; today they were talking about FIV and FeLV testing but I talked them out of it since it is quite unlikely; she is an indoor cat and was tested negative in 2010... however I may test for this soon if nothing improves. She's already had blood work and urine tests done which I'll list below.

Here's the run down:

My aunt _just _went on a three week vacation leaving her 4 year old cat with us. The day before she left her cat wasn't acting herself, usually she's pretty low key, but she perks up at night. The day before my aunt left she didn't move around much at all and while she ate breakfast she refused dinner which is a sure sign something wasn't right. This is a cat that has a healthy appetite; she's 14.2 pounds and should likely be closer to 8. My aunt claims she does not over feed, and maybe she does not, Zoey may just have underlying issues. 

Zoey has a lot of health issues, she's had IBS her whole life so she was on Medi-cal hypoallergenic wet and dry for a long time which for the most part worked without further tummy upsets, although she still also has big pees and poops which doesn't seem right to me. For about a year she's also been on Natural Balance LID chicken & duck wet versions as well. A week or so ago we started giving Instinct raw mixed with the wet food... that's really the only change recently, so one possibility is salmonella. In 2010 she had a bacterial bladder infection. At first we thought this was another one, but it doesn't appear to be.

Her temperature yesterday was 40, today it was 40.3 (104.5). Yesterday they prescribed Clavamox, 1 ml twice daily. She didn't eat anything and hardly moved yesterday besides to change positions on the bed, but we syringed some water in her. This morning I syringed about 50 ml of wet food (~3 oz?) + an egg white into her. It was very easy as she's so docile but still took about an hour. At the vet today they administered 150 ml of subq fluids and gave her an anti-inflammatory shot. Now she's just sitting back on the bed in the same spot she's been for the last three days.

Here's the lab results, which seem like a bunch of gibberish to me:

Urinalysis
Color: amber
Clarity: Turbid
Gravity: 1.041
pH: 6.5
Urobilinogen: 3.2 (normal range 3.2-16 umol/L)
Blood: positive 3+
Urine Bilirubin: neg
Glucose: neg
Ketones: neg
Protein: Positive 3+
Description:


Sediment
Amorphous debris: small amt.
Bacteria: none seen
RBC: >50 /HPF
Transitional epithelial: 1-5 /HPF
WBC: 0-3 /HPF​
Crystals: none seen
Blood test

Biochemistry
Hemolysis: +++
Icterus: normal
Lipemia: ++++ (this is apparently why when they drew blood it was brown)
*Glucose: 9.4* mmol/L (should be 4-8 )
Urea: 7.6 (should be 5-12)
Creatinine: 142 (should be 71-203)
Bun/Cr Ratio: 13.4
*Sodium: 146* mmol/L (should be 147-156)
*Potassium: 5.5* mmol/L (should be 3.9-5.3)
Na/K Ratio: 26.5
Chloride: 115 (should be 111-125)
*Bicarbonate: 12* (should be 13-25)
Anion Gap: 24.5 (should be 12-26)
Calcium: 2.27 (should be 2-2.9)
Phosphorus: 1.22 (should be 1-2.4)
Total protein: 66 g/L (should be 59-85)
Albumin: 30 (should be 23-33)
Globulin: 36 (should be 27-51)
Albumin/Globulin: 3 (should be 0-7)
ALP: 10 (should be 0-62)
ALT: 60 (should be 28-76)
AST: 50 (should be 5-55)
GGT: 2 (should be 0-6)
*CK: 684* (should be 64-440 IU/L)
Amylase: 895 (should be 463-1833)
Lipase: 164 (should be 10-195)
Calc Osmolality: 299(should be 285-314)

Hematology
White blood cell count: 5.8 (should be 4.2-15.6)
*RBC: 5.3* (should be 6-10)
*Hemoglobin: 87* (should be 95-150)
*Hematocrit 0.28* (should be 0.29-0.45)
Mean Corp Vol.: 52.1 (should be 41-58 )
Mean Corp HGB: 16.5 (should be 11-17.5)
MCHC: 316 (should be 290-360)
*RDW: 29.4* (should be 10-26)
Nucleated RBC: 5 (units /100)
% Reticulocyte: 1.07
*Reticulocyte 56.7* (should be 3-50; bone marrow response 10E3/uL: 50-75 mild anemic)Hem Micro Comment: 
Platelets clumped, this will interfere with the accuracy of the platelet count and underestimate the number of platelets present.
Lipemic artifact is present in RBCs
Lipemia can interfere with MCHC, MCV, MCH, and PCV.
Slight toxic change
Numerous dohle bodies
!+ Anisocytosis is present
Platelet numbers are adequate​There was also something called "Differential" on the page that went into some kind of percentages on basophils and monocytes and such but I don't know if it's necessary to add.

... as it stands, seems like the Clavamox isn't doing anything and that she's just totally listless.

Any advice?  I do not want my aunt's vacation ruined, she'd been looking forward to it for so long.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Carmel said:


> This morning I syringed about 50 ml of wet food (~3 oz?) + an egg white into her.
> 
> ...!+ Anisocytosis is present​


I just worked out how many syringefuls were in the cup, so it's more likely I gave her 90-120 ml this morning.

The !+ should be 1+ instead.

Anyway, I'm really worried about her. I'll syrine more food in her tonight. I've never seen a cat so out of it...


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Her overall white blood cells (WBC) are not elevated (which usually indicate infection if they are elevated). Did they say why they put her on Clavamox? BTW - the monocytes, basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, leuokocytes are all of the specific types of white blood cells. When those are elevated/decreased, they can help identify a specific type of infection (i.e., if eosinophils are elevated but no other WBCs, it can indicate a parisitic infection). So if you have those numbers, please post them as well. 

Her urine gravity indicates her kidneys are functioning fine (it's not too diluted or concentrated). But she has blood and protein in her urine, which is a little concerning. Cats should really not have protein in their urine at all. Normally that does indicate a problem with the kidneys (either infection, kidney disease, etc.). But none of her kidney enzymes are elevated (phosphorus, creatinine, BUN, potassium - her potassium is slightly elevated, but with the other kidney enzymes not being elevated, it doesn't _look_ like kidney disease, it could still be something kidney-related (infection, stones, etc.)). 

Did they take her blood pressure by chance? And did they test her thyroid function (it should be called T4 analysis)?

This website has been really helpful for me with all of the sick kittens I've dealt with while fostering. It breaks down all of the different CBC, chem 27, urinalysis results in laymans terms: Normal Dog and Cat Blood And Urine Chemistry Test Results

Also, her red blood cells (RBC), hemaglobin and hematocrit are all low, which is usually a sign of anemia, which could DEFINITELY affect her energy level and make her lethargic. Do her gums look pale?


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Ok, just looking at a few other things. Her RDW is also elevated, which is another sign of anemia. You mentioned she's been diagnosed with IBD - some cats with IBD can develop anemia because their body doesn't absorb all of the nutrients properly, and since they don't absorb the iron from their food, they can develop anemia. You might ask them about B-12 injections (that can give her a bit more energy and boost her mood). 


Here's a good article on anemia in cats. It does mention that common causes of anemia are FIV and FeLV, so I'm guessing that's why they wanted to test? Given her IBD history, I'd be more inclined to think it was due to the IBD.

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/anemia-in-cats/51


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Thanks for such a fast reply! 

Here's the part I left out before, I don't know how to present it without drawing a chart, hopefully this makes sense:

Differential (first number is %, second number is abs., third and forth numbers don't say anything along the top column, I suspect they are what the normal range should be?)
Neutrophlis: 54.5% -- abs. 3.161 -- 2.5 12.5 x10E9/L
Bands: 4.5% -- abs. 0.261 -- 0.0 0.3 x10E9/L
Lymphocytes: 31.8% -- abs. 1.844 -- 1.5 7.0 x10E9/L
Monocytes: 4.5% -- abs. 0.261 -- 0.0 0.85 x10E9/L
Eosinophils: 4.5% -- abs. 0.261 -- 0.0 1.5 x10E9/L
Basophils 0.0% -- abs. 0.000 -- 0.000 0.100 x10E9/L

They put her on clavamox as a broad spectrum antibiotic for issues that could be related to infection.

They mentioned the blood in the urine but said it's possible it's from the method of getting the urine. They also said her slight anemia could be due to the blood leakage into the urine?! I don't recall if that was exactly what they said. They didn't seem overly worried about the anemia.

They did not take blood pressure and I do not see a T4 analysis. 

What's written on the paper is: tests requested refNRBC, GPD/UW, SLIDL for both the blood and urine sheets.

If we're back there tomorrow should I ask about blood pressure and anemia? What will they help indicate?

They said, for whatever reason, they do not think this is related to IBS issues. Maybe it was that the fever is not associated with IBS problems?

They mentioned possibly testing for extra pancreases tests on the blood tomorrow...

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

I was also considering asking for a B-12 shot, but I thought perhaps with the subq fluids and anti-inflammatory shot her temperature would go down she'd start eating on her own. Doesn't seem like it so far, so tomorrow if there's no improvement I'll ask about it.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Carmel said:


> If we're back there tomorrow should I ask about blood pressure and anemia? What will they help indicate?


I actually mean should I ask about blood pressure and T4. But I guess anemia got in there because now I'm curious about it as well.

On the sheet I just noticed at the bottom it has to say (this was sent to a lab, not done at the vets so I guess they're relaying info to the vet we saw):

Comment
FEVER + ANOREXIA

HEMATOLOGY - Mild anemia with mild reticulocytosis monitor possible regenerative anemia - nrbc increased also possible related to anemia and response
BIOCHEMISTRY - Stress hyperglycemia is most likely
electrolytes monitor effusion possible
URINALYSIS - monitor proteinuria
hematuria - collection?

Check FeLV/FIV status.

And I think that's just about everything on the sheets! Geez, if only my scanner was working.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

If you look on the link I sent you, all of the WBC numbers are expressed as total percent of WBC and by volume. For instance, the normal range for Monocytes is between 1 - 4 % of total WBC. Zoey's is 4.5%, so it is slightly high, but that's the only one of the WBCs that is elevated. Monocytes can be elevated from chronic inflammation/disease, not just infection, so that could be the result of a lot of things (including pancreatitis and various other inflammatory diseases). 

Pancreatitis, IBD, FIV, FeLV are all associated with anemia. So it sounds like they are on the right track in thinking the anemia is a symptom of something else (which is I guess why they are not worried with the actual anemia, but finding the cause of it?). With pancreatitis, normally the liver enzymes would be elevated (AP, ALT, and Bilirubin), but they're all well within the normal range here, so it's possible it's very early stage. But elevated Sodium and Potassium are also associated with Pancreatitis, so I'm guessing that's why they're leaning that way. If that's they case, they need to do an *fPL *(which is another blood test), assuming they didn't already (it's not normally done with a standard CBC, Chem 27, so they might not have). This is a special blood test that measures the lipase levels specific to the pancreas and should definitely help with the diagnosis. I would guess this is the extra test they're referring to. 

So the RBC, Hemaglobin, Hematocrit, and RDW are all related to the anemia, which looks like it's pretty mild. So I'd ignore those. But, the one result that I've never seen elevated is CK, and hers is very elevated. Unfortunately, this can be a LOT of things. So I'm wondering if this is the specific lab result that has them stumped? Here's some info on CK levels:
Why Are My Dog Or Cat's CK Levels Abnormal ?

I would probably go ahead and get a B-12 shot (you can add it to her subQ fluids too). It certainly won't hurt anything and may help her feel better.

Regarding the comments:
Hematology - these are all referring to the RBC, hematocrit, hemaglobin, etc., indicating mild anemia.
Hyperglycemia - yeah, I'd ignore that. Glucose can be high with a lot of cats going to the vet.
Electrolytes - that is referring to the potassium and sodium, which you have fluids for, so that should be covered.
Urinalysis - Proteinuria is the protein in the urine that I was referring to, which is not normal, so that's why they noted it.
Hematuria - is blood in the urine. I'm guessing the noted that because the suspected it was due to the collection method.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Sorry, I just saw your last post. 

T4 measures the thyroid function. Her kidney and liver enzymes are all normal, so it's probably not hyper/hypo thyroidism. I was just curious if it was tested. 

Blood pressure can help diagnose kidney and thyroid problems as well as diabetes (which could also be tied to pancreas issues because the pancreas produces insulin, which affects glucose). So it's not a bad idea to get it checked. I'd ask them about it.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

Could she have feline diabetes? It looks like her glucose is elevated. That can cause protein in urine & lethargy.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

soccergrl76 said:


> Could she have feline diabetes? It looks like her glucose is elevated. That can cause protein in urine & lethargy.


I thought about that too. Her glucose is only slightly elevated and that's a very difficult blood test to get accurate. Glucose can be very elevated to stress - parcicularly in cats (I've had high glucose readings in several cats), and if they just ate it can be high as well. The only way to really get an accurate reading is to test it several times. Also, her urine isn't diluted, which normally is with diabetes. One of the main symptoms of diabetes in cats is excessive drinking/urination, which leads to diluted urine. 

That's not to say it's not diabetes. It definitely could be. Carmel also mentioned she's very overweight, so that could be another indicator. I would definitely get them to consider that as possibility.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

I had a cat that was borderline diabetic & he was constantly trying to drink from the faucets in addition to his water in his bowl. 

But stress can bring things on.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

The vet has mentioned a number of possibilities, I think diabetes was in there, there's a lot of long shot guesses going around right now -- even toxoplasmosis and FIP were mentioned as extremely remote possibilties. Right now we still do not know what's wrong. 

Yesterday they did x-rays, the tests weren't very conclusive. The intestine looked a little bunched up, but the vet said that can be totally normal in cats so doesn't likely mean she's eaten a string or anything. He said something about the x-rays being a little hard to read on the pancreas area (?) so he ordered the extra pancreas test but the results aren't in today, or if they are in there's no vet in the office to check.

After I'd syringed about 2 oz of food into her and she still wasn't eating yesterday, and still had a temperature, we left her at the vets and she's been on an IV drip with antibiotics along with B-12 since then. She still hasn't eaten on her own. Today at least her temperature has come down.

I spoke with my aunt and she would rather her cat be at home under less stress along with less vet bills but it would've been hard to take her home today since the vet isn't even officially opened. I hope the IV is giving enough nutrition in it since no one there is force feeding her.

Tomorrow I'll ask the vet about T4 testing and the gallbladder as they're both something my aunt was wondering about. The vet is considering an ultrasound, too.

Regarding the CK levels, which I asked about, the vet said they weren't actually that high and could just have happened from drawing the blood. They can get up to 10,000 range for more serious situations.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Ugh, I'm sorry you have no news. It's hard not knowing what the problem is. I hope you get some definitive news tomorrow!

Thanks for the info about the CK levels. I've never seen that elevated.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

When we've seen elevated CK, it has almost always been secondary to an underlying problem causing the patient to have a lack of appetite. i.e. Fix the real problem and the CK will follow.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Thanks Jeff, maybe that's all it is with the CK levels... I just wish we knew what was wrong. Vets around here are crazy priced, I haven't heard of prices getting any higher than the going rates here. I think we're looking at about 900 dollars so far and we don't even know what's wrong.

I don't really want to post a recent picture of her due to her being way overweight, but here's a picture of Zoey I took a few years ago when she was at a more normal weight, I caught her with her tongue out!










It seems she has put on a_ lot_ of weight in the last two years... she's only four; she really is way overweight (and again, my aunt claims to not over feed) so I don't know what goes on. I think that's why my aunt wants the thyroid checked.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

So it's pancreatitis.  She still isn't eating, and now they're talking about an ultrasound in case she ingested something? I don't see how that's connected? And reading about pancreatitis from the 2ndchance website sounds pretty bleak. If we keep this up it'll be 2,000 dollars in a blink with the possibility that she still may not make it, or have even more very serious health issues on top of what she already has. I'm so worried about her, and I don't know what to do since her owner hasn't phoned today. She probably won't be phoning until tonight.

I know this shouldn't factor in... but honestly, Zoey not really been the nicest cat to own. She's always been pretty unfriendly to everyone including her owner. Half the time she doesn't even want to be petted, she'll hold your hand down with her paws when you try to pet her. She has her quirks, and can be sweet, but even as a small _kitten_ she was unfriendly to other animals around her... she's probably the only kitten I've heard of where they were listed as needing to go to a single cat only home. *sigh*


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

The owner is your aunt? I think when she calls, give her as much of the information as possible so that she can understand it over the phone. And then let her make the next decisions - what her spending limit is for tests and treatments, if there comes a time for euthanasia, is she willing to discuss that. See if she is willing to talk to the vet directly to eliminate the middle person.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm so sorry to hear that. I read up on it quite a bit too when my vet suspected that's what was wrong with my cat (it ended up being terminal cancer, so bad news either way). Do they know if it's acute (i.e., could it be caused by a parasitic infection, toxicity, trauma, etc.) or if it's chronic? I wonder if she's had it for a while - it seems to be linked to IBD. But if it's acute and they could find the underlying cause, it's possible she could pull through fine. If it's chronic, you've probably read the same info I did, and the prognosis is not good. She would need to be on lifelong fluid therapy, steroids, pain meds, etc. So obviously, quality of life, financial constraints, etc. need to be considered. I'm assuming she's on pain meds too now? Everything I've read says it's quite painful, so that could be a reason she's not eating.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I sent an email to my aunt (yes, she's the owner... I'm not really sure why I kept saying "owner" in that last post). She will respond to it shortly.

They don't know if it's acute yet, since due to her past history it could have been an ongoing thing with less sever symptoms, or it could become an ongoing thing from here on out. 

Her test on the pancreas ran up to something like 28! The levels should have been under 3.5 in normal ranges, and less 5 for sure. Anything higher is pancreatitis.

I had a long conversation with the vet. They want to do an ultrasound to rule on a foreign body or tumor/cancer. I don't believe either of those are likely since she's young and had a bowel movement yesterday. But they think it's the best course of action. It's hard to say no when you have two vets saying that's the best next step, but it's going to be my aunt's call, she does have the money but I know she doesn't want to throw it away on needless testing. After they rule those things out (tumor/blockage), they would send her home with fluid and hope she improves over the next few days in a less stressful environment. Personally, I'd rather that be the next step... and if nothing improves_ then_ do the ultrasound.

They said it could have been brought on by the raw food (salmonella or other bacterial infections)which make me feel awful since I'm the one that's always pushed to get her on raw food for her IBD symptoms, my aunt was only mixing in a little of the food with wet food every day. A week or two into the food and this happens. Of course they also said it could be due to IDB inflammation, or be idiopathic, as many cases of this are in cats. The vet said unless the ultrasound shows something, you'll never really know what caused it. Regardless, I doubt my aunt will continue with the raw food, which is sad since I think it could have helped her IBD symptoms.

She is still at the vet. They have her on an IV, and I believe in there is B-12, anti-nausea and pain meds along with other essential stuff. But not eating... but her fever is down.

 Blah.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Yikes, my kitties fPL was at 5.3 when the vet thought he had pancreatitis. 28 is high! I'm surprised the steroids haven't lowered that a bit. BTW - if she still is on the steroids, my vet said my cat would have to be off them for 48 hours before an ultrasound because it can reduce tumors/inflammation, making it difficult to definitively detect any problems. I think I'd be more inclined to see if the fluids (and being at home in a stress free environment) improve her condition too, especially if she's pooping ok. 

From everything I've read, pancreatitis is very common with IBD, so I doubt it's something you did with the raw diet. Don't beat yourself up over it. Did they do a blood culture by chance to see if there was any bacteria (not that you really want/need to spend any more right now)?


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

The number does seem really high, I tried to figure out if that could indicate chronic or acute form but didn't get anywhere with info online. Most sites don't say anything beyond that above 5 is pancreatitis. Getting closer to 30 seems majorly sever but I couldn't find anything on that particular range for what it might mean.

It's frustrating that I have to feel so bad going against vet advice, but I really don't understand why they are pushing for an ultrasound. Now that we know the diagnosis, and that they even agreed a blockage wasn't likely then that only leaves a tumor for the what they're looking for, on a 4 year old cat I just don't see the point. I realise the ultrasound could show other potential issues with other organs but it seems like it might be jumping into things a little quickly without giving her a chance to get better in a more stress free setting. My aunt seems to agree and wants her home as soon as possible; she wanted her home today but missed out there since she got back to me too late. She has agreed to the ultrasound if Zoey doesn't start eating on her own in a few days but until then I guess I'll be spending 2+ hours a day force feeding unless things take a turn for the better.

As much as I don't want to think it's the raw diet because I do think raw is fantastic, the time line of events do make it a leading contender for the condition in my mind. Doesn't help that I just read this: Raw Food Information


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

I think (just a guess based on limited experience - I defer to emilyatl and laurief in topics medical) that they want the ultrasound because the increased fPL could be pancreatitis or could be pancreatic cancer, so they may want to look for evidence of a tumor.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

When my cat's fPL was 5.3, my vet said he was just on the border of being high and wanted to retest it in a few weeks (this was before the squamous cell cancer diagnosis though). She did say that the fPL number wasn't one that fluctuated greatly (i.e., Glucose and rise drastically if a sample is taking just after eating). We just had his blood re-tested last Thursday and his fPL was 4.5, which is "normal high", so it did drop quite a bit, but not drastically (he's also on prednisilone, so my vet thinks it could be due to the steroids). But, I'm guessing if your aunt's cat fPL is that high, it has been for a while. 

I would also assume they want to do an ultrasound to check for tumors (which is what my vet suspected). Pancreatic cancer is very rare in cats and almost always fatal. If it is that, it's most likely metasticized to/from other organs, and it doesn't respond well to chemo. At the point of diagnosis, it's usually too late, and any treatment is just palliative. That said, pancreatitis can be caused by other inflammatory responses in a cat's body (in my cat's case it was cancer, but in his mouth, and the pancreas was just inflammed as a result - as were his liver and spleen). So they could also be checking for tumors elsewhere, which could potentially be operable. 

Ultimately, it's your aunt's decision. You shouldn't feel bad about going against the vet's recommendation. If she wants her to be home for a few days to see if she gets better, that's her choice.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Well, she ate a little on her own at the vets last night and some today apparently! Yay! We took her home today and I hope she keeps improving. Right now she's under the bed... poor girl was so stressed at the vets.

I, however, am not going back to that vet unless I need to (as they're directly across the street). It's sad because they are ridiculously so close to home and in the past they were pretty good at being conservative in their suggestions but I did not like some of the stuff they suggested on reflection. 

For instance, without much question they just assumed she needed to stay at the vets, despite that I was doing well force feeding her every day so could have taken home subq fluids instead -- when we wanted to take her home they were _strongly_ against it so it's hard to argue, despite that it was a weekend and no vet was there anyway. They did the x-rays even though those apparently won't tell much about pancreatitis (and they'd already suspected pancreatitis!), so why not just do the blood test for pancreatitis first and _then_ x-rays if it wasn't? I'd left a note with them saying my aunt wanted the T4 levels checked two days ago when we still didn't have a definite diagnosis and then they test the T4 _today_ before she goes home?! The levels are low; but they said it doesn't even mean anything since she's been sick. So the point of doing that was... another 70 dollars on the bill? Thank god we said no to the ultrasound or I have no doubt they would've preformed it today despite that she's eating! If we'd had the ultrasound done it would've been over a 2,000 dollar bill.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

I would be pretty irritated too, especially since the fPL test is quick, inexpensive, and pretty definitive. I think sometimes vets really minimize the stress some animals experience with vet visits (particularly with cats). Mine hid under the bed for several days after his ordeal and lost almost a pound in the two weeks he was in and out of the vet's office. Since he's been home, he hasn't lost any weight, he's eating fine, and he's on pain meds (and he's not hiding under the bed). 

I'm glad she's home and eating. It sounds like the steroids are finally doing some good. Mine ate like a pig after a he got his steroid shot!


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

The first day home Zoey maybe ate half of what she should in kibble very slowly, the next day she ate almost all of what she should for her body weight, very slowly... and yesterday and today it was back to square one. She hasn't really touched her food.  I'd sort of given up leaving out wet food anyway because she just licks at it, so she is only getting wet food when we syringe feed her. I wonder if the Baytril is giving her an upset tummy?

If she isn't eating tomorrow we'll have to look into getting subq fluids and another appetite stimulant. I don't know what else to do for her.  The idea of a feeding tube sounds pretty extreme... and expensive.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

My 6 pound dog had a pancreas reading almost that high. My vet said it was the highest they had ever seen. He was 16 with some other issues. He ate like Zoey before the blood test but with other treatment. Then he couldn't keep anything down and went down hill really fast. They did sub Q liquids and now I think maybe they should have kept him overnight on IV. It didn't take more than a day for him to crash and burn. The vet suggested cancer and to put him down. Zoey may be different but be prepared for anything. I am still happy that he died with me holding and loving him for a whole day and not at the vet's in a cage maybe by himself.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm so sorry she's not any better off and back to not eating. What did your Aunt decide about further diagnostics? Did she want to proceed with the ultrasound? I think a feeding tube is a little extreme too. And if she does have a terminal disease, there isn't really much point in prolonging it. It's possible the ultrasound could reveal a tumor or mass, but then it's possible it might just show inflammation in the pancreas (which you already know exists, so that wouldn't really be helpful). It's a tough call.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

We finally got the appetite stimulant yesterday (that took a long time, partly our fault, partly the vet being closed long weekend) but I think even before giving it to her she was feeling slightly better, looking more alert and such... after giving her a pill yesterday she finished off the kibble that had been sitting untouched for five days.

This morning she was sitting at the door, rubbing her face on the dresser and purring, all excited to see me and wanting out of the bedroom. She followed me back into the room when she saw I had some wet food for her and started eating right away. I'm _so_ relieved she's getting back to herself, her moving at all besides to the litter box wasn't happening before this, we had to leave food in front of her face to even get her to sniff at it.

I'm still really worried about residual side effects, like diabetes... but I'll leave that up to my aunt to look into when she gets back in a week.

Thank you so much for your suggestions and support.  Hopefully everything is on an upswing now... I was getting really sick of syringe feeding a can of wet food a day.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

It sounds like you've had a TERRIBLE last coupla weeks! Is your aunt back? How's ZoeY?


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