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Again, his quality of life seems fine -- he's eating, sleeping, drinking, peeing, and purring -- except for the weight loss and tarry stools. I guess I'm not understanding why I need to do anything (administer pain medication, run blood panels, have exploratory surgery, give sub-q, or submit him to nights in the pet hospital) under the present circumstances. I was willing to try the thyroid medication to see if that would address the weight loss, but it didn't; it only made things worse. Are we treating things just to treat?
My girl's quality of life seemed "fine" too. Until I put her on the pain meds and saw the difference.
A cat with black tarry stools is bound to be in some discomfort, a lot, I would expect. Cats hide pain.
Ask your vet for gabapentin if you don't think they'll prescribe buprenorphine. Gab isn't a controlled substance. My cat was started on 25 mg (it was liquid) 3 times a day. The benefit increased with regular dosing. She got so that she would come to get me about fifteen minutes before her next dose was due, including waking me up in the early morning if it was a weekend (she never woke me up before). And like I said, I never would have said she was in pain, until I saw the difference. And I spend every spare minute with my cats. It's work, and home with the cats. That's my life (with a daily walk and an occasional long day hike). I was shocked I didn't realize it.
Last edited by catsmom21; 12-04-2020 at 01:55 PM..
PERSONALLY, I would request an urinalysis to be done. It will give you a MUCH better idea of how the kidneys are functioning. Then you can go from there.
PERSONALLY, I would request an urinalysis to be done. It will give you a MUCH better idea of how the kidneys are functioning. Then you can go from there.
No one's ever suggested a urinalysis (?); how would that sample be obtained?
At the moment he's enjoying a sunbath with a full tummy (full of water, too), and I'm inclined to leave him in peace!
It's called cystocentesis, a tiny needle, and ultrasound equipment, they take the urine straight from the bladder.
And why would I subject him (and me) to that??? I assume the animal would have to be sedated to sit still for this; in fact, it sounds like the needle aspiration procedure to diagnose small cell intestinal lymphoma that I've already rejected...
And why would I subject him (and me) to that??? I assume the animal would have to be sedated to sit still for this; in fact, it sounds like the needle aspiration procedure to diagnose small cell intestinal lymphoma that I've already rejected...
No sedation required, just a full bladder. It is painless and quick and non invasive, not at all like needle aspiration biopsy.
They use the ultrasound to find the bladder wall, and the tiny needle goes right through the skin into the bladder and sucks the urine out. As to why, well it wasn't my suggestion, but if you wanted to check urine specific gravity (USG), which can tell you how the kidneys are doing as Lola4 suggested, that would be the least invasive way. It's not cheap though.
I've already said what my choice would be in your cat's situation. I would ask for pain meds, treat palliativey and let him go when he's had enough xx
No sedation required, just a full bladder. It is painless and quick and non invasive, not at all like needle aspiration biopsy.
They use the ultrasound to find the bladder wall, and the tiny needle goes right through the skin into the bladder and sucks the urine out. As to why, well it wasn't my suggestion, but if you wanted to check urine specific gravity (USG), which can tell you how the kidneys are doing as Lola4 suggested, that would be the least invasive way. It's not cheap though.
I've already said what my choice would be in your cat's situation. I would ask for pain meds, treat palliativey and let him go when he's had enough xx
Doesn't the blood test also "tell you how the kidneys are doing," and isn't that good enough? You can see how these treatment options quickly spin out of control!
Doesn't the blood test also "tell you how the kidneys are doing," and isn't that good enough? You can see how these treatment options quickly spin out of control!
If you feel like doing some reading, you might find this article interesting. It explains things better than I can. Bottom line, CKD doesn't show up on blood work until the kidneys are at least 70% gone. A urinalysis can detect issues before that. In your cat's case, with his weight loss and the tarry stool, in my opinion he has far more going on than just CKD. I would get him on pain meds and instigate the "love and cheese danish method" until he's ready to go, and then let him go.
And why would I subject him (and me) to that??? I assume the animal would have to be sedated to sit still for this; in fact, it sounds like the needle aspiration procedure to diagnose small cell intestinal lymphoma that I've already rejected...
So then get some Kit4Cat and put it in a clean litter box. When your cat urinates you use a syringe to get a sample and give it to your vet. They should be able for give you a vial in which to put the sample. No needles required.
1) A routine Bld test for creatinine level, 2) SDMA (a kidney marker test showing early kidney dis. -- as early as 25% loss of kidney func. -- vs bld test's creatinine level, which rarely shows staging til 75% kidney func. is gone).
The other 2 tests are;
1) Ultrasound & 2) Urine Specific Gravity = test looking for how concentrated vs dilute the urine is & thus showing if kidney filtration is adequate. If dilute it is bad. Concentrated is best.
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