Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: jezebel on October 27, 2014, 11:41:27 AM
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I'm a little worried about Drum, she started drinking more than normal a few months ago but I put it down to the really hot weather (which lasted for ages here). Now it's cooler but she's still drinking often. Her poo has been slightly soft for a while as well (not diarhoea, just not very firm).
On the plus side, she's eating well, is happy and affectionate and not doing anything out of character, and she hasn't lost any weight.
I know drinking more (especially at her age - 14) can be a symptom of kidney disease, hyperthyroidism and diabetes but wouldn't she get other symptoms if she had anything like that?
She stresses hugely about going in the car anywhere and so I don't want to take her to the vet if I don't have to. She had her jabs a month ago and I mentioned this to the vet at the time who said to just keep an eye on her.
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If she hates going to the vet then it may be that a urine sample might indicate if there are any kidney problems, and this could be taken at home and then taken to the vets and Drum would not necessarily need to go there.
My girl Rosie presented with kidney problems in just this way, nothing untoward except that she was drinking at lot and peeing a lot. The urine test showed that she had protein in her urine and needed medication.
Lewis, my rescue boy drinks and pees a lot. He has done since we got him 8 months ago, even though his estimated age is only 7. However he has had a tough life. The vet tested his urine - it was very diluted (a sign the kidneys are not functioning at their best), but no protein, so no meds for him as yet, though that time may come.
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I would definately speak to you vet again
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Thanks Reets.
How on earth do you get a urine sample from a cat?
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I've always followed them around with a tea cup (not joking!) but if they use a litter tray you can buy plastic beads as litter and drain the urine off
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Problem is, she shares a litter box with her sister!
I just phoned the vet and I'm taking her in shortly. The nurse said they would probably do a blood test.
Poor Drum, this is her fourth trip in the car in a month!
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I hope that the vet visit went well Jezebel.
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Hope all went well :hug: :hug:
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Hope the trip went well too.
Our vets have a urine collecting kit which consists of non absorbant sand and a pipette. To get Lewis to use this I had to put the litter tray in our bathroom, and go for a wee myself, then he joined in. Pipette at the ready when we had both finished I got the same from him! To avoid them padding in wee (which they find most offensive) its a good idea to put something small under the front of the tray so it runs away from them as it were!
Hope all is well, I forgot to mention that Bruno used to drink loads, but in his case it was to 'refill the tanks' so he could mark his territory at every opportunity outside, and there was nothing at all wrong with him.
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Vet could find nothing else wrong with Drum - no soreness or anything - although she has lost a little bit of weight (possibly from being at the cattery last week). He took a blood and urine sample (£178 :Crazy: ) and we should get the results in a couple of days. Fingers/paws crossed there's nothing wrong.
Bless her, she handled it very well, even had a walk around the consulting room while the vet was talking to us!
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To get Lewis to use this I had to put the litter tray in our bathroom, and go for a wee myself, then he joined in.
That is so sweet!
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Poor Drum - I hope she's ok. Even if she does have kidney disease or something at least you will have caught it early and if she has no other symptoms it is likely to be in the early stages.
re wee sample - I found it surprisingly easy to get a sample from Jaffa in the end but I suppose it depends on the cat and whether they mind you following them around! I followed Jaffa to the tray and when he crouched to do his business I popped a plant pot saucer underneath him then poured it from there into the sample pot. Not sure Mosi would have been as obliging (or as easy given his fluffy posterior!)
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Mine would be a nightmare, Misa only likes going outside and far too big to get anything under him even if he used a tray.
Sasa also likes to go out but cant get close to her and as for Lupin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope tests cpme back OK, thats a lot of money :Crazy:
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Fingers crossed the tests come back ok. It could just be the weather :hug: :hug:
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Thanks!
She seems perfectly okay so I'm not too worried. Apparently 14 is 72 in cat years so she's doing well!
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Chelsea always drank loads right from a kitten and she got to the grand old age of 18.
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Blood test came back normal, except for a raised white blood count which she had at her last test (over two years ago) so vet wasn't concerned about it.
Urine test was mostly okay, but apparently was very dilute (well, obviously, because of all the drinking I would have thought!). Also, she had blood in her urine. The vet said he wasn't sure if it was cause for concern or not - he took the sample with a needle so it's possible it could be from that - so he wants to discuss it with his colleague before deciding whether they need to do another test.
Her poo is getting worse - she seems to have trouble passing much and what she does pass is very soft, and last night she dropped it outside her litter box, which isn't like her at all. Vet said to try her on sensitive food for three days to see if it makes any difference, so I'll be presenting her with that exciting news for dinner later. Bet she won't eat it!
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
and good luck with the food!
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The results sound good but also good luck with the food :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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As predicted, the food isn't going down well - literally and metaphorically!
It's now a test of wills, and since I paid over ?13 for the box of Royal Canin, I will be winning this one.
I feel a bit sorry for Bass, who has to have it too cos they eat from each other's bowls.
Does anyone know the Felinese for "it's only for three days"? :)
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They must have food so you may have to give in!
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They have food, just not the kind they want!
I might buy them some chicken later. The vet did suggest this but I know they won't eat it for more than a day so I thought the wet food might be better.
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Try mixing well with a sachet of their normal food thats what I do here when they have to eat the dreaded stuff the vet provides
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Thanks Liz, but I think the idea is to keep Drum off the normal stuff to see if her tummy settles.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Drum. I know it must be a terrible worry for you. Fingers crossed the vet will be able to sort it.
Julie.
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Thanks Julie. She still seems fine so I'm not worried too much. Just waiting for the vet to phone back about the urine results.
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Please let us know as soon as you get the results.
Julie.
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Just spoke to the vet and Drum has to have a scan (200 quid :Crazy: - good job she's insured!) to see if her kidneys are okay.
She's booked in for Friday, poor little scrap - SO many car journeys in such a short space of time.
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Poor little love
:hug: :hug: :hug:
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Vets on the make again. But at least Drum is insured. Must be a worry for you having to put her through it.
Hugs to both of you.
Julie.
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Thank you.
I'm worried again now, of course, and it's also a stupidly busy week as I'm job hunting and having to go for interviews and see agencies so I'm extra stressed. Still, maybe one will take my mind off the other!
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Perhaps I can help....I've got an interview preparation guide somewhere. Happy to dig it out and send it over to you if it will help on the stress front job wise.
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Aww, Louise, that's really thoughtful of you. However, I'm currently doing contract work and I went for so many interviews over the summer that I think I could probably write my own guide! But thank you anyway. :Luv2:
TBH, I'm less stressed about the actual interviews (have one with an agency tomorrow and one with an organisation on Thursday morning) than I am about fitting so much in over the next few days.
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You are more than welcome.
You'll fit it in as it will just happen. Things have a habit of working out like that so don't you worry :Luv2:
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Vets on the make again. But at least Drum is insured. Must be a worry for you having to put her through it.
Hugs to both of you.
Julie.
Definately but as soon as they know you have insutance they are rubbing their hands with greed glee
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I thought that too about the insurance. And a lot more. I sometimes wonder if all the procedures are necessary that they recommend.
Julie.
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Thank you.
I'm worried again now, of course, and it's also a stupidly busy week as I'm job hunting and having to go for interviews and see agencies so I'm extra stressed. Still, maybe one will take my mind off the other!
You need to keep a bottle of rescue remedy handy.
Julie.
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You need to keep a bottle of rescue remedy handy.
Julie.
Sounds azif a bucket would be better! :hug:
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Yes that too Julie
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Where are you based? £178 seems a lot.
I paid £268 last week for Minty and she even stayed at the vets house overnight and had a fair few things.
Some areas will be more expensive than others I guess, but I agree with those who say the vets sometimes do things they don't need too and they know we (or insurance) will pay.
Best wishes to Drum.
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:hug: everything always seems to happen at once doesn't it :hug:
I bet poor Drum is going so be sick of the sight of carriers, cars and vets :(
When Denzel had a swollen paw it was about £180 for sedation, x-ray bandage & meds.
They did say they didnt need to it straight away, and could give meds & keep an eye on it, but I was worried.
When Evie had her hernia op, the specialist knew she was from a rescue and said 'so we'll try and keep the costs as low as possible' ....... So if it was all coming out of my pocket they would of added loads of extras on?! >:(
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My vet knocked £1000 of napoleons bill cos had no insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I do wonder sometimes.
For instance, the vet says Drum has to have a scan - wouldn't an x-ray do the job?
In this case, it's not just the expense but I have to go to a different surgery for it, which means a half-hour drive instead of a five-minute one.
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Scans and xrays see different things and maybe you cant see what is needed on an xray...........aSK YOUR VET TO EXPLAIN oops sorry :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Took Drum in this morning for her scan, and spoke to a different (and more senior) vet, and apparently the blood test results WEREN'T okay. >:( I can't remember exactly what it was now, sorry - there was a lot to take in - but there was something either very high or very low which could mean kidney problems.
The amount of blood in her urine was very high, and I don't know how the other vet could possibly have thought it might not be a concern.
So the upshot is that it's looking very likely there's something wrong with her kidney(s) - hopefully the scan will show more but it could be a number of things. I'm hoping the scan shows nothing abnormal and she just has an infection.
Poor thing was so well behaved in the car today - she even had some Dreamies. I hated leaving her there.
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hope you get some sensible answers today, my vets are just the same you have to be very careful questioning them to get any answers
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You need to get a copy of the blood results from them, you have paid for them and they will show you what is high and low,
Hope the scan goes well :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Thanks.
On a more positive note, I got the job I went for yesterday. Seems that worrying about Drum took my mind off the interview!
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Well done ;D ;D
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well done about the job!
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Glad you got the job you went after. Thinking of you and Drum.
Julie.
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:thanks:
Well, my lovely tabby girl is home - with her belly shaved (not a good look when you have a serious spay sway!).
Vet says both her kidneys have shrunk. I don't know by how much but this is obviously serious kidney disease.
However, apparently her phosphate levels aren't a cause for concern yet so there's nothing we can do for her at the moment, unless she suddenly deteriorates. Vet gave her an antiobiotic injection, just in case there was any infection, but all we can do is keep an eye on her and have her blood and urine tested again in six months.
She seems okay - not quite herself because she had a sedative but active and wandering around a lot. Worryingly, she's drinking even more now though. I hope it's because she hasn't drunk much today.
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Glad to hear you have Drum home. All that and and at the end of it vets give an anti biotic, just in case of infection. Can't they tell that from her white cell count. I really have no faith in vets. There must be some good ones out there. But I personally have yet to come across one. I have yet to find one who can get a diagnose right. Sorry, I'm mouthing off. It just makes me sick the amount vets charge, then like in Drum's case, give an anti biotic for something they don't know she has.
Julie.
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I think she will now continue to drink to help her kidneys and hope that they will not deterioate any more for a long time :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Can't they tell that from her white cell count. I really have no faith in vets. There must be some good ones out there. But I personally have yet to come across one. I have yet to find one who can get a diagnose right. Sorry, I'm mouthing off. It just makes me sick the amount vets charge, then like in Drum's case, give an anti biotic for something they don't know she has.
Julie.
I know what you mean. We only have two vets in our town, we tried the other one but it was even more expensive - and even worse. We took Bass there once because she was losing fur, and the vet said it was ringworm and sold us some ointment which did nothing at all (apart from annoy Bass!). A couple of years later, the fur grew back of its own accord. No-one had ringworm (it's very contageous so if it was ringworm, we would probably have got it, as would Drum).